The Electric Berimbau

[weaponepsilon]

Friends, I am proud to unveil a project I have put off and put off for literally years until I finally garnered enough parts/time/motivation. I was watching years ago at Soulfly concert as Max Caveliera played an native Brazillian instrument called a Berimbau Now I thought that there could be a way to make a cheap electric version, and now I have.

I took a bent steel piece from a rack display from my Walmart days and coupled it with a tuner, an "A" string, and half of a split pickup.

now If I can just figure out how to get my sound sample on here.

[weaponepsilon]

[Robert_the_damned]

looks cool.

now how the heck do you go about playing a walmart rack display?

[weaponepsilon]

dont ask... I play the berimbau with a stick and flex it to make the differnent tones. As soon as I can find a host site, I'll post a sound bite.

[IbanezFreak666]

www.fileupyours.com

[weaponepsilon]

Thanks to IbanezFreak666 I have the sample here. Forgive the lack of playing style, as I have not really developed one for such an experimental instrument.

[jsnhavoc]

Haha awesome

[SRV_ROCKS]

reminds me a little of a whamola bass

[IbanezFreak666]

O.o

thats weird.

could sound really cool if you added loads of FX

[leeranya]

It doesn't sound quite like the real berimbau... however, the electric guitar doesn't sound quite like an acoustic either

The first time I read this thread I actually had a dream about it that night

When I played a berimbau a long time ago I remembered being able to make only two major notes, I think by pulling the string or something like that.

[weaponepsilon]

well to be really specific, no it isnt like a real berimbau. Technically its a bass electric berimbau. I can achieve that tinnier sound I believe if I use a regular guitar string versus a bass A string. You're right it does have some aspects of the whamola because you can change the pitch by pulling back (tightening the string) and pushing (loosening the string). If I use my cry baby on it I can get that "ah" and "oh" sounds that a real one can make. The only problem is that my two year old keeps jacking the stick I use to strike the string. sigh.

The whole purpose was to create something different based on the original, and I think I have done that!

:D

Thanks everyone.