LP clone experiment

[bluefoxicy]

I'm thinking of building my own Les Paul clone, sort of... maybe use a Les Paul shape, but contour the body like an Ibanez RG (i.e. the sides get thin at parts to act as arm rests etc etc).

 

There's two things I want to do though:

 

• No Floyd-Rose style trem/nut; I may go with a plain old stop-tail and tune-o-matic, but definitely locking tuners and a graphite nut.
  
• Reverb cavity-- route out a small cavity in the back, possibly near/between the pickups, and tension three springs in it.
  

 

I haven't really decided how to run the springs.

 

In very basic theory and ignoring the effects of the guitar body, parallel to the strings would let me lay one to each side, and would apply the sound wave (vibrating left-to-right) as an S-wave, prone to lose power. Perpendicular would result in P-waves (left-to-right across the guitar) and S-waves (in and out perpendicular to the guitar body), although the guitar itself is carrying the sound as P-waves perpendicular to the guitar (which upon crossing the barrier into the spring become S-waves). Perpendicular to the guitar would be implausible (very short spring) and carry as P-waves.

 

However, despite the shape of the waves, the above analysis may be incorrect. The propagation of the P-waves through the body would follow the connecting material attaching the spring to the guitar, inserting it into the spring body as P-waves regardless. In this case, mounting the springs parallel to the strings would produce the best sympathetic effect.

 

The exact size and tension of the springs matters too, which would make this pretty difficult to pull off properly. Let's say I laid the springs parallel to the strings, one on each side of the pickups. The springs would have to be:

 

• Of appropriate weight and tension to resonate at the midrange of desirable guitar frequencies
  
• Tight and heavy enough to resonate for an extended period (i.e. without dampening)
  
• Light enough to be influenced by the small amount of energy in the guitar (i.e. not so heavy that the guitar doesn't influence them)
  

 

This is hard to do. The springs have to be light, stiff, and tensioned well; but they can't be tensioned such that they resonate best around high e' fret 12. They also have to be heavy enough to carry energy comparable to the guitar-- more and they don't function much, less and they function with little effect. Springs that are too slack will act as dampeners.

 

So yeah. Guitar with built-in mechanical spring reverb and body sustain. Not feasible?

[Cruznolfart1281734103]

I'm certainly no engineer but I did work on the design of my own one-off. In my own very narrow experience with both spring-reverbs and guitar bodies, it would be my opinion that A. you would be challenged putting sufficient length to your spring(s) and still fit them in, and B. the movement of the guitar being played, especially while standing, would cause the reverb spring(s) to move...and we all know what THAT sounds like when you don't want it.

 

 

Regardless, it's a worthy notion and I wish you good luck with your efforts.

[bluefoxicy]

I'm certainly no engineer but I did work on the design of my own one-off. In my own very narrow experience with both spring-reverbs and guitar bodies' date=' it would be my opinion that A. you would be challenged putting sufficient length to your spring(s) and still fit them in, and B. the movement of the guitar being played, especially while standing, would cause the reverb spring(s) to move...and we all know what THAT sounds like when you don't want it.

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Point taken, probably a wasted effort.

[Stig]

Besides, almost every amp has reverb.

[wiggy]

Didn't a manufacturer back in the 40's or 50's build a guitar with built in spring reverb? From memory it was an electromechanical job which was so heavy it came on it's own stand.