My many string guitar

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 Nov 2022 9:14 am

I started with 14. Now at 17 and room for one more string when I get time.two pickups…I’ve moved them around a few times looking for different sounds and covering different strings. Two outputs so I can set the eq and the level for the low and high strings independently. I made the 14 string keyless and the bridge. It is an on going experiment. The scale is 23”. I might take it all apart and make a new body and extend the scale out to 25 or 26”

David Becker · Post by **David Becker** » 1 Nov 2022 9:19 am

I'd say that definitely qualifies as "pushing the edge of the envelope"!
You GO, Bill!!

Larry Carlson · Post by **Larry Carlson** » 1 Nov 2022 10:06 am

A few more strings and it will be a piano............

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 Nov 2022 10:38 am

Larry Carlson wrote:A few more strings and it will be a piano............

Don’t give me any ideas!:-)

Let’s see….an old metal harp from a piano…..bolt it to a block of wood….a bunch of strings and pickups…….hmmm…..

Lee Gillespie · Post by **Lee Gillespie** » 1 Nov 2022 11:38 am

Another Idea..... Take a toilet seat ....glue a neck on the seat....6 or 8 strings pickup of your choice....and then pick the s..... out of it....and if you get bored... glue a picture of Elvis.in side the seat.....Yaaaa..... Beleave it or not I built such and animal for a fellow musician. many years ago.. and the above mentioned did occure. Lee

David DeLoach · Post by **David DeLoach** » 1 Nov 2022 11:57 am

Here you go Bill.

Take a 4" x 4" and put strings & pickups on each of the 4 sides - each tuned differently. Then mount it so that the 4x4 can be rotated to bring any of the 4 tunings up to the top to be played.

Or...

Apply the concept above to a circular tube (vs. a square 4x4) - with a foot pedal to rotate the tub as you play to bring different strings up into playing position.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 Nov 2022 12:35 pm

David DeLoach wrote:Here you go Bill.

Take a 4" x 4" and put strings & pickups on each of the 4 sides - each tuned differently. Then mount it so that the 4x4 can be rotated to bring any of the 4 tunings up to the top to be played.

Or...

Apply the concept above to a circular tube (vs. a square 4x4) - with a foot pedal to rotate the tub as you play to bring different strings up into playing position.

I have thought of that before and have seen pics of such a contraption.

Cody Farwell · Post by **Cody Farwell** » 1 Nov 2022 1:33 pm

David DeLoach wrote:Apply the concept above to a circular tube (vs. a square 4x4) - with a foot pedal to rotate the tub as you play to bring different strings up into playing position.

Sounds kinda like a valiha, the national instrument of Madagascar. https://youtu.be/XxsHAXsE7gc?t=38
Doesn't seem practical with a steel bar though..

Stefan Robertson · Post by **Stefan Robertson** » 2 Nov 2022 7:15 am

innovation comes from attempting and failing many times.

No shame in that all part of the process. Try tons of new ideas cause that will be the person who eventually innovates.

Love my Hatcher custom 12 string

Dan Otranto · Post by **Dan Otranto** » 2 Nov 2022 7:19 am

That's awesome

David DeLoach · Post by **David DeLoach** » 2 Nov 2022 9:11 am

Cody Farwell wrote:
David DeLoach wrote:Apply the concept above to a circular tube (vs. a square 4x4) - with a foot pedal to rotate the tub as you play to bring different strings up into playing position.
Sounds kinda like a valiha, the national instrument of Madagascar. https://youtu.be/XxsHAXsE7gc?t=38
Doesn't seem practical with a steel bar though..

Well....what if a curved steel bar was used which had the same radius as the arc of the strings?

Obviously, not a practical instrument, but fun to think about.

Mike Stidham · Post by **Mike Stidham** » 26 Nov 2022 6:26 pm

Bill Hatcher wrote:I started with 14. Now at 17 and room for one more string when I get time.two pickups…I’ve moved them around a few times looking for different sounds and covering different strings. Two outputs so I can set the eq and the level for the low and high strings independently. I made the 14 string keyless and the bridge. It is an on going experiment. The scale is 23”. I might take it all apart and make a new body and extend the scale out to 25 or 26”

That has just slightly fewer strings than my autoharp!

Tony Oresteen · Post by **Tony Oresteen** » 28 Nov 2022 5:25 am

Stefan Robertson wrote:innovation comes from attempting and failing many times.

No shame in that all part of the process. Try tons of new ideas cause that will be the person who eventually innovates.

Love my Hatcher custom 12 string

After inventing the light bulb, Edison remarked that he also discovered 1500 ways that did not work.

The 4x4 idea is interesting but I would use 4 boards glued together to make it hollow in the middle. Lighter and perhaps better sounding

Tony Boadle · Post by **Tony Boadle** » 30 Nov 2022 11:17 pm

OK, maybe my idea would be a step too far...but here goes anyway.
How about some sort of wooden hoop, maybe around 11" diameter. Now, find some way of stretching a dried animal skin (or maybe a plastic equivalent) over the hoop, real tight.
Now fix a long skinny neck to the hoop, maybe wide enough for four or five strings. If there's not room for five tuners at the other end, stick one half way up the neck.
Finally, string it up and find a place to play the darn thing. Perhaps a quiet wooded area, accessible only by canoe?
No, reading this back, it's a crazy idea. Just forget I mentioned it. Gotta go, my nurse is here....time for my nap apparently.

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My many string guitar

My many string guitar

Bill Hatcher

Re: My many string guitar