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putting pickups back to back-feasible?

I have in mind to build an electric ngoni, a type of 8 stringed african harp that is a smaller version of a kora harp. They have 2 sets of strings, 1 set facing left, the other facing right. 4 (or 5 for a 10 string version) arranged vertically on the left, the same on the right, going up to a curved neck with tuners on it. This is a good picture, its clear where the pickups would need to go

http://djembe-art.de/djembe-images/images-afrikanische-trommeln/Kor...

In principle is it possible to put 2 pickups, back to back, or slightly staggered, so that they are both facing outwards? Or will they interfere too much with each other? Do pickups have to alawys face the same way (as they normally do when 2 or 3 are fitted on a regular gutar?

cheers Jonathan

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 27, 2015 at 9:06am

How about front to front, slightly offset from each other and "outside" the strings rather than between them?

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on May 27, 2015 at 9:34am

This might be a good application for Piezos since there appears to be a very large box for resonance and piezos are essentially microphones and might work well in the "box". It would keep the design clean and true to the original.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on May 27, 2015 at 10:35am

Interesting concept,Tom's suggestion might be the way to start,i don,t know what responce you'd get from a mag with such radical string length variation.i picture the mag placement being ultra critical

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Permalink Reply by Goldsmithexile on May 28, 2015 at 4:44am

Thanks for your taking the time to post your helpful comments and suggestions! Thinking about it, maybe I'll try out the peizo option first. I have dozens of them at home already. I made some cap piezos (approx 2 1/2 inch diameter caps off hellmans jars and similar) which have worked well for me when placed directly under the bridge on earlier diddley bow builds. So that vertical "bridge " arrangement on the traditional ngoni would suit being fitted onto something like that. Plus as Tom said, there is potential for a piezo in the hollow box. There are no gourd growers in East England, so perhaps an oil can, or an old expansion vessel from a central heating boiler would act as a good substitute. I'll post a picture or video when the idea does eventually become reality.

cheers Jonathan

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on May 28, 2015 at 7:55am

Sounds like a plan. Remember, a tone knob set up on the piezo can do a lot to soften the sound. I tried a knob with a .022 uF capacitor and it worked well.

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Permalink Reply by Goldsmithexile on May 28, 2015 at 11:54am

Thanks Tom.

I been going through it again this evening, thinking it over. I might even make a quick 1/2 size version from a tin can, wooden stick and nylon fishing line, simple wooden tuning pegs in taper reamed holes (thats what I used on my first piezo electric diddley boew)

LOL I was earlier just putting my single string bass through the sonuus wahoo, a wah pedal I originally got to use with my shofars. It has bass filters and envelopes in it. Its sensitive to how hard you play the string, when it gets above a certain level (which you can edit) the effect kicks in or out as you quieten down again,

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on May 28, 2015 at 9:08am

Yes, two back to back will work no worries. Bust the magnet off the bottom of one of them and stick that coil on the back of the other so that they share a magnet. You'll need to experiment with flipping the phase on one of them so that they're hum cancelling on each other.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 28, 2015 at 6:43pm

Orrrrr, mount 'em on posts just outside the strings, facing one another.

But I think the Piezo idea, big one underneath the sound post / bridge, would work well.

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Permalink Reply by Goldsmithexile on May 29, 2015 at 3:23am

Thanks for your sudgestions gents, I appreciate it.

Putting the pickups on the outside of the 2 sets of strings would likely get in the way of playing, I use many different parts of the strings. But the cap piezo is definately worth a try. And thanks for the technical tip Phryigian Kid, Its good to know in principle they would work, if I build a ngoni with them in it. Is flipping the phase the same as phase when you are recording drums or something with 2 tracks, and you have to get them "in phase" or it sounds cwap??

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on June 1, 2015 at 12:41am

You could also try a pair of my ThinBucker thin pickups that are only .25 inches thick, and lay them back to back for a total thickness of half an inch.