Hello, all who are following this blog!
I've got nearly every part to build this piano except for the most important part - the wood! I need a wood that's heavy, solid, resistant to decay, and shrinks/expands minimally.
I'm thinking about red oak right now, but if you have any other ideas, please feel free to comment.
Thanks in advance!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Overview
This post is for those of you who are not friends with me on Facebook and/or do not know what in the world is going on. I have decided to attempt to build a piano bass - a combination of my favorite two instruments inspired by Rhodes piano basses built in the 60s and 70s (http://tinyurl.com/pianobass). They were passive, had 32 keys, and had tone and volume knobs. They are known for being used by The Doors' Ray Manzarek in place of an actual string bass. Many of these pianos, being as old as they are, are now non-functional or have been restored by professionals and are sold at very steep prices.
These pianos are not synthesizers. They are completely mechanical, but still don't use strings. They use electric pickups just as a guitar does to amplify the sound that otherwise cannot be heard easily. Wikipedia does a good job of describing how the pianos work (http://tinyurl.com/7bd2c63).
I sought one of these pianos and was appalled at their high prices, so I then decided to build my own. Over the past several months, I've done quite a bit of research, built and tested models, wasted copious amounts of paper on conceptual drawings, and finally decided to make a blog to document the project. This blog will be home to most or all of my drawings and videos and such.
One of the most difficult parts of this project has already been done before I created this blog, that part being the conceptualizing of the action and tone generator. I've based the action off of the early Rhodes pianos and the tone generator off of the Wurlitzer. It's the best of both, as both the Rhodes and the Wurlitzer had their many flaws. I've created a design that never goes out of tune, is relatively light, sturdy, and is capable of providing the player with expressive dynamic response.
I'll continue to update this blog with my progress on this huge project. Stay "tuned!"
These pianos are not synthesizers. They are completely mechanical, but still don't use strings. They use electric pickups just as a guitar does to amplify the sound that otherwise cannot be heard easily. Wikipedia does a good job of describing how the pianos work (http://tinyurl.com/7bd2c63).
I sought one of these pianos and was appalled at their high prices, so I then decided to build my own. Over the past several months, I've done quite a bit of research, built and tested models, wasted copious amounts of paper on conceptual drawings, and finally decided to make a blog to document the project. This blog will be home to most or all of my drawings and videos and such.
One of the most difficult parts of this project has already been done before I created this blog, that part being the conceptualizing of the action and tone generator. I've based the action off of the early Rhodes pianos and the tone generator off of the Wurlitzer. It's the best of both, as both the Rhodes and the Wurlitzer had their many flaws. I've created a design that never goes out of tune, is relatively light, sturdy, and is capable of providing the player with expressive dynamic response.
I'll continue to update this blog with my progress on this huge project. Stay "tuned!"
Friday, May 18, 2012
Hello!
Greetings, everyone, this is just a test post so I can adjust the layout and such.
Updates to come!
Updates to come!
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