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What on earth is a tapper guitar?!

I just got gobsmacked by a video on YouTube of someone playing a Beartrax tapper guitar. I searched Google and found the Beartrax website but being a happy builder of noise makers I think I'd like some info so I can consider whether to build one or not.

So is a tapper a playing style or a guitar style? How do they work? I've never known a guitar not to be plucked or hammered. The video showed someone literally tapping on the guitar and certainly not hammering it. Is it a special pickup? Are they wired differently? Would the neck need to have a trussrod? It had lots of strings but was really wide so would the width of the neck negate strengthening? I imagine some form of extra strength would be needed. What about body material requirements? I imagine that amount of strings would snap a cigar box into twenty pieces. Solid body always? Semi-hollow maybe? What else would I need to know to try building one without giving my bank manager a nervous tick?

Lots of questions from a knowledge hungry guy. If you can find an info resource for builders then I'm fine if you post the link and tell me to be quiet and go play haha. Otherwise, got answers? Purlease! :D

Tomorrow I start with the Harp Ukulele questions haha. I saw Circuits and Strings have made one of those already. A harp ukelele. I'm amazed and intrigued. Again. This building lark is going to send me crazy. #NeverEnding.

Thanks for any help given. Much appreciated.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on September 4, 2016 at 10:21am

It might be because they have the strings really close to the fretboard they can just tap the strings to make them ring the note.

Those things look really complicated to play, so many strings. I wonder how they are tuned.

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on September 4, 2016 at 10:31am

No idea how they're tuned, Fomhorach. I think the Beartrax website said fourths? Might have been fifths.

The notes seemed to ring out really strong on the video. Can having the strings close to the fretboard affect it like that? I'm totally mistified. He seemed to be playing strings, as in his fingers moved, but a completely different tune was coming out of it. I'll try and post the video I watched if I can find it again.

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on September 4, 2016 at 10:35am

Here's the video I watched. I'm totally confused. He's plucking some (as drones?) but not fretting them and tapping some at the fretboard without plucking. Like patting your head and rubbing your belly haha.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7rzFA_UiFWo

Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on September 4, 2016 at 11:02am

Yeah. It's hammer on technique. The strings are set so low in action that just my putting his finger on it, the note rings out.

Seems like this thing is tuned entirely to fourths or even two frets (not sure what this would be called) and would play almost like a harp. Looks like it would be fun to have a go on and years to master.

Having a really low action is quite easy with very thin strings as the string vibration circumference is very small. When you move up string thickness it gets harder to get low action. The string needs more room to vibrate. Bass players understand this and strive to get a guitar with the perfect bow in the neck so that the action can be lowered for ease of play without the string hitting the fretboard. Good players know how hard to pluck the strings. Then there's thumb strikers that use that twang from the fretboard ( mark king from level 42 for example).

A good actioned electric guitar doesn't really need the string plucked unless it's the open note. Hammer on and pull off can play almost every fast riff fom the spandex wearing twats from the 80's.

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on September 4, 2016 at 11:27am

Extreme low action means I won't be building one after all. I tried to lower the action on a guitar I bought and just ended up with fret buzz from the next fretwire to the one I tried to play. No idea what I did wrong but I did learn it ain't easy. Thanks for helping out Fomhorach. Just blew my mind when I saw him playing it. I turned to CBG because I think they look cool and sound great but also because I sucked at six string. I'd probably go crazy trying to play 18. Still, it does look amazing to watch. I reckon you're right about the lifetime to learn thing. Really not sure I have long enough left to get it haha. Another reason I love CBG. More chance of playing it half decent before I croak. Not much chance but more chance than playing six string and DEFINITELY more chance than playing 18.Sheesh.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

Permalink Reply by Jim Dickison on September 4, 2016 at 12:29pm

Looks similar to a Chapman Stick... Try Googling that one!

The body's pretty much for show.... not really needed at all!

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on September 4, 2016 at 12:46pm

Thanks Jim. Looks like exactly the same thing minus the body just like you said. I'll take a proper look in the morning. Too much amazement and wonder in one day gives me a headache and I'm getting light sensitive again. I appreciate the help. Looks like hours of wonderment and entertainment ahead :)

Permalink Reply by Robert Killen on September 4, 2016 at 3:24pm

Like Jim Dickison said, it's closely related to a Chapman Stick - http://www.stick.com/

As for tuning, there's probably a lot of options, but the standard tuning has the bass tuned in fifths with the lowest in the center and the melody in fourths, also with the lowest in the center.

Here's an illustration I found when researching them a while back:

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on September 4, 2016 at 8:34pm

Thanks Robert. I'll have to find out what a dimper is I think as it sounds important and necessary. I appreciate the help and knowing the tuning is sure to help. Thanks again.

Permalink Reply by Robert Killen on September 5, 2016 at 8:20am

You bet!

I was wondering about the damper myself. I think it is used to keep the strings quiet on the nut side when you are hammering. Otherwise you'd get string tones from both ends. But I might be wrong.

Cheers!

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on September 5, 2016 at 9:39am

Cheers to you! You may be onto something there. Ghosts-R-Us all up and down the neck. I doubt I'll end up learning to play it half well but I might build one just for the challenge if I can find enough info on how to do it. Experimentation is good but having a few pointers to start with or simply understanding how they work and what they are can't go amiss. Thanks for the help.

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 18, 2016 at 8:28pm

Eddie Van Halen, Jimmi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore and Jimmy Page all did it on regular guitars. I did it on mine with the action at 3/32nds at the first fret for single hand tapping/hammer ons or both hands for hammer on/pull offs.
Takes a good bit of practice not to hit other strings. That was back in the 80's when I didn't have anything else to do but play guitar. I think everybody was learning how to copy EVH at that time.