Hi there. I'm completely new to all this (this seems a common introduction. lol) i only found about cigar box guitars a couple of days ago, and i only signed up on here today. But i'm already hooked!
I'm in the process of designing my first build (I tend to obsess about drawing plans and stuff before i start. call me anal ;p ) and i've got three questions so far.
1) The main question: Where do i mount the bridge? I'm designing the box so that i have a slight gap, about 5mm / 3/16'' between the top of the neck and the bottom of the surface of the box, giving space for the whole top of the box to vibrate. If i put the bridge in the middle of the box, where it will vibrate the top the most, i'm worried it will bust the top (the wood is only about 3mm thick). But if i put it right at the bottom where it is solid, ontop of one of the supports, it will damp out most of the vibes. Any advice would be great. will it break? will it change the tone having it at the bottom?
2) I'm also pondering the neck and head. on a regular guitar, the head is tilted backwards and is wider than the neck. is this because it is a separate piece of wood attached to the end? I've looked at my other guitars and it dosen't seem to be, so i'm confused how they get it wider than the fret board and bent backwards.
3) WIll i need a truss rod, and if so, adjustable or set? I'm getting a piece of mahogany (or something similar. we can't get real mahogany here in the UK) for my neck, about 2" wide, and i'm intending a 25'' scale length, just for ease of measurement (also, they say dobro's are 25'' too, and i like their sound).I was planniung on doing a four string, but i'm tempted after looking about on here to do a 6 string arranged in couplets Gg Dd Bb.
So, where to put the bridge, how do you make the head stock, do i need a truss rod. God i waffle a lot. ^_^
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I appear to obsessed. I fear my exam revision is going to go by the way side from now on. lol
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I built my first one just to see how to do it. And to tell my 2 boys "Hey look what I built, this is our next Cub Scout project." The point is I didnt invest hardly any time to speak of building it and only about $15 in parts. Your first CBG is what sets your learning curve. That curve just gets steeper with each build. So for the first one just "KISS it and forget it"
Thanks guys, this is really helpful. I'm going to get my wood cut tapered, like you said Dave. I've made a 1:1 drawing and having it straight all the way down dosen't look right.
And i've descided to make it 6 strings, in sympathetic couplets. That way i get a nice full tone but it'll play like a 3 string. (hopefully)
Normally I build necks with a straight head and tappered from about 40mm at the point where the head meets the neck to 50mm at the tail. However I have scarfed heads on at an angle an it is not very difficult. If you want the head to be wider than the neck simply glue on "cheeks" to the head.
Andrew is right. To my eye the 1/3 distance for the bridge looks botter and gives better overall size ratios.
He's right about the tensions and all, the rest of us just didn't go into that much detail.
BUT, I wouldn't use the threaded rod as a truss rod as is. It can be used to make a truss rod, but there are some mechanics to consider. Google that and I'm sure you'll find it.
Use the usual 1x2" oak from the big box hardware store. It's dressed down to 3/4x1.5" and it'll work fine for a necl on a 3 or 4 string. Just get a piece with nice long frain lines running the length.
Stop ANALyzing, get you a stick , a box, and some strings, and build yerself a guitar.
I'll start by saying I haven't built anything before let alone an instrument, but I have analyzed the crap out of the whole process. I've been designing one of these things myself.
What I've learnt is that you'll get maximum tone and volume by placing the bridge in the middle of the soundboard (face of the instrument). This just means that your right hand won't have as much space to pick and strum, and in order to preserve your scale length, your neck will stick out a bit further than most of these guys who prefer their bridge 1/3 from the back of the box. I wouldn't be too worried about the thickness of the face of the box. Most acoustic guitar sound boards are around 2.5 - 3mm thick. Then again, those are normally made from solid spruce, and your average guitar box is made out of ply.
As for the truss rod, as I understand it, it comes down to how much tension you intend to put on the neck, and how much tension your neck can take. If you're using something as hard as mahogony, only using about 3 or 4 strings, and the strings are a light guage, there's no way you'll need a truss rod. Then again, if you were building a six string with a soft neck wood and thick string gauge, you might want to consider one.
As for whether you go for adjustable or set, this will come down to just how anal you intend to get. Remember that the whole spirit of cbg building is to throw something together cheaply and simply to maximise fun and minimise design stress. If you do this and build one without a truss rod, at some point if the neck moves/bends/warps etc, just make another one. I intend to use some threaded rod from my local hardware store when I actually build mine. Then again, I don't even know how a proper adjustable truss rod is supposed to work let alone how to pick one out and install it in a guitar!!
Figuring all this stuff out seems to be half the fun. Welcome aboard, and enjoy the addiction.
Replies
Tracy Kennedy said:
And i've descided to make it 6 strings, in sympathetic couplets. That way i get a nice full tone but it'll play like a 3 string. (hopefully)
Dave Breault said:
Jonathan said:
something new every day...
He's right about the tensions and all, the rest of us just didn't go into that much detail.
BUT, I wouldn't use the threaded rod as a truss rod as is. It can be used to make a truss rod, but there are some mechanics to consider. Google that and I'm sure you'll find it.
Use the usual 1x2" oak from the big box hardware store. It's dressed down to 3/4x1.5" and it'll work fine for a necl on a 3 or 4 string. Just get a piece with nice long frain lines running the length.
Stop ANALyzing, get you a stick , a box, and some strings, and build yerself a guitar.
Matt
What I've learnt is that you'll get maximum tone and volume by placing the bridge in the middle of the soundboard (face of the instrument). This just means that your right hand won't have as much space to pick and strum, and in order to preserve your scale length, your neck will stick out a bit further than most of these guys who prefer their bridge 1/3 from the back of the box. I wouldn't be too worried about the thickness of the face of the box. Most acoustic guitar sound boards are around 2.5 - 3mm thick. Then again, those are normally made from solid spruce, and your average guitar box is made out of ply.
As for the truss rod, as I understand it, it comes down to how much tension you intend to put on the neck, and how much tension your neck can take. If you're using something as hard as mahogony, only using about 3 or 4 strings, and the strings are a light guage, there's no way you'll need a truss rod. Then again, if you were building a six string with a soft neck wood and thick string gauge, you might want to consider one.
As for whether you go for adjustable or set, this will come down to just how anal you intend to get. Remember that the whole spirit of cbg building is to throw something together cheaply and simply to maximise fun and minimise design stress. If you do this and build one without a truss rod, at some point if the neck moves/bends/warps etc, just make another one. I intend to use some threaded rod from my local hardware store when I actually build mine. Then again, I don't even know how a proper adjustable truss rod is supposed to work let alone how to pick one out and install it in a guitar!!
Figuring all this stuff out seems to be half the fun. Welcome aboard, and enjoy the addiction.
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