Thought experiment for luthiers

Lango-Django

Dear luthiers,

I know you’re a smart bunch of guys, so I’m going to request your help.

I’m going to ask you to do a thought experiment.

Imagine that you are designing a bridge for a fretted instrument that would deliberately make it sound raspy and buzzy, like a kazoo.

What kind of a deliberately !@#$ed-up bridge would you imagine could do that?

Thanks,

Will


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PS That was the short version, so if you’re too busy to read the long version which follows, so be it.

LONG VERSION

The following paragraphs will hopefully provide some context for my weird request.

Lately I’ve become obsessed with giving my steel-bodied guitar the raspy, metallic voice of Duke Ellington’s early thirties “jungle music” brass section, which to me is one of the coolest sounds in the world of jazz.

You are probably aware of a device called a Harmon mute which was used by the Ellington men to deliberately distort the sound of their trumpets or trombones.

The “jungle sound” was achieved by cupping the hand over the little stem inside the Harmon mute and making a “wah-wah” hand motion, the same way harmonica players often do.

Miles Davis was another Harmon mute user, although in his case it seems he simply removed the little stem and played without any “wah-wah” hand effects to get that cool, distant metallic sound that was his signature.

Now, I already know how to make the “wah-wah” muting effect, because I can do it on my Bacon & Day Silver Bell banjo, which has a “knee mute” or “soft pedal”.

This is a lever on the bottom of the instrument that raises up a little padded block directly underneath the bridge, taking the tension off the banjo head and thereby stopping it from vibrating.

This mute works very well, and I love using it when I play my plectrum banjo.

So now I’d like to do the same thing with my steel-body guitar, but I still can’t figure out how to modify or replace the guitar’s interior aluminum cone and biscuit to make them sound buzzy and raspy.

To get that “metallic” sound, I’m considering replacing the cone with a flat banjo-type head--- except mine would be made out of super- thin copper or brass about the thickness of a mylar banjo head, if possible. (i.e. about 0.08")

Perhaps that in itself will be enough to give the raspy sound I’m seeking.

However, I’m thinking that a nice raspy bridge may really seal the deal…?

Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Will Wilson

PS I haven’t totally abandoned my good old GJ guitar, so let’s just call this one of my occasional “tangents”…

Bones

Hey Will, I think I remember hearing that some of the delta blues guys used to attach bits of stuff to their guitars to get a rattling, buzzy sound but I don't remember any details. Probably just something that touched the soundboard???

crookedpinky

What about paper clips on the strings between the bridge and tailpiece. Or - and I had this happen recently - if the wooden tailpiece insert is loose it can offten buzz, why not tape a smaller piece of wood on top the insert at end and that might do it. Or sellotape a small snare on the top - maybe with a bit of paper in between to protect the top. Just thinking off the top of my head, Alan

MaximusVolumus

I'm no luthier, so feel free to ignore my comment, but how about a sitar bridge? It's designed to buzz.

http://www.allparts.com/SB-5810-010-Danelectro-Sitar-Bridge_p_3343.html

crookedpinky

I don't think Sitar bridges are designed to buzz, the "buzz" comes from a set of freely resonating sympathetic strings running beneath the main strings.
A.

crookedpinky

I didn't notice the link to the allparts bridge. That might give you some buzz but on looking at Danelectro Sitar guiatrs they also have the resonating strings and I think intonation would be difficult.

Lango-Django

Wow, thanks everybody for your thoughtful responses.

I had no idea that sitars had a different kind of bridge, Max, thanks so much for bringing that to my attention. And I'll check out the resonating strings you mentioned, too, cp.

Will

MaximusVolumus

Hope it works out! I'm interested in hearing the final result.
-Max

Lango-Django

Thanks, Max… are you by any chance the same Max as the teenage kid at DiJ who's usually out on the dorm porch walkway playing guitar with the volume cranked up to 11?

If so, I'm a fan of your playing!

Mr. Google has just revealed that an excellent sitar bridge can be made super cheaply by just sticking a piece of wood underneath your strings down by the saddle… check out this video of a cat who did it using a wooden spoon!

http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/17345/altering-the-sound-of-a-guitar-to-match-a-sitar

Now all I've got to do is find some really, really thin brass for my "banjo head" and I'm in business… hope to report back soon.

Thanks again,

Will

MaximusVolumus

Lango-Django wrote: »

Thanks, Max… are you by any chance the same Max as the teenage kid at DiJ who's usually out on the dorm porch walkway playing guitar with the volume cranked up to 11?

I am indeed. Thanks for the kind words! See you at DiJ next week?

-Max

Lango-Django

Sorry, won't be seeing you this year, young fella. Look forward to seeing and hearing you again next year and maybe play a tune with you on my contraption.