Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Reeds Taylor on December 7, 2013 at 8:41am

What I understand is this: The original didley bow came from some smart thinker using 2 nails  about 36 inches apart strung with the wire from a straw broom , and nailed to the front porch pillar. These days I seen builds use rabbit wire...non used strings, weed wacker string....there's really no guided path, let your imagination roam free.

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Permalink Reply by Reeds Taylor on December 7, 2013 at 8:43am

I just looked at your design....Maybe if you take a screw or bolt, or a piece of bone and try it on top of the bridge you have, it will make a noticeable difference.

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Permalink Reply by Mike D on December 7, 2013 at 5:20pm

now remember, im new at this. ive never played a guitar of any kind. so... whats a bridge again? lol if its just the wire, ive tried putting an allen wrench on top of it but that doesnt seem to make a difference.

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Permalink Reply by Piht Bull (Delta Dawg Guitars) on December 7, 2013 at 9:16am

Reeds is right a screw or something hard on the bridge will make it brighter . keep in mind it has no box or anything to make it resonate . hold it against the wall and pluck it and see what happens ;)

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Permalink Reply by Mike D on December 7, 2013 at 5:22pm

a box? u mean a thing to make it play through an amp? if so, idk where to put it on on the bow to make it work. i think i read somewhere that you need to put it underneath the string and just barely touching it. is that correct?

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Permalink Reply by jawbone on December 7, 2013 at 11:11am

I can't tell from your pic but what if you replaced one screw with an eyebolt of sorts - then you could tighten it easily.

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Permalink Reply by Clock The Wolf on December 7, 2013 at 5:36pm

Baling wire works. 

You could use an old tin can with a disk piezo glued in it for amplification.

Heck, you could use fishing line and a tree branch and a door buzzer stuck to the branch with old gum  :-o

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Permalink Reply by Mike D on December 7, 2013 at 6:25pm

so would i still need a pickup if i did that?

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on December 7, 2013 at 6:36pm

you should be able to get a reasonable accoustic sound,your main problem atm is you have no string tension adjustment,if you picture it withe the string low at tha nut[block of wood]end,then your board,the string and the jar form a triangle,so when you slide the jar back it increases string tension,the string could even be fixed on the bottom of the board and come up through holes in the board,over a small nut and with enough slack to fit the jar,then you just slide the jar back to tension,yune,hope this helps

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on December 7, 2013 at 6:46pm

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/100-0937,heres a simple one,note the string angles,you probably want a bit steeper angles,which you,ll get with the jar,this one looks like it has a piezo disc or similar in the tin to make it electric

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on December 7, 2013 at 5:57pm

try taking the bottle out,lower the string at the other end,with a bit of slack then put the bottle back in and slide it towards where it is now and the futher you go the more tension you,ll get as it raises the string from the board,experiment a bit till you get a tone you like

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Permalink Reply by Mike D on December 7, 2013 at 6:22pm

everything is pretty much set in already with nails, screws and (refering to your other reply) the board isnt very thick so the screws and nails wont go any lower without poking through the board. i have a dremel tool but i dont think i would be able to cut it close enough so that nothing gets snagged or cuts me. i might just build another one and try a different design.

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