Igor gets the Blues, The FrankenLab Reso Project.

[kuanjb]

The tension may be off. The two places I've found online say to adjust the screw after putting the strings on. Bit hard with the single piece bridge and piezo rod though.

http://www.beardguitars.com/resonatorconecare/

Another thought is the lack of sound holes. If my understanding is correct the two sound holes should be like bass reflex tubes in speakers. Without them being connected you're losing your bass.

For my build I was considering both connecting the holes to the rear chamber and enlarging the chamber by cutting away not only the bottom middle section but the mid section also so that the hole is a cylinder (just like normal acoustic resonators). Not sure if there's enough space between the back panel and the sound holes though so might need to drill horizontally to connect up to the centre.

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[FrankenWashie]

The tension may be off. The two places I've found online say to adjust the screw after putting the strings on. Bit hard with the single piece bridge and piezo rod though.

http://www.beardguitars.com/resonatorconecare/

Another thought is the lack of sound holes. If my understanding is correct the two sound holes should be like bass reflex tubes in speakers. Without them being connected you're losing your bass.

For my build I was considering both connecting the holes to the rear chamber and enlarging the chamber by cutting away not only the bottom middle section but the mid section also so that the hole is a cylinder (just like normal acoustic resonators). Not sure if there's enough space between the back panel and the sound holes though so might need to drill horizontally to connect up to the centre.

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i did adjust the cone a bit but that is impossible with strings on in the current set up. I am going to split the bridge but there is still the rod piezo in the way.

it May be possible to use a split piezo or 2 separate rods like in a Fishman type one.

The Bass is okay, it’s more thin on the treble end, I follow your logic, I still have time to bore some connecting holes, I have to strip the strings and hardware for paint anyway.

what through hole size are you going with?

[kuanjb]

i did adjust the cone a bit but that is impossible with strings on in the current set up. I am going to split the bridge but there is still the rod piezo in the way.

it May be possible to use a split piezo or 2 separate rods like in a Fishman type one.

The Bass is okay, it’s more thin on the treble end, I follow your logic, I still have time to bore some connecting holes, I have to strip the strings and hardware for paint anyway.

what through hole size are you going with?

Not really sure currently. I'd think it would be 2-3cm diameter max. Couldn't really get much deeper with the thickness of the body. Could make it rectangular though. So maybe 25 * 40 mm.

As an aside I saw talk of other resolectric guitars which have vents in the back of the guitar. National 1133, and Andy Solloway guitars to name a couple.

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[FrankenWashie]

Not really sure currently. I'd think it would be 2-3cm diameter max. Couldn't really get much deeper with the thickness of the body. Could make it rectangular though. So maybe 25 * 40 mm.

As an aside I saw talk of other resolectric guitars which have vents in the back of the guitar. National 1133, and Andy Solloway guitars to name a couple.

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I’m going to see what I can squeeze in. Possibly a 25mm speed bore bit. I already have a through hole at the top via the cable entry and the pre amp rout, so that’s probably why the bass sounds louder.

[Simon Barden]

A problem you may encounter trying to make the acoustic voice louder, is a tendency to feedback when used amplified. You've already got a cone that resonates, so adding some extra acoustic 'gain' to the guitar will bring the point of feedback down a bit. I'd try it out first and see what it sounds like plugged in. It isn't an acoustic resonator, it's an electric one. However if the body is very well sealed, then some venting might be required just to let the cone vibrate a bit more, rather than having to compress the internal air quite so much when the cone moves inwards. A bit like a closed vs open back cab.

No reason you can't use two piezo elements and connect their outputs together, though I'm not sure about how well a split bridge will work without something to hold the bridge pieces secure at either end of the slot.

And speaking of slots, the two resonators I have had in the past both has slots cut in the wooden saddle to hold the strings in place. I don't know if this is universal or not. My two resos both had a much narrower tailpiece compared to this kit, so the slots were needed to stop the strings slipping inwards. But it did mean that you could adjust the string height downwards by cutting the slots deeper. It would remove any requirement to keep adjusting the under-saddle screw.

Note that if you do that, then you'll also need to file/sand down the saddle itself, as you don't want much excess saddle height above the strings, as (especially with the outside of the two E slots). The taller the saddle is above the slot depth, the more leverage there is if you accidentally catch the end of the saddle with say your sleeve, and the easier that piece of wood will break off. The saddle's protected once you've got the metal cover on, but it's quite vulnerable whenever it's off.

[FrankenWashie]

A problem you may encounter trying to make the acoustic voice louder, is a tendency to feedback when used amplified. You've already got a cone that resonates, so adding some extra acoustic 'gain' to the guitar will bring the point of feedback down a bit. I'd try it out first and see what it sounds like plugged in. It isn't an acoustic resonator, it's an electric one. However if the body is very well sealed, then some venting might be required just to let the cone vibrate a bit more, rather than having to compress the internal air quite so much when the cone moves inwards. A bit like a closed vs open back cab.

No reason you can't use two piezo elements and connect their outputs together, though I'm not sure about how well a split bridge will work without something to hold the bridge pieces secure at either end of the slot.

And speaking of slots, the two resonators I have had in the past both has slots cut in the wooden saddle to hold the strings in place. I don't know if this is universal or not. My two resos both had a much narrower tailpiece compared to this kit, so the slots were needed to stop the strings slipping inwards. But it did mean that you could adjust the string height downwards by cutting the slots deeper. It would remove any requirement to keep adjusting the under-saddle screw.

Note that if you do that, then you'll also need to file/sand down the saddle itself, as you don't want much excess saddle height above the strings, as (especially with the outside of the two E slots). The taller the saddle is above the slot depth, the more leverage there is if you accidentally catch the end of the saddle with say your sleeve, and the easier that piece of wood will break off. The saddle's protected once you've got the metal cover on, but it's quite vulnerable whenever it's off.

Yes, that’s why I’m going to concentrate on getting the electrics up and running next, to test that out prior to boring any more holes.
Fishman make a specific split piezo for these types of guitars, so it can be done, I’m not sure my electrickery skills are up to making one though. The dobro I have also has a split bridge, and that seems to stay put rather well, the pieces are a good tight fit in the bridge slot.
i have yet to match the beige the the fretboard radius, but at the moment the strings are sitting in notches to hold the spacing even, as the tailpiece anchor hole spacing is considerably narrower than the desired string spacing as per your experience.
i was just itchy to see what noise it would make,hence the string up

[kuanjb]

I thought the screw was for transferring the vibration of the bridge to the cone, not for height adjustment of the bridge. Reading the link I posted above suggests the same to me. I.e. you tighten it just enough and after you have the strings on which lowers the bridge due to the string tension.

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[Simon Barden]

You are almost certainly right. I've never built one. I'm just a bit surprised that the spider would move quite so much. I had it in my head that with its shape, it would be a pretty rigid item. You live and learn! I really need to look into the mechanics a bit more, as it's something I've obviously overlooked in the past.

[Simon Barden]

Any continuous piezo strip can be cut down in size - a friend has just done it on a Fishman guitar piezo to fit a smaller dulcimer saddle. Some piezos have six individual small piezos strung together and I'm not sure about cutting that type, but certainly the more common solid strip type is fine. The Fishman and Graphtec power bridges for Strats, Teles etc. have six individual piezo saddles that are then paralleled up on a small PCB before the signal hits the pre-amp, so it's not a problem wiring piezos up in parallel.

[FrankenWashie]

The kit piezo is actually one that has Six separate cells on it. You can see them through the covering.

Might need to look at alternatives or see how involved the other processes around them are. I have room for a small PCB etc in the recess behind the cone so that is all doable.