Hi folks!!
Well, my name is Sachi. I've been lurking for a couple of weeks but in the last couple of days i have started posting a little bit.
So, i wrote a book of a post. Please feel free to skip down to the 4 questions if you don wanna read alla bout who i am. lol. I wrote a lot, and i hope i dont overwhelm anyone. I really am excited to ask my questions and get to know you guys.
A small bit about me. I'm a 32 year old young woman who is disabled, so i spend a lot of time with very little to do. I usually spend my time being creative in some way. I'm a writer, thats my heart and my passion. But, also I make recycled sweater coats outa old sweaters that are AMAZING, i make fine beaded jewelry, i paint, crochet, knit, train dogs, nursemade sick puppies in my families kennel (royalfrenchel.com is our dog website if any of you wanna see the cutest puppies in the world. Our bull hybrids are the smallest bulldogs in the world, and are specially bred for health, long life, companionship and service work. My mother designed the breed for me when i became very ill n needed a smaller sized service dog.) I Survive month to month on disability, which means i have pretty much no money for buying things like ukulele's. 700 per month really doesn't last very far, so i have to figure out other ways to get the things that i want. So i make a lot of it, whatever i can, i make. and being creative helps me general well being :-)
Anyhoot, i do a lot of creative stuff to keep my mind busy between doctors visits and hospital stays. Recently, i wanted to learn to play the ukulele I love the sound of a tenor uke, but they are expensive, and being ME, i like making things and i figured i would try and make one! But despite the fact i love working and crafting with wood, i thought that a traditional ukulele might be a little to hard for me on my first go round. So i ended up looking to CB Ukulele's! Once i got bit by the bug, i became facinated with ALL CB Instruments. I have a friend who does comedic characters on youtube, and she has one character named Roy E. Willderness who sings and plays guitar and i just thought a CBG was perfect for him. Then i have a 10 year old little friend who plays violin but has undergone tons of surgery on her face and jaw, and i thought i could manufacture something more comfortable for her chin rest on a cigar box violin. ANd i still wanna make a tenor or baritone ukulele!
So... i ordered 4 boxes on ebay and am awaiting their arival with baited breath! I also found some 7/8 inch thick, 4 inch wide and 36 inch long paduk at woodcraft.com on sale for 10 bucks each, and i thought that would be perfect for the necks. Considering all of the wood i sorced on ebay and other places was like 40 bucks plus at least 25 for shipping and handling. The neck looked like it was gonna cost an arm and a leg, and i dont get out locally that often to go to a wood store. Plus i love the way Paduk looks, deep rich red, really lovely.
So, now that i have introduced myself, here are my questions. I'm a writer, everything i do ends up being book-sized lol
1. Okay, my question is about fretting the neck. When fretting, do i REQUIRE a finger board? Or can i fret the neck directly and not use two seperate peices (IE, neck an fingerboard) I would rather fret the neck directly, paduk is so beautiful and if there isnt a need or benefit to the fingerboard that i need to consider i am thinking maybe just forego the fingerboard all together. I also like the look of it a bit better then a bulky fingerboard. Being that i do NOT play yet, and am ignorant, if there is some reason why a fingerboard is important i'd love to understand what it is
2. The neck, i have a lot of neck questions, lol. I have read some of the threads about neck attachment but i wanted to ask anyway. Doesn't a THRU-body neck impede sound? It seems to me like it would lessen vibration and reverb and the neck through the body CLEARLY takes up the empty space it seems to me that would ultimately create a weaker, duller sounding acoustic tone. Am i wrong? I have thought about GLUING The neck in place using some sorta Joint that slips the side of the box into a groove in the neck for a really tight fit. But i read somewhere that with Gluing you cant take it apart to fix any problems if needed. And third option was SCREWING the neck to the side of the box. But some people have complained that causes a BUZZING sound. I want all my instruments to be proficiant as acoustic and electric - with that in mind what do you guys suggest? I also thought about doing a Screwing/gluing combination. For a really tight, no buzzing fit. Any input for me about this subject, while taking into account I do NOT yet know how to play, and understanding i want a very sturdy functional instrument when through would be greatly appreciated.
3. I am thinking about how i might THIN the side of the box i'm gonna use for a soundboard to make its acoustic sound louder and brighter. I saw some one suggest doing this with a router tool. Are there any other suggestions? I thought maybe i could use a plane and slowly shave it down then sand it smooth. I do realize i'll have to be adding braces if i thin it a lot. Do you guys think that its worth the time energy and work to thin the sound board? I've even seen some people take the bottom of their box off all together and replace it with a thin sound board like spruce or koa - would you guys suggest doing something like that or do you think it defeafts the purpose of using a CB? lol I'm open to trying all kindsa things, i just want my end product to have a rich sound. I wanna make the best possible use of my cigar boxes to produce the best possible sound!! So any info, suggestions, tips, tricks etc that you may have will be GREATLY welcomed and appreciated!
