My guess is that it has a flat frequency response, but the cavity of the guitar body does not equally support all frequency. Probably it sounds unnatural because you are hearing the guitar “make” frequencies it does not normally want to make in the same proportion?
Perhaps adding some EQ or DSP could return this to sound nice?
The reverse taper (opposite of a horn's taper) back loaded 1/4 wave pipe takes on some of the properties of a Helmholtz resonator (bass reflex) and the Fb (frequency of box tuning) may be lower than the 1/4 wave pipe length alone would have.
The highs are from the front radiator.
The low reinforcement comes from the other side of the driver.
The folded design rolls off any highs from the port.
Whether the recording lacked highs, or the Bose rolls off above 8kHz can't be discerned from your screen capture.
Put some pink noise into the aux input and you could measure the difference between the driver and port, and the response from each.
Right, most of the "sparkle" is from your guitar's acoustic strings and sound board, not the folded pipe.
Your 10/17/23 performance screen capture (it's not a "frequency response", as I've mentioned too many times to count) shows the upper range to be 10dB louder (twice as loud) than the Taylor.
The reverse taper can lower the Fb, but reduces level compared to a non-tapered pipe.
The rear loading has no effect on the front radiator upper output unless the high output is allowed through it, in which case it has a negative effect, the two combining in and out of phase, causing a series of peaks and dips in the upper response.
Generally a portion of the pipe is damped with stuffing (polyfill, fiberglass, wool, etc.) to remove any high end from the pipe emission.
That's wasting (throwing away) ~6dB of the systems potential compared to mixing the two inputs as your Roland does.
The Roland output is only "stereo" for effects like the chorus, allowing you to balance the level and tone to your preference.
The Carvin amp has ~+6dB more power than the Roland, so that would be expected the way you are running it.
Thank you Art for the great response, and I use that term loosely as you have noted in the past. 🤣 As a gentleman noted on my post some time ago, this is a producer and reproducer in one system, somewhat unusual. I thought the FR was OK based on this, but then thought FO (Frequency Output) was a better term, and I started using that. Truth be told, I did not think of the FR vs. FO title when I posted on YouTube. I can explain my stance if needed, but I concede your point.
It makes me think of "settled science" if there is such a thing, and reminds me of some diyAudio posts with Dr. Geddes, and others that are at your level. Man they were going after each others throats, honest disagreements, but makes me think there are issues that are well known in Acoustics, and some that might look a little different to us in 20, 30...years, based on discovery. I only say that about my guitar because it is very unique and pretty much untested at a high level, except for my testing that is a learning experience.
Regarding your quote above, You say "most" of your "sparkle" is from the strings and soundboard, but your did not define what "most" means. Just kidding, it sounds like something I would say! I agree a large part is from the strings and soundboard as measured, but also from the horns as measured. Since this part of the video is background music under my speaking, it leads me to believe most of it is from the horns, as the guitar volume level is far too low for such great highs to break through without the horns. Thoughts?
Yamaha has a new "Transacoustic" model with a built in looper function.
That's one way to rapidly distinguish where the "sparkle" is actually coming from. Play your guitar normally amplified with horns on. Using a looper pedal, loop what you just played. If the "sparkle" disappears, you know it's coming off the soundboard. You could even put it back by playing "to" the looped figure coming out the horns, with the pickups turned down to allow only the soundboard radiation to contribute.
I'd expect you'd need someone listening out in front to hear the changes.
That's one way to rapidly distinguish where the "sparkle" is actually coming from. Play your guitar normally amplified with horns on. Using a looper pedal, loop what you just played. If the "sparkle" disappears, you know it's coming off the soundboard. You could even put it back by playing "to" the looped figure coming out the horns, with the pickups turned down to allow only the soundboard radiation to contribute.
I'd expect you'd need someone listening out in front to hear the changes.
In spite of the fact that this project is mostly about learning and less about inventing (the new and latest wave) I have found it particularly interesting because it is a road less taken. Centuries ago, someone must have mused, "What? You're adding another string? It will interfere with the first one."
Thank you for the great comments Ixnay, please stay in the conversation if so desired. You are correct, this is more about learning right now, but it is learning based on a new invention, so the invention part remains very much alive. Plus I have another Patent being reviewed by the USPTO for this system being scaled up and applied to a grand piano, more invention! I especially like the road less taken comment, this is where my curiosity runs hot.
JJ- I hope to have some time this weekend to plug my Carvin into the Roland footswitch inputs (one looper, one effects), lets see what happens there. On my last jam I dared to hit 9-1/2 and it was smoking with power. Still sounded clean, but you could hear just a little distortion starting to set in. I have some good headroom based on this, but I want more power!!
Nothing back yet from Berklee, hmm...the struggle continues. Maybe he is too busy 🤣 the end of the semester is approaching, and Fall Performance Juries start in early December.
I have some YouTube feedback from a guitar player in a Bob Seger Tribute Band, they say the best one, but I am sure they all say that:
"Incredible! What really strikes me is the balance throughout the frequency ranges. Usually with an acoustic you have to bang the higher notes to achieve a balance in the volume. This guy is really on to something that could be huge!"
I like to do quick comparisons, so I can get an immediate feel for differences...listen to my YouTube video with my Meze headphones, love it, pull the plug and listen through my laptop speakers, does not cut it at all, need live demo's!!
JJ- I hope to have some time this weekend to plug my Carvin into the Roland footswitch inputs (one looper, one effects), lets see what happens there. On my last jam I dared to hit 9-1/2 and it was smoking with power. Still sounded clean, but you could hear just a little distortion starting to set in. I have some good headroom based on this, but I want more power!!
