photo #5683354

1-19-'24, WBR Live, “Daily Constitution”, “Hillbilly Friday”, (pic on wimkin) 'Cabin Fever?' If the computer work I alluded to yesterday isn't your cup of tea, today I have another interior (mostly) project of research to occupy your time for the next few 'snow days' this year. A couple of decades ago, I came up with a design for a guitar that I wanted to try, just to find the results. I didn't want to learn the bass and the component of bass is a whole separate concept anyway. So, I came up with a 6-string bass that would play line a treble, -...but slower...-, get it? The idea was to use a thicker material, hollow body low range 'baritone?' for string and body resonance (something like the one trick pony / mouth tube of Framton, but with some actual depth and NOT made from plastic). With the cheap / strong / easy to work with materials available, I used 12 GA steel for the body and a 1”x 4” Sq. tube of .128” thickness (heavy [as hell] metal). I should have used 16 Ga. and formed the neck to a better performance shape with that material. With the thickness of the 12 GA, I would need a amp and speakers the size of a patio door to get any resonant string reaction at all. “It can be rebuilt we have the technology”, … maybe. At least the test components are cheap / free. I will (at some lazy ass point) attach a 25(?) WATT speaker magnet (the paper cones fall apart on all of them first / grab a beer, it don't cost nuttin') to the interior of the body (12 GA to start) bolted and thin viscosity glued, with a mike and battery pack positioned to take as much advantage of the interior reaction as possible (adjustable as well). The interior amp won't make the sound louder, but it will vibrate the body to the string frequency to the contact of the string to the metal, maybe enough to find some new sound(s). Personally, though, I would start the build with 16 GA, regardless of any activity later experimented with the history now. I tried to find a way to etch/reduce the steel thickness cheaply...