Hey Y'all,
Greetings from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC. I'm a newbie interested in building a Cigar Box Fiddle. My Mama told me recently that my Great-Grandfather made and played a homemade fiddle, back in the day, barn dances and taverns and all that. I "saw" on a fiddle some, I'm not any good at it, but it's fun. I actually play guitar and piano, but there's something I really like about the fiddle, whether I can play it or not. Anyway, sweet Wife bought me a scroll saw for Christmas, been wondering "what to build, what to build?" Figured I would try to make a fiddle. So, I ordered a few cigar boxes from Ebay (although I think they might be too small), some uke pegs, a tail piece, some strings. I'm looking forward to sawing some wood - I will need some help from you all, too. Then we'll make some music!
Al Lyons
Replies
Yes, much more of a challenge than building a guitar, that is for sure! It helps that you play fiddle a bit already, you know what you are looking for in terms of angles and dimensions! Post photos as you go along, I'd love to see your progress!
Good luck and have fun with it. I built one and found it very challenging, but lots of fun to play once completed. Check out my "cigar box violin" album ... it might help you along the way with some ideas.