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Resonator... not sounding right

Hey guys. Just finished my first resonator and I'm not happy with the sound.

1-it is very tin-y sounding... too much

2-Any abrasion or tap on the body is picked up... even my voice if I talk at the body or pickup.

The body is hand made with poplar, 1/2 inch thick. Hollow body. Dog Bowl resonator. Pick up is hand wound and epoxy'd to the inside of an altoid lid.

To attempt to mute it some I put rubber on the inside of the altoid lid around the outside and added some hot glue under the surface. I also added two small strips of some light foam materisl to the underside of the body around the pickup. No change...

Any ideas how to remove the sensitivity of the pickup?

http://www.kasteneric.com/WWII%20Dog%20Bowl%20Resonator%20-%20Under...

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on October 24, 2014 at 3:57am

Ok tiny moment in the lid (membrane) will create
Tiny currents in the coil.
With a guitar pickup the poles are tiny to
Focus the field to just the string area and hence
Catch string movement and not a lot else as the
Solid .
Now fit the magnet on a spring below
A standard guitar pup and any movement will
Induce a current.
Your lid is a receiver for more things
to induce a current. The spacer probably
Accentuates this.
Poles are small on guitar pickups for a reason
and we can't change physics
Crudely without pole piece you have a diaphragm
Mic.
Which is why we focus string magnets through
Tiny ferrous poles for more controlled
Areas of flux and bigger currents
The more winnings the more resistance
The louder they are.
Too strong a magnet and the string has no
Sustain.
It's all a trade off.
It's why vintage pickups sound better
As the magnets are fading so the stings
Sustain longer.
All physics with a bit of mojo in it too..
Hope this makes sense.
3 iron 6" nails sound good to me.
Hope this helps explain.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Kasten on October 24, 2014 at 6:05am

I agree.

The replacement PU was made with nails.

I wonder... has anyone made a PU with the pointed end of the nails facing up?

THANK YOU for your help. I really understand this PU issue much better!

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Permalink Reply by BUGGY (C) on October 24, 2014 at 6:38am

If it gets to narrow then when you bend the stings
You don't get a signal

Guitars have kind got where the got for a reason
I want to make a water powered pickup
Which I have a plan for.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Kasten on October 25, 2014 at 10:47am

Few photos to share....

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Permalink Reply by Eric Kasten on October 25, 2014 at 10:48am

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Permalink Reply by JL on October 27, 2014 at 2:51am

I'm guessing that the Altoids lid is too flimsy by itself to hang the weight of the coil & magnet from, it will flex and the coil will respond to the lid's vibrations as if the lid were a string. Now I've seen some commercial mag-pups with a pretty chrome plate covering the pickup and to prevent this the plate is STIFF STIFF STIFF.

one idea to salvage this one... glue the bottom of the mag/coil to a wooden cleat and mount with that, so that the lid does not touch anything. If the lid carries only its own weight instead of the weight of the mag/coil it may flex a lot less.....