| Subject: | [RESOGUIT-L] Re: questions | | Date: | Friday, January 6, 2006 09:59:10 (EST) | | From: | DeweySlideWell <DeweySlideWell @...com>
|
Lynn wrote:
>>Spiders appear to be used without polishing, other than the
bottoms of the feet where they contact the cone. Does polishing
the entire spider change the sound in any way?<<
Since spiders are *cast* aluminum, it looks like fooling around
with the "finish" on them can affect the structural integrity. Simple
polishing may not really do much, but filing them down does
affect things.
A lighter weight spider would seem more desirable, and I think
it helps up to a point. I have indeed tried reducing the mass
equally all around the spider, with mixed results.
Take one of those heavy, import spiders. I filed all the legs,
the "braces" between the legs, etc., down by about, oh, let us
say one-fourth of the overall mass.
It helped quit a bit. Oddly, it seems that briefly soaking the
spider in a solution of bleach and water also helped. I believe
it added a bit of stiffness somehow back to the very outside l
ayer of the Aluminum. I repeated this experiment multiple times
with four or five different spiders several years ago, and the
bleach solution always seemed to "temper" the Aluminum and
improve the
results.
However, simply filing away mass from the spider did not
always help. You reach a point where you begin to lose
instead of gain. ( Less than three ounces seemed to be the
pivitol point, if memory serves me right...) You also need to
recognize that a spider needs to be strong enough to bear
the stress of the string pressure without collapsing too much
under the load. A small amount of flex simply "equalizes"
things, and is not bad.
My conclusion here is that the casting process in itself adds
a stronger layer to the outside surface of the piece. It seems
it is not wise to disturb this layer. It can effect the tonal quality
of a spider, and for sure the overall strength of the spider.
Tut once tried a few cast Brass spiders. He said the results
were not good at all. I made a couple of spiders from wood,
and they worked OK, however, I had added a very thin layer
of Brass to the bottom of each foot.
Cast Aluminum seems the best choice, and not fooling with
it much seems the best option. I am not a Rocket Scientist,
but I have tried a lot of things...
I will bet that the Dopyera Boys tried a lot of different things
before settling on what we wound up with.
>>Why don't coverplates have more holes (more open area)?<<
Years ago, Bobby Wolf showed me some coverplates which
looked like a small explosion had blown away a goodly part
of the middle portion.
He had one on one of his guitars, and it was arguably LOUDER
than a simialr one with a standard coverplate. However, it did
not sound as good, in my opinion. I am looking for a certain
*sound* , not just plain old volume. I am not against being
LOUDER, mind you, as long as you don't sacrifice that *sound*.
To my ear, it must have a good TREBLE in the mix to be right.
Opening up the coverplate seems to botch that up. I once
posted a thing about the three chambers that seem to make
for a good sounding instrument. I can hunt it up if anyone
happens to be interested.
Someone asked about the "Tut Taylor" Lyre style coverplates.
The openings may indeed be a little larger on these.However,
you are missing something if that is all you are looking at there...
The "lyre" pattern allows for a couple of points to be dangling
in mid-air on this coverplate, in four different spots. I *like* that
little thing. A bit of metal sticking out like that allows for some
good vibrations in response to certain frequencies. I have
experimented with such things inside the body of the instrument,
and you can get some interesting results from it.It can temper
the sound and be either good, or bad, according to just what
you are dealing with. Others may have differing opinions of
course. Me, I just like DOBROS.
>> Have any materials other than aluminum been used in cones?<
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