Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on May 13, 2010 at 6:08am

I'm not raggin' on anyone. Just explaining the "why" from my perspective. It is entirely a stylistic tone choice. I do the folk/americana thing more than blues. What works for me wouldn't work for many here. That said, I really dig Seasick Steve's 3 string "Trance Wonder" or Morris Minor hubcap guitars. I've also seen some pretty slick work here from others.

I will admit to being proud of my work. I'm also pretty surprised at the results. I'm a more than fair woodworker but no master cabinet maker nor a luthier. It has all been one step at a time with tons of research at every step along the way. At least 8 hours of reading for every hour I've spent in the shop so far. I'm hoping it pays off with this instrument but the jury is still out till it is ready for strings (that is also part of the fun of building). The first two worked out but they are solid bodies.

At least this new hobby is a bit cheaper than building furniture. The costs of exotic woods has made that to expensive. These small little instruments are much more affordable to build. The end result is a lot more fun as well.

Zandi Z said:

beautiful guitar, Don G.
i was sorry to detect a note of raggin' in your braggin' riff, though...z.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by colin mcgrath on May 13, 2010 at 6:21am

i thought i caught a little of it myself. Then again we have a pizza place here in St. Louis where the motto is "the square beyond compare", and the square may not be for everyone...oh well. Hey that is a nice looking guitar even if your not a woodsmith or luthier.
To the subject; i sort of felt the same way when this site first started, and i put builds with the people from the original forum. When i started seeing the work involved in building some of the six stringers i saw it is kind of involved, and i can respect the desire to put that extra work into it if one wanted it that way.

Zandi Z said:

beautiful guitar, Don G.
i was sorry to detect a note of raggin' in your braggin' riff, though...z.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brian " BigB " Saunders on May 13, 2010 at 9:50am

Well, I guess it is for the most part just me LOL I would like to clear up that I wasn't picking on anyone who builds guitars by hand, builds with rehab parts, builds incredible pieces of art that I admire, or basically anyone who just loves building, playing and living the CBG lifestyle. Is there a CBG lifestyle? LOL I literally meant the meant the guy who has the professional guitar builder make him a top line guitar with everything added and just uses a box for the body. The guy that says " look how cool I am, I'm playing a cigar box guitar " when in actually he's playing a factory guitar that just has a box for a body.
I'm very sorry if I've offended anyone with my opinion, it was not my purpose to do so. I guess I'm still in the purest stage of my development.
I wish everyone peace and happiness with their builds and with their days playing them.
Take care everyone,
BigB

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brian " BigB " Saunders on May 13, 2010 at 9:56am

Hey Jef, here's a link to go to where I get 10 boxes for 10 bucks. I hope they ship to Australia! http://www.thompsoncigar.com/product/EMPTY-CIGAR-BOXES/66523.uts;js...

Jef Long said:

I think it totally depends on the guitar.. It doesnt make any sense to me whatsoever to rape a strat to make a cbg.. but to use a snapped off neck for one, well that makes great sense..

Im also totally with Don.. Cigar box guitars are cool, but instruments from any recycled material are cool.. When i first came by this site i spend a lot of time and resources chasing up cigar boxes, which are somewhat harder to come by here in Australia.. even buying from ebay in USA etc.. Its easy to get sucked into the cigar box myth, especially in this great community here, which is so specifically cigar box focused.. Cigar boxes are not the be all and end all of tone folks!! And if ur struggling to get em, dont pay good money for em, just use something else.. Make a shoebox guitar or a cornflakes box guitar or an ice cream bucket uke or a bleach bottle banjo.. The reason Cigar box guitars have the history they do is because the boxes were a free packaging by product of something else, and were plentiful.. If those old delta guys couldnt get one you can bet your arse they werent scouring the internet for em, they'd use something else.. And believe me, less and less ppl are smoking.. the time will come when cigar boxes are not worth buying, even if you need one to qualify for a competition here or whatever..

Also, if you can make a neck... u can make a body too ... just something to think about..

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brian " BigB " Saunders on May 13, 2010 at 10:03am

I'm also suprised that no one said anything about Shane in spandex though LOL

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brian " BigB " Saunders on May 13, 2010 at 10:05am

I've actually seen lipstick on a pig before. I mean, it wasn't a date or anything LOL but she was dressed up in a sun dress, blond wig and lipstick LOL

Robert Hynden said:

You forgot lipstick on a pig!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on May 13, 2010 at 12:10pm

We are still trying to get the picture out of our heads.

Brian " BigB " Saunders said:

I'm also suprised that no one said anything about Shane in spandex though LOL

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bob Harrison on May 13, 2010 at 2:37pm

Don, I like your arch top custom guitar, way cool. Did you build the pickup as well. Bob:)
Ben said:

Nice job! I'd play that...and my boxes...


Don Goguen said:

Well I may need a flame suite but I'm one of those who just have a hard time getting past the sound from the cigar box. I'm new here so I would hope I get a little slack for saying this. I have been playing for almost 40 years and always wanted to build instruments. So I was inspired by the cigar box movement to start building my own. I am only on my third build and not one made from a cigar box. This latest guitar started out on paper in a box shape. The plan was to just build it out of traditional tone woods. Then I decided it was just as much work making a rectangular box as it would be this.

From a playing comfort perspctive, this beats a box hands down, at least for me. I had one of the 3 string strum sticks (A friend gave it to me). I liked the idea of it, just could never comfortably hold the damn thing. I built the support frame for a box shape and mocked it up to see how it feels. Decided that curves were for me.

This one is all built by me. The bridge, tailpiece, pickup, neck, fingerboard the works.

I think cigar box guitars are a really cool idea. Just trying to build something a little better sounding perhaps.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on May 13, 2010 at 2:49pm

Yeah...all I seen was him in Spandex a tight short sleeve shirt and a styrofoam hlemet with on of those little dentist mirrors attatched to it

MichaelS said:

We are still trying to get the picture out of our heads.


Brian " BigB " Saunders said:

I'm also suprised that no one said anything about Shane in spandex though LOL

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on May 13, 2010 at 3:11pm

Yes, I built the pickup. I turned my mini metal lathe into a pickup winder.

I've got single coils down but am working on P90 and humbucker designs that I hope to start building soon. Just need to figure out the materials issues (shorter bar magnets and backplates)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin Sprague (Knotlenny) on May 13, 2010 at 3:27pm

Well I see your point . . . but I admit I do own a couple of them frankenstein strat/cigar box guitar aberrations. I prefer to think of 'em as "hybrids". And anyhow I've certainly got enough pure, ratty cbgs to balance out the karma. haha/

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by stan bryars on May 14, 2010 at 7:48pm

It doesn't piss me off, it just isn't me
I have always been a purist in most things I do and K.I.S.S. is the code I live by

But I am having people bugging me for 6 stringers now

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page