Posted by Dale Feicke on September 9, 2009 at 6:34pm
As a newcomer to this crazy phenomenon, I just have to wonder....is there any limit to what you can use for 'the box'? Does it have to be particularly a manufactured box? Can it be homemade? What difference is there between, say, 1/8th inch wood, like a cigarbox might be and 1/2 inch wood, like a lot of plywood.....or just boards for that matter? I have a bunch of old 'beady-boards' that are about 100 years old, that came from our house. Anybody ever done one like this?
I have some really nice 1/4 inch mahogany plywood an old friend gave me. Would something like that work? I've done quite a lot of wood work, so don't think building a box would be a problem. Just curious as to limitations and options. I have most of the saws, routers, etc. that might be needed.
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the box will always be the box that carries the vibrations,i have done several varaitions on making boxes and using cigar boxes. the differences in size affects the volume,but the nicer the grade of wood the better the tone it seems. when i first discovered cigar box guitars i had no idea where to get cigar boxes around here so i made a few boxes so i could build some of these cool little guitars.the first box i built was 3in.x1/2in.bed slat boards that i used for the frame and used 1/4 pvc sheet material for the top and back,put an old banjo neck thru the frame and it was a cool build. then i was hooked. that was in november of last year.i have built many since then and enjoyed working on every single one of them. below is a pic of my first build.
Hi Dale! Welcome to the world's friendliest addiction....
There are no rules about materials. There are some folks who wouldn't consider making an instrument out of a cigar box with a "cardboard" top, but others who like the way they sound. You can make a playable instrument out of *anything*. Somewhere in the pics section is a guitar made from a bedpan (Really--I'm not kidding).
A loose and general rule of thumb is that for a box top, thinner is better. You'll find a *lot* of boxes with beefy, 1/4 inch tops, though, and I've been happy with most of the ones I've used. Thinner tops give you a more resonant, "woody" sound, while heavier tops are likely to produce a thinner tone, but may help provide longer sustain.
Lots of the folks here actually do build their own boxes. I don't see why your 1/4 inch mahogany plywood wouldn't work. 100-year-old bead-board sounds like a dream come true. If you end up doing something with it, make sure you post pictures.
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There are no rules about materials. There are some folks who wouldn't consider making an instrument out of a cigar box with a "cardboard" top, but others who like the way they sound. You can make a playable instrument out of *anything*. Somewhere in the pics section is a guitar made from a bedpan (Really--I'm not kidding).
A loose and general rule of thumb is that for a box top, thinner is better. You'll find a *lot* of boxes with beefy, 1/4 inch tops, though, and I've been happy with most of the ones I've used. Thinner tops give you a more resonant, "woody" sound, while heavier tops are likely to produce a thinner tone, but may help provide longer sustain.
Lots of the folks here actually do build their own boxes. I don't see why your 1/4 inch mahogany plywood wouldn't work. 100-year-old bead-board sounds like a dream come true. If you end up doing something with it, make sure you post pictures.
Have fun!