» MAKE: NOISE — Discuss this article

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• PVC dimensions
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  Will the diameter of the PVC have any affect on the sound of the guitar? Can I use 2" PVC instead of 1 1/2 " PVC?

  Posted by fivesedwick on February 16, 2007 at 14:18:14 Pacific Time

• PVC dimensions
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  I am guessing 2" will work just fine. the sound of this guitar is going to rely primarily on the the string's contact with the piezo pickup.
  
  Ed V.

  Posted by EdV on March 05, 2007 at 07:46:10 Pacific Time

• PVC diameter
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  Any diameter will work. I use 1.5" for guitar, 2" for bass, and 4" for stand up base (6 foot tall!). EdV is correct. It's the piezo that picks up the sound. The pvc is there to hold the string. Same goes for the pine wood body-- it's just to hold it together, although ergonomics does prefer certain shapes.

  Posted by Tzim on March 05, 2007 at 12:42:18 Pacific Time

• More than one string
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  How would one go about adding more strings to the guitar design? Will only one piezo element be needed?

  Posted by nelsonlsqueeko on April 20, 2007 at 21:12:08 Pacific Time

• More than one string
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  You would need one piezo per string, since each string rests on a piezo (with a sliver of a rubber stopper in between). This would produce a separate audio output for each string, which can be mixed together, or processed separately for interesting effect (called a polyphonic pickup). Tell me what you learn from building a PVC guitar with several strings.

  Posted by Tzim on April 22, 2007 at 16:26:13 Pacific Time

• Cracked piezo?
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  I've tried two piezos so far and with both I get a badly distorted sound. Could I have messed up both of them opening the case?

  Posted by Dji on August 15, 2009 at 19:13:27 Pacific Time