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12-string cake tin resonator build

Hello!

I was recently given a broken 12-string acoustic guitar, and I was really taken by the 'distressed' look of the decades-old lacquer. I already have an ordinary 12-string, so I didn't need another.

Figuring the wreck had been left in a damp place for some time, I dumped it in a corner of my workshop to dry out for a month or two, whilst I had a think about what to do with it!

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Permalink Reply by Tim Hooper on November 4, 2017 at 9:26am

Browsing the net, I found that a lot of people had turned old guitars into resonators using, either a ring-mould cake tin, or a dog bowl. This seemed like a plan.

I sourced a 10" aluminium cake on Ebay for around £6.

Using the mid-point of the saddle as a centre, I drew a suitable circle and got the jig-saw out.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Hooper on November 4, 2017 at 9:37am

The dowelled neck joint looked like a major weak point so, after cutting a 10" diameter circle out of the soundboard, I had access to the heel block from the inside, and so I was able to reinforce the newly epoxied neck joint with 3 large woodscrews, which passed into the heel of the neck. I also shimmed the heel by 1/32" to tilt the neck back slightly to allow for a higher bridge later on.

I fitted a reinforcing ring from two layers of 1/4"ply, as well as six supporting posts, and gently enlarged the big hole until the cake tin was a snug push fit.

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Permalink Reply by Tim Hooper on November 4, 2017 at 9:48am

The biscuit is from two layers of ply. The lower one is smaller to allow it to fit inside the open neck of the tin.

The original saddle, and its metal carrier, fits in a slot in the elliptical hardwood bridge. This just sits on the ply biscuit to allow adjustment for intonation.

The trapeze tailpiece features a rusty old hinge, screwed the bottom of the body, two lengths of 3mm steel, threaded at the other end to pass through the 8mm brass cross piece, secured by nyloc nuts.

I drilled the 12 string holes in the brass for the strings - not perfect, but good enough!

The guitar, with its new strings, took several days to settle in before it held its tuning. I'm not a clever player, so the thing is tuned 'standard' - EBGDAE.

It's quite muted when played with the fingers, but really comes alive when a plectrum is used!

Tim

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Permalink Reply by Richard Dean on November 4, 2017 at 11:03am

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking the multi layer bridge is the culprit causing the semi muted finger plucking. I'd try a 1 piece hardwood NO plywood for your bridge, might wake it up.

But all in all, cool re-purpose and Git rescue

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Permalink Reply by Tim Hooper on November 4, 2017 at 12:13pm

Thanks Richard!

You could well be right about the ply biscuit. I'll give a go when I get a spare hour or two.

Tim

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Permalink Reply by Richard Dean on November 4, 2017 at 12:20pm

Just a guess, not sure if it helps, maybe drilling holes in the tin, I know hammering one stretches the metal and increases volume and tone brightness like they do sometimes when using paint tin lids, but research before taking my word and ruining it too. Plenty of similar builds to yours out there, plenty of 'how to's"

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Permalink Reply by Richard Dean on November 4, 2017 at 12:28pm

Also, you may want to see how easy it is to lift on the trapeze you made, might not have enough downward pressure if not enough of a break angle, just going by your picture, that will greatly affect sound volume

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Permalink Reply by Tim Hooper on November 5, 2017 at 2:54am

Trying to link to an FB video, but failing dismally!

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Permalink Reply by Richard Dean on November 5, 2017 at 3:08am

Resonator playing

That sounded nice, I also like the extra strip for reinforcement at the top, but it also turned the original sound hole into a crescent shape, cool

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Permalink Reply by Tim Hooper on November 5, 2017 at 3:30am

Thanks Richard!

Tim

Attachments:

23096457_1705426696148023_5443834939889942528_n.mp4, 411 KB

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on November 5, 2017 at 9:36am

If it isn't related to the bridge, check the string angle going to the tail piece and the string angle between the nut and tuners. Also make sure the strings aren't stuck in the nut or bridge string grooves.