Hey all, I have made a Diddley Bow but with a wire fro the string. I am afraid the wire is too thick because when I strum it, it sounds really dull and not loud or long at all. I was just wondering what kind of item you guys have used for a string? I asked a guy at a music store if guitar strings would be good for a diddley bow (I basically told him I had two screws at each end of a board and needed to tie the string to each screw) and he said no because one end has a circle I could put around a screw but the other end doesn't and they are very hard to tie. im wanting to try to just use a thinner galvanized wire and try that out.
what do you guys think I should use? are guitar strings actually that hard to tie? and now for a unrelated question... what did you guys use (if you've built a diddley bow) where I put the glass jar? I heard glass jars are best.
thanks!
Replies
Here is one I made, it has a bass tuning peg, bottom light electric e string and a prewired magnetic pick up tied to the plank of wood.http://youtu.be/0T-SCKXZ5BU
whoops,also meant to suggest lowering the nut[the block of wood]to about a 1/4 to 3/8 high
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
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.
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
so would i still need a pickup if i did that?
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
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
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.
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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