Nylon strings and magnetic pickups
mc...@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Xref: pitt.edu rec.music.makers.guitar:264184
In article <71ubs4$r...@sirius.infospring.com>, stic...@infospring.com (Patrick Stickler) writes:
> Hey folks,
>
> I'm thinking about building a compact solid body classical guitar
> (nylon strings, wider classical neck) which I can use both for travel
> and for practice without disturbing others (i.e. with headphones).
> I.e., something akin to a Chat Atkins CE, but with magnetic pickups.
>
> I've been considering the possibility of magnetic pickups (as opposed
> to a piezo pickup) using very short, light aluminum or copper tube
> sleeves on the unwound nylon strings just over the pickkups, with
> the pickups located where the neck joins the body. Another idea is
> to place the pickups near the bridge and use hybrid nylon/steel strings
> where each nylon string is joined to 3-4" of steel string at the
> bridge end, over the pickups. Either approach will dampen the sustain
> a bit, but I plan to compensate for that, if needed, with electronics.
>
> I'm hoping to build this thing mostly using "junk" parts, so please
> no suggestions of cutting edge "whiz bang" $$$ components...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Patrick
>
There's a Jazz guy, Andy Fite (great guitarist), who used to have a seven
string archtop. The maker told him that the guitar should have nylon
strings and it had a magnetic pickup.
I beleive that you can buy nylon string that have some magnetic filament, (or
maybe iron dust or something) in each of the strings and a pickup will
detect the vibrations, etc.
Actually only the top two strings need anything special because the wound
strings are wound with metal and I think it normally is magnetic.
So, look around, there are strings that will do what you want.
Remember (second time today) that when the music store clerk wants to say
"we don't have that" they usually pronounce it "they don't make that."
Any sleeve over the string would do really weird things to the tone.
Good luck
Mickey Yahoo-Mooshoo
Pittsburgh, PA