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Post by pete1951 on Mar 16, 2021 8:34:12 GMT
I could try to string without the cover , the electrics and tailpiece are both mounted on the cover, might have a go. Have already put an old capsule in, it works, but not well, may try different capsule ( have a cheap one in my spares box) Here it a pic of one of my guitars and a plate under construction. I call the effect ‘flamed aluminium ‘ . Getting a smooth polished finish is hard ( some makers don’t make guitars with a smooth finish because it’s harder to do, the name Mule comes to mind). I am not a very good panel beater, so the tops often have minor lumps and bumps , a textured finish hides these a little. I love flamed maple so tried to replicate using an orbital sander. By using various grit sizes and pressing the corner of the sanders bed I can get the wavy flame like effects. The whole lot is the sprayed over. Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 14, 2021 18:05:58 GMT
Thanks, 8 o’clock is great as it give me the most space to fit the capsule.. Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 12, 2021 7:36:58 GMT
Thanks bramley, most of the beauty came from the original design, and here I was ‘ standing on the shoulders of giants’ , ( though I was very pleased with the F holes which National forgot to put on the Glenwood) Pete Would like some advice as to position of capsule. Planning to use a stereo jack and add a push-pull pot. The pot will let me put the magnetic pickup or the mic on the ‘tip’ of the jack so I can use one or the other with a mono cable ( and let me swop channels in stereo.) . I do have a stereo guitar but at a jam/open mic gig setting up a stereo system might take too long, even though I am used to the concept.
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 11, 2021 17:52:14 GMT
Here’s one with the lid off This shows the inside a little better This is a typical cross section, I made it about 5 years ago and it has been my main ‘jamming’ guitar. I didn’t really think it would be so successful and used odd bits and pieces to make the body. The back was a shelf, and as I said the front was an old road sign. The neck ( I did change the head shape) was on a Stag Les Paul ( Stag imports all sorts of stuff, much of it cheap) which had broken off it’s body. The only new bits were the 2 14x20” 6mm birch ply that form the core of the build and become the 12mm white stripe that runs round the whole thing Pete Not sure where to fit the mic capsule, any advice? The pickup was on an Epiphone Les Paul, the knobs from a radio, but the pots and jack (and strings!) were probably new.
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 11, 2021 9:24:49 GMT
Here is a pic to give some idea of its construction. The top is an old road sign, hammered into a guitar shaped curve. The shield shaped hole for the biscuit is large, so I felt it would not need very big sound holes, ( inspiration for the hole’s shape came ,of coarse ,from the famous badge used by the Salvation Army) Pete The neck is screwed on , there are 2 screws ( going in at an angle) under the plastic plug and another 2 under the pickup
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 11, 2021 7:25:57 GMT
I got most of my fun making the thing, if I keep it , it will sit in a cupboard. I might make another ( with a few design improvements) Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 10, 2021 22:29:23 GMT
Thanks for the comments, I didn’t do any photos when I made it but I now need to fit a mic capsule so I will be taking it apart soon. It is made in a very odd way. The white strip running around the body is in fact the edge of a sheet of 6mm ply that the cone sits on. I let it stick out ( and rounded it off) to look like the centre cover strip on National Glenwood and other Resoglas bodies. Hopefully some photos soon Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 9, 2021 21:34:10 GMT
As promised , some idea of what my Reso-electric sounds like. At the moment not as resonator like as bramley has managed with his ( I think I will try the mic capsule idea) though I think mine might be louder. At the moment it has 013-50 strings tuned to G# Spanish with a Continental cone. Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 9, 2021 20:25:28 GMT
Here we go, just noticed it’s a bit out of tune, but you should get some idea of the tone and volume. Most guitars made from a cigar box have little acoustic quality. My aim was to get a usable sound , hopefully it’s almost there. There is not much sustain and a danger it will sound a bit banjoish but on the whole a reasonable first attempt . It sounds best when you play Arabian Blues, ( I can’t play in that style ) and the lack of sustain gives an ‘oud’ like quality . Pete It does show that a 6” cone can get a sound out of a very small box
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 7, 2021 10:18:57 GMT
If you mean the biscuit,rather than the cone, then yes I used a sander. This project was undertaken because I had some old Busker tri-cone cones and am too mean to buy uke cones ( which come with a flat top , and take a standard small flat biscuit.) I have just put one in a cigar box guitar I have made, will do a video on that thread to give some idea of tone/ volume . Pete
I didn’t think I could find a supply in the UK but it looks like Hob Goblin Music May stock them.
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 6, 2021 17:09:02 GMT
Pete, I forget what the nut width was on the one I had, but it was quite narrow. I am sure that with an old cricket bat you could add a bit onto the sides. Shine On Michael Bat already in use Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 6, 2021 13:18:27 GMT
Just done a quick search to find the nut width on a Reso-bass, apart from finding out that they all give ‘ that original resonator tone’ are great instruments and sound fantastic, have yet to discover the size of the neck. I am quite used to a standard electric so even as small as 45mm would be ok. Maybe they do a 5 string? Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 6, 2021 11:44:24 GMT
Pete, I don't think the neck would be wide enough to accommodate a baritone guitar. They too, IMHO, are only any good when plugged in. Low frequencies and resonators don't work. Shine On Michael My guitar would be tuned in Spanish down to E , so only 3 frets lower. So Lots of space , capo n the 3rd fret and it would be in G with an almost standard scale length. So it wouldn’t have to cope with very low notes Pete Most of these basses seem to have a 30” scale, and I could probably use a standard set of guitar strings. My lowest note would be the B below a standard E, the next 5 strings would all be in the normal range of standard guitar tuning , so very little extra low frequencies for the cone to cope with. Neck width would be the thing that might spoil the project.
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 6, 2021 9:58:08 GMT
I have been looking for a Reso-bass for some time, but it has to be very cheap, I think it would make a great baritone 6string if the neck is wide enough. But as a bass, see above for details. Pete
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Post by pete1951 on Mar 6, 2021 8:29:51 GMT
As someone with an interest in resonators and guitar repair I watched this video with anticipation. I have worked on a couple of Fender resonators ( though just the 6strings) and have found them good looking but badly made (especially internally). Reso basses are also something I have come across and have been underwhelmed by the acoustic tone. Would Dave have similar findings? If you have never seen Dave I hope you may enjoy his style. .
If you don’t want to see the video, it’s more or less as I thought, the bass has no real ‘cone tone’ and is badly put together . Pete
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