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Rattler; resonator diddley bow a/e

Oh man, diddley bows rule!!! It sounds amazing, just the right about of trashy rattle. I have this one about 90% finished.

I probably overbuilt the bracing? I should have taken a few more between - build phase pics.

Nice black w/ gold accents Brick House box. I added a brace to the bottom, and a block above that for the string through. A string through 1x2 would have been enough I think. The front I double braced with 1x2, which might be overkill on the neck support too. It's solid!

In the lower left you can see the tin can I used for a soundwell. This ended up being my resonator too. I used little nuts & bolts to attach it, and just loosened it up to see what it sounded like after everything was so solid. I did not get a pic of the guts. :( Always in a hurry to play at that point.

The stainless drain is visual. I was going to loosen it as well, but after trying more tin and washers in the soundwell and not liking the results, I've left it.

I messed up the measurement for installing the diddley bow pickup (bought it from Delta Grooves vending on eBay). So had to make a cover for it. The cover is a better thumbrest than the thumbrest screw I installed, so I'm going to block the pickup in yet.

Neck is an old Canadian maple hockey stick. This section says "Extra Special Hand Made PROFESSIONAL. Made the Bow to 25.5" scale, easy; know what strings to use. Tuned to B with an .056. the biggest that would fit in my begged tuner - which turned out to be a Grover locking tuner (thanks Jeff!).

Headstocks for the hockey stick bows I'm making are based off warped Univox headstocks. I'm going to woodburn a logo into the headstock yet.

It's just so fun to play I can't put it down. The tin can resonator inside sounds like an acoustic fuzz pedal built into it. I love it. The Delta Grooves d-bow pickup is very clear, nice and loud. Seems like a great deal for the $15 I paid for it. I'll get to compare it to some cheap Chinese strat pickups later this week, be interesting to hear the sound difference.

I'll get acoustic and electric demos up in the next day or two. Going to be using this in a music project.

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Permalink Reply by Sean on December 18, 2015 at 8:52am

Thanks Wayfinder.

Here's an acoustic demo of it. Electric ones to follow, including through a Megalith fuzz, 1000 watt Marshall cab and 700 watt Peavey amp. Cause The Blue Rat wants diddley bow through Marshall stack? It shall happen.

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Permalink Reply by Lane Martin on December 18, 2015 at 9:31am

Nice sound.

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Permalink Reply by Sean on December 19, 2015 at 1:36am

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Sean on December 19, 2015 at 1:38am

And recorded this after I got home last night. I think there might have been whiskey involved.

Diddley bow doom riffing. Ibanez Standard fuzz clone, Hall of Fame for a little spring 'verb. Bass Master. 1x15.

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on December 19, 2015 at 1:20pm

Usually mine involve bourbon.

That's some serious fuzz on that unit. Good sound!

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Permalink Reply by Mr. Triked on December 19, 2015 at 1:29pm

As cool as this sounded unplugged, I really like the way it sounds through your amp. I need to make myself a diddley bow with pickup in it. Maybe my next project.

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on December 24, 2015 at 3:35pm

Very cool. LOve it through the amp! Black Sabbath!!

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Permalink Reply by Carl on December 25, 2015 at 5:55pm

Sweet!!

Paranoid was the first thing that came to mind as he started to play '-)

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Permalink Reply by Sean on December 26, 2015 at 4:41am

Thanks all!

I'm working on a cover of Godflesh's "Like Rats" with the diddley bow. Like this but more industrial metal sounding. Should get it posted, along with a regular electric blues demo in the next day or two.

Going to make five more of these. Got all my parts now, picked up a bunch of cool junque for resonators and got my Chinese strat pickups in the mail.