Making a movable nut allows me to change keys quickly and easily.

Views: 434

Attachments:

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Interesting idea. Is this in lieu of a capo since there are not frets?

Doesnt Johnny Lowebow use something like that? I think I saw him on a video moving a sliding round bar closer up to the tuning heads while still playing

yep...no frets just fret slots so it slides very easy. This is my second CBG so I'm still learning but if the action was equal all the way up the neck you ould goto any key. but that isn't the case with this guitar....I'll have to lower the bridge for that to work on this one but it works great and it's not so high that I have to retune from the strings being stretched by raising them just a hair. Just slide to the key you want.....I don't know of Johnny Lowebow....yet...;)

cheers ce24

I just watched Johnny's video again earlier, he has what looks like a piece of bone or plastic, about the size of a finger, and he moves it up and down between the strings and the fret board. He has a unique approach to getting a groove....

The problem with this is that you would have to have multiple frets and fret positions. If you could move the nut up the neck, then the scale changes as you move the nut, I would think. Easier would be a capo, or learn chords in all 12 (or as many as you want to learn) keys. 

Zackly. It's called a capo (short for capotasto, in case anyone cares, meaning "head of the touch, or finger, board"). The capo is by definition a movable nut. It works on both fretted and unfretted necks. Put one on a fretted neck, and you have instant zero fret, changed scale length, and another key signature. Same for an unfretted neck, with the added possible advantage of microtones. Then there's ultra-kewl devices like the Spider Capo, which allows for alternate tunings when applied to a git in standard tuning. I'm still learning my way around with both my 6-string and 4-string versions.

http://www.spidercapo.com

You can also look to the tie-on frets they used on lutes and early guitars. Gut was one material used. You could use nylon fishing line today. Fast changes would not be easy, but possible, maybe before the next song. 

And I was just reading about a 19th century guitar that used a very complex system of multiple color-coded movable frets to give the player tempering through all keys. It never caught on as a viable commercial system. 

Being a musical moron,and i get the capo concept,but surely,with the addition of a capo,all ensuing frets are compromised re intonation,or am i more moronic than i thought,as in 'new' nut is no longer relevant  to 1/2 scale at 12 th fret,does the 13 th become a 'pure' octave? Iprobably should have just done the mathematics,but it may help someone else

If the action is too high then bringing the string down to the fret can indeed mess with your intonation, other than that the ratios between string length and fret distances remain the same.

Thus the inherent kewlness of a capo. But darryl raises an interesting point...gonna hafta go sketch this up with the StewMac calculator handy, cuz I know some folks (that term again!) are visual.

Back later.

You're no moron, Darryl. I intuitively knew that the frets worked themselves out when you shortened the scale length with a capo. but I couldn't help myself. I pulled out my Excel fret calculator and shortened the scale length by the distance from the nut to the first fret. Sure enough, the location of the "new" first fret calculated to be exactly the distance from the old first fret to the old second fret. It all works out.

So we're back to capo, then? ;-)

RSS

The Essential Pages

New to Cigar Box Nation? How to Play Cigar Box GuitarsFree Plans & How to Build Cigar Box GuitarsCigar Box Guitar Building Basics

Site Sponsor

Recommended Links & Resources


Forum

crossover guitar.

Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 21. 11 Replies

Tune up songs

Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies

Duel output jacks

Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies

How to Get Your Own Music on Spotify

Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies

CB Bass Guitar

Started by Mi Rankin in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Justin Stanchfield Jan 27. 5 Replies

Latest Activity

smilingdog1 commented on 3 String Blues's video
21 minutes ago
smilingdog1 liked 3 String Blues's video
22 minutes ago
smilingdog1 liked Glenn Kaiser's video
24 minutes ago
Doug Thorsvik posted a video

Hail the Resurrection Day: 2-String Violin Chugger Cigar Box Guitar

Cigar Box Guitar Slingers - Spokane, 195th Zoom Mtg 03/25/24. Only 1-finger chords, free songbooks here: https://www.cbgslinger.com/download CBG SOF Songbook...
1 hour ago
A.D.EKER commented on A.D.EKER's video
Thumbnail

Im Troubled (Tribute) Mc K Morganfield by BCB - A.D .Eker 2024.

"Thank you Poorness ! for loving it ! appreciated!"
18 hours ago
Southern Ray replied to Timothy Hunter's discussion just came accross this pickup idea on youtube.
" Very interesting. Thank you Timothy!"
18 hours ago
Kent Thurston updated their profile
19 hours ago
Southern Ray posted a photo

Punch Project!

She now sports gold metal CBGitty knobs, speaker and an Artec 2.5 watt speaker. Finished this in…
19 hours ago
Southern Ray posted a photo

Project Punch!

Gonna finally get back on this long-delayed project that is more than half complete. (The matching…
20 hours ago
Poorness Studios liked A.D.EKER's video
22 hours ago
BrianQ. left a comment for Rob (Uker) Porras
"Hope this helps?"
22 hours ago
Doug Thorsvik commented on Doug Thorsvik's photo
Thumbnail

Dueling Flatheads

"I appreciate the kind words Papa D! I have always loved the look of these cigar boxes. Glad to have…"
yesterday

Music

© 2024   Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

\uastyle>\ud/** Scrollup **/\ud.scrollup {\ud background: url("https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/963882636?profile=original") no-repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;\ud bottom: 25px;\ud display: inline !important;\ud height: 40px;\ud opacity: 0.3 !important;\ud position: fixed;\ud right: 30px;\ud text-indent: -9999px;\ud width: 40px;\ud z-index: 999;\ud}\ud.scrollup:hover {\ud opacity:0.99!important;\ud}\ud \uascript type="text/javascript">\ud x$(document).ready(function(){\ud x$(window).scroll(function(){\ud if (x$(this).scrollTop() > 100) {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeIn();\ud } else {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeOut();\ud }\ud });\ud x$('.scrollup').click(function(){\ud x$("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 600);\ud return false;\ud });\ud });\ud \ua!-- End Scroll Up -->