So far I've been acoustical, but the Lace Alumitone thread has inspired me to consider electricity. To that end, when building an electric CBG and an amp, should there be a tone control on each?
I assume one the CBG would be convenient, but one on the amp would allow tone control on an instrument that didn't have a tone control. If there was one on each, would they behave, or would there be problems?
Thanks for your consideration!! Matt
Replies
Not a lot to add to this thread, but i did run in to this interesting stereo amp for 13 aust. dollars yesterday, DC 6-12 V/AC 120-240 V, naturally i had to get one to try out. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291830770787?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l264...
Kigar,
I do plan on using a 386 based amp, specifically this one http://mylkstuff.com/page35.htm . It has a 741 op amp pre-amp with a 386 power amp. Between the two is a "insert tone control here" notation, which prompted me original question as to whether I needed it.
Timothy,
Thanks for the additional info on tone control. I'll definitely add it to the amp.
if you can get one replace the 741 with a TL071. 741 is a very noisy op amp. the TL071 should be pin compatible but a much better op amp.
These guys are way more knowledgeable so I'll go the simple route - for your first electricification consider a piezo and a LM386 amp. Look up the Ruby amp for a more refined version, or a cheapo LM386 kit on ebay for under $2 ( $1.08 a minute ago) that gives a whopping 1/4 watt. You have to add a jack, speaker, piezo, etc, but you can learn how to put things together and see how it all interacts, and when you blow one it is only a couple bucks.
i just received 5 of these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/222213880107?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l264...
supposed to be 3W per channel... all run from 5 V . cant bridge the outputs though. Going to try a 2 x 4" speaker amp using a cheap 5V USB ph charge bank.... and just feed the input to both sides... or you could build one with 2 inputs mike and git.... may need a preamp havent powered it up yet....
Wayfinder & David,
Thanks for your excellent replies! As you may have guessed, I don't know much about audio electronics, and your replies gave me some great starting points for learning more - way beyond just a simple answer to my question. It's great to be part of such a supportive and knowledgeable community!
Matt
A normal electric guitar usually has only passive tone controls based around a potentiometer with a capacitor controlling how much of the high frequency is bled to ground. The sound goes from clean treble to mushy bass. It is okay, but nothing compared to the tonal control you get using the amp controls or an equaliser pedal (where the active circuitry lets you boost parts of the signal as well as reducing other areas so you can shape the sound to what you want). Also due to the different electrical properties piezos don't have much/if any tonal change using a "normal electric guitar"passive tone (you can make a passive low pass filter but much more complicated than a pot plus capacitor).
You can add an active equaliser to your guitar by adding a normal guitar preamp (meant for a piezo rod) and passing the magnetic signal through it (you can send both piezo and/or magnetic signals together if you wish). If you use a preamp with a tuning function you get an onboard tuning function too.
If you are starting to experiment with electric guitar circuits there are several other things you can do to get different tones:
Pickup position ie nearer the bridge = clean treble, nearer the neck = warmer, less clarity which is why a stratocaster has 3 positions. Combinations of these different positions vary the tone.
Using the stracciatella guitar mod (adding a diode to a volume pot for each pickup you are using lets you add 0 to 100% of the signal from each pickup to the final signal).
Video demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWJeR_O5p44
original post http://www.strat-talk.com/threads/the-stracciatella-3-volume-w-vari...
I tend to add both piezo plus magnetic pickups so use 1N5819 diodes for all pickups.
By adding a piezo pickup (disc, rod or cable) along with the magnetic signal it will also give you other distinctive tones.
Probably too much information but better than not enough and 2 or more electrical pickups + piezo (with diodes = infinite tones & infinite fun ;0)
Then you get onto coil tapping humbuckers and phase switching magnetic pickups....