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Bill Ludeman Male Palatka, FL United States: Like

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Piezo pickups

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CBG wiring & electronics.

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2 String CBG builds, pla…

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Gervase Gallant liked Bill Ludeman's blog post Pop Rivet string sleeves tips and how-to

Apr 7, 2022

Gone crazy on these things - I have built two and redone an old Folgers Canjoe that had semi survived a house fire. Its now a great sounding two string! Put a working piezo in each one too. Lots of fun. Probably should learn how to play something! I really like the sound of slide and old time blues..... I have looked at each picutre posted at least two different times - lurking! Finally decided to join.

I am going to try to post pics of the first three instruments along these lines I have built. Also a a short description of each. The first one is an old Folgers Canjoe I bought it from a craftshow guy years ago. It survived a house fire just barely. I converted it to guitar tuners and two strings - It and my Arturo box both have toothpick frets spaced dulcimer/strunstick and the same light strings from Walmart. The last one is really nice looking and I used a kit neck from a Waring Cardboard kit - couldn't bear to use the nice wood on cardboard..... Hope this works.

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How I do a simple piezo pickup including tool and parts tips

Posted on March 26, 2010 at 9:30pm 19 Comments 1 Like

Here is how I do a simple piezo pickup

A trip to Radio Shack will get you the piezo and 1/4 inch mono jack. They are in a drawer case towards the back of the store and most stores usually have them in stock. The piezo you are looking for is the 273-073 and costs 2$ and the jacks are

#274-255 and are two for 4 You can also pickup a 25 or 30 watt soldering iron… Continue

Are Musicians Snobs??? I don't know!

Posted on March 19, 2010 at 9:57pm 3 Comments 0 Likes

I have had a great deal of fun building instruments of different kinds but can't claim to be a musician. I had played the cello in high school forty five years ago and started with the harp in 1990. I quickly learned that the harp is a snooty instrument world. Its inhabited by long slender women with long slender fingers - quite a few men too. Mostly guys are harp builders and movers. I accepted my plight and muddled along. I tried a half dozen teachers over the years and learned that they all… Continue

Duh - right side up? While its not that important there is a tradition.

Posted on March 19, 2010 at 11:56am 5 Comments 0 Likes

I literally put my tuning machines or tuners on upside down AND backwards on my first build. I had no clue there was a right way. After a comment clued me in, I went to Guitar Center and observed that their was a pattern that was always followed. The objective is to have them installed such that the string tension pulls the shaft into the gear instead of away from it. I am using inexpensive Ping Economy tuners and if I put them on right they stay tight. Backwards works ok but there is a… Continue

Pop Rivet string sleeves tips and how-to

Posted on March 19, 2010 at 10:58am 5 Comments 2 Likes

The best string sleeves I have found are simply pop rivets. I originally bought a small box of 25 from Ace Hardware and paid way to much. Next I found them at Lowes for about half the price Ace got but still cost me 4 or 5 bucks for a small box of a hundred. Then I found a box of five hundred at "Harbor Freight" for four bucks.

Here is the URL for these.… Continue

memory jogging notes on building and playing cbg's

Posted on March 18, 2010 at 7:18pm 3 Comments 0 Likes

My shop burned to the ground in June of 2009. Nobody knows for sure what caused it - the fire dept asked me if it was electrical and I said I don't see how, since everything was turned off - so they put it down to electrical..... No insurance.

I had forty years and two hundred thousand dollars invested in that building and contents. I had spent a huge amount of time in it building and designing stuff, including half a dozen harps and all my patterns and jigs for building my harp designs. I… Continue

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At 5:07am on April 11, 2010, Mr. Toad said…: Thank you for the information Bill. I think that I will in stall what I have and see what I think. I'll let you know.

At 6:18pm on March 27, 2010, Christopher Call said…: I commented on the BLOG, but it's "awaiting approval"! LOL Great info bro!!!!!!!!

At 1:22pm on March 22, 2010, Sonny Wentling said…: hi Bill. ALthough I didnt sell any guitars I did sell 2 custom made amps. The guitars were very well received and a big hit. unfortunately the promoter neglected to mention vendors on the flyer so everyone I talked to thought it was just music and didnt plan on buying anything. It was alot of fun and I'm looking forward to the next one. cb mandolins and banjos r on the burner for the next one in may.

At 2:01am on March 22, 2010, Dianne Woods said…: Bill, guess what---I had two of my tuners up side down. Who would have thought there was a right and wrong way to install them? I didn't. Thank you for the heads up on the tuners and the rivets. I tried it, and it is easy to pop the rivets off.

At 11:12am on March 19, 2010, Dianne Woods said…: Thanks Bill, it will be much appreciated.

At 10:47pm on March 18, 2010, Dianne Woods said…: Thanks Bill, I will try it.

At 9:43pm on March 17, 2010, Dianne Woods said…: Bill, it looks like you rivets for the string holes. How do you get the rod out of the rivet---hammer it out, but I bend the edges?

At 5:27am on February 25, 2010, Dianne Woods said…: Bill, very nice CBGs; I especially like the fish hole sound holes, very unique. Nice job.

At 2:08am on October 13, 2009, Ronnie Retherford said…: Thanks for the tip Bill. I think I'll try it your way and see how that works. I may get the cut started with my Dremel and finish it with th hacksaw, just to save on the cut-off disks.