Howdy, folks. Hoping ya'll can help me.
I'm about to start my own, personal guitar. First one I've build specifically for me. So far, I've either sold, traded, or given away everything I've build. I've been eyeballing this beautiful box for nearly six months, and finally got my hands on it last weekend. Took my $25 coupon (thanks, Ben!) and ordered up a whole bunch of stuff to get started. I got myself the pre-wired four string pickup, and now that I have it here, I realize that I'm gonna have to cut into my stick to make it fit.
What can y'all tell me about support issues I'm gonna have? I use poplar for my neck and attach a red oak fretboard. I'll be doing a four string guitar, and I've heard that four strings is kinda the top limit for an unsupported poplar neck.
My first thought was to bolt another 1x2 to the bottom of my neck, inside the box, but don't want to overdo it either. Or would I be better off to buy a 2x2 and trim down my neck section?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've been kicking it around, but don't know what to do...
Thanks folks!
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I notice several mentions of attaching your neck to the lid of your box. I actually don't do that. I leave a couple of inches of fingerboard overlapping my lid, and since I primarily use the stick through method, the only other thing keeping the lid and stick in place is the tension on the bridge. Should I start gluing or screwing them in place?
I gotta tell ya'll, its a good thing that "there are no rules" to CBG's, because if there were, I can tell ya, I'd probably be doing everything wrong. I figured I'd try to do this after reading a couple of articles and looking at a few pictures. My first two guitars were fretted, one a three string, the other a four string, and unplayable. The third was a three string fretless, and by that point I kinda had an idea what I had done wrong with the first two, so I modified...then i fell in love with the slide, and kept that one. I think I've modified it about four times since. I learn something new with every build. I recently discovered Dirty E. I'm having fun with that one...
By the way, thank you all. I really had no idea what I was gonna do last night, but I knew ya'll could help me. Now I have a plan of action and multiple methods to pick from.
Making room for a resonator cone is a similar exercise, but in a much larger dimension than a little pickup. Here's how I did my first one with a little sled inside the box.
Here's another way
Hope that gives you some ideas.
Matt > Bad Finger (Eric)January 22, 2014 at 5:40pm
Mr Finger, sir, thank you a dozen times for your input. I loved that guitar, and I so badly want to build myself a resonator, but I've been worried and confused how to keep it together. I'm liking that sled idea.
Marcus Darwell > Bad Finger (Eric)January 22, 2014 at 3:40pm
I like the sled idea....might try that....looks neat and tidy
Both worked very well. The copper cone guitar that Ron recognizes has two extra wood screws going into the box edge parallel with the neck. There was a very slight amount of twist that resulted in the neck tipping up under tension without them present.
The sled works very well. I don't have a picture of my Grumpy Old Git insides, but if you look at the end of my latest video, you can see it. Sort of the same idea, but all glued up as one piece instead of screwed together. It floats in the box. The sled in my first pic is glued into the box and the neck is screwed to it, but not glued.
I am pretty sure that I have built two with the same pickup you are describing, both with a neck through to end of box design. I put a half inch thick brace the same width as the neck inside the box. I wanted to guitar to totally dissassemble if needed, the the brace is screwed on with 10 screws, 5 on each side. Here is a link to a pic in in my photos: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/oak-4-string-for-christmas?cont...
The "neck thru the box" method works well until you run into the issue in question. Many builders add braces and such to deal with the removal of neck material in the box to make room for pickups.
But there is an alternative, a "leap in builder's evolution", if you will.
Think along the lines of a bolt on neck.
Depending on how deep the box is, you may install a length of wood inside from neck end to tail end. For example, if inside depth of box is 1.5", and the top lid thickness is about 1/8 to 1/4", then use a piece of 1x2 for the insert. then build neck similar to a bolt on neck like seen on an electric guitar. When you have cut the access area for the neck to the box, make it nice n clean/tight. Once it is fixed/glued/screwed/bolted to the insert, and with the fretboard glued on, you should have a neck that is slightly above the lid of the box.
