Seeking Wisdom - Electric Sitar ala Corals

[Ric5150]

Anybody have any experience/advice regarding sympatethetic string guitar 'electric sitars' ala the old Corals? I'm thinking along the lines of Rogue/Jerry Jones/Italia rather than an actual vintage one. Probably wont get played a whole lot, but I've now seen Campbell do Don't Come Around Here No More live one two many times....

Won't get played enough to warrant $3k, but don't want to waste time struggling with something too cheap, either.

[8mileshigh]

I love my Jerry Jones. The sympathetic strings I tuned like Within you without you. It was $600. I always thought maybe I should have got the cheaper non sympathetic version though. They don't get used that much.

[Ric5150]

Thanks, Graham. The JJs on eBay right now are around $1100 BINs with the Italias around $700 and Rogues a little cheaper. As I've never physically seen or touched anything from either of these makers, it's kinda hard to gauge the 'you get what you pay for' factor vs perceived value.

I've seen commentary that the JJs are pretty good, that the Rogues 'aren't as bad as you might expect' and that Italias, in general, are just like Danelectros (not sure if that's a good thing.. )

[jdogric12]

I have a Rogue I bought new about 10 years ago and I love it. I just used it for Within You Without You at a gig last month, in fact! When I bought it (10 years ago) the corner of the nut between the low E and the edge busted off while playing. I sent it back to MF and got a replacement, the one I still have. Since they're not being made anymore, snatch up whatever you can! And definitely get the one with drone strings. Getting just a 6-string would be as pointless as not coming.

[Ric5150]

Thanks for the input, Jason. That puts a Rogue in the running, anyway.

I have another question. There's one on EBay now missing both pick guards. I'm thinking the standard guitar one is no big deal, but am I right in thinking the missing sympathetic cover/guard would make it hard to avoid accidentally muting those strings? (And would be quite difficult to fabricate?)

[iamthebassman]

I've had my Jerry Jones Master Electric Sitar for easily 15 years now. When I bought it I was surprised that the sympathetic strings didn't seem to do much. Even at high volume they didn't really ring. I called Jerry(one of the great things I loved about his instruments) about it, he told me that the extra strings were nothing but a Danelectro marketing gimmick.

[Ric5150]

Delayed gratification is overrated. Just hit BIN on this one that came up today.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141013106613

More than i was thinking of paying, but I found a couple things in my web travels saying his black neck/head models were earlier and some of the best he made.

I'll repost after she gets here.



Thanks for the advice, guys.

[Ric5150]

Got her yesterday. Certainly a much better built instrument than any of the RI Danelectros I've ever tried out and put back, despite the fact that I really want to want a RI Dano...

I was actually pleasantly surprised that the sympathetic strings actually rattle a little more than I expected, which still isn't a lot. If you think about it, there's no real mechanism to transfer vibrations. The bridge doesn't really do anything to put energy into he body of the guitar, and there really isn't much body there in the first place.

Nonetheless, she's pretty cool and I'm having fun. Just need to get out to pick up a tuning wrench.

Thanks to those who contributed advice.

[jps]

Maybe you can figure out a way to transfer the playing strings vibrations to the sympathetic ones?

[Ric5150]

Perhaps I should plug into my 5150, set the gain to 'Ludicrous', crank the volume, and play directly in front of it at close range. That would probably get them going.

[jdogric12]

Late to the follow up here... congrats! You're right, they don't do much. But I tuned them to a C#9(add4) chord and did a little strummy thing on a performance of Within You Without You to great effect recently. And they look COOL. It would be really cool to come up with a way to transfer that vibration over... like attaching some solid metal from bridge to drones? Surely it could be done, right?

[jdogric12]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rogue-STR-1-Pro ... 2a2ee62e08

This ends today... someone get it, the opening bid is a steal!

[Ric5150]

I thnk the buzz bridge is always going to be a really weak link. The whole point of it is to deaden the strings and make them rattle on the metal surface. Even with something solid under it, I don't think you'd get much vibrational energy down to it. (Don't get me wrong, the buzz bridge is way cool...)

Might be better off splitting the output, running one through a preamp, and then into some kind of transducer mounted near the drones. I'll have to dig around a little. I seem to remember buying some transducers a while back (intended to pick up surface vibrations, but they should work the opposite way). If I can find one of those, i might give that a try.

(Really just a more subtle version of the more Hendrix-y approach previously suggested - which does excite the drones, by the way, but a little tough to control.)

[jps]

Put a piezo pickup on the drone bridge plate.

[Ric5150]

Yeah, that's pretty much where I was going, but I don't happen to have one laying around and don't want to do any 'damage' without trying out the concept....