Hello CB nation,
My name is Andy and this is my first post here. I have been reading quite a bit on this forum and decided to start my first build. I went to a local cigar shop and found a courvosier cigar box. It is all wood and measures 13-3/4" long, 8-1/4"wide and 3" deep. I have always liked resonators so, I decided to make one using the 7" wide old lowe. I have a few of questions about this build. I am now painting and preparing the body and I am trying to figure out the best location for the resonator. Once the resonator is installed in the body, I don't have much room to adjust the bridge. Does anyone know what the length needs to be from the nut to bridge when using the old lowe resonator? I know there is no set length but, if someone could give me a close measurement that would be really helpful. I am also going to make an oak buiscut and embed a piezo rod in it. I plan on using a router to make room for the rod and then using a hot glue gun to secure it in place. If anyone has any suggestions on installing a piezo rod in a oak buiscut then I would love to hear them. Also, If anybody has any suggestions for a first time builder that I may not even know about then fire away
I am sure I will run into problems and have questions along the way. I am glad I found this site to help me along. Once I get all my parts I will start another thread and post pictures as it comes along.
Thanks in advance, Have a good day
Andy
Replies
Ok, 3-stringer, 25" scale. You solved the fretting problem with a pre-fretted neck; decent solution for a first time build. You need to ensure that the distance from the nut to the bridge, then, is 25". Wherever you locate your reso cone on the box, the center of the cone determines where your bridge is. 25" "north" of that is where the nut should be, so you should be able to figure out from that how to cut your neck slot, and mount the neck. I would also remove the paper backing on the lid, so that the wood can vibrate freely. Not sure what you mean about adding small slats of wood to make a soundboard; the lid (or the bottom, if you wanna design it so that you can have access to the electronics without restringing) IS your soundboard. Box paint job sounds kewl; look forward to the pics.
Clock has a couple of excellent points about strings and tuning. he's a good slide player, who knows deep and swampy.
Thanks a lot guys. That cleared up the questions I had. I should be getting my parts in the morning. I still have a bit of paint left to do. The body is looking good so far. I am going to do some more detail paint after the build is nearly complete. I will do an update when I get it started. Thanks again.
Welcome to the Addiction! That box is perfect for a reso. But you gotta decide, right now before you progress too much further, a few very important parameters:
1) 3, 4 or 6 strings
2) scale length (distance from nut to 12th fret, which must be identical from 12th fret to bridge, for proper intonation)
3) Fretted or unfretted
4) if 6-stringed, you'll need a truss rod and / or laminated neck to take the string tension, to keep the neck from bowing.
Some common scale lengths taken from commercial 6-string guitars are 24-3/4" or 25". These can be used for 3, 4 or 6 stringers. Your string sizes (diameters) will then be slightly dictated by the scale you use.
Also, contact old Lowe himself to see what scale lengths he suggests for the 7" cone.
Thanks for the reply,
I plan on making a 3-string. I was a bit intimidated by installing my own frets so I purchased a fully fretted walnut board from CB gitty as well. It says the scale length is 25". The strings I purchased are acoustic low open G. They are size .44, .34, .26 and made to be tuned CDg. I'm not sure how these strings will work out. I want to make this guitar for that delta blues sound. I enjoy artist like robert johnson and muddy waters so, that is the sound I am going for. I also like seasick steve's sound as well. I am open to suggestions if you guys think I need to try a different set of strings, as long as they work well with a piezo rod. One other question I have is about the lid. It has a paper backed lining under the lid. Do I need to remove this paper so it can vibrate more? Also, Do I need to add any small slats of wood to make the soundboard?
I can't wait to get this guitar done. My paint job on my box is coming along really well. It had a deep, bright red stain with gold lettering and gold border. I took an old brick and roughed the top and sides up. I then mixed up some grey and black paint to make a charcoal color. I used a sponge to rub the paint all over the lid and sides and before the paint was completely dried I wiped away the excess. The result has filled all the scratches and rough spots with a charcoal color. It looks antique and distressed. I am now painting a pinstripe pattern on top of that. It really looks good so far. Once I get the paint completely done I will post a picture before I make my first cut.
Andy
I assume you mean GDG, not CDg? This is a very deep swampy sound. Robert Johnson's actual sound was quite a bit lighter. You might seriously think about having a plain steel string as your thinnest string, @ .32 .24 .15? On the other hand, with .44 .34 .26 you can also easily tune it ADF#.