I'm still in the aquiring parts and watching videos and planning stage. At this point I only play the radio but hoping that changes.
Wondering why I don't see people doing anything to protect the paper graphics on their boxes.
Gitty's phone dosen't seem to accept calls from Canada so could someone reccomend a set of 3 strings for a frettless 25 inch scale and would this change if the guitar had fretts?
I plan to just use a simple piezo under th bridge with a volume control.
Thanks in advance Frank
Replies
"Wondering why I don't see people doing anything to protect the paper graphics on their boxes."
On this one, I sprayed two coats of satin clear on the box before I even started. I put two or three coats of thinned boiled linseed oil on the neck.
Things have come to a screeching stop while I wait on the USPS. I guess I will start on a neck for #2.
Hi again, Frank. You are progressing well, it seems. Your remedy to use a black stain is what I have done in the past on CBGs. However, I would suggest blacking out the whole visible area seen through the soundhole; it looks better than a patched-up area.
Covering the soundhole area with a mesh of some kind is acceptable, it is what has been done to Resonater [Drobro style] guitars forever. But make sure the soundhole is not too small to start with.
Machinery. Well, I am possibly not the man to answer that as I have every machine you can mention, some of them twice, and I would miss any one of them. Every time I use the bandsaw or table saw my next stop is at the sanding machine. Many of the machines I have made are multipurpose so are invaluable for the range of work I do.
If you are only using factory boxes, you may find you may get away with minimal tools and machines as neck material can be purchased dressed to size and ready to cut up.
But, if like me you want to build your boxes you would, I feel, benefit from all the machines you mentioned in your post. Look at how you want to build in the future and decide what you need. Ask yourself do I want that task to be quick, accurate, custom, or less labor-intensive, then tick the box that fits your pocket. All the CBGs I have built have come from a stack of old fence palings, I saved buying timber for years due to being able to process it myself.
Due to the confusing start to this thread, I missed an earlier post from Bear. In it he was pleased with my neck attachment idea, thanks Bear. My thinking was to keep as much "stuff" out of the box as possible as the box was too shallow ,so that is the reason the neck blocks are on the outside of the box.
Cheers Taff
👍
Thanks guys for all your help I'm liking the way this is progressing with only a few minor mistakes. Yesterday I cut a sound hole and left just the tiniest corner of one of the corner posts I had installed to fasten the top to.visible not in the hole but when viewed on an angle. If I stain that corner of the interior black it won't be visible but I wondered I glued a bit of metal or fiberglass windows screen in the hole it would affect the sound . I held a bit there and liked the way it looked then realised it was patching material and didn't actually contain holes. I'm sure the local building supply would sell screening.
I'm already planning what to do with my other 2 boxes and have to restrain myself from going out and buying a planer and jointer that my daughter would have to dispose of in the future. I have a table saw,mitre saw and a small bench drill press. Allthough I've just been using a mitre box and back saw.
Now the question .If you could only have one would it be a table top band saw or a small combination belt and disk sander?
I can't spell and I don't care.
Hey Frank,
Flat black paint will hide stuff you don't want to see, of course, and so will screening material.
As I mentioned in a previous post, there are screened or unscreened finishing grommets available in different diameters, with brass, nickel or chrome finishes.
How you want it to look is completely up to you.
The screen material in the commercially available grommets is usually of a finer grade than hardware store window screen material, if that makes any difference to you.
I like to be able to see inside my builds through the 1" sound hole that I cut into the bass SIDE of boxes.
Part of the reason for my cutting soundholes in the sides of boxes, rather the tops, is for aesthetics that please me.
The main reason that I leave the box tops whole is to preserve the entire top's vibrating area.
Tools - Some years back, I bought an old used jointer for $10, cleaned it, painted it, bought and installed new blades on it, and spent hours setting it up to operate correctly.
I haven't used it for CBG work since I got it working.
I'd like to have a surface planer and a band saw, but I get by without them.
I doubt that they'd get much use even if I owned them.
I bought a small combo belt/disc sander a few years back.
I'm glad that I have it.
I've made jigs to use with it, because belt sanders take off a whole lot of wood really fast.
If you don't have control of your working piece of wood, it can be ruined in an instant on a belt sander.
The power tools that I find indispensable - Router, used to shape the backs of necks into a U shape.
