I have a future build that I am planning and I wanted to ask the community for suggestions. It is a 4 string Resonator CBG using a real cone and biscuit. Instead of using a commercially manufactured cover plate, do you have ideas for a substitute. I want the guitar to look old and rustic, but at the same time be fully functional. Please post links if you have pictures. Thank you for your consideration, Keni Lee
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Thank you Bob for your response. Both are good ideas, but I'm using a small 6" ukulele cone. Hubcaps and air filter covers would be too large, but I never thought of considering a metal ashtray. Thanks.
Bob E. III said:
I've never made a reso cover plate but a couple ideas that come to my mind are hub caps and the top cover of old automotive air filter housings. It might take some junkyard scrounging to find one that would be the right fit, and/or some cutting and massaging may be needed... It seems like I've seen stamped sheet metal ashtrays before too, but I wouldn't know where to find any.
Thank you Mark for your response. Is picture 4 the aluminum plate that you hammered? I think this is a good approach.
Mark Werner said:
Check out my photos as well. I too considered and then rejected using a commercial cover plate. They look good, but seem out of character for a CGG. I made mine from an aluminum pot lid I scavenged from a thrift store for .69 cents. Cut the circle out with a hacksaw blade in my jigsaw, and then just drilled a bunch of holes. I hammered the edge flat with a ball-peen hammer.
I experimented with just using a piece of sheet aluminum. If you put it on a flat piece of hardwood, you can start hammering on it and if you use a circular pattern it will eventually assume a domed shape. This is the technique medieval smiths used to make armor. Lot of work....
Check out my photos as well. I too considered and then rejected using a commercial cover plate. They look good, but seem out of character for a CGG.
I made mine from an aluminum pot lid I scavenged from a thrift store for .69 cents. Cut the circle out with a hacksaw blade in my jigsaw, and then just drilled a bunch of holes.
I hammered the edge flat with a ball-peen hammer.
I experimented with just using a piece of sheet aluminum. If you put it on a flat piece of hardwood, you can start hammering on it and if you use a circular pattern it will eventually assume a domed shape. This is the technique medieval smiths used to make armor.
Lot of work....
No That is a photograph.Your right.The other one I did was from a study sketch.I have it in my files I have'nt posted it yet.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Oh, that is a painting? Very nice. Looks like an old black and white photo. No, I don't want to go that rustic. lol. I want it to look rustic, but I want it to play as best as possible. Smoke and Mirrors and all that stuff. lol
OLD HORSE said:
I've got another Painting that has the handles in place over an open fire with the corn mix in an old bowl w/ spoon and cotton feild in the back ground.Have the sketch of it but no picture of the painting.Will see if my daughter can scan it. Don't knowhow rustic you want to get but I have a site that shows how to tie frets on a neck,that might look pretty cool.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. Please give it some thought. I want to make the CBG functional, but would love a rustic homemade look. Thank you for posting the Hoe Cake picture. I would have thought the hoe would still have it's handle on. In my mind, I though more like a spade was used. I was told by Tony Trischka that the song...Boil them cabbages down boy...boil them cabbages down...turn them hoe cakes round boy...cook em nice an brown was one of the oldest known banjo tunes.
OLD HORSE said:
Let me do some lookin around Kenny.I no old barns are'nt real plentiful in NYC but I'm thinkin that an old peice of barn siding might be heavy enough....still thinkin though.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. This is an excellent idea. The only problem I see is having a thick enough piece of tin so it does it's job protecting the cone and also providing a rest for my picking hand. They are usually made of steel. The idea of the fancy punches like those old time pie cooling cabinets is very appealing.
OLD HORSE said:
Kenny,It would be cool to find an old piece of tin and punch a pattern in it or find someone that does tin punch and have them do it with the various tools they use.I've used old tin on several art projects and if it rusted you can brush it to knock off the lose stuff and then clear coat it with a flat clear to seal it and arrest any further rusting.It would be cool to fasten it to the body with old tacks or some type of old time fasteners,brass screws????Good Luck Friend
Oh, that is a painting? Very nice. Looks like an old black and white photo. No, I don't want to go that rustic. lol. I want it to look rustic, but I want it to play as best as possible. Smoke and Mirrors and all that stuff. lol
OLD HORSE said:
I've got another Painting that has the handles in place over an open fire with the corn mix in an old bowl w/ spoon and cotton feild in the back ground.Have the sketch of it but no picture of the painting.Will see if my daughter can scan it. Don't knowhow rustic you want to get but I have a site that shows how to tie frets on a neck,that might look pretty cool.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. Please give it some thought. I want to make the CBG functional, but would love a rustic homemade look. Thank you for posting the Hoe Cake picture. I would have thought the hoe would still have it's handle on. In my mind, I though more like a spade was used. I was told by Tony Trischka that the song...Boil them cabbages down boy...boil them cabbages down...turn them hoe cakes round boy...cook em nice an brown was one of the oldest known banjo tunes.
