Sweet! :-) I just completed that Uncle Crow styled build in my shop this afternoon. This build is a full "fly-over neck and bridge" build that is noticeably louder than the similar Uncle Crow styled build shown next to it. This dual fly-over arrangement does not appear to suffer from the aft bridge string dampening effect the center bridge one exhibited. Here are the photos (I will also post them to my photo album as well).
Made the flying bridge from a 2.5 inch bolt + 4 washers and two scrap cut up pieces of 1/4 inch red oak board that I normally use for making fretboards...I am experimenting with where the best location to place the piezo pickup would be, so therefore - the temporary duct tape used to hold things down so they don't vibrate...
I did a similar fret less with a pie lid and the bridge centre mounted and I've found if you give that extra bit of string you mentioned a firm press with your thumb it makes a pretty effective wham bar
Hey Jon . . . you think like I do (I'm an ex-engineer) . . . :-) The edge lid CBG FRETLESS dobro came about by accident resultant to a 1/16th inch cumulative error when first using my roto-zip to cut out a circle for these 1 gallon lids (I forgot to take into account 1/2 the diameter of the center pin on the roto-zip circle cutting attachment . . . a stupid mistake that cost me the use of the larger sized box [I had no replacement box for this project]).
In a side-by-side volume/tone quality test they both sound just about the same tone quality wise and there is a slight volume difference favoring the fretted one (on the left) in the volume projected from that bigger sized box. The left-side fretted version is hyper-sensitive to resting your palm on the remaining string length behind the bridge though - and works to noticeably "dull" the tone of the paint lid resonator (your hand located there works to dampen the lid vibrations), whereas the right-side fretless version with the edge located bridge is not sensitive to my hand being located there and works to place my strumming of this CBG more toward the center of the lid.
I started a quick R&D effort to throw together an "uncle crow" styled build in the shop yesterday where I am going to have the neck "floating" 1/4 inch above the paint can lid and build a flying bridge to straddle the neck at the center of the lid to transfer the string vibrations to the lid and cigar box tone cavity beneath it to see if I can minimize this observed tone muting effect. I have a hunch that this might be minimized by having a "double bridge" kinda configuration where hand location (short of palm muting) will have minimal effect on the crisp tone created by the lid.
I have a cheap orange cigar box I am using with the paint lid hole located in the center of the cigar box. I will also have a 1/4 recess on the inside of the cigar box with a supporting wooden stock thru-bolted into the upper neck on each side of the lid to allow it to vibrate freely. I should know the results of this test (and resultant modifications) by this upcoming weekend . . .
(Now if I could just learn how to competently play these things where I can make them sound like all those youtube videos . . . ;-)
Comments
Sweet! :-) I just completed that Uncle Crow styled build in my shop this afternoon. This build is a full "fly-over neck and bridge" build that is noticeably louder than the similar Uncle Crow styled build shown next to it. This dual fly-over arrangement does not appear to suffer from the aft bridge string dampening effect the center bridge one exhibited. Here are the photos (I will also post them to my photo album as well).
I did a similar fret less with a pie lid and the bridge centre mounted and I've found if you give that extra bit of string you mentioned a firm press with your thumb it makes a pretty effective wham bar
I did a similar fretlessb
Hey Jon . . . you think like I do (I'm an ex-engineer) . . . :-) The edge lid CBG FRETLESS dobro came about by accident resultant to a 1/16th inch cumulative error when first using my roto-zip to cut out a circle for these 1 gallon lids (I forgot to take into account 1/2 the diameter of the center pin on the roto-zip circle cutting attachment . . . a stupid mistake that cost me the use of the larger sized box [I had no replacement box for this project]).
In a side-by-side volume/tone quality test they both sound just about the same tone quality wise and there is a slight volume difference favoring the fretted one (on the left) in the volume projected from that bigger sized box. The left-side fretted version is hyper-sensitive to resting your palm on the remaining string length behind the bridge though - and works to noticeably "dull" the tone of the paint lid resonator (your hand located there works to dampen the lid vibrations), whereas the right-side fretless version with the edge located bridge is not sensitive to my hand being located there and works to place my strumming of this CBG more toward the center of the lid.
I started a quick R&D effort to throw together an "uncle crow" styled build in the shop yesterday where I am going to have the neck "floating" 1/4 inch above the paint can lid and build a flying bridge to straddle the neck at the center of the lid to transfer the string vibrations to the lid and cigar box tone cavity beneath it to see if I can minimize this observed tone muting effect. I have a hunch that this might be minimized by having a "double bridge" kinda configuration where hand location (short of palm muting) will have minimal effect on the crisp tone created by the lid.
I have a cheap orange cigar box I am using with the paint lid hole located in the center of the cigar box. I will also have a 1/4 recess on the inside of the cigar box with a supporting wooden stock thru-bolted into the upper neck on each side of the lid to allow it to vibrate freely. I should know the results of this test (and resultant modifications) by this upcoming weekend . . .
(Now if I could just learn how to competently play these things where I can make them sound like all those youtube videos . . . ;-)