ProgKaZoo Genesis
Gray Builds the ProgKaZoo (Chapter I)
OK, here we are with another idea that destiny has brought to the Ebbers. Why do I want to build an electric kazoo, or the "ProgKaZoo" as I have christened my version of the item? Mainly so I can pipe it through the effects unit I've got the for Theremin and perform Emerson Lake and Palmer's version of "Fanfare for the Common Man" on it in a particularly suitable Prog manner. This will hopefully involve a cape, naturally...
My good pal (and definately not a 25 stone internet child stalker) Paul (herby referred to as KFK) pointed me towards this link on the web that showed how to build a basic "Electrizooko" (good name, but not as good as mine): http://www.larsby.com/johan/elektrizooka/. With this in mind and with the info presented at this page which details more about building a contact microphone, off I trotted to Maplin to buy some bits. The miserable bastard behind the counter was useless so I came home with some sort of approximation of what I needed. I made sure to get two of everything. Mainly so I can build two, and also so I could experiment with getting it right. I got all the bits detailed in both web pages.
So, out came the soldering iron and without reading the instructions closely because I am a male and don't do such things, off I went and started stripping wires and throwing solder about. I decided to build the socket at the end of a 2 metre cable so the socket wasn't mounted on the kazoo itself. This would give it a liitle more durability and would look a bit cooler without a stupid great plug sticking out of it when it was being used. It's got to be rock!
First thing to do, after trying to remember how to solder from the lessons I had in school fifteen years ago for six months, was to attach the socket to the wire and the wire to the piezo mic. The went fine, but here's where the first stumble happened due to not reading the instructions. I soldered the wrong bits to the wrong bits and didn't realise until I'd got to the end what I'd done... Well, when I say that, I mean when I woke up this morning and had to go to work.
Then it was time to attach the microphone, which went OK, but I've got a horrible feeling (didn't read the instructions, remember?) I wired it the wrong way and taped it all up before I remembered. This is OK though... I'm not annoyed at myself. Yet.
With both ends soldered up, it was time to temporarily tape the whole thing together so it could be tested. Off to the amp I went and plugged it in (nearly waking up sleeping number one son) and tried it out. Nothing. This is where I started wishing that I'd not let my excitement get ahead of me and I'd read the instructions properly. Still, it looked reasonably cool in a shabby sort of way and I was happy with the fact that, if I got this right, I'd blow the minds of the rest of the boys in the band.
So, I'm off to get a few more little bits from Maplin today and, hopefully, I'll have some time to re-wire the prototype tonight and get the basic unit working. I've got some nice finishing ideas to make it look a little better. I hope it all comes together! More later...
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