Youth CBG

Hi all,

I'm a new builder in Pittsburgh, PA. I just ordered a box and some tuners last night. I'm doing this partly because it seems like a lot of fun and partly for my seven-year-old son. He is hot to learn to play guitar, but my beat-up old acoustic is just too big for him. He'll sit for hours with it on his lap plucking away, but he isn't going to be able to learn too much that way. I don't have a lot of cash to invest in something that may be a passing fad, but $20 and some time I can handle. Plus, I figure I'll get some practice in before making one for myself ;)

So are there any guides out there for scaling down a CBG for a kid? I did try to search around a bit, but this is all pretty new to me and there seems to be so much info out there that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I want to make sure I build him one that has proper frets so he can start learning notes and chords and have knowledge that will carry over when he is big enough for a "proper" acoustic. Unless of course he decides he wants to stick with CBGs. I appreciate any pointers or advice anyone has to share. I have visions of this being a great way for us to bond over both building and playing, so I really want to get this right.

Aaron

Replies

wormil September 1, 2014 at 1:00am

I made one with a 22" scale, it would be perfect size for all but the smallest children.
Aaron Tobul August 29, 2014 at 4:44pm

Thanks folks. I haven't started on anything yet. Those links look like just what I need Skeesix, thanks!

I am not sure he would like a kid, but I sure would! I love hawaiian music. Seems like I found my second build.

Aaron
- Richey Kay > Aaron Tobul August 30, 2014 at 2:40am
  
  Hi Aaron,
  
  I made a couple of these last year, which are kinda like a cross between a Uke and a Dulcimer...
  
  Effectively they have a Ukulele scale (Soprano 13") but just 3 nylon strings with diatonic fretting. I made one for my daughter and one for a friend's, both of whom were under 2 at the time and they had lots of fun with them. My thinking was these are a good first instrument as there are very few 'wrong' notes, and it's very easy to pick out a melody on the top string and play the other two as drones. You could easily scale it up for your boy though.
  
  I have the plans somewhere, let me know if you would like them.
  - Aaron Tobul > Richey Kay August 30, 2014 at 9:57am
    
    Richey,
    
    That looks like a great beginner instrument. I would love the plans if you have them. Thanks!
    
    Aaron
    - Richey Kay > Aaron Tobul August 30, 2014 at 9:59am
      
      Cool. I'll dig them out when I get home.
- Aaron Tobul > Aaron Tobul August 29, 2014 at 6:46pm
  
  Err...that "kid" should be "uke". Danged auto-UN-correct.
Matthew Borczon August 29, 2014 at 2:43pm

why not build him a ukulele instead. Short scale, 15 inches for a concert size. The frets can be make from toothpicks since the strings are nylon so no real learning curve there. Also you can find tuners really cheap on ebay. I just got 4 of them for under 2 dollars. There are some really good free plans out there as well. Just google cigar box ukulele or check the plans section here.
Skeesix August 29, 2014 at 2:34pm

Here's a nice article I found on what scale lengths work for kids. http://guitardreams.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/kids-electric-guitars/

They're saying for a child your son's age, something in the neighborhood of 22.2". The scale length is the length of the vibrating string - so it's the length from the nut to the bridge. The actual guitar will be longer than that.

So just build a regular style cigar box guitar, except the neck is shorter. There is a scale length calculator here: http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator

Practice installing frets on the some scrap wood first to get the feel of it.
Ryan Turner August 29, 2014 at 2:32pm

Have you built your neck and attached to the box yet? You might find the regular size and scale is fine for him

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