Hi! I am new to CBGs. I play uke and acoustic guitar.
I have a Tomayo Pareto wooden cigar box that was my dad's. He was a talented musician so I want to turn it into a CBG as a tribute to him.
I have a Jackson electric guitar neck. Is it suitable for a CBG? I understand the neck usually goes all the way through the box so how can I attach this pre-existing neck to make sure I get the best possible tone? Or is it unsuitable for a CBG?
This is my first CBG project. I've restored a vintage uke. I've restored a number of vintage sewing machines. So this looks like a fun project! I already have a pickup and couple of other items to get me started.
~Page
Replies
Thanks Tom and David! Looks like no problem at all. I've read with guitars to use the same wood for bracing as the sound board but I think in this case a lumber mount for the neck will be fine! I have three kids that keep me really busy as a chauffeur and video coach for my daughter who surfs daily, but I am going to start on this asap with all hand tools. I chose to buy a used neck to keep the project simple. And $20 for the neck and tuners is less than the cost of material to make one. Jackson was apparently a quality US electric guitar maker from the 80's. I don't know what body this came off of so I don't know if these are the grover tuners or not but they will be plenty usable for a cigar box.
There is a 6 string group that will give you some ideas
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/6stringcigarboxguitars?commentI... if you look through the discussions there are some ideas on how to fix the neck to the body.
Regards,
David
Sounds like a very fitting tribute. I'm not familiar with the Jackson neck, but if it is the typical bolt-on, you should be able to use it. If you find some hardwood that you can place inside the box and act as an anchor point for your neck you should be good to go.
You will need to glue up a section of hard wood to exit the box level with the neck at the lower end. This will be your anchor point for strings. Look at some photos of cigar box guitars and you'll get the picture.
Good luck with your project.
Thank you. I get the picture. It looks like a maple neck. So should I extend through the box with maple or will regular lumber be OK? Thanks! again. Very excited about this project. Just want to find something retro cool as "vents" for the sound holes.
Glad it made sense.
Pardon my art work, bu there is a general layout of the idea. You can just glue and clamp the piece of wood labeled "String Anchor" and that will provide a place for strings to run through. Take a look at a bunch of CBG photos and you'll see how this all fits together.
Your art is perfect! Thank you (: