Hi,
I am aware that to tune a six string as the scale gets shorter the strings either have to be tuned to a higher pitch or the strings need to get fatter. I managed to tune my uke to DGBE by using hard tension classical strings from 2 strings over (low E used for D, A for the G, D for the B and G for the highE) and this works well on the 14 inch scale.
I recently picked up a cymbala/lap harp off ebay which uses 40 gauge piano wire and was thinking of trying to make a short scale fretted travel guitar with 6 strings with as small a scale as possible using piano wire - thickest I can easily get is .051 diameter (size23).
Available sizes are
Available diameter sizes of wires:-
- Size 00 .008
- Size 0 .009
- Size 1 .010
- Size 3 .012
- Size 5 .014
- Size 6 .016
- Size 7 .018
- Size 8 .020
- Size 9 .022
- Size 10 .024
- Size 11 .026
- Size 12 .028
- Size 12.5 .029
- Size 13 .030
- Size 13.5 .031
- Size 14 .032
- Size 14.5 .033
- Size 15 .034
- Size 15.5 .035
- Size 16 .036
- Size 16.5 .037
- Size 17 .038
- Size 17.5 .039
- Size 18 .040
- Size 18.5 .041
- Size 19 .042
- Size 19.5 .043
- Size 20 .044
- Size 20.5 .045
- Size 21 .046
- Size 22 .048
- Size 23 .051
Like the cymbala I was thinking of using 1 gauge of wire to tune for 2 strings (tuning peg upto wrap around pin and back to other tuning peg). I was going to stick to standard guitar tuning EADGBE and was hoping somebody out there could give me an idea of how short a scale I can use?
Regards,
David
Replies
Thanks for posting this. I've been kicking around a concept for a solid bodied, travel sized, tenor ukulele for a while now. My idea is very simular to this, but with a 17" scale and a total instrument length of 20". My goal is to also incorporate an onboard headphone amp with eq and a compressor. The challenge is figuring out where to fit everything.
Don Thompson said:
Using piano wire seems like a bad idea - why use piano wire? Guitar strings are available in a wide range of gauges and they are cheap. Plain piano wire will be awful to string up with, especially anything over a 025 gauge, as it just won't want to bend round the machineheads and conform to the bridge (a wound string of the same gauge will have a much skinnier core).
David, This vid was the inspiration for my short scale instruments. Awesome homemade guitar. Notice the guitar is capoed at the fifth fret as I described earlier on? I thought well heck, just shorten the scale then. Guitars like the Traveler are trying to be as short as possible hence the body mounted tuners.
It puts the Gakken "miniguitar" to shame. I have seen a few larger sized travel guitars with a similar design and have wondered why they run the strings around a bar and have the tuners part way up the body? Is it simply to save a couple of inches that the machineheads would add or does the extra bit of string mean less string tension overall?
Don Thompson said:
David, before I forget, I measured a regular guitar neck at the fifth fret and made that my nut width for a wider fingerboard. Pretty cool, huh?
acoustic ukitar.jpg
bottleuke001.jpg
David Lloyd said:
There is a recent post here where someone had a similar problem http://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/how-to-get-more-sustain which might give some ideas. If this is no help you might be better adding a new post to the forum giving more information - strings used, type of box, material used for nut and bridge and photos - everyone loves photos. A new thread would open the discussion up to everyone as those with no interest in small scale instuments are likely to read it here.
Regards,
David
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