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Paper or Wood?

Hello all,

I'm now up to my 5th CBG and fell into a nice lot of boxes to work with. I have some wonderful Fuentes boxes that are wood with paper labels. The CBGs I have built so far have all been solid wood with no labels and they sound great! I was just wondering though..... would the paper covering on the boxes damp vibrations?

My Oliva and 1960 boxes just ring like a bell when strummed. When you tap the paper covered boxes they just seem to be a bit "dead" but I'm wondering if it might not be my imagination. I love the artwork on the paper covered boxes but my affinity to wood is pulling me that way.

Any thoughts on that?

Gene

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Permalink Reply by Gene Robinson on January 25, 2013 at 2:22am

I agree with you about cheap builds and all Tom, but if your standing there and someone says "take your pick" and it's a choice between Tofu and filet mignon........

Doesn't hurt to try to make the most out of the "nuthin'" you can lay your hands on!

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Permalink Reply by Tom Drommond on January 25, 2013 at 3:44am

I'm all about making the most of the least. Been making something out of nothing for so long, I forgot what a real something even looks like.

Just remember the "there" you are standing in is a Love's Truck Stop. They don't do tofu or filet as their main business. They sell fuel and fried burritos. Both are very good at the right time for the right purpose. Fuente sells cigars, not guitar bodies or macaroni covered jewlery boxes, that cigars are shipped in. But in the right hands they can become either or something else cool.

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on January 26, 2013 at 4:43am

You have a point there Tom, but part of the fun and creative challenge is to get as much acoustic volume and tone out of the boxes as possible. They are never going to be as loud or full sounding as a "normal" guitar, but bringing out what IS possible and their unique properties is the point, at least for me. I will though be willing sometimes to sacrifice some volume for style by adding metal bits and such to the box for decoration.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on January 30, 2013 at 2:58am

Tom, yes, I was serious, just responding to the original post about box's. If your goal is to play it loud thru an amp then go at it and don't worry about the box. But a cigar box can be made to sound decent un-amped. Either way its all good.

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Permalink Reply by Hip Bone Bellaire on January 24, 2013 at 8:44am

A lot of the newer Fuentes boxes , the lids are cardboard... 3 hours to late I found out..

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Permalink Reply by Gene Robinson on January 24, 2013 at 9:21am

Wow!

After Hip Bone's post I went straight to my boxes and picked out a San Cristobal Elegancia because it has the coolest art work on the front. I drilled my sound holes first and sure enough! The top is made of something like press board or MDF. This one will definitely have an electric pickup under the bridge. Nice wood bottom, but it's kind of plain.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on January 24, 2013 at 9:13pm

I suppose you should think of it this way: paper is just wood that desperately longs to be a book. ;-)

Loved Tom's comment about putting gold fixtures on a mobile home!

But here's something for the whole CBG gold-plated science vs. magic discussion:

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Arthur C. Clarke

Them old bluesmen knew what they were doing.

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Permalink Reply by Randy S. Bretz on January 25, 2013 at 2:41am

I tried alot of different boxes over the years. Wood, wood with paper on, wood with mdf on top, even some old cardboard ones. Best box so far is the old Corina westerns an all western cedar box with finger jointed corners. The one pictured here is from 1920 and the wood is well aged. The sound acoustlcly is awesome and with a rod bridge is a big plus ! I picked that box up at a local antique mart for 8 bucks.

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Permalink Reply by Don McCann on January 25, 2013 at 1:29pm

Wow, nice guitar! Is the fret board and bridge Bocote (Mexican Rosewood)?? Excellent build. I have a super old box like that and been thinking about building it and now I'm inspired. Great Job!!

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Permalink Reply by Thomas "Duck" Petry on January 25, 2013 at 4:05am

Great looking Guitar randy.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Drommond on January 25, 2013 at 4:17am

Dulcimer Scale?

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Permalink Reply by Randy S. Bretz on January 25, 2013 at 4:34am

yeah...23 1/2 " scale 18 frets, i play it everyday. So nice acousticly and killer plugged in. neck-peghead carving. there`s a carved feather running the length of the neck