I am looking to build a couple cigar box guitars for the first time. I am looking to build a simple base (standard) acoustic guitar first, then I would like to try to build a resonator model. Is this too much for a first timer. I have become obsessed with building some three string CBG's so I can then learn to play. I've worked with steel most of my life as a mold maker and now I want to try my hand at wood working with these cigar box guitars.
Any advice for a first timer would be appreciated.
Brian Geisel
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This is my first ever build at roughly the fifty percent stage. Still have to stain the neckm add the hardware and the piezo pick up. I don't have a table saw or router, so all the cut outs were by saw, chisel, plane and sand paper. It is for sure a labor of love. I am getting excited seeing it start to come together.
Looking good!
John, (or anyone that would like to add to the conversation)
does it hurt having a sound hole in your CBG if you add a pick up to it? Will it sound different with a hole in the box versus none? I've seen many examples of boxes having a sound hole along with a piezo pick up. I am working on a diddley bow that I want a pick up, but I need to know if adding a sound hole will take away from the quality of the sound? I would like to play acoustic from time to time as well.
Any thoughts?
Hey Brian, I usually build mine complete without sound holes, string them up and play them, THEN add sound holes. To my ears sound holes are mostly cosmetic and make no or only a subtle difference. I do believe the holes should be kept relatively small. The box is pretty small to begin with and if your sound holes are too big you don't have as much top left to vibrate. I'm talking acoustic sound of course. I can't see where sound holes will affect your amplified sound at all. I'm certainly no expert and all this is just my opinion based on my experiences.
Nice catch, Don...I missed that question!
IMHO, a sound hole does change the acoustic volume, I have done both. . . Rule #1 about Cigar Box Guitars: There is no rule #1.
I am self taught. I learned from my mistakes.
Here is how I orient tuners on a 4 string. This way prevents interference between the tuner knob and your hand when playing the #1 fret.
Thanks Mad,
And Brian- you don't need to know what string trees are because you don't need them. They are useful for poorly designed headstocks. (My humble opinion).
Gary,
Point taken on the string trees. Nice work on the head stock. Can't wait to start on my box.
Brian
Brian,
Here is the headstock scarf joint I use. I found it on Youtube when building my first CBG. It is pretty simple, WILL NOT FAIL, The glue surface area is very large. Make the cut with a table saw or band saw if you can find one. I have done them with a hand saw, but it is a lot of work and you get a messy cut. No matter, you glue the factory edges together and sand down the outside surfaces. The headstock needs to be made thinner anyway to get the tuners to come through enough to get strings on them.
Next you put "ears" on the sides to widen the headstock.
Drilling for the tuners is very tricky. You must be very serene when doing this. Be sure to drill from the top and beware of drill bit blow out at the bottom. Do your best to keep the drill perpendicular to the top if using a hand drill. The tuners must be outboard far enough that there is clearance for the tuning knobs. I make the upper tuners just slightly closer together than the bottom ones. That way, upper strings don't rub on lower tuners.
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