4. I am certain i wanna make my guitar with at least 4 strings - but honestly, i'd like to make it a 6 string. Can you guys tell me if and why this would be more difficult then a 4 string model? I would like to have a full set of strings on the guitar, but found that not many people do 6 strings with cigar boxes and i wondered why that was. Is it size of box and limited space? Does it not sound as good with 6 strings as it does with 4? I am planning on giving my first guitar away as a gift to a friend, and i want her to be able to play it like she does her cheapo acoustic - and i want it to sound BETTER then her cheapo acoustic. I dunno if thats gonna be possible, but i'm sure as hell gonna try the best that i can!! Any info on number of strings would be greatly appreciated.
OKay, i think this is enough questions for my first intro to all of you. lol. Sorry for writing you a BOOK. I look forward to soaking up all of your knowledge and expertise!
Be well and Blessings of music to all,
Sachi
Replies
Sachi, so I spent the week end building a ukulele with the design drawn on the first page of the thread. It worked out really well. I do not usually go this route myself but I have to say it really worked for me. I would recommend you trying it. The 2 piece neck construction allowed me to use the back of the box for the top which is much more attractive if you ask me. I was really pleased with it. I will try to post some sounds from it in the next week or so if I can get my kids to be quiet long enough to record.
Wow Sachi, you strike me as a multi-talented young lady! All of the responses I've read are helpful and I can't really add too much. I've made instruments using all of the methods you mentioned and they all turned out pretty well. For the bolt on necks I usually re-inforce the end of the box whehe the neck attaches and use what's called a hanger bolt. It has wood screw threads on one end and machine threads for a nut on the other. The mental work, thought and preparation that you seem to have already done is a big step in the right direction. My wife claims I spend as much time scratching my head and staring at the wood as I do actually working on it. I tell her it's mental work! Good luck, and any more questions you have will, I'm sure, be answered by someone here. Oh, one more thing. If you are making a fretted instrument figure out the scale (distance from nut to bridge) and use an on line fret calculator for fret placement. Be as meticulous as humanly possible with the fret marking and cutting so your instrument will play in decent tune. A tenor uke usually has a 15" scale but all sorts of variations are possible.
Sachi,as you,ve already received good advice from some knowledgable people i don,t have much to add,except don,t reach too high 1st up,concentrate on the basics,ie.placement of bridge,scale length and a neck that feels good in your hands.bridge and nut material is interchangeable at a later date,unless you glue/screw them down ,which i recommend against,when all is sounding o.k ,then you experiment with different materials to enhance what you already have,good luck,looking forward to living your progress
Is your profile picture a Firefly?
Hehee, Yeap. Its a drawing of Serenity. I am a hardcore fan :-) I've heard Joss is trying to get the rights back so he can produce it for himself. And i think almost every single actor said they would go back to the show if Joss was seriously gonna do it again. Nathan Fillion nods to Firefly in his new show Castle EVERY single season. It makes me very very happy lol
I so wish that they hadnt canceled the show. I rewatch the first season about once or twice a year. Deffinately makes me happy. My main passion is that i am a writer, one day i'd really love to be the showrunner (head writer) of a sci-fi fantasy program that i created. hopefully one day when i get a bit more well.
Oh to whomever suggested wearing a facemask to work with Padauk, i will thank you for suggesting that. I dont need any extra trouble from breathing in sawdust lol.
I sure am enjoying learning and visiting ;) I do think i got a couple of neat boxes. I got a BloodLine Box with a Tree logo, its kinda small, but its sooo beautiful i thought maybe the extra depth of the box would make up for its smaller size. Hehe, Its really a neat one.
Sachi
Ok, Sachi, lets look at your list..
1. Do what you want, but if you're building on a 1x2 neck blank, I'd recommend adding a fretboard and it actually simplifies other construction issues.
2. Neck thru simplifies construction, increases sustain, and does not appreciably decrease volume. A CBG is never going to be a volume horse. The surface is just too small.
3. Thin or thinner sides is not the main issue, sides need to be strong so you don't get them muffling the top. Sure you can replace the top, but that question makes me wonder if you are trying to make a CBG sound just like a regular guitar?
4. One of the point of building CBGs are that they are "different". The openness of the sound of fewer strings engages the listener in a special way. It's a sound well suited for roots music, heritage sounds and just standing out. I've built 6string electric that sounded like, well 6string electrics. Never bothered to build a 6string acoustic because the volume alone wouldn't cut it. Electric/acoustics with piezos are a special case.
Why are you building a CBG? Unless you're a talented luthier, I'd encourage you to start simple and don't expect to only build just one. That's part of the fun. A neck thru, fretted, four string is a pretty good sized challenge for a first time builder.
A CBG can sound as good as a"regular guitar", but will always sound different. If that's ok will you, build on! Welcome, good luck and ask for help!
