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Posted by Calis on January 26, 2013 at 1:05am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

       Thanks to the encouragement of several folks in this forum, I built my first CBG recently. It ended up a bit high strung..that is to say, the strings were too far from the neck. I adjusted the nut as well as the bridge. I restrung it...with the same strings and, you guessed it, SNAP. I knew it could happen. No problem, I had another set. When I ordered my parts from Gitty, I ordered 2 different sets of strings.

      So I strung up the second, heavier set of strings. I went easy and tuned them up, but they were VERY loose and sloppy...unplayable. So I tightened them up another octave...it sounded horrible. Each string sounded fine together, and all 3 together were fine, but when I tried fretting one (I fretted the neck in diatonic configuration) blech! 

      Grasping at straws I noticed that the recommended tuning on the string package was not the GDG that I was using...so I thought I'd go ahead and tune to the recommended and SNAP once again.

I've re-strung my 6-string guitars numerous times over the years, so I know how to do it. What am I doing wrong with the CBG?

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Replies

  • The Phrygian Kid January 27, 2013 at 3:42pm
    It's not rocket science guys. Think about a guitar, and the difference between its scale length and that of your build. If you have a regular guitar, hold your build up against it, bridge to bridge. If your nut reaches fret #4 on that guitar.. Well what pitch does each string give you at that fret? If your target pitch is somewhere exactly between two of em then go for the lower one. A guitar string can typically target a pitch two steps higher than its built for, and three below at 25".. (They have substantially less range at a shorter scale)...
  • Keni Lee Burgess January 27, 2013 at 5:56am

    Tuning is all about relativity. Possibly you will find this helpful.

    Basically I use standard medium gauge strings A (45) D (35) G (26)

    Tune down to GDg.

    You can slowly tune up...

    EBe...FCf...F#C#f#...GDg

    Because the string relationships are the same 151 tones for their respective major scales, all the fingering positions are the same. The CBG just sounds in another key.

    I hope this is helpful.

     http://www.ebay.com/sch/njmikeb/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from...  

  • Calis January 26, 2013 at 11:52pm

    I bought a cheap set of Martin light acoustic strings and used 3, 4, and 5. I've tuned it to GDg. It was a little nerve-wracking tuning them up after the last 2 snapping on me :)  I played around with it....it is still very much a work in progress. I may end up re-raising the bridge as my pick hits the box behind the strings. Then I need to learn how to play it LOL.

  • Clock The Wolf January 26, 2013 at 1:19am

    What was this recommended tuning? String gauges? Scale length of build?

    • Calis > Clock The Wolf January 26, 2013 at 6:28pm

      Please excuse the copy pasta for my answers:

      String Specs:
      #1 - .022" Bronze Wound
      #2 - .014" Plain Steel
      #3 - .010" Plain Steel

      set of 3 strings specifically for a 3-string cigar box guitar (CBG) that you want to tune in an "Open G" (GBD) or "standard guitar" (GBE - the three highest-pitch strings of a standard 6-string guitar) tuning.

      String Specs:
      #1 - .030" Bronze Wound
      #2 - .022"       Bronze Wound
      #3 - .014" Plain Steel

      set of 3 strings specifically for a 3-string cigar box guitar (CBG) that you want to tune in an "Open D" (D-F#-A)" tuning.

      The length is 25½ inches.

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