Springs in the guitar? ...What gives?

Posted by Danny B. on October 20, 2016 at 9:24am

OK... a fella mentioned he was gonna put some old springs in his guitar... to "do whatever they may be inclined to do in there".

I decided I like this dude's style for sure, but I have no idea what might be produced.

.. so I tried it. It sounds like something is buzzing\loose in there is what I'd say, it's not pleasing... disconcerting if anything. So what is the objective here...Reverb? Old fashioned distortion? Should the spring be tight or loose? Should it touch the back or be stretched freely?

Here are some pics: Starting with mine which I'm probably taking out, unless someone can tell me how to make it do something desirable. In the last pic I can sure see someone went to great effort for this, so I would like to believe some good can come of it? 

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Replies

  • Mikala August 29, 2019 at 11:07pm

    Related to spring loading, sorta: 

    https://cigarboxnation.com/group/piezos-from-outer-space/forum/topi...

  • Lonman June 9, 2018 at 10:57am

    I had to chuckle, I just noticed this thread is from 2016, I have no idea how I was able to read all these threads form long ago. Haha

  • Lonman June 9, 2018 at 10:42am

    I have done 3 builds and only one I did put a piezo in the box. The other 2 were strictly for acoustic guitar and to enhance the sound. I don't think a lot about the science of it all, I just go with it. I have been fortunate to have good results, and as someone stated, they can easily be removed. For me, more is not better in regards to how many strings, I am pleased with 2. The tricone was a step up seeing that I was building from scratch a poor man's idea of a tricone, each can has a spring. Again, I like the results, but this hobby seems to be kinda like art, it is in the 'ears of the beholder'.  This is why I love these guitars, each one sounds different than the next. 306705509?profile=original

  • Mark Bliss November 9, 2016 at 7:30pm

    OK, If were gonna talk springs inside, lets move from sympathetic to.... How about some more food for thought?

    https://youtu.be/OTZGXUnvy-Q

    https://youtu.be/XlxkL0UpLMQ

    https://youtu.be/Mt5jb1YFEUQ

    https://youtu.be/XIcGqR9zAzo

    https://youtu.be/XRgcA31TRGg

    https://youtu.be/JBQzal9xX0E

    • Danny B. > Mark Bliss November 9, 2016 at 8:35pm

      Yep the last vid is crazy. That's all I got. Crazy that last vid, how the heck did he do it. This would also be fun to build into our homemade amps. I know guys take the reverb units out of old organs and car stereos and do this, but the process is a mystery.  

    • Danny B. > Danny B. November 9, 2016 at 8:53pm

      I looked up sympathetic strings and found this genius. Wow, I'm going back to bed.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnwNYZul_I

    • Mark Bliss > Danny B. November 9, 2016 at 9:19pm

      Yeah, good stuff, look up Fred Carlson's stuff too. (mentioned in the vid of description I think) he has some very original and creative concepts as well.

      I am not a huge fan of the sympathetic stuff, but to each their own and all.......

  • Fomhorach November 9, 2016 at 6:07pm

    306593376?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    I haven't tried springs but these are sympathetic strings that are tuneable. Mixed results but this is experimental.

    • Danny B. > Fomhorach November 9, 2016 at 8:25pm

      Holy crap does it do it?

    • Fomhorach > Danny B. November 10, 2016 at 9:43am

      Yeah. I would change the design on this though, that central location makes tuning difficult. It sounds ghostly, like a harmonic drone emphasising tones that were just played. It really sounds unusual, I haven't heard anything quite like it.


      And you have to be careful not to bump the guitar
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