Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on January 11, 2016 at 1:30pm

Thanks for the advice and for commenting, Wayfinder. Would the idea of a wooden crutch as open bracing be as quiet, or close to, as a solid body? I could try a solid body build but it would be cool to use a crutch too if it's likely to work.

Permalink Reply by Lane Martin on January 11, 2016 at 1:26pm

Google "circuits and strings". I believe he built a ukulele out of a crutch. You could get ideas there.

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on January 11, 2016 at 1:32pm

Thanks, Lane, I'll definitely do that. Very much appreciated :)

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on January 11, 2016 at 1:43pm

Awesome pointer! That advice is going to be no end of useful, Lane. Thanks again times a hundred!

Permalink Reply by Robert Killen on January 11, 2016 at 2:00pm

Either go solid as Wayfinder suggested, or go open-air like Lane's link. Another open-air concept was this years Halloween contest winner: 

Good luck!

Permalink Reply by MadGomer on January 11, 2016 at 4:52pm

Yes, what Wayfinder and the others have said, either totally solid or totally open would work for you, and I'd use a mag pickup and headphones to enjoy it in my own little world. You could certainly make a wooden crutch work,just need a little cross bracing to mount pickup, bridge, and tailpiece perhaps. Great concept! I just went to Google Images and typed in "crutch guitar", lots of examples to review.

Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on January 11, 2016 at 7:22pm

As everyone else has said, Solid body should work well.  The open crutch should work well too.  What you are looking for is something that won't reflect the sound generated by the strings.  If you were to take a normal cigar box and build it with no sound holes and fill it with silicone it would probably work, but would be rather heavy.  Just think of building a guitar with just a neck and no body.  Probably work as well, but something like a telecaster without a pickup should be pretty quiet.

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on January 11, 2016 at 11:26pm

Thank you all so much for the help. I'm going to try and get some bits for the crutch guitar as soon as possible and get building it thereafter. Meanwhile I've got the new build to enjoy playing :D Being one of those poor aspiring blues players though it's a choice between some of the bits for build number five, the crutch guitar, or an amp with overdrive so I can enjoy the others lol. My uke amp is sooo massively clean it's going in for a sainthood! haha

Choices, choices, choices!