Extremely rare version of the Diddley Bo, that uses a toggle lever to vary the tension of the string. Usually played with a violin bow, a dowel hammer, or plucked.
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Nice, C.S.! Never heard of such a thing, but then - CBG's were new to me until Dec. 2013! I may not be the foremost expert! LOL! So, how does she play?
In my searching, I've only found 2 illustrations of such an instrument. If there is other examples I'm not aware of them. I don't even know what the official name of it is. As for the string length, it is fully adjustable for comfort, and I can get about 30 degrees of motion with a #40 Bronze wound string. I'm thinking that a nylon chord might be more stretchy and would give you a wider range.
By rare, what do you mean? Is there historical evidence or examples? Looks to me like there is a huge amount of slack in the string. How far does the lever have to be pulled back to get a tone? And about what is the range as you tension the string?
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I have a video of it posted... :D
Nice, C.S.! Never heard of such a thing, but then - CBG's were new to me until Dec. 2013! I may not be the foremost expert! LOL! So, how does she play?
In my searching, I've only found 2 illustrations of such an instrument. If there is other examples I'm not aware of them. I don't even know what the official name of it is. As for the string length, it is fully adjustable for comfort, and I can get about 30 degrees of motion with a #40 Bronze wound string. I'm thinking that a nylon chord might be more stretchy and would give you a wider range.
By rare, what do you mean? Is there historical evidence or examples? Looks to me like there is a huge amount of slack in the string. How far does the lever have to be pulled back to get a tone? And about what is the range as you tension the string?