Hi everyone.
Got to say that I'm so delighted to have found CBN .. what a great resource! Then I must add that I know virtually nothing of music & guitars. But that doesn't seemed to have dampened my enthusiasm in giving this a go.
As mentioned, this is my first effort and it is not without issues. First I'll layout what I've done ... and then the end result. I kept reading that there are no rules, so I took some ideas from a book or two, some google searches and of course from CBN.
I had a piece of walnut laying around so I used that for the neck (30"). Installed Acoustic med. Open G strings-GBD/GBE. The nut is 5/16" bolt and approx. 1/2 of it sits above the neck. The height of the strings are 1/8" over the first fret and increases to about 3/8" at the end of the neck. (somehow I think this not correct) The bridge is 1/4" and not fixed to the box.. I installed supports at either end of the box to cradle the neck and I glued all pieces together. (supports, neck & box) From a visual aspect I probably should have extended the frets right to the end.
My wife plays the piano so I enlisted her help in the tuning process. As mentioned I know 'not much', but my understanding is that the top string is tuned G and so on. To match the tune to the piano we really had to tighten the strings alot ... to what I think is probably to tight. (is that possible?) It has a fairly muted volume when strumming ... would larger or different placement of sound hole increase the volume?
So that's pretty much it .... so please feel free to critique, good or bad!
thanks so much, Dirk
Replies
I know your asking for critiques but, I'm sorry, I just can't criticize that. Well done!!
Congrats on your first build as above I would go with the advice of bracing the neck and always keep this advice with your future builds . Enjoy the fun .
Keep in mind that cbg style builds are not acoustic master pieces. They have small and unsophisticated sound boxes.
And sure enough, some boxes/builds are better than others. But, you won't ever get one to be the equivalent of a Martin dreadnought.
Peizo for volume, like Mad Gomer said.
How many inches from the nut to the bridge?
First of all, congratulations on your first build and welcome to the addiction! I'm sure you will get great feedback from better builders than me but I'll offer some thoughts.
Based on your comments about string heights i suspect your neck may be bowing under string tension. Check that with a straightedge of some sort. Is there any room inside the box to add reinforcement to the backside of the neck, maybe even extending it a bit out of the headstock end of the box? I've done that on a couple with good results, especially when I have a relatively long scale length and no extra fretboard to add stiffness. As for the muted sound, some boxes just don't have good acoustics and need to have a pickup added to make them better. In a build like yours a simple disc piezo is a good choice. Also, do you have any relief cut in the neck below the box lid to allow the lid to vibrate? On mine I typically have about three quarters of an inch of the neck supporting the lid on either end, with about a sixteenth of an inch of neck removed between those points so the lid can vibrate. Works well but ivI' also started with boxes which had pretty good tone based on my highly unsophisticated tap test. Overall though, be proud, you're off to a good start!
Thank you so much MadGomer.
As per your thoughts, I've used a carpenters square to check the neck and there is a definite bow to it. Enough so that it easily explains the increase of string height. For adding the reinforcement you mention, would 1/2" or of hardwood suffice for that. (I get what you say about extending it out of the box) I did use walnut for the neck .... would maple or red oak result in a more stable platform.
I took great pains when I cut the neck for the box lid to fit that it was a flush fit, also used 3/4" supports on either end of the box. But I guess I pretty much killed any chance of vibration when I glued the lid to the neck. Didn't think that part thru very well! ! Great suggestion on the pickup, I will definitely add that next build. Would a cigar box that is not covered in paper offer more tone & volume than a box that is papered?
Since my original post I've been doing further reading on the string tuning .... and I may not understand it as I first thought. As mentioned the strings I have are BDG/BDE. I read somewhere (can't relocate the source) that they should be tuned to GDG. Do the 3 strings correlate to the top 3 or bottom 3 of a standard acoustic guitar? Can someone point me in the right direction with this?
Gus K - The bridge is 25" from the nut, but as mentioned it is not fixed down so I've been trying to move it to see if there is a change .... but not so much.
Thanks for the encouragement ..... I've got more boxes and more wood on hand so ready to give it another shot.
Lots of questions, eh?
Good videos from Gus on tuning, I'll leave that topic alone since he's got it well covered. A half inch of added material on the back of the neck will help a lot, especially if you grab a piece with the grain running across the 1/2" direction for some added stiffness. Wood boxes are more likely to have good acoustics than a paper box, but I've built a couple with paper that do just fine, so don't look at that as an absolute. Keep tinkering and asking questions, you learn stuff with each one.
Thank you gentlemen .... you've given me much to work with. I'll start that tinkering next week and see where it leads me.
cheers, Dirk
At 25" you should have no problems tuning to GBG. FWIW that's called 1-5-1 tuning. So if you wanted a deeper sound that would translate to EBE.
" Do the 3 strings correlate to the top 3 or bottom 3 of a standard acoustic guitar?" Neither, starting with the low string most use the 5th,4th, and 3rd string. This video should help. You can tune yours from it. It would be a good idea to fiddle with your bridge till you get your intonation correct (using the 12th fret), that usually entails slanting your bridge so the low side is farther from the nut.
"would 1/2" or of hardwood suffice for that', that's not enough, you should have at least 3/4" for a 3 string.
If your neck is bowing under string tension maybe EBE (less tension) is the way to go.