I found that the electronics being fitted to home constructed guitars was very basic and could easily be improved. Much of the available informationis contradictory and often plain wrong. So I decided to tempt the Gods and put some projects together that will work, based on solid theory and physics.
While building electric Cigar Box Guitars and a Dobro Resonator, I found most of the electrics used piezoelectric pickups (often badly-centered rejects from buzzer production) were very mismatched (hence the usual thin tinny sound) or many-turn magnetic pickups.
Having been a design engineer, I now design, build simple tested cheap electronics to fix these problems and share it for free. This can result in less distortion, no piezo 'quacking' and more bass. I finally used piezo film and electrets as well as very selected piezo disks and my own single turn magnetic pickups.
I have been somewhat taken aback by some of the negative reactions to the designs from non-solderers. I suppose they could be summed up as:
- My Friends don't bother with this
- We always did it the old way
- They are supposed to sound 'tinny'
Mark 4:5 KJV "Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth.."
Hopefully, this will grow into a useful 'go-to' resource.
Music
My Mother was a music teacher and so I was forced to learn the violin, as I was told that a guitar was not 'proper music'. I made a (pretty bad) Stratocaster guitar copy when I was 19 and have recently re-started building instruments again, which is working out rather better. I recently made some Cigar Box Guitars, Cigar Box Uke, a 'Tenor' 4 string Strat, and a Dobro Resonator'
Background
I did an electronic apprenticeship in Newbury, Berkshire mainly on military and scientific products whilst working my way though college and polytechnic to get my 'pieces of paper'.
I went on to work for American Microsystems Inc (silicon chips), Zilog (more silicon chips), Rockwell (communications chips), Genisyst (computers for GPs), Logitech & Mustek.
As a paying hobby, I used to write 2 regular columns a month and a 14 month build your own computer series for Electronics & Computing Monthly, most of which I designed.
For the last 15 years I have been web-coding, designing & hosting and have over 80 sites currently on-line.
For fun, I wrote much of the software for and also managed the 24/7 talk radio station Deprogrammed Radio. I also consult on other radio stations.
John Chewter