Hello all! Longtime lurker, first time poster here. I don't know why it took me so long to join, but better late than never, right?
So, a little about me. I was stumbling around YouTube a few years ago and saw a crazy contraption called a cigar box guitar. I now! Crazy, right? I HAD to build one and I ordered Jelly Belly's Stick, Box, and String video. Fast forward to today and I've build 5 or 6 now and am now starting to tinker with amps too. My latest build is an Underwood box. I have built it and been playing it acousticly, but I just bought a 3 pole Electric Delta single coil kit from CBGitty for it and will install it soon. I also built a little practice amp out of another Underwood box using CBGitty's 2.5 watt practice amp kit so I have a matching guit and amp. I can't wait to rig it up. I also built a matching Arturo Fuente guitar and amp with the same amp board recently but used a disk piezo in it.
I guess that's enough for now. I will be posting pics of builds past, present and future as soon as I figure out how to post pics to this forum.
Special thanks to Shane Speal for giving me the itch to build when I saw his videos on YouTube a few years ago. That's what sent me down this path. Also, thanks to Glen Watt for his excellent series of How-To videos on YouTube. Those videos gave me the courage to make scarf joint necks and to regular pickups in them.
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That solves how to anchor the strings on my upcoming tin builds :D So many great ideas here!
I'm just fascinated and excited with this stuff!. Spent an hour and a half talking with the computer tech guy at my job tonight about building these guitars. So far all my questions have been answered just by looking around as most have already been asked and answered by others, as well as thinking things through myself since there's really no rules to building these. I do have some questions about building a 4 string bass neck, I like to push my luck haha. I'll look around a bit and start a thread if needed when I start that build. It's going to be an old acoustic with a broken neck converted to an acoustic bass, I have a large chunk of maple left for the neck, I just need to think about how I want to attach it to the body, design wise. It was free so if it's a failed experiment it will be a fun learning experience anyway. I'll try to document all