Some folks do that procedure with rasps and files.
I don't have the stamina for that much work, so the router shapes necks very quickly.
A handheld orbital sander, for the same reason as the router, my lack of personal stamina to be able to sand by hand.
I think that's about it in addition to you mentioning that you have a table saw and drill press, both of which I use in CBG builds.
P.S. - Clamps.
Clamps, clamps, and more clamps.
Did I mention clamps?
I have tons of clamps and always seem to need more or different clamps.
Rock on,
Bob
Hi Frank, I feel some confusion may stem from the terminology used to describe issues and guitar parts. I think the area you are concerned with is the peg head, that part north of the nut.
The only issue I can see here is that the fact the strings are touching the pegboard surface may affect smooth tuning, due to the some drag. When you have the tuners in the angle the string follows to the tuner post may lift it off that surface.
In case you are unaware I should mention that the scale length is the free-vibrating length of the string. So in the case of using a bolt, from the middle of the bolt. If using a square-faced nut or saddle it is measured from the front face of the nut and point where the string leaves the bridge saddle. A round nut will require some repositioning.
Hey Frank, once I only played the radio - 72 years ago. Hahaha.
Cheers Taff
Bob I don't really understand what the string touching between the nut and the tuner does when I see people running them under screws, through screw eyes , and under rods to position or create down angle. I'm certainly not disputing what you say remember I only play the radio.
Iwasn't necessarly going to use that bridge it was given to me by a guy in town I was talking to about getting a used amp.
Hi Frank,
As Taffy replied after your alarming concern that came about after my reply to you about strings touching the front end of the fretboard, I must say, yes, terminology is paramount in importance and is sometimes difficult to ascertain by new builders, and is frequently screwed up by all of us builders at times.
I looked over your question about strings touching the fretboard very carefully before responding as I did.
I could have asked you for clarification, but I felt that your meaning was clear.
I apologize for misinterpreting the concerns of a beginning builder.
I remember the angst that I experienced as a beginner about my own potential problems.
Taffy and I don't always agree in all things, but in this case, Taffy's realizing and bringing to your attention that the misinterpretation in terminology is a bugaboo of having to type out our thoughts can, does, and did lead to alarm on your part was a good catch on his part.
I'd have replied accordingly if I'd seen your concerns before Taffy responded as he did
The only concerns that I can see in what I now understand your situation to be is that if the strings from the nut to the tuners have any significant interference, the result will usually be that tuning may be difficult, with the strings "catching" where they contact points that "grab" the string.
Problems of that sort are not the end of the world.
As far as what I mentioned about the bridge height, just disregard that statement for now.
I mentioned it in concern over what I originally thought that your situation was leading up to.
Hang in there, sir.
I am truly excited for you.
Bob
P.S. - As a side note, having absolutely nothing to do with CBGs, but to illustrate the goodness present in our fellow humans, I visited a neighborhood welding shop today with a problem I'm having in restoring my dad's childhood bicycle tire pump from the 1920s.
I've approached this gentleman several times before with various problems over the years, sometimes availing myself of his welding services when needed, and sometimes not, as conditions have dictated, and boy, is he good at his craft, but as he did today, whether his welding services are needed by me or not, he'll take the time to evaluate a situation and give his best opinion, at no charge.
He did so again today, humbly giving his best advice to me on how he believed that I should proceed in my repair efforts.
He's the best in what I would hope for in a fellow human being.
I shook his hand, thanked him for his assistance, and wished him a good new year.
His smile in appreciation of his goodwill being acknowledged by me was priceless.
I just thought I'd share that story of his human kindness.
He deserves to be recognized for his humble, helpful demeanor.
It's a joy to me to attempt to assist you, even though the typed word may sometimes fall short of its intended meaning.
Again, the best to you,
Bob
Does it matter if the strings touch the front end of the frett board ahead of the nut. I took some measurements from the video in this thread but because I added a frettless fretboard to the stick to bring things up 3/16 above the lid. this will steepen the angle of the strings to the tuners. I'm using a 1/4 20 brass bolt as a nut ( which i imagine will stick up 1/8 inch when mounted . can move the nut ahead a tad but not very much . It would be easier to visualize if my tuners strings and other toys would arrive.
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