Got a cool looking old wooden box and attempted to make it into a stompbox. I experimented with a piezo taped underneath the top and amped it up. Sounded crap. Just a short hard tapping sound. I'm wondering how I can get it to sound deeper and with some thump. Any suggestions welcome please.

Views: 2109

Replies to This Discussion

you might could get some more info from second hand cbg,s video on how to make a stompbox. its fairly new so maybe you havent seen it yet,check it out.
Thanks guys, I'll try a few of those ideas.
I feel like I just saw something about this--a guy built one but used a bass drum trigger (I have no idea what that is) on the inside.
Yeah I saw the drum trigger. They seem to be more or less a piezo disk, same as what i use for pickups. Don't know what drummers use them for though. Maybe just to detect the drum 'hit' and trigger some other electronic device. Can't see how they are any better than just using a piezo.
Hey Smojo, I know how you feel! I spent ages trying to get a good sound out of my guitar body stomp box thingy... different pickups / mics, different positions, different coverings (carpet, foam, rubber... tried 'em all!). Eventually I stuffed it full of old cushions and sheets an rags and bingo... much better!
Smojo,,,i saw one of the most simple designs the other day that sounded better than all the stompboxes ive ever heard before...
this fellow took one of the stickon piezos (the kind you stick on the top of your guitar or ukulele or whatever) and wrapped it snuggly with some foam rubber packing material he had, and placed it in a low profile cigar box. Now the piezo isnt touching anything, just the foam that surrounds it, and the foam is loose enough that when you close the box, the foam touches the top and bottom. By tapping your foot on the box the vibrations are transmitted through the top and into the foam producing a nice dull thud. Hey ...give it a shot...
Sounds good thanks
I was scanning this Stomp Box thread and ran across something that made me think "Hey, that's exactly how I made MY stomp box!" then I saw it was posted by Ham and realized it WAS my stomp box.... LOL

Anyway - here's my theory. The sound we get when mounting piezos is effected by out attachment method. The crispier the adhesive - say epoxy or CA (super glue) and you get a really bright, brassy response - or at least as many highs as that particular piezo is capable of. If we use soft stuff like silicon caulk type adhesive, or foam tape, or PL Concrete seal and the like - we get less highs and more mids and bass. Soooo, since all I wanted was a big fat bass drum sound I figured what kind of attachment would filter out the most highs and not rattle around obnoxiously? So I thought - why not NO attachment? So I did what Ham said - wrapped the pickup in foam rubber - the very squishy, not at all dense, kind about 1/2" thick foam. [it was actually a box liner with a kind of cheap velvet like flocking on one side, though I doubt that made a lot of difference] That took out almost all the "slap" sounding highs. I did do one more thing, which was to wrap the box itself in several layers of that "non-skid" drawer liner stuff.
Anyway - it worked for me.
When I get a chance I'll upload an audio clip of it.
i built mine by placing a 6 inch stero speaker right under the lid and  wiring it to a quarter jack. Sounds like the deep thud of a bass drum.

i've seen people use speakers for this- i just don't get how a speaker (output) becomes a pickup (input)? I'm really just starting on this whole diy audio stuff, but is there any specific way you wired the speaker up? Any input would be appreciated

I saw a CBG someone made and used a small speaker as a pickup. They mounted it under the lid like a piezo, seemed to work fine but it was playing through a tape recorder turned into an amp so it sounded tinny, hard to tell anything.

It does work.  get a 1/8 to 1/4 headphone adapter and plug your headphones (not earbuds) into your guitar amp and walah! they work like a mic.

like a piezo buzzer used as a pickup, if you feed a signal into it, it vibrates, if you vibrate the piezo, it generates a signal.

physics: the diaphram has a coil mounted to it, in front of a fixed magnet.  run a signal through the coil and it attracts/repels to/from the magnet moving the diaphragm and you have a speaker.  move the coil in front of the magnet and you have a tiny generator making a weak signal that most amps can grab and use.

RSS

The Essential Pages

New to Cigar Box Nation? How to Play Cigar Box GuitarsFree Plans & How to Build Cigar Box GuitarsCigar Box Guitar Building Basics

Site Sponsor

Recommended Links & Resources


Discussion Forum

Piezo feedback problems

Started by David Fultz. Last reply by Bernie Edwards Aug 27, 2016. 14 Replies

Bowed instruments

Started by Fomhorach. Last reply by JL Mar 23, 2016. 1 Reply

Ceramic piezo disc as a mic for a reverb spring

Started by Jon Leslie/Runaway Veal Music. Last reply by Fomhorach Feb 29, 2016. 6 Replies

Distortion

Started by Kevin M. Kraft. Last reply by Fomhorach Feb 28, 2016. 16 Replies

Stomp box

Started by smojo. Last reply by JL Jan 4, 2016. 14 Replies

DIY Tremolo

Started by Better Trees. Last reply by Better Trees Mar 10, 2014. 4 Replies

wiring mystery

Started by bucky. Last reply by Bernie Mango Feb 28, 2014. 5 Replies

Fever dream pickup

Started by Bear Peterson Jan 23, 2014. 0 Replies

Ted's Headstock Designs

Started by Ted Crocker. Last reply by Ted Crocker Sep 1, 2013. 2 Replies

Fretting Tips, Tricks & Supplies

Started by Ted Crocker. Last reply by Silent Jim Dec 21, 2011. 1 Reply

How to Find the Center of a Dowel or Circle

Started by Ted Crocker. Last reply by Ryan Rose Nov 6, 2011. 1 Reply

Nut & Bridge Slotting

Started by Ted Crocker. Last reply by Mark Werner Oct 18, 2011. 1 Reply

Printable Harbor Freight Tools Discount Coupons

Started by Ted Crocker. Last reply by Bear Oct 17, 2011. 1 Reply

Ted's Wiring Diagrams & Schematics

Started by Ted Crocker Oct 17, 2011. 0 Replies

Identifying Exotic Woods

Started by Ted Crocker Oct 17, 2011. 0 Replies

not cbg sorry

Started by jon beel. Last reply by ian dawson Sep 28, 2011. 3 Replies

circuit sniffing

Started by petey twofinger. Last reply by Chuck Dubman Jan 4, 2011. 3 Replies

2 prong outlet guitar chord?

Started by Jerryrig240. Last reply by Chuck Dubman Jan 2, 2011. 6 Replies

beer bottle caps

Started by smojo. Last reply by Nick Jan 4, 2010. 8 Replies

Music

© 2024   Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

\uastyle>\ud/** Scrollup **/\ud.scrollup {\ud background: url("https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/963882636?profile=original") no-repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;\ud bottom: 25px;\ud display: inline !important;\ud height: 40px;\ud opacity: 0.3 !important;\ud position: fixed;\ud right: 30px;\ud text-indent: -9999px;\ud width: 40px;\ud z-index: 999;\ud}\ud.scrollup:hover {\ud opacity:0.99!important;\ud}\ud \uascript type="text/javascript">\ud x$(document).ready(function(){\ud x$(window).scroll(function(){\ud if (x$(this).scrollTop() > 100) {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeIn();\ud } else {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeOut();\ud }\ud });\ud x$('.scrollup').click(function(){\ud x$("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 600);\ud return false;\ud });\ud });\ud \ua!-- End Scroll Up -->