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Cigar box not wood. Pressed board of some kind

Posted by David Ford on November 1, 2011 at 11:18pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I have a Romeo Y Julieta Churchill box.  Sounds like wood when I tap it.  Took a chisel to the side to cut between some saw cuts, and all I'm doing is peeling off what I thought was cardboard at first, thinking wood was underneath.  Nope, looks like fiberboard all the way through.

 

Should I continue with this box?

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Replies

  • Mark Bliss November 4, 2011 at 1:43pm

    Build it. Dont even worry about it.

    A: it will sound fine

     

    B: even if it didnt, put a piezo in it and crank it up. Its SUPPOSED to sound at least a bit primal!

  • Hippy Chip November 4, 2011 at 6:46am
    I am building a guitar right now from an antique box from the 40's. The lid and bottom of the box are cardboard about 1/8 inch thick.I glued up apiece of 1/16 plywood to the lid and it seems to be pretty stiff. I think it is going to sound great.The guy I'm building it for just wants it for a display, but I had to make it a playable instrument. I will not build toys that don't work!
  • MichaelS Country Boy Guitars November 2, 2011 at 8:56am
    I have made many from both the fibre board and the plywood topped box's.  They both sound like cbg's.  The plywood can be twangier and the fiber board a bit deeper in tone but both work well.  Some people swear by the plywood and wont use the other box's, thats ok just ask them for all the reject box's and have fun.
  • Ben "Gitty" Baker November 2, 2011 at 8:01am
    It is very rare to find a paper-covered box that is wood underneath these days. Most of the big manufacturers have all switched over to using hardboard. All of the paper-covered boxes I send out with my CBG kits are this way, and in my opinion they are great for cigar box guitars.
  • David Ford November 1, 2011 at 11:49pm
    ok, thanks.  I've got the neck milled out perfectly to fit this box (love having engineer friends), seems a shame to go another route.  I'm not going to glue anything together yet though.
  • Richard G Caudill November 1, 2011 at 11:37pm
    Yes  I have used several of the same name brand ,,    and some other ones that top was fiberboard ... one of my best "pup"is a Chuchhill 54 X 7   they work good
  • David Ford November 1, 2011 at 11:27pm

    it seems to "ring" just like a wood box when I tap it.

     

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