Doorlink, Thomas, and the buzzbi guitar

Bill Lantry

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Hey, folks,

I'm posting this so Doorlink can post. Thomas said "can we do x?". I said, "what, are you crazy?" Doorlink said "can't you do that? I bet the guys on your site could figure it out! Nannynannybooboo!" I said 'fine, write them and ask how they'd do it..."

Thanks,

Bill
 
Hi!

So who out there can understand what Thomas is talking about so that Bill can figure out how to construct the guitar of Thomas' dreams?

Here's what Thomas had to say about the project after he saw these photos: http://faculty.cua.edu/lantry/guitarforthetom/index.htm :

It actually looks REALLY nice. It looks like a cross between my les paul and my sg, which is cool.​

He wants a midi pickup on it, as opposed to an amplifier pickup, preferring it be built in:

The Roland GK-3 is the actual pickup. ROLGKKITGT3 might be
good if you want to mount the pickup like a real pickup. It looks like this: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ROLGKKITGT3 .​

But here's where Bill thinks he's going over the top, and maybe even getting a little scary:

Could you put a motor or something in it so that the body can vibrate and create a drone or something? I'm thinking a battery (maybe 9 volt) into a dial controlling off to on and then speed of motor as you turn it more. This should probably be located on the bottom face opposite the knobs across the bridge. Also can there be a compartment on the back in which I can screw in a vile of my own blood.​

Yes, he's our son, and, yes, we hope he's kidding (about the blood). Any advice on what kind of vibrating thingie with dialable variable speed would do the trick, and how can he hook up a changeable battery?

Thanks,

Doorlink
 
Snip... Could you put a motor or something in it so that the body can vibrate and create a drone or something? I'm thinking a battery (maybe 9 volt) into a dial controlling off to on and then speed of motor as you turn it more. This should probably be located on the bottom face opposite the knobs across the bridge. Also can there be a compartment on the back in which I can screw in a vile of my own blood. Any advice on what kind of vibrating thingie with dialable variable speed would do the trick,

Well.... I hate to say it, but what about an adult ....
na ... never mind.... :bonkers: :guitar:
 
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Ok … I got it!
How about a mini personal battery operated back and shoulder massager.
Tear that bad boy apart and modify it to attach onto the guitar or strap it to your finger. :rolleyes:
 
Bill, the MIDI pickup shouldn't be too difficult, since it will come with instructions.

The vibrating drone motor inside is a new one to me (and I've been doing guitar stuff for over 40 years). The closest thing I've seen would be the Ebow (http://www.ebow.com/), but it's a bit different than a drone.

I suppose you could do as Dave suggested and remove the motor and such from a "personal" vibrator, but I don't think it'd have the desired effect. If Thomas knows of (or has read about) someone who's done this, maybe he has some ideas how to do it himself, or he can get you better details of how it's been done by others. ;) If it's just a bright idea that needs to be tried out, I'd try it first on a old beater guitar instead of a brand-new quilted maple kit. Battery compartments aren't too difficult...just a matter of routing out a hole with a lip on it, then buying or making a plate to cover the hole. But it'd be a shame to route out the hole and go through a lot of work, only to find the vibrating guitar didn't deliver the desired "pleasure". (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) :rofl:

At some point, it might make more sense to teach Thomas how to run the router and drill, so he can make his own modifications. ;) When I was in about 6th or 7th grade, my mom got tired of me asking her to alter my blue jeans, so she taught me how to run the sewing machine, then told me I could alter to my heart's content.
 
If you're only going to use a Midi synth pickup why would you need to bother with a motor to induce a drone vibration? Just program the synth patch that your controlling to have a very long decay (or none).
 
Vaughn,

Ordered this pickup today: http://www.zzounds.com/item--ROLGKKITGT3
I hope it's got plugs on it, and I don't end up having to solder all those wires! ;)

I did see an ebow in a music shop this morning. Don't think that's what he's talking about. I'm going to try Dave's idea. Picked up the raw material for it while I was out. This stuff ends up taking us to some pretty wierd places sometimes... ;) Odd, but it seems like that kind of store is generally in the same neighborhoods as guitar shops... who knew? ;) Can't imagine what they have in common.

He did confirm he is truly serious about the vial of his own blood. Doorlink mentioned it to the guy in the guitar store, who didn't bat an eyelash. He said "oh, just like x, and x, and x..." rattling off names I guess I was supposed to recognize. Something about queen and journey...

As for woodworking, it ain't gonna be next week that Thomas gets into it. He lives in a basement apt in NYC, and he's all synthsizers and writing the next song. If you want to see one of his videos, try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfHWUCkUbJU
He's the one playing the keytar, not the singer (who's actually a pretty good guy, very sober and serious, in contrast to their onstage personas). Warning: the video is not for the faint of heart! You have been warned!

I wonder if I haven't bitten off more than I can chew on this one? Guess I'll go buy a soldering gun, and start finding out... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
drones and vibrations

This just in:
Holding a vibrator to an acoustic guitar sting creates a sweet array of unholy droning noise. Especially when the vibrator in question is this Hello Kitty vibrator: its plastic head has an irregular topography, which means more ways that it can be productively touched against the guitar.

http://www.imaginaryyear.com/raccoon/2002/02/drones-and-vibrations-this-just-in.html

I would try holding it to the strings first just as trial, maybe that is all that is needed.
I would think different vibrators would resonate at different frequencies.
each one would have it's own distinct sound. Between the different speeds and finger
pressures, I would think there could be quite a variety of effects.

I tell you what, I’m an older man, and I must say the band has a really good sound!

You should be proud! :thumb:
 
drones and vibrations

This just in:
Holding a vibrator to an acoustic guitar sting creates a sweet array of unholy droning noise. Especially when the vibrator in question is this Hello Kitty vibrator: its plastic head has an irregular topography, which means more ways that it can be productively touched against the guitar.

http://www.imaginaryyear.com/raccoon/2002/02/drones-and-vibrations-this-just-in.html

I would try holding it to the strings first just as trial, maybe that is all that is needed.

Martin Mull used a personal vibrator for a bottleneck when playing slide guitar in his commedy routine many years ago.

Dan
 
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