Ok I am ready to build a guitar and found these really cool Mike Ditka {da Bears} cigar boxes. But they are longer than most boxes. One is 16 1/2" and the other is 15" . They have a graphic/picture of the coach that is 12" long of which about 8" I don't want to cover. My problem is where do I place the bridge and with the longer box do I still use a 3' thru the box neck . I'd appreciate any help
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Speaking of banjos, you might consider a banjo-type bridge, which is very thin and won't obscure much of the picture.
Your boxes aren't too long. The aren't longer that the top of an archtop guitar
To open up the top,any of these ideas would work.
Our a trapeze style tailpiece
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Electric_guitar,_no...
Tom
I like the examples you showed and can see where any of them would work.
Thanks for the pictures.
Scott
Thanks for the advice on the baritone guitar
Your welcome.
You can always make a bridge that can be colored/painted to match it's background relative to the picture...essentially camoflaging it within the picture.
Where you place the bridge depends on your scale length (nut to bridge). With such a long box, I suggest a 25.5" scale, so you will have unrestricted access on the neck/fretboard, to at least the 12th fret...and at the same time, not winding up with the bridge too far forward of the center of the box.
Good luck
Scott
Do you know if It would be ok to make the scale length longer say maybe 27 to 34 inches. And if so could I use regular guitar strings or would I have to use bass or uke bass strings? I tried searching the internet but couldn't find the answers I need
For a longer scale than regular guitar, and since you are usign a very large box, a good choice would be a cbg made like a baritone guitar.
Baritone guitars were designed to allow tenor banjo palyers to play guitar with identical tuning as his or her banjo.
Baritone scale length can vary from 27" to 30.5".
Tuning for these are typically a perfect 5th lower than standard guitar, ADGCEA. Since you're making a 4 sttring, I would suggest using the 1-4 strings (GCEA) which is identical to standard uke tuning, but lower pitch.
An alternative tuning is BEADF#B, and again, I would suggest using strings 1-4 (ADF#B) or D6 tuning, which is a variation of ukulele tuning.
Because the scale is longer than a uke, the baritone sounds nothing like the small Hawaiian instrument.
But there are chord charts readily available online for free...and very easy to learn.
I suppose I am assuming you are making a fretted instrument.
Good luck and enjoy the build.
Can you flip it over and have the picture on the back?
I thought of that bout would like it to be facing forward. I was hoping someone would have a solution