It's probably better if I don't think about how long ago I started this project. On the other hand this extended range instrument has arrived at a wonderful new level of playability. Now that the electronics are working right I have turned my attention to making it playable, sturdy and slightly less of an eyesore.
I said "slightly less."
The thing that looks like an over sized wooden pickup cover isn't. It is an over sized wooden pickup cavity cover. This came from the rosewood fingerboards I purchased back when I thought I wanted to make a short scale instrument. Besides its obvious cosmetic role it should, in theory, improve sustain. With hard wood in that space in stead of air more energy should return to the strings. It should also make the whole body slightly more rigid, having a similar effect; the body will reflect more energy and soak up a little less.
I sanded the rosewood down so that it is smooth and has a little clearance below the strings. It is still pretty close but I got it down to where it doesn't cause any problems. It actually feels kind of nice. It is like having a thumb rest that spans the full string spread.
You can also see where I wedged the 808 pickup in place with two screws. It's not the "right" way to mount a pickup but trust me, it isn't going anywhere and I'm reasonably sure I haven't damaged it.
I've drilled a lot of holes and otherwise removed a lot of wood from this instrument's body. Ned Steinberger's work aside, this does make a difference in both the feel and sound of an instrument. Newtonian physics says so.
If you saw the pictures in my last post you know I had a lot of exposed wires in the control cavity and the output jack was not very secure.
I'm not as happy with this hack but it is a step in the right direction. I took another piece of rosewood from the same fingerboard and cut it to cover most of the control cavity, leaving space for the output jack. The wiring is reasonably well protected and the output jack is pretty secure. The rosewood also returns some mass to the body. Being screwed across the control cavity it also provides a smidgen of rigidity, or at least it should, in theory.
I am happier with this instrument than I have ever been. Besides being truly unique it is very, very playable and I don't need to keep one eye on the wiring at all times. I am planning to record with it in Minneapolis in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
I said "slightly less."
The thing that looks like an over sized wooden pickup cover isn't. It is an over sized wooden pickup cavity cover. This came from the rosewood fingerboards I purchased back when I thought I wanted to make a short scale instrument. Besides its obvious cosmetic role it should, in theory, improve sustain. With hard wood in that space in stead of air more energy should return to the strings. It should also make the whole body slightly more rigid, having a similar effect; the body will reflect more energy and soak up a little less.
I sanded the rosewood down so that it is smooth and has a little clearance below the strings. It is still pretty close but I got it down to where it doesn't cause any problems. It actually feels kind of nice. It is like having a thumb rest that spans the full string spread.
You can also see where I wedged the 808 pickup in place with two screws. It's not the "right" way to mount a pickup but trust me, it isn't going anywhere and I'm reasonably sure I haven't damaged it.
I've drilled a lot of holes and otherwise removed a lot of wood from this instrument's body. Ned Steinberger's work aside, this does make a difference in both the feel and sound of an instrument. Newtonian physics says so.
If you saw the pictures in my last post you know I had a lot of exposed wires in the control cavity and the output jack was not very secure.
I'm not as happy with this hack but it is a step in the right direction. I took another piece of rosewood from the same fingerboard and cut it to cover most of the control cavity, leaving space for the output jack. The wiring is reasonably well protected and the output jack is pretty secure. The rosewood also returns some mass to the body. Being screwed across the control cavity it also provides a smidgen of rigidity, or at least it should, in theory.
I am happier with this instrument than I have ever been. Besides being truly unique it is very, very playable and I don't need to keep one eye on the wiring at all times. I am planning to record with it in Minneapolis in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.
0 comments:
Post a Comment