Hi everyone,

I've just joined and have to say I'm thrilled to be a new member of this fantastic community....thanks for having me!

I've played 'conventional' guitars, both electric and acoustic, for over 46 years now, many of which were spent working as a pro playing all kinds of different styles, live and recording. I also enjoy playing Ukulele, Bass, and a little Drums and Keyboards. Going back a while, I co-ran a music course at a big inner city college for 14 years which I designed the guitar syllabus for, and was for a time the national guitar co-ordinator for the company behind it.

I've also built and worked on lots of guitars over the years, including a great deal of set-up and repair work, and I've also taught classes on the subject, so when I discovered CBG's it was all very interesting and exciting to me!!

It all came together when I very recently got my hands on one of the 'over the counter' "Blues Box Guitar" kits (see my profile pic) and I haven't been able to put it down since! In fact, I've just done a small modification already, adding some chrome corner protectors to the box....well, it IS only cardboard!!!! A humble start for sure, but I'm going to build my first CBG just as soon as I've found the right cigar box....the hunt is on!!! 

I also recently bought copies of the superb 'Cigar Box Guitars' and 'Obsession With Cigar Box Guitars' books by David Sutton, along with a copy of 'Handmade Music Factory' by Mike Orr, all of which have filled me with lots of inspiration and ideas for what I'm going to make. 

I find the whole ethos of CBG's a huge breath of fresh air, and love the idea of getting back to the roots of it all, and especially the notion that they can empower EVERYONE to make music and join in. I think that is a very special thing indeed, and I am delighted to have found this wonderful website/resource in order to share in it all.

Well, that's me, and I thought I'd add a couple of pics before signing off, for now. The first is of one my conventional guitars, by way of showing you all one of my completed projects. It's a 1960 Gibson SG Junior, which I rescued from a rubbish bin (....I know....!!) neigh on 40 years ago now. I had my work cut out to get it to this, but it was so worth it! The body was cracked, covered in red nail varnish (!), and it was a real mess. I refinished it 'relic' style, and made the scratch plate including carving the 30 degree bevel on the edges for the correct vintage look, along with lots of other jobs it needed to fix it all up again. Next is my beautiful little Kala Tenor Ukulele, and finally my Blues Box 3 string CBG that I mentioned earlier.

I can't wait to get stuck in and look forward to sharing the results of my very first 'proper' CBG project real soon.

Best wishes to all, 

Brian Thompson.

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