I’m writing for your opinions about what type of boxes you use for your guitars. Do any of you use particleboard/fiber board boxes? Or do you only stick to boxes that are made of solid wood? Does anybody use Romeo and Juliet’s? Seems to me they’re fiber Board. Anyway, I’m working under the general idea that a solid wood box is going to be more resonant. But I don’t know all the other things to consider so I would like to tap in to your experience and millions of builds you’ve all done. I’ve made less than 15 so my database is pretty small.Thanks.
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That’s what I like about the Gittygang show, it’s not just about the music.
Unlike some here I have noticed a difference in 'real' Tonewood, Plywood and Masonite-but not very much. Also, there are often differences in both quality of material and in thicknesses of wood all of which can vary from box to box.
I have been experimenting lately with cheap plywood kids' Gits off Ebay, reinforcing or replacing the necks and replacing the Plywood faces with braced Basswood-the difference is actually quite astonishing. The Cigar boxes 0f Cedar Ply sound nice enough as is, though I've found that an inverted 'T' microbrace (bamboo chopstick or craft wood less than 1/3" wide and 1/8" tall) seems to really focus the sound a bit, as do Club or Strad style 'F' holes IMHO...again, mileage varies as per body...
As far as really thick 'real' wood, super-cheap Plywood and any Masonite go...i've been removing any offending paper inside, sealing up the pores with multiple coats of Spar varnish or even Epoxy for a more even echo, and using those for Resonators (film can, cookie tin lid or bottom, paint can lid/bottom etc). Sealing up any pores/voids definitely gives a better Dobro/metal body ring, where as the high quality laminates and braced Tonewood is definitely both fuller and warmer to my ears...
Naturally I am making sweeping generalizations that don't include:
Type of Nut and Bridge
Placement of Bridge
Size of Box or
Type of String (Gut vs Flourocarbon vs Silk-steel vs Nylgut vs Bronze-wound vs Electric vs Dulcimer Ad Nauseum...)
So as others before me have commented, just build what you want and play with it until it sounds good to you. Heck, if Uncle Crow can put a Stick on a Box with Bolts fore and aft, with Wingnut tuners and get the awesome sounds he does out of said instrument, then truly there are no wrong builds.
Some people in the past have used old books, like dictionaries and the like.
Here’s a video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttK09vKLOZI&list=PLyuUgT9WbK9iP...
Something else to think about is where your bridge is placed on the box, it will vibrate differently, depending on how close it is to the end of the box. If you look at conventional guitars, the bridge is placed quite a bit from the end for a good reason, volume & resonance?
Thanks a lot! I just watched the video and it pretty much put that question out of my head! Great video and thanks again!