Hey Folks,
Sorry about ditching out the last couple days. Had another "episode" which ended with me throwing up blood all night and i'm just now begining to recover. :grimaces: I have these things called "Abdominal Migrains" which basically SUCKS - and is Super rare. I'm 32, suffered with this since i was like 3 years old, and only got diagnosed last week because its so rare a condition. I get so sick, my nutritional status goes down, i get an infection because i'm so weak,, and then i end up in a COMA (two comas in the last 6 years, relearned to walk BOTH times. And they only JUST diagnosed the abdominal migraines as an underlying cause.) Anyhow, unlike how it is for most people who get sick, and then feel better. I get sick, again and again and again every 2-6 minutes regardless of what is in my belly, and it just doesn't end for hours. It actually cuts up my esophogus, which is why i end up bloody. I REALLY look forward to figuring out how to stop the episodes once they start. :facepalms:
Anyhoot, back to the CBG stuff. I totally want the gritty sound of the cigar box. I do love the idea of making my own box one day using like super stunning wood and the same shape of the CBG but thats it in the future. Right now, i'm all about doing what i can with fantastic cigar boxes. I spend a lot of time sick, so i want a fun project i can focus on when i'm able. I just got 3 of my 4 boxes, and the 4rth box was accidentally the wrong one. I'm really excited about starting.
Also the Padauk i got is 4 inches wide, i figured i could cut it in half to be 2 inches wide and get extra neck blanks out of them. Whatcha think? It might be too much of a pain in the ass, i dunno.
At any rate, the box designs you guys have shown me are great. I'm deffinately gonna do the thru-neck at least for my first couple so i get the strength. I'm gonna play around with thinning one of my boxes because the wood is REALLY thick now that i see it, its almost half an inch thick, so i will probably "play" with trying to thin it to see if i can get better sound. Cause it seems to me understanding ressonance that wood so thick wouldn't resonate very well. SO that one i probably will play with or just replace the sound board all together to be more successful sound-wise but keeping the fun gritty appearance of a cigar-box by leaving the stickers and labels on the back part maybe.
I'm really excited about making instruments in general. I've wanted to get into it for a very long time and think CBG's are a great way to learn, tinker, and see if i wanna get more seriously into things like woodbending later. But right now, i'm VERY happy with the earthy rustic tones of CB instruments. I think its got a uniquely americana history and i am excited about seeing how my first builds come out. Hopefully i wont mess up the fretboard lol.
I'm a great singer, but have never learned how to play any instruments or even read music. Though i'm surounded by talented muscians and artists in my family and extended family. So i'm really excited to get to learn, build and learn some more, and enjoy the sweetness of this hobby. I'm really very excited. Very happy.
Hey, I do have another question for you guys!!
What boxes do you guys find have the BEST sound when made into instruments? Any type of boxes you think are a cut above the rest? I know some are made of spanish cedar and some of plywood. But the cedar is spost to sound better. When i talk about good sound, i'm not talking about it sounding like a classical guitar, just a really nifty unique gritty sound you LIKE alot. Any boxes in particular you think work best aucousticly or electricly? I'm just curious.
I dont expect a CB to sound like every guitar, i dont even want them too. But some woods, some shapes, some sizes etc sound BETTER overall. thats just what i mean :-)
okay, oh and sorry for my little bit of an overshare at the begining of this post. I think its just such a big deal since i only got diagnosed last week after YEARS of trying to figure it out. I'm sure its not all thiats up, but boy am i glad at least this part is figured out..
Thanks for your guys help. I really love how friendly and kind this forum is. Its really the type of forum that makes you want to chime in, join in, share your triumphs and your misteps :) Its pretty awesome.
Blessings!
Sachi
Sorry to hear about your episode Sachi - it sounds horrific. Here's hoping there's something that can be done now you've got the diagnosis. It would probably be sensible to wear a respirator/dust mask while you're working with wood, especially ones like padauk, which can cause respiratory inflammation - probably a bad combination with a sore throat!
To answer your question, yes, you could get 2 blanks out of each piece. Do you know anyone with a table saw?
Also, you will find that most if not all cigar boxes are made from cedar because of its ability to retain humidity and resist pests - two things which can ruin cigars. Be it solid (in rare cases) or ply, they're mostly cedar. As a rule of thumb, a thinner box lid sounds better, but they can always surprise you. I love the tone of Montecristo tubos boxes (paper covered) which are 6mm thick :) Half an inch thick does seem excessive though...
Anyways, I think one thing everyone who has replied to your questions can agree on is that you shouldn't overthink your first build. Just get stuck in and enjoy it. You will have thought of dozens of improvements to integrate into your second by the time you're halfway though. I wasn't satisfied with any of my instruments up to my 9th... and there's still always something I wish I'd done differently!
Rick
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