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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
 Posted - 02/10/2006 : 1:26:37 PM
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Piff,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I especially like "this is their first dance". I did switch out the bone for stainless steel last night and that helped some. I'll give it more time
Mike (the other Mike),
What the heck is that thing? Looks like you play music into your axe via a an old speaker clipped on to a string??? If that really works, how about just setting the soundhole in front of the stereo speakers and really crank 'em up loud. ly
Tell me more about this shaker deal, por favor |
Karl
Frozen North |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/10/2006 : 2:01:18 PM
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Karl,
You connect your stereo speaker wire to the 3" or 4" speaker (cheap ones are fine). You glue the resonator cone to a small section of dowel to raise the speaker a little off the closthespin and glue the dowel to the clothespin. Then you cut a section in the clothespin to allow the string to feed through, drill a small diameter hole through the clothespin for a small brad or large sewing needle. You pass the brad/needle under a string (your choice) and the closthespin around the string and against the bridge. The string tension/brad holds the hula girl shaker in place. When you turn on your stereo, the speaker resonator cone causes the clothespin to transmit the vibrations to the clamped string and the bridge. It turns your whole guitar into a UNIQUE SPEAKER BOX. This simulates the vibrations in the wood, strings, bridge that you would create with practicing and playing. The advantage is you can leave the radio on (your guitar's) favorite station and let it run constantly at low volume. One week with the hula girl shaker connected (7x24 hours=168 hours) is equivalent to about a year's worth of practice and playing (half hour every single day= 365/2=182.5 hours).
If you subscribe to the theory that guitars get better as they age and are played, this is one way to quickly get your guitar up to that "aged quality". The web site listed in the previous post (just above the picture) gives a much better explanation.
Being the tinkerer and engineer (I am) this piqued my curiosity enough to give it the $5 try. My daughters already think I am a nut and they chuckled when they came by my music room and all the guitars and ukuleles hanging on the wall were playing music while I was quietly reading.
My brand new ukulele sounded really good when it arrived in the mail (custom order from KoAloha). I really think it sounds much better now after about two weeks of the "hula girl treatment" and I have gotten some very nice comments from other players. I had Daniel Ho play it at a recent workshop and he later told Terry (Chunky Monkey) that he was jealous (Daniel has at least two D-VIs from KoAloha).
(I have a new bag of 100 (minus two) wooden clothespins if you need some. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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slkho
`Olu`olu
740 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 11:01:48 AM
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Gosh Gramps! that guitar looks so good I can't even poke fun at you. I am speechless, (if that is possible). Great job.
~slkho |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2006 : 4:54:21 PM
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There you have it folks!!! SLKHO SPEECHLESS!
Well, Rik, thanks for the compiment. Up close the warts are more evident, but the pix hide a lot of that.
I do so much wanjt it to sound better, so, Mike, i think i will give your method a try. Don't have a bag of 100 cheap speakers around, do you?
Oh, Mike, BTW, as you are a self-proclaimed tinkerer, do you know how to maike a batery out of a lemon (real question folks). My wife is doing a science project for her class and we are going to have to figure it out on our own.....a little expert help would save us some time, not to mention lemons |
Karl
Frozen North |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2182 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2006 : 07:46:58 AM
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| Years ago I saw a guy run a radio with a bunch of spuds for batteries. NICE DA KIKA, Karl! I know of Bluegrassers that bungee'd their guitars to stereo speakers for a few weeks, and I've heard of luthiers strapping wood to speakers to "cure" it. |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2006 : 5:20:19 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mika ele
Karl,
i wonder if a "hula girl shaker" would help cure in the wood for the soundboard?
Here is a reply from Karl:
Mike,
I destroyed a defunct multi-task turntable/tape deck/radio to get this speaker. My wife pulled out her electricity set form science class and she had these cool disc magnets. I stole two and have them under the strings, holding the speaker in place. Now, i have no idea if this is going to give any resluts comparable to the hula shaker, but right now, Puccini is coming out of the Weissonetti! You can just see the two discs on nthe face-on view. Do you think this will work???
Karl |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2006 : 09:01:46 AM
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Karl,
I am sure it works to get sound in the sound hole. The question is are you getting the bridge to vibrate your soundboard to get the sound OUT of the sound hole? The clothespin and string clamp direct the speaker magnet vibrations by contact to the strings/bridge, which in turn vibrate the soundboard, which moves air on the guitar box, and sound out the soundhole. They key is to get the bridge (and wood) moving.
By the way,
http://www.hilaroad.com/camp/projects/lemon/lemon_battery.html
Here is the "gouge" on the Lemon Battery!!!! I do believe it works.
EEEGAAAADS you might think I am a certified science geek.
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E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2006 : 3:23:52 PM
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OK, I'll hook it up to the bridge this time. Thanks
ANd, i hit 'lemon battery' under google yesterday and came up with exctly the picture you sent! The internet does have SOME useful info on it after all:) |
Karl
Frozen North |
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slkho
`Olu`olu
740 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2006 : 5:08:38 PM
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LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL...you guys kill me. What's I get my speech back gramps, your in trouble.
~speechless in San Marcos |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2006 : 09:30:45 AM
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Rik,
I wonder what would happen if we hooked up a "Lemon Battery" powered "Hula Girl Shaker" to Zoom? Can he do falsetto?
(sorry Zoom - this is not cruelty to animals) |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2006 : 08:06:45 AM
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| No, slkho is getting to that wrinkly age when, if Zoom sees Rik naked, THAT is considered cruelty to animals. |
Karl
Frozen North |
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slkho
`Olu`olu
740 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2006 : 2:16:20 PM
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Hey!!, Zoom says after a couple of doggy beers, some dim lighting, and Barry White music, that I'm quite the looker!! (ewww)
~slkho
p.s.
your a dead man gramps. ha ha |
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Karl Monetti
`Olu`olu
USA
756 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2006 : 10:38:47 AM
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Rik, I an't dead yet!
I don't want to bore any of you,but here;s the latest on the new guitar. One of you mentioned, in response to my initial compaints of the guitar not sounding good to my ear, that all the parts had just been put togehter and that this was "theri first dance together". I also had several suggestions on this thread and the Steel guitar thread. I have replaced the bone saddle with stainles steel rod, re-worked the nut to have asharper angle for the strings, have played my version of the hula shaker for days on end. I am happy to announce that the pieces and parts are getting to know each other a lot better, and the sound is improving every day.
Thanks to all for advice support, comments and interest.
Perhaps next TP CD will have a tune from the Weissonetti in it. |
Karl
Frozen North |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/23/2006 : 11:51:35 AM
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 Dang, and here I thought it was a Monettiborn!  |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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