Truss Rods in sticks

[mrINFINITY]

Just out of curiosity, do chapman sticks have truss rods in them? the way they're set up it looks just like 1 solid piece of wood instead of a seperate neck and fretboard.

[mrINFINITY]

nevermind, i was able to figure it out

[traktor]

Earliest Chapman Sticks had no truss rod.

Next came a bunch with two black bands lengthways down the back of the neck where two steel rods were embedded with epoxy. (Fixed Truss Rod)

Lastly came the current model which has one squarish exposed truss rod on the back of the neck. (Adjustable truss rod)

[mrINFINITY]

i was interested in possibly trying to build a stick-like instrument. though i don't really like the tone of the sticks, i much prefer the sound of a warr guitar, i thought a stick-style instrument would be easier to build. I have new ideas that i think would benefit the instrument greatly, and someone who can help me build it.

do you have any idea where i can possibly find some blueprints for a stick or other touchstyle instrument so i can plan my instrument out better before i start building?

[rockola]

If you want to build one, build one. The first one will be a prototype anyway. Start with a proven design and apply your modifications. See the Do it yourself (http://www.tappistry.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42) thread for an account of my ongoing building project.

For each thing that you'd like to change, ask yourself: why did the builder do it this way? A few of the possible reasons: cheaper material costs, quicker to do (hence cheaper labor costs), tradition, to be different, ... Some of the construction decisions might not be that obvious to figure out and what's more, not that easy to improve upon. But it can be done. The tap guitar has by no means reached the end of its evolution.

To my knowledge there are no tap guitar plans or building instructions available.

[Jersey Ray]

A good woody body is the price of admission to the TONE ZONE. I would recommend putting some kind of body on your home made axe - I think a swamp ash body is especially nice for a tapping instrument.

The fattest tone I ever heard from one of these was Wolfgang's 14 string "surfboard" Krempel Guitar, and that had a huge body. Now, we all don't need to go to that extreme, but I think even as much wood as you'll find on an ADG or Megatar body does a lot for the tone, and to stablize the whole vibrating mass in general.

good luck!

[traktor]

Jersey Ray *might* be correct, but I think it is not a matter of how many pounds of wood are attached, but how solid and strong the entire instrument becomes, from string end to string end.

An instrument with very little body, or none, would probably sound fine if it didn't flex. However, we electric guitar types have a habit of putting pickups on the instrument, and to do that we drill holes beneath the strings, and suddenly the wood is not as strong and solid from end to end as it used to be. When the wood flexes, it sends waves down the string which have pretty much nothing to do with the frequency of the vibrating string. These enharmonic waves cause wave interference, and this interference impairs the natural tone of the coherently vibrating string. What wonder then if the tone is less than wonderous?

Am I 100% sure of this? Nope.

Am I pretty darned sure of this? Yep.

If the neck is of substantial thickness and solidity, and the body part is increased enough to offset the weakness induced by holes, then I don't think you need many pounds of weight. For example, does Ray's ADG sound poor because it doesn't have as much body as his Warr? Not at all. The ADG has good tone, because it is solidly constructed.

Bear in mind, I'm biased. This is just what my ears have told me. As always, let your own ears be your trusty guide, and you should be pretty happy.