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  • Author Author: dubbie
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One String Electric Guitar #6 : Final Assembly and Working Guitar

dubbie

After all the painting and finishing off the One String Electric Guitar has been finished. I re-installed the pickup and wired it directly into the headphones amplifier  as this enabled me to create an untethered system that I could then plug directly into the main music amplifier that I have. It would have been interesting to plug the guitar directly into a proper guitar amplifier but time has now run out so this will not be happening.

 

The existing box for the headphones amplifier was not suitable for fixing directly to the guitar body so I designed a 3D printed one. This took much longer than I had anticipated. For the first version I didn't wait long enough for the printer plate to warm up as I only waited until it was 50 degrees centigrade whereas it really needs to be higher, at least 55 - 60 C, so the box didn't stick to the plate. The second version, which I amended so that all the plugs and controls had the correct opening, didn't have the correct openings, in fact they were worse than the first version. I think I may have been viewing the box back-to-front when entering the design, so that version was no good. As time was rapidly running out I decided to go for a much simpler design of just a rectangular box with a side slot for all the important controls and connections. It does mean I will have to unscrew the box when I want to recharge it but that was the price of getting it finished. For this project I wanted to make something that was functionally complete and nicely finished and packaged, so it had to be.

 

 

As you can see and hear from the video it looks pretty much like an electric guitar and makes a gratifying electric guitar like sound. It has tone, volume and overdrive controls. I do play a tune of sorts in the video, anyone know what it is? Not a normal electric guitar song but as I am no musician this is about the best I can manage. The tune deteriorates after a bit as I don't know where the next notes are.

 

I haven't tuned the string, although I have demonstrated previously that it can be done and I didn't add any frets. Time has run out and to be honest I have had enough of it. The sun is shining and I am going to sit outside for a bit with a can of sugar free, caffeine free coke. I may even have a doze.

 

Dubbie

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  • Very good. Sounds just like an electric guitar. Nice paint job, too. Got no idea what the tune is, though.

     

    Frets are difficult. The maths is fairly simple to determine the ideal positions, but they then have a small correction for the increase in tension as the string is pressed down. I think, possibly, there's also an overall offset because of something that happens at the ends (the nut and the bridge). Simplest thing would be if you could find an existing guitar of the appropriate size and copy it.

  • in reply to jc2048

    Jon,

     

    The tune, if it could be called that, which sort of appears after the first few seconds is Doe a deer a female deer from Mary Poppins I think. After a bit it then degenerates into random plonking as I have forgotten the notes.

     

    Dubbie

  • in reply to dubbie

    Following that comment I had to play it again, which got my dog jumping up to at the table to have a listen....I think from the barking, he likes it too :-)

     

    Rod

  • in reply to 14rhb

    Rod,

     

    I think that it is one of those pieces of music that you just need to listen to again and again! I enjoyed the reverberation part of the guitar. It wasn't planned but the string continues to resonate and vibrate visually and audibly for several seconds after being struck. Probably because there is not enough tension but I quite like it.

     

    Dubbie

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  • in reply to 14rhb

    Rod,

     

    I think that it is one of those pieces of music that you just need to listen to again and again! I enjoyed the reverberation part of the guitar. It wasn't planned but the string continues to resonate and vibrate visually and audibly for several seconds after being struck. Probably because there is not enough tension but I quite like it.

     

    Dubbie

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