converting existing guitar?

[dreddy2]

I wanted to know if it were possible to convert an existing guitar into a touch guitar? At the very least, is it possible to make a guitar more tapping friendly? I suppose part of the problem is that I don't know what makes some guitars good for tapping - i.e. touch guitars - while others are not.

[rjgoos]

There are three steps. #1 is the big one, players differ on #2 and #3.


1. Getting the action as low as possible without buzzing.

2. Installing some sort of string dampener between fret 1 and the nut (some tappers do not use a dampener, though, but most do).

3. Getting the guitar in a more vertical position. Traktor has made a short video of how to do this with a set of guitar straps. I have developed a lap bar system for a regular electric guitar. There should be a video coming out on that, but I can post some pictures if you are interested.
Players differ on #3. Many noteable tappers (for example, www.hpcrazy.com) tap with the guitar in a normal guitar position.

[dreddy2]

I think that my guitar has fairly low action, but I don't know if I would consider it a touch guitar. So what you're saying is that if you play around with the truss rod and action long enough, you can turn any guitar into a touch guitar??

[rjgoos]

There are many excellent musicians who do two-handed tapping of regular guitars, including members of this forum:

Matthias Sorof
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Km_lC_Mb-IY

Adam Fulara,
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dm9QsZcdGS4

HP Crazy.
http://www.hpcrazy.com/video/live/andalusia.wmv


There are instruments especially-made for tapping. These usually have a longer scale length, and more strings.

[GaryOpenhill]

I've heard somewhere that Stanely jordan does this "twohanded tapping" thing on a regular guitar.

He put an article on how to set it up: http://stanleyjordan.com/Technique/starting.html

[traktor]

Why not try it?

Jury rig something to hold it tuners high -- or see my youtube video about how to make 'Traktor's SusPenders' to hold it correctly.

Turn it up, plug it in, and start a-tapping.

See what happens.

Then try tinkering with the truss and the action. Research to learn how if you don't already know. This will tell you more than all the questions in the world.

If you don't know how to adjust a truss rod and the action, and such things, youll find basic instructions given in the Mobius Owner's Guide, which is available as a free download on the Mobius Megatar website, and adjusting a trussrod and the action is basically the same on a guitar or a Megatar.