alternatives to machine heads?

So I really like the idea of taking non-musical parts and making a musical instrument, or at the very least, making the part yourself.  Using machine heads is sort of like cheating to me and sort of kills the spirit of "this something I threw together with crap I found in my garage."  

 

Thanks. 

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Permalink Reply by Yankee Dog on October 2, 2013 at 3:13pm

hey its an internet forum. for coversating and otherwise wasting time. If we weren't suppose to post they would delete them. 

Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on October 4, 2013 at 4:18am

First, third, fourth and thirteenth answer to a tech question on here is always "use the search."  Someone does and then someone says "you know how old this thread is?"

Hahahaha.

Permalink Reply by jawbone on October 4, 2013 at 5:25am

I can't get that "search" to work - always comes back with Nada - check you spelling etc.

Permalink Reply by Daddy D on October 3, 2013 at 7:00pm

Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on October 4, 2013 at 4:16am

Worst Photoshop EVER!  Hahaha!

Permalink Reply by jawbone on October 4, 2013 at 5:26am

Whoa - those strings look pretty tight !! I'm gonna keep watching to see if they hold!!

Permalink Reply by JL on June 1, 2016 at 1:01am

I love it when old threads resurface.  this just reinforces the "no rules means be creative". 

Permalink Reply by Order99 on June 1, 2016 at 5:31am

  Found this on Youtube recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKCvCQzkTk&list=FLFV2uN2ixNcpe...

 Interesting variation of an Uncle Crow hybrid, both with the stick-across method and the tuners...

Permalink Reply by Bjørn Houdorf on May 29, 2017 at 12:57am

I have tried to twist the strings to make torsion tuning.
I works quite well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvgtbnsC2EU&feature=youtu.be



Permalink Reply by Order99 on June 1, 2017 at 1:59pm

 So has anyone tried Zither Pins yet?  I found some and tried a build or two-the down side is that you probably want a tuning wrench...

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/birdb2?context=user

Permalink Reply by Poor_Richard on November 7, 2017 at 12:28am

i saw an instructable about a diy $7,-- guitar were the builder used them succesfully.

Permalink Reply by Poor_Richard on November 7, 2017 at 12:27am

i get what you're saying. Since i want to make a cbg the quick an ddirty style i woun't be using the machine heads, because that would mean taking an instrument appart that i might wanna sell in the future. CBG's appeal to me because people use to make best with what they've had to make what they want. If i would have some machine heads laying around i would use them to enhance the sound of the instrument and reliability.

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