How long was it before you guys started ripping the guts out of perfectly serviceable 6 string guitars to use in your CBGs?
Of the 11 electric guitars I own, 2 have no electronics or tuners left in them. I don't plan on killing any of my others, but I fear I may be overcome with addiction. I may not have any 6 stringers left in a few weeks!
Anyone else go thru this phase? And does it end?
Here's my real question....
I like the sound of a magnetic pickup, or magnetic pickup blended with a piezo. I've seen guys make pickups on here, but can it be done without a winder of some kind? Can a patient (which I'm not, see above) person wind one by hand? Or would it be better to just get a cheapie off ebay? Is the money saved from the homemade one worth the trouble, or would I be better off buying them?
It doesn't have to sound "great", I just like the warmth of a magnet and it handles the "dirt" from my tube amps a little better.
Advice?
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
My Halloween Costume for the past couple of years has been a big butcher knife thru a box of cereal. Some people crack up.....others freak out....... (the butcher knife is a prop, but looks real enough)
Wes Yates said:
I murder my cereal every morning. Keeps me going thru the day. At least until I eat brunch.
I too took the tuners off of my first guitar I got as a lad for my first two CBGs. I also cannibalized a beat up (but ultimately serviceable mandolin) for its parts. Unfortunately my girlfriend was quite distraught that I would take apart one nearly perfectly good instrument to make my CBG. Now I'm in the process of reverse cannibalizing (would that be puking?) my perfectly great 4-string tenor CBG back into a mandolin. At least now she can't get on me for all of my orders from stewmac.
Wow! talk about a dose of reality. I have three guitars (a 12 stringer, a 6 stringer and a bass) that has become "donors" for CBGs, plus I've intentionally bot 4 craigslist cheapies as donors (mostly for necks plus electronics). If Im doing a custom 6 stringer (which I'd never play... I like 3 and 4 stringers), a donor neck is the way to go. Add electronics that you don't have to buy and a $30-50 guitar is a steal.
Is there a 12 step program for guitar body ghouls?
I ended up using some tuners from my very first "real" guitar on my first cigar box guitar. I figured that was somewhat apropos. :-)
As far as winding pickups, man.... it helps to be patient. Buying a pre-made pup versus buying the matieral for making one yourself might be a bit cheaper, but then you gotta factor in how much time you're gonna spend actually winding it... and if you have the patience to do so. For people like me who don't, it's probably easier and cheaper to just buy the darn things. But you won't really have the bragging rights, either... heh heh heh. :-)
Here is a flea bay seller who has a zillion parts at about the lowest prices I could find, problem being a lot to pick from, if that can be a problem. http://stores.shop.ebay.ca/bezdez__W0QQ_armrsZ1
Cheers Ron.
NOOOO dont do that you can make all the parts you need for about 30 bucks the most expensive parts being the tuners but even those you can get on line for about 10 bucks or even cheaper if you ebay from china , you can make piezo pickups for 3 bucks
Tim said:
i have a box that i plan on doing a 6 string out of and i have decided the cheapest way to do that is just buy a cheap guitar and toss the body.
I gleefully slaughtered a serviceable "Squier" Strat ripoff for my next project. I only plan to use two of the three pickups, so I'll have to study my wiring diagrams a bit.
I'm having a tough time deciding to leave this as a "straight" electric or to make a new nut and raise those strings for some 6-string slide work...
Replies
Wes Yates said:
-WY
Is there a 12 step program for guitar body ghouls?
help! please!
Wichita Sam
As far as winding pickups, man.... it helps to be patient. Buying a pre-made pup versus buying the matieral for making one yourself might be a bit cheaper, but then you gotta factor in how much time you're gonna spend actually winding it... and if you have the patience to do so. For people like me who don't, it's probably easier and cheaper to just buy the darn things. But you won't really have the bragging rights, either... heh heh heh. :-)
http://stores.shop.ebay.ca/bezdez__W0QQ_armrsZ1
Cheers Ron.
Yes, I've killed many, many many guitars!!!
Tim said:
I'm having a tough time deciding to leave this as a "straight" electric or to make a new nut and raise those strings for some 6-string slide work...