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Topic: Using actual speaker cones as resonators |
Ryan Barwin
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Aug 2009 7:15 pm |
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I've got some old stereo speakers in the garage...they don't work anymore, but I'm thinking about building an acoustic lap steel and using one of the speaker cones as a resonator, with either a spider or biscuit bridge.
Would this work? Has anyone tried it? |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 9 Aug 2009 7:41 pm
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| I don't expect that to work very well, if at all. It takes a metal cone to support the pressure of steel strings. Also, how will you attach the center screw? |
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Ryan Barwin
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 9 Aug 2009 7:57 pm
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| That's true...I forgot about the centre screw...haven't figured that out yet. |
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Mark Bracewell
From:
Willow Glen, California
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Posted 9 Aug 2009 9:33 pm
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| I think it's a worthy experiment. Use nylon strings, leave the voice coil in there and you can use it as a pickup. |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 10 Aug 2009 6:08 am
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| Actually the strings are supported by the spider frame which in turn rests on the lip of the cone hole. There is the center screw which - depending on how tight the screw is tightened,transfers a measured amount of pressure to the center of the cone so as to drive the cone. I can imagine other scenarios where a paper-coned speaker could be used such as a passive radiator - which is a speaker cone in a frame without a magnet,designed to resonate in conjunction with a normal speaker - remember those things? It'd be worth a try - but it'd be quite different. |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 10 Aug 2009 1:07 pm
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Ryan, another interesting thing about speakers! About 35 years ago or so I was working in a band with a piano player who had his own spinet piano. To amplify it he uses car radio speakers and just screwed them onto the sound board of the piano and ran a line to the PA. Strangely enough, it actually worked pretty good........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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John Bushouse
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Posted 10 Aug 2009 1:46 pm
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What I'd like to see are speakers using a resonator cone instead of a paper cone. The Ondes Martenot, an obscure electronic instrument inspired by the Theremin, had a set of different loudspeakers to create different tonalities. The Métallique loudspeaker (left, below) uses a small gong as the loudspeaker diaphragm to produce a 'halo' effect rich in harmonics. The Palme loudspeaker (center, below) is a lyre-shaped loudspeaker, using strings to produce sympathetic resonances.
So how difficult would it be to make a resonator speaker?
Last edited by John Bushouse on 10 Aug 2009 2:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Rich Hlaves
From:
Wildomar, California, USA
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Posted 10 Aug 2009 3:17 pm
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Check out the Yamaha Sub-Kick. It is a speaker based mic/transducer for kick drum. I've heard David Garabaldie (sp) use one with Tower of Power. Outstanding little unit.
Point being that a speaker can make an excellent low Z pick up. The high frequencies might be a little hard to capture. Smaller driver maybe? |
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Ryan Barwin
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 10 Aug 2009 10:31 pm
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Thanks for all the help. I never knew the speaker could be used as a pickup, but I'm definitely going to try it now.
Jerry...that's really cool...how did the piano sound?
Ryan |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 11 Aug 2009 3:58 am
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Ryan, the piano surprisingly sounded fairly decent. It was a little trebly but the could be EQ'd out of the PA......JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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