Electronic drum pad banjo - Discussion Forums

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ARCHIVED TOPIC: Electronic drum pad banjo

Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/226293

mike gregory - Posted - 01/22/2012: 17:42:08

In the Sincere Belief that a banjo is merely a drum with a huge flat stick out one side, I got myself a pad like those pictured above, used, $20, mounted it in a round body frame, and attached an electric guitar neck to it.

It's basically a piezo disc in there, that reacts to the top being moved.

But when I play it, either acoustic, or amped, it's got the sustain like a guitar. I was hoping it would sound like a banjo.

Is it something in the drum's central processor that makes the drum SOUND like a drum?

RBagoly - Posted - 01/22/2012: 18:29:20

I find it interesting that you're getting notes out of you contraption -- that's actually very cool.

Pads like this are usually used as triggers -- the "central processor" as you call it, senses that the pad has been struck, and plays either a synthesized drum sound or a digital sample of a real drum.

Norwegianplayer - Posted - 01/23/2012: 00:08:10

I made an electric banjo using a practice drum pad from Remo, electrified with an old guitar pick up. I'm also a bit surprised that you get any sound out of the trigger. Probably the piezo element is strong enough to produce a certain amont of power, enough to get an amplified guitar sound. You could try an extra guitartype microphone between the neck and the pad. There are some pictures of mine in my homepage.

Quickstep192 - Posted - 01/23/2012: 06:46:14

Can I see a picture of the resulting "drumpadjo" you guys have created?
I've been wanting to make a practice banjo, and this sounds like just the ticket!

mike gregory - Posted - 01/23/2012: 11:06:47

Here's the Youtube- from a couple years back- of my drum practice pad banjo, with the guitar pickup:

youtube.com/watch?v=331OEMkcLi...AAAAAAGAA

Here's the MP3 of the PIEZO drum pad banjo, which this thread is about, mostly:

banjohangout.org/myhangout/mus...cid=25074

And attached are various pictures of both.

The RED neck with the wooden bowl body, is the piezo. The BROWN neck with the ALUMINUM body is the magnetic guitar pickup.