contact mic
http://home.earthlink.net/~erinys/contactmic.html
Electric string instruments
Now that you have a bow you might as well make something to use your bow on.
Materials: contact mic, nylon string (weed trimmer string works well), wood for body, wood for neck, screws, eye screws for tuners (
), metal coat hanger.
1) make contact mic according to the link above.
2) Screw (or attach in any way you see fit) the neck onto the body.
3) Attach your bridge to the desired spot on the body of your instrument. Make it just a little bit taller than the neck.
4) Attach a screw for each string behind the bridge. Tie your string(s) around this screw(s).
5) Sit the contact mic on the other side of the bridge so that the top of it touches the string(s). The pressure of the string should hold it in place, but if not put screws on either side of it to keep it from moving, but don't put too much pressure on the contact mic or it will stop working.
Here's a simple single string instrument I made:
6) at the top of the neck (on the bottom side) attach the eye screws to use as tuners. Use the coat hanger wire as a nut. Drill a hole for each string behind the nut and run the strings through it to the bottom side of the neck and tie them to the tuner(s)
Yadayadayada...
Here's a picture of another one...
If you want to attach frets wire coat hangers work quite well.
Use this to calculate distance: http://www.windworld.com/tools/fretcalc.htm
sorry if all this doesn't make any sense. I'm too tired and drunk to write proper instructions.
