Sometimes, all you need to make something work is to come at it from a different angle from anyone else — flip the problem on its head, so to speak. That’s what [Keizo Ishibashi] did to create his Cantareel, a modified guitar that actually sounds like a hurdy-gurdy.
We wrote recently about a maker’s quest to create just such a hybrid instrument, and why it ended in failure: pressing strings onto the fretboard also pushed them tighter to the wheel, ruining the all-important tension. To recap, the spinning wheel of a hurdy-gurdy excites the strings exactly like a violin bow, and like a violin bow, the pressure has to be just right. There’s no evidence [Keizo Ishibashi] was aware of that work, but he solved the problem regardless, simply by thinking outside the box — the soundbox, that is.
Unlike a hurdy-gurdy, the Cantareel keeps its wheel outside the soundbox. The wheel also does not rub directly upon the strings: instead, it turns what appears to be a pair of o-rings. Each rosined o-ring bows 2 of the guitar’s strings, giving four strings a’ singing. (Five golden rings can only be assumed.) The outer two strings of this ex-six-string are used to hold the wheel assembly in place by feeding through holes on the mounting arms. The guitar is otherwise unmodified, making this hack reversible.
It differs from the classic hurdy-gurdy in one particular: on the Cantareel, every string is a drone string. There’s no way to keep the rubber rings from rubbing against the strings, so all four are always singing. This may just be the price you pay to get that smooth gurdy sound out of a guitar form factor. We’re not even sure it’s right to call it a price when it sounds this good.
Thanks to [Petitefromage] for the tip. If you run into any wild and wonderful instruments, don’t forget to let us know.
Never thought I’d see the hurdy gurdy a topic of such fascination. This is awesome and even though the video sounds quality isn’t great you can tell they did what they set out to do. I love it.
This fellow has a number of videos on his chanel that are performances using the instrument, rather than demonstrations, and the sound quality is rather better.
Reminded me this guy: https://youtube.com/shorts/_NXyu4iWcSA?si=HXWx1VqSi6pl8FwT
While we’re on the hurdy gurdy topic train, check out this cyberpunk bard playing an electric Hurdy Gurdy Synth. Certainly a topic to write home about. https://youtu.be/bsWubAyiUX8
Just when I thought I was out, you keep pulling me back in!
I just love the experimental musical instrument side of youtube.
That is siiiiiick I want one immediately
Now I want to make a Hurdy Gurdy with an eBow!
We’d probably write that up, too. The hurdyposting will continue as long as the hacking does.
Gizmotron, Godley and Creme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyT6o3aT1a8
That remind me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy which is more a piano like guitard/violin
If you use a solid body guitar, you might as well use a electric motor as well and make the design consistent.
Electric guitar with electric motor, electric “hurdy gurdy”.
Sorry, but as a long time guitar player your definition of “Sounds good” needs considerable adjustment. It makes the Scottish bagpipes sound melodious – words I never would have expected to ever pass my lips.