It all started with guitar at age 7 or 8. Then I built a dulcimer 25 years ago and did mountain, Celtic and other traditional music on it, and still do, but now that I've discovered the freedom of cigar box guitars, I wished I'd gotten THAT bug sooner!
Bought my first CBG from Shane at the Faerie Festival at Spoutwood Farm last year, and caught his band in York last week - I'll be going back for more...that is one helluva show!
So far, I have about five donated boxes, some hardwood lumber, a couple of fingerboards from Delta Groove, and I'm gearing up to turn it all into some fun instruments to play.
I would like to hear more about piezo pickups vs. wound magnetic...so far, while piezos capture the natural sound pretty well, I find them prone to all sorts of feedback and particularities.
I've seen the videos online about burying piezos in hot glue inside a bottle cap. Is the benefit there more than aesthetic?
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Welcome Andy. What do you think of my Dulcitar?
Well that is odd and unusual!
Curious, what tunings would make a diatonically fretted six string work?
It's a 28 & 1/8th" baritone scale. Using regular guitar strings tuned drop C/G/C/G/C/C.
Huh, interesting.
Broken into three sets of three, you have a 151, another 151, and a 155 then.
Any videos or sound clips of that? Playing styles would be of interest here.
(Sorry to hijack the OP, but this is a curiosity. I am always interested in the unusual.)
It's 1-5-1-5-1-1.
I can use the 6-5-4 (1-5-1)strings as a bass fretted across with one finger. I can fret across with one finger on strings 4-3-2-1 (1-5-1-1)and play rhythm guitar chords. I can fret strings 2-1 and play 4&3 open(1-5-1-1) for regular Dulcimer style. I can use all six strings with a slide since its tuned open.
Hello and welcome!
"Is the benefit there more than aesthetic?"
I feel it "mellows" their nature in a desirable way. The thing is, you never know what you are going to get. Mounting, locations and so forth. Many variables. I have mounted some with two faced foam mounting tape and that was similar, in that it reduced the handling noise and tamed the things a bit.
The experimenting aspect can be fun, but to be honest, IMO if you are seeking a more "traditional/accurate" acoustic electric type of sound, a properly installed rod piezo under the bridge saddle combined with a decent preamp designed for use with piezos is far superior to a disc.
The discs are fine for a home made "grungier" sound, simple appearance, etc. But if you want a loud amplified electric guitar sound with less hassles of unwanted feedback and handling noise and such, go magnetic.
Just my opinion.