I have been making the rounds to local cigar shops picking up cigarboxes. I try to pick out boxes at least 9 inches long and 2 inches deep. The prettier the better. I'm wondering what are some priorities to look for. All wood verses paper covered. Are some brands better than others? I'm sure this has been discussed many times but I missed it. Thanks.
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i dont know yet if there is a bad box. i have used perfecto garcia boxes that are 8.5" x 8.5" and 3" deep. they have a very thin ply for the top that is great for an acoustic build. paper covered wood boxes like an arturo fuente with the mdf partical board for a lid sound great also and usually the bottom has a very thin wood ply that sounds great. glue the lid shut and flip it over and pull the staples out of the thin wood ply. i used a java box for my electric humbucker build. it is all wood, has 1/2" sides and a 1/4" top, not the loudest acoustic sound but i feel the thicker lid is better for mounting magpups. nonwood boxes sound good also. i have made one but scrapped it cause i wasnt satisified with how i built the neck. i also had an issue with the lid being a bit bowed, but that problem can be fixed with some bracing under the lid. really the only way to find the best sounding box is to go out and get your hands on every box you can and build build build!!!
1. size, the bigger the better 2. how thick/thin are the top and bottom? Thin I hope. 3. is it some kind of wood ? 4. is it pretty?
If it has at least two of these, I usually grab it!
i have used a lot of different boxes . at the moment my favs is Padilla and any Rocky Patel . I sand down the rockys top and bottom to get a better acoustics . in general the bigger the box the bigger the sound . but i dont shun ANY box . they all are waiting on there time to shine . may just not be a guitar .
What those guys said! I'm building #13 and #14 now, and having a great time. Half the fun is finding a nice box. I really like the sound of the larger boxes, but I don't like the square ones... 2" deep, 10x7 works... I found the bigger the box volume the more they sing.
Like the others said... all wood. I'm ok with paper over wood, I just glue down any stray corners and add several coats of lacquer to the top to give it a fighting chance.
Here's my latest:
Nice build John.
Thanks! Sold the darn thing to a friend last night... I was almost sad to see it go, but now I have 3 more on the bench to build! Next up: Adding a mag-pup!
This is a beauty. What did you use to get the neck black?
also if you use oak or another hard wood with a lot of tannin you can put steel wool in a jar and fill it with apple cider venigar and let it sit uncovered in a window for a few days . as soon as it hits the wood it will turn it black . the more tannin the darker it will be .
great tip man thanks for that, this is the good stuff. appreciate that .thanks for sharing
I saw that trick... any pics of stuff you've done?
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