This method leaves plenty of room inside for the pickups, and leaves more of the lid to vibrate freely.
In the beginning of my journey, I did the "neck thru" style. Now I exclusively make bolt on necks for all my builds.
Cheers, and have fun.
Matt > Scott aka Farmer TedJanuary 22, 2014 at 5:44pm
I'm gonna have to second Gary Reichel's request. I'm actually more redneck rig hillbilly than woodworker, and I'm not sure I follow.
It might be good to mention here that I am a professional worrier, and likely to overbuild everything and still believe it won't work. I've never put together a real guitar...and to be perfectly honest, its always been a mystery to me that a standard acoustic guitar doesn't just fold in half anyway.
Replies
I have another question, as well...
I notice several mentions of attaching your neck to the lid of your box. I actually don't do that. I leave a couple of inches of fingerboard overlapping my lid, and since I primarily use the stick through method, the only other thing keeping the lid and stick in place is the tension on the bridge. Should I start gluing or screwing them in place?
I gotta tell ya'll, its a good thing that "there are no rules" to CBG's, because if there were, I can tell ya, I'd probably be doing everything wrong. I figured I'd try to do this after reading a couple of articles and looking at a few pictures. My first two guitars were fretted, one a three string, the other a four string, and unplayable. The third was a three string fretless, and by that point I kinda had an idea what I had done wrong with the first two, so I modified...then i fell in love with the slide, and kept that one. I think I've modified it about four times since. I learn something new with every build. I recently discovered Dirty E. I'm having fun with that one...
By the way, thank you all. I really had no idea what I was gonna do last night, but I knew ya'll could help me. Now I have a plan of action and multiple methods to pick from.
Making room for a resonator cone is a similar exercise, but in a much larger dimension than a little pickup. Here's how I did my first one with a little sled inside the box.
Here's another way
Hope that gives you some ideas.
Mr Finger, sir, thank you a dozen times for your input. I loved that guitar, and I so badly want to build myself a resonator, but I've been worried and confused how to keep it together. I'm liking that sled idea.
Both worked very well. The copper cone guitar that Ron recognizes has two extra wood screws going into the box edge parallel with the neck. There was a very slight amount of twist that resulted in the neck tipping up under tension without them present.
The sled works very well. I don't have a picture of my Grumpy Old Git insides, but if you look at the end of my latest video, you can see it. Sort of the same idea, but all glued up as one piece instead of screwed together. It floats in the box. The sled in my first pic is glued into the box and the neck is screwed to it, but not glued.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/oak-4-string-for-christmas?cont...
The neck has a back angle of 1/2" in 10"
That, sir, is just what the doctor ordered, I think, for this application. I just didn't know if it would work. Thanks!
The "neck thru the box" method works well until you run into the issue in question. Many builders add braces and such to deal with the removal of neck material in the box to make room for pickups.
But there is an alternative, a "leap in builder's evolution", if you will.
Think along the lines of a bolt on neck.
Depending on how deep the box is, you may install a length of wood inside from neck end to tail end. For example, if inside depth of box is 1.5", and the top lid thickness is about 1/8 to 1/4", then use a piece of 1x2 for the insert. then build neck similar to a bolt on neck like seen on an electric guitar. When you have cut the access area for the neck to the box, make it nice n clean/tight. Once it is fixed/glued/screwed/bolted to the insert, and with the fretboard glued on, you should have a neck that is slightly above the lid of the box.
This method leaves plenty of room inside for the pickups, and leaves more of the lid to vibrate freely.
In the beginning of my journey, I did the "neck thru" style. Now I exclusively make bolt on necks for all my builds.
Cheers, and have fun.
I'm gonna have to second Gary Reichel's request. I'm actually more redneck rig hillbilly than woodworker, and I'm not sure I follow.
It might be good to mention here that I am a professional worrier, and likely to overbuild everything and still believe it won't work. I've never put together a real guitar...and to be perfectly honest, its always been a mystery to me that a standard acoustic guitar doesn't just fold in half anyway.
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