DIY Slide Guitar

DIY Slide Guitar

My Board

Let's start with this. I'm not very handy. I'm not creative and I'm not particularly patient, which really is why I'll never be a good craftsman. Still, every now and then I get a bug up my butt, and try to build something. I get mixed results, (though if I remember to give myself enough time, things generally come out okay), and I do have to remember that everything takes me twice as long as it would if I were good at stuff.

That being said, I do also attempt to repair my various musical instruments, and find that when I slow down and take my time, I can do little things. So to try something like build from scratch, I'm really moving into unfamiliar territory. 

Right! Cut once

But it's the New Year, and time for some new challenges. So while looking at stuff on Youtube, I came across this, a DIY Electric Slide Guitar. I had an extra pickup, so I thought, okay, let's give it a shot. If you want to know how to make one, watch the video. It does have all the parts and measurements. Here, I'm just documenting what I did.

Wrong! Measure twice....

The first problem came on my trip to Lowe's-I didn't like any of the 2 x 4's they had, and so, I thought, what the heck, let's go with a 1 x 4. Everything else I was able to find. 

The bottom

Trying to remember to measure twice and drill once, I still made assorted mistakes on my drilling. I reminded myself that this was a practice run, and if it worked, I could do it all again. 

One String!

It seemed easy on the video, but I couldn't get anywhere close to in tune, and had to keep adding washers and nails to what I was doing, taking the strings off and putting them back on-breaking a few in the process. I opted for 5 strings instead of six, too-I broke the only high E string I had handy, so that's not going to happen for now.

Attached to tuner

After about three hours of work, the garage got too cold to work in, and I put everything down. I also think the temps were having an effect on the strings as well.

I did get the brackets attached and the E string added, creating a 'Diddley Bo,' but since I couldn't feel my hands, I couldn't feel the strings cutting my fingers as I was trying to tighten it enough to tune.

More. Note string cutting into wood

The next afternoon, I came out again. I was pretty comfortable in my string anchor placement, but as I finished installing all five, the troubles really began. I couldn't keep any of them tight enough for the tuning screws to be effective. There's a lot of tension on the strings, and the higher, lighter strings would start cutting into the wood, making them impossible to tune. I'd get it tuned to a note, then put my glass slide (an old spice bottle), put a little pressure, and it would be out of tune again.

I didn't solder the pick-up to the output jack, because I hadn't figured out where I wanted to attach the jack. And in the video, the pick-up was just balanced on a wood screw, which seemed very unstable. I was still trying to figure out how I wanted to do that, so for the sound checks, I just rested the leads from the pick-up on the jack, and plugged it into my amp. Though there was a slight feedback hum, it actually worked okay, as the video should show.

Sound Check!

Trying to tune

Bad knots

Again and again, though, I was trying to increase the tension on the strings so that I could tune it, and again and again, I kept getting foiled. I tried to think of way to create stability, and added washers, which gave me the idea of next time drilling through the wood and and then using the ball side to anchor with washers. Then I started to add some nails I had in the garage to act as a bridge. That actually worked, but I think that I needed more tension on the strings to begin with.

I've got the idea, though, so I think with a better piece of wood, and adding more tension from the start, it should work.

There's a better lumber place here in town, so I might try them, or I think I have some old lumber from when the house was remodeled. I might use that. I didn't connect the pick-up permanently so that I can use it on my next try.

Tail Stabilization with nails

Semi Complete

Tuning Screws

1/11/15

It's been a week since I 'finished', and I went back out again yesterday. I played with it a bit, and still can't get it in tune with itself. It's not anymore out of tune, though, so I think with a little more work, and the mods I mentioned above, the next one might come out as more than a curiosity.