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First guitar help ?

Posted by Jantan ux on April 14, 2011 at 5:40am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I live in Estonia. It's hard to find used cigarbox or humidor in Estonia. New humidors are 51 euro.For me buying form ebay is to expensive. I have never build a guitar only didley bow.

I'am not soft guitar player. I don't like nylon strings.

I never learned to play my calssic guitar. It wa to hard for me

because strings was to high and to away from each other.

I only know how to play my electric guitar and diddley bow.

I was thinking do build 5 or 4 string cookie tin banjo.

4 string guitar made from cookie tin or alternative for cigar box.

I don't wanna use plywood. Plywood sounds awfully.

I was thinking to use nails for frets and bolt or something like this for nut.

When I put trussrod I need to make fingerboard.

For pickups I have two piezo elements. Cork under piezo mutes screaming highs.

Do I need to make trussrod or no't ? For neck maple oak or poplar ?

Can I make neck rounded with sandpaper ? I have no idea how to attach piezo with cork in box.

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Replies

Jantan ux June 7, 2011 at 2:32pm

I finished My first instrument.

I made cookie tin banjo
jeff maurer May 27, 2011 at 12:31am

i just made a 2 string fretless bass.the neck is from a fouton and i used eyebolts for tuners. im very surprised on how well the eyebolts hold up. i definitly recomend the eyebolts
Clock The Wolf May 21, 2011 at 12:53pm

I suppose you could try to file them down, like with fretwire, but I don't know if that would work well with nails. Anyone tried that? Sounds like it'd be to much trouble, now that I think about it... just a thought!
Jantan ux May 21, 2011 at 10:51am

I glued some nails for frets on banjo neck. Some nails happened to be higher than others.

What to do ? One possibility is saw hole spacing lower and glue again nails.

Is any easy way to fix the problem ?
Jantan ux May 17, 2011 at 2:16pm

I looking ukulele fretboard scale. I don't know how to add the frets.
The Phrygian Kid April 25, 2011 at 4:04am

go to the rubbish dump and pull some hardwood from inside a sofa, underside of a dining table or something like that..

look into whatever is used locally for flooring or decking..

pallets is also a great suggestion, ive reused a few, theyre usually mountain ash here, pulling all the nails can be a bit of work..

while i love to scavenge cheap solutions as much as anybody, Id really recommend getting real tuners and fretwire.. go to CB Gitty, he ships international at very fair prices..
Rand Moore April 25, 2011 at 3:29am

Hi again, DJ.

I prefer open geared tuners, but if they are not cheaply available in your area, then you will likely have to devise your own. Other people have made them with eyebolts, with varying success. They don't offer the fine tuning capability of geared tuners, but they should hold a tune if made right. Here's a thread on Cigar Box Nation that talks about them. There probably are other threads, photos and videos as well. Should try the search facility in Cigar Box Nation (see top right corner of this page). I'd check out as many eye-bolt designs as I could find and read as much as I could before doing it. Let us know how it turns out...

-Rand.
Jantan ux April 25, 2011 at 3:27am

Machine heads which is specifically for the guitar is 15-26 euro cheaper.

I don't wanna buy harley benton. Going easily out of tune.
Jantan ux April 24, 2011 at 2:52pm

I'm looking for cheaper alternative for tuning pegs and machine heads.

I wanna something that keeps in tune for long time.

I have seen eyebolts in use.
Edgel R Gillespie II April 20, 2011 at 8:20pm

Being as close to Finland as you are, have you tried to get some supplies from there?

They have Birch and Spruce which both can be used in building nice boxes.

Do you have access to a router and dovetail jig? These two items are perfect to build strong boxes.

A carpenter friend would be helpfull in getting started. So many questions, yes, I am only looking in alternitive ways to help. If you can find old furniture, box frames from beds are made with a good deal of wood supports, I have been looking for discarded bedding to collect neck wood myself. Ship yards will have very strong freight boxes/ sea vans, and if they are too damaged to use any more, good chances of you being able to snag the left overs and claim as a prize. Happy hunting and get back with me soon.

8-) Maximo