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Electric bowed Lyre/jouhikko?

Posted by Uku on June 29, 2015 at 9:32am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I have mahogany and ash wood. 

I was thinking to make Electric bowed Lyre/jouhikko 

Can I use premade violin bridge? Need to think.

If its only electric then I need to use violin strings. like in that video.

Does wood gonna hold up and not bend under string tension? 

Need to start searching dimensions.

Its less expensive to me to make this from one piece of mahagony.

One idea was make it way like electric violins are made.

Tags: Mahogany, bowed, fiddle, hiiu, jouhikko, kannel, lyre

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Tags: bowed, electric, fiddle, hiiu, kannel, lyre, violin
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Replies

  • Uku June 30, 2015 at 6:13am

    I was thinking solid body. I need to know over all length, bridge placement and strings length from bridge to tuners. 

    • ChickenboneJohn > Uku July 1, 2015 at 4:37am

      You can get plans from the man who made that one in the video (Michael King). I had some plans for the Crwth form him, but to be honest they were not very good (just basic dimensions and fairly crude hand-drawn sketches with no proper constructional details, so I  ended up drawing my own using  various references.

      • Uku > ChickenboneJohn July 1, 2015 at 6:49am

        I also did myself dimensions using various references from internet.

        I made template. I used scale length of 17" viola.  Measured from center of tuning pegs.

    • Goldsmithexile > Uku June 30, 2015 at 8:52am

      they dont have solid bodys, they have hollowed out chambers inside

      That is what produces the rather nice resonating sounds

      • Uku > Goldsmithexile June 30, 2015 at 2:04pm

        I know that. I was thinking to make solid body or sligthly chambered body.

  • ChickenboneJohn June 29, 2015 at 2:57pm

    I've made a Welsh Crwth, which is reasonably closely related. Make your own bridge it's not that hard to make one from a scrap of maple. I used real gut fiddle strings and zither pins, the body was cherrywood with a cedar top and walnut fittings. It was fitted with a piezo pickup and a graphic EQ preamp - it was designed to be used on the stage for a professional theatre production, so I was under a lot of pressure to get it right, despite never having made one before.

    306465221?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024

    Here it is in action ...http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/lady-gogo-goch-teaser

  • Goldsmithexile June 29, 2015 at 1:48pm

    I saw those on youtube, it looks like you could play something like that with 2 slides to stop the notes instead of bare knuckles

    From my limited experience of building (less than 1 year, but an experienced competent woodworker), I would say dont be in awe of luthiers etc, dont try and over think everything. Not every rule is necessary....Have some fun!!

    I would build a first version from a floor joist or something, save the mahogany until you know the form.

    I would build a simple version from scrap, use a router to make the chambers (or a brace and bit and chisels) And I would start out with a piezo type pickup fastened over the sound board, you get sound quick with very little need to cut holes and stuff

    Check out the jouhikko blues from Finland

    https://youtu.be/kyWCPmiCwQg

    https://youtu.be/EoCIgS7UVBs

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