Nothing back yet from Berklee, hmm...the struggle continues. Maybe he is too busy 🤣 the end of the semester is approaching, and Fall Performance Juries start in early December.
I have some YouTube feedback from a guitar player in a Bob Seger Tribute Band, they say the best one, but I am sure they all say that:
"Incredible! What really strikes me is the balance throughout the frequency ranges. Usually with an acoustic you have to bang the higher notes to achieve a balance in the volume. This guy is really on to something that could be huge!"
I like to do quick comparisons, so I can get an immediate feel for differences...listen to my YouTube video with my Meze headphones, love it, pull the plug and listen through my laptop speakers, does not cut it at all, need live demo's!!
?? Those are for switch contacts to enable / disable the effect! You want an audio output, to go into the input of the Carvin. Perhaps the Roland doesnt have one, figuring with all the effects on board, who'd need anything else? Look for an "effects send and return" 1/4" jack on the back.
How about your new Sony's? ;') You should look into Binaural recording as a customer sales listening enhancement. It's not that hard to do and it's entirely possible to DIY. With a recording made like that the listener really gets the sense of "being there" in front of the guitar.
Frankly I need to step up my game with that one; have the head model, have the mics, have the mount on the stand - I just need to wire it up. I've got some coming up on 40 year old Binaural soundscape recordings I should digitize, before the tape deteriorates...
Hope your luck with the Berklee prof changes in 2025!
OK got it, have line out also, all of these are 1/4" jacks, have not messed with it before, will try...
Art - I took your advice about horns. As I mentioned before, I changed the name of my third guitar Patent to Waveguide, same for the piano Patent, I do listen (sometimes). 🤣 We can discuss folded horns (sounds so musical), waveguides (sounds so broad and technical), pipes (sounds so much like plumbing), and transmission lines (sounds so automotive). I have seen many discussions comparing these, and semantics are important, but names do not change the sound, which I love and it works!
I also thought, you know what, I am not a true Luthier. Yes I built a guitar with great sound, but the artistic side is kind of OK, needs help, ask JJ about the screws! 🤣 So I added apprentice after Luthier below. I want to be honest about what I am doing. I think not having that was a bit over the top, correction made. Tonight I will rock!
I also thought, you know what, I am not a true Luthier. Yes I built a guitar with great sound, but the artistic side is kind of OK, needs help, ask JJ about the screws! 🤣 So I added apprentice after Luthier below. I want to be honest about what I am doing. I think not having that was a bit over the top, correction made. Tonight I will rock!
Check out Melvin Taylor, I used to follow him in Chicago back in the day. I think of him as a cross between George Benson and Jimi Hendrix, incredible guitar playing to say the least!
JJ- I tried everything, there is an impedance mismatch between the piezo and the Carvin electric guitar amp that will not work. Since the mag pickup sounds so good, I figure let's try two mag pickups into the Carvin. Standard for an electric guitar of course, may work well. Will it have the good tone, I think yes it might. Will it have the power, not sure. Trying it this weekend, I need to get this powerful little amp to work in my setup, stay tuned!
JJ- the Carvin lives! Two mag pickups, but with the old method, Guild through horns in other guitar. Tone was pretty damn great, after I got rid of the piezo mess. I thought why not as much power? One pickup through one driver works, the other is dead. Not sure why, but easy fix (not tonight), get them both working and power should be pretty damn great! Stay tuned!
Found the problem. Both of my drivers are working. Carvin right channel works in both drivers, left channel dead in both.
Loose piece shown below, likely an assembly problem that maybe puts the connector in the wrong position. I am ripping
this baby apart to see how well it fits in my guitar, without the housing.
Just bought a new Carvin for $150 (50 watts per channel). Not bad really, seeing how Roland is getting about $600 at Sweetwater
(15 watts per channel).
So Carvin is a buck and a half per watt, and Roland is 20 bucks per watt, talk about efficiency in size and cost!
Loose piece shown below, likely an assembly problem that maybe puts the connector in the wrong position. I am ripping
this baby apart to see how well it fits in my guitar, without the housing.
Just bought a new Carvin for $150 (50 watts per channel). Not bad really, seeing how Roland is getting about $600 at Sweetwater
(15 watts per channel).
So Carvin is a buck and a half per watt, and Roland is 20 bucks per watt, talk about efficiency in size and cost!
100 watts of ******* power fits well in this small area, very impressive (thank you JJ). Now I just need to figure out a small battery pack that will work with this setup.
I do like what a piezo adds, combined with a magnetic pickup, BUT the Helpinstill magnetic pickup (thank you Art) makes a grand piano sound so good (and I have heard it many times), I think this has great potential!
I do like what a piezo adds, combined with a magnetic pickup, BUT the Helpinstill magnetic pickup (thank you Art) makes a grand piano sound so good (and I have heard it many times), I think this has great potential!
You're welcome. You'll still need a heatsink for it, which could be a piece of metal sheet embedded in the dividing board, or a dividing board made of metal. There's an amplifier chip in that circuit board that needs to be attached to something that can conduct the heat away. Probably the metal box in the stock configuration. Surprised at Carvin's QC problems with this little amp -
No Carvin yet, they are a little slow on delivery, but that is OK, next weekend. I can't wait to jam, test and get some good REW data, will be a very interesting comparison.
I submitted my YouTube video and Website to Acoustic Guitar Magazine, let's see what happens there. Will they want to showcase because it is so unusual? My guess is probably not, and they will come back with: buy some advertising space, which I very well may do. Tonight I play and enjoy!
I submitted my YouTube video and Website to Acoustic Guitar Magazine, let's see what happens there. Will they want to showcase because it is so unusual? My guess is probably not, and they will come back with: buy some advertising space, which I very well may do. Tonight I play and enjoy!