OLD HORSE said:
Let me do some lookin around Kenny.I no old barns are'nt real plentiful in NYC but I'm thinkin that an old peice of barn siding might be heavy enough....still thinkin though.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. This is an excellent idea. The only problem I see is having a thick enough piece of tin so it does it's job protecting the cone and also providing a rest for my picking hand. They are usually made of steel. The idea of the fancy punches like those old time pie cooling cabinets is very appealing.
OLD HORSE said:
Kenny,It would be cool to find an old piece of tin and punch a pattern in it or find someone that does tin punch and have them do it with the various tools they use.I've used old tin on several art projects and if it rusted you can brush it to knock off the lose stuff and then clear coat it with a flat clear to seal it and arrest any further rusting.It would be cool to fasten it to the body with old tacks or some type of old time fasteners,brass screws????Good Luck Friend
I've got another Painting that has the handles in place over an open fire with the corn mix in an old bowl w/ spoon and cotton feild in the back ground.Have the sketch of it but no picture of the painting.Will see if my daughter can scan it.
Don't knowhow rustic you want to get but I have a site that shows how to tie frets on a neck,that might look pretty cool.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. Please give it some thought. I want to make the CBG functional, but would love a rustic homemade look. Thank you for posting the Hoe Cake picture. I would have thought the hoe would still have it's handle on. In my mind, I though more like a spade was used. I was told by Tony Trischka that the song...Boil them cabbages down boy...boil them cabbages down...turn them hoe cakes round boy...cook em nice an brown was one of the oldest known banjo tunes.
OLD HORSE said:
Let me do some lookin around Kenny.I no old barns are'nt real plentiful in NYC but I'm thinkin that an old peice of barn siding might be heavy enough....still thinkin though.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. This is an excellent idea. The only problem I see is having a thick enough piece of tin so it does it's job protecting the cone and also providing a rest for my picking hand. They are usually made of steel. The idea of the fancy punches like those old time pie cooling cabinets is very appealing.
OLD HORSE said:
Kenny,It would be cool to find an old piece of tin and punch a pattern in it or find someone that does tin punch and have them do it with the various tools they use.I've used old tin on several art projects and if it rusted you can brush it to knock off the lose stuff and then clear coat it with a flat clear to seal it and arrest any further rusting.It would be cool to fasten it to the body with old tacks or some type of old time fasteners,brass screws????Good Luck Friend
Thank you Old Horse. Please give it some thought. I want to make the CBG functional, but would love a rustic homemade look. Thank you for posting the Hoe Cake picture. I would have thought the hoe would still have it's handle on. In my mind, I though more like a spade was used. I was told by Tony Trischka that the song...Boil them cabbages down boy...boil them cabbages down...turn them hoe cakes round boy...cook em nice an brown was one of the oldest known banjo tunes.
OLD HORSE said:
Let me do some lookin around Kenny.I no old barns are'nt real plentiful in NYC but I'm thinkin that an old peice of barn siding might be heavy enough....still thinkin though.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. This is an excellent idea. The only problem I see is having a thick enough piece of tin so it does it's job protecting the cone and also providing a rest for my picking hand. They are usually made of steel. The idea of the fancy punches like those old time pie cooling cabinets is very appealing.
OLD HORSE said:
Kenny,It would be cool to find an old piece of tin and punch a pattern in it or find someone that does tin punch and have them do it with the various tools they use.I've used old tin on several art projects and if it rusted you can brush it to knock off the lose stuff and then clear coat it with a flat clear to seal it and arrest any further rusting.It would be cool to fasten it to the body with old tacks or some type of old time fasteners,brass screws????Good Luck Friend
Let me do some lookin around Kenny.I no old barns are'nt real plentiful in NYC but I'm thinkin that an old peice of barn siding might be heavy enough....still thinkin though.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
Thank you Old Horse. This is an excellent idea. The only problem I see is having a thick enough piece of tin so it does it's job protecting the cone and also providing a rest for my picking hand. They are usually made of steel. The idea of the fancy punches like those old time pie cooling cabinets is very appealing.
OLD HORSE said:
Kenny,It would be cool to find an old piece of tin and punch a pattern in it or find someone that does tin punch and have them do it with the various tools they use.I've used old tin on several art projects and if it rusted you can brush it to knock off the lose stuff and then clear coat it with a flat clear to seal it and arrest any further rusting.It would be cool to fasten it to the body with old tacks or some type of old time fasteners,brass screws????Good Luck Friend
Replies
Bob E. III said:
OLD HORSE said:
Mark Werner said:
I made mine from an aluminum pot lid I scavenged from a thrift store for .69 cents. Cut the circle out with a hacksaw blade in my jigsaw, and then just drilled a bunch of holes.
I hammered the edge flat with a ball-peen hammer.
I experimented with just using a piece of sheet aluminum. If you put it on a flat piece of hardwood, you can start hammering on it and if you use a circular pattern it will eventually assume a domed shape. This is the technique medieval smiths used to make armor.
Lot of work....
Keni Lee Burgess said:
OLD HORSE said:
Don't knowhow rustic you want to get but I have a site that shows how to tie frets on a neck,that might look pretty cool.
Keni Lee Burgess said:
OLD HORSE said:
Keni Lee Burgess said:
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