High Tech Electric Guitar. High School Senior Project

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WJS

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Messages
75
Location
NJ
I am a high school senior and my school offered to let us do a senior project. I've chosen to build a high tech electric guitar. I'm working around a danelectro body/neck (nothing fancy) but I plan to put in all new electronics including polyphonic pickups and several things like that. The guitar would have an ELCO 56 pin connector and 16 ballenced channels connecting it to an effects rack. I'm planning to build a hugh multi channel tube preamp and EQ. Also with the polyphonics i'd like a computer interface to convert the guitar notes to midi. Then I could have the computer harmonize or whatever in realtime.
I'd love to post ideas and updates. And even more, I'd love feedback (both Hendrix style and comment form) and ideas. I've already found some great ideas on here, gyraf and all over.
Anything you'd like to see? any advice?
-Bill

p.s. there might be a high tech bass thrown into the mix too...!
-----
ZZZZTT--- OW tube power supplies. Dont learn the hard way.
 
6 for the polyphonics, 1 for each of the standard pickups, 1 for their sum, posibly a few to control different effects or to send back a signal into a pickup for an infinit sustain (a really interesting thread). and I might use some of them for just dc to power things. who knows. I wanted to have options. if i ever need another channel I can just use it. If I force myself into 12 or something less then I can never really add more without redoing the entire cable.
 
"Computer interface to convert the guitar notes to midi........in realtime".

I'm going through this at the moment. Expect to spend a grand..... and forget about a software solution. The latency or lag is so geat you can play a note, go to the toilet and come back before the midi is translated into sound.

You're obviously really smart......and into Hendrix.....cool. As an old dumb fart, I'd suggest you consider getting into KISS. Keep it simple....My .0002c.
 
I've started fooling around with "intelliScore Polyphonic" which does a decent job of realtime conversion. I'm running it on my laptop (a so-so Sony Vaio) and it seems to do an ok job. i'm going to try it on some older desktop computers (which i can dedicate to the project full time). I've heard of the much more expencive realtime converters which offer a hardware solution.(i think roland makes one)
Anyone familiar with this program or have any other ideas?

I was also thinking of putting some midi controls directly on the guitar.
 
its a little smaller.... lol but yes. its rather flexible and not too heavy.

its gepco (I couldn't afford anything more expencive but this will do fine) 16 channel bal cable.
 
Are you sure youve thought this through?

An experienced designer could easily take years to get something like that to a useful and practical state, let alone something that actually sounds good.

Why dont you focus on making a great sounding tube preamp, or designing a better pickup? Save yr time, learn a lot more..

Just my 1/2 a cent...



M
 
Well... I would build a tube pre or something like that but I already won the science fair in tenth grade a tube guitar amp built from scratch.
I know its not going to have a perfect sound but I think it will be fun and definatly usable and workable.

The school is basicly giving us 3 weeks of few or no classes to work on this project. I think its going to work.
 
Rule #1 about estimating projects is to at least double the expected time to completion.

I'd recommend splitting it up into a few "modules" so you can do as much as you have time for - say start with polyphonic outputs and a mixer, then have the MIDI stuff a separate project.
 
Another update:
There is a website!!
egmp.i8.com
Electric Guitar May Project
I posted my log on the site and I'm going to be updateing it about once a day.
 
thats a good idea.
I'd been planning something similar. Basicly start with the guitar and work through the signal path, finishing one thing at a time. I want all of the equipment (minus the guitar obviusly) to be rackmountable so i can get it around easily. This way also i can just mount the next thing

Thanks for the advise!
please keep it comeing
 
I'm planning to use Ghost Pickups found here. Does anyone have any experience using these?
I'm planning to connect each channel into a balenced tube preamp build around 12AU7s. like the front end of a G9. Anyone have any plans for a multi channel tube pre (and power supply) that big (>or= 6 channels)?
i can just repeat one channel over and over...
any ideas?
 
I like the idea of the guitar. In fact I have always joked about building a guitar with multi puts, one for each string + a standard combined out. Very cool indeed. My idea was to send each string to a differnt speaker in a 5.1 surround field. surround guitars...

If your looking for multi channel preamps does it have to be tube? Their are plent of good sound non tube pre's floating arund here that would sound great.
 
it doesn't have to be tube. i just love tubes. if you have a schematic or have any ideas i'd love to hear it.

I'm planning to atleast run the guitar into 4 speakers although 5.1 would be quite cool

I think the greatful dead did something like this a while back...

anyway, if you've got a good pre or two, please post!

[the bridge is going to be replaced with a ghost bridge pickup (the polyphonic) and the two standard pickups are going to be left in it.]
 
I want to hear this guitar. Make sure you don't rip a hole in the time/space continuum with it though.
I have one of the Roland A-D pickups and it can be a challenge to use in terms of latency. I actually performed with it the weekend before last, using my strat as a bass guitar, just to see what would happen. The main problem is that without a pick, I couldn't use a light touch as I was trying to insure that the note would trigger properly. All subtlety kind of went out the window. I find that the synth is best on pads, etc. Things that don't require a fast attack. You basically have to learn to play and tweak it within its inherent and quirky limitations, which seems to be the trick for all the Roland gear I own.
It's always good to have both dominant geek and guitar genes, since you don't have to worry about designing and building a girlfriend from your junk bin, or relying on said girlfriend as your primary source of income once you graduate.
I'm suspending judgement on your project estimating abilities for now. If you say you can build out huge multi-channel tube pres and eq's as well as the most complex electric guitar ever conceived - all in three weeks, I'll take your word for it.

Brent Casey
 
Ahh the energy of youth!

With many years of experience underestimating the scope of tasks, I would have this three week blitz at least sectioned so that something presentable comes out of it at the end. Making something with this many channels out of tubes, doing the mechanical work yourself, sounds like it would eat up most of the time to begin with.
 
I like the idea of using 12AU7s for the preamps; they're a good tube for this sort of thing. However, consider the filaments; if you use one tube per string (balanced, using one half of the tube for each polarity) plus the aforementioned combinations, you'll be using eight tubes total just in the front ends. At 6.3V a 12AU7 pulls 0.3A, so you'll be needing 2.4A of DC. You'll be dissipating about 15.1W from the filaments. Assume each 12AU7 runs at 150V B+, 4mA; that will dissipate 0.6W per section, or 9,6W total. Combine plates and filaments, and you're dissipating just under 25W for the whole shebang, and this is only the eight balanced inputs, no other circuitry. That rack-mounted box is going to get frying-pan hot, and things will start to fail in short order.

My suggestion: If you want to do this with tubes, build it like a power amp, on an open chassis with a cage.

Peace,
Paul
 
OK......... youthful wiseass......you have my begrudging best wishes. Try to keep to the "one step at a time" though......and yeah, should just be able to repeat the same channel on the pre. Re: heat....I think that provided there is a grill top it'll survive. But you'll use your experience on the guitar amp for that one. :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea: :idea:
 
thanks guys. I'd prob. mount the tubes on the outside of the case and cage it as mentioned.

Also, I was thinking of running the bal. signal into a tranie and then take the output of that as unbal. into the first half of the tube and use the second half for more gain or to compensate for eq loss or some thing. (I also dont yet know the impedence of the pickups and i might have to match)

I've never really worked with a preamp using bolth one hal of a tube for each polarity (1 tube per string). Its common to drive something push pull output tube wise but i'm not familiar with it in preamp form. how would this work? tubes biased class A? B? and then would there be distortion when one half switches off and the other on? maybe i'm confused but a tranie seems easier/better

yes? no? post!


ps
time. I know its a big issue. I'm starting this thing ahead of schedual (projected start time: mid may) and I do plan to just go one chunk at a time. get the guitar wired, get the cabling done, get the preamp going, etc etc. that way if Its the 11th hour atleast something will be done.
Thanks for the best wishes I'm sure they will come in handy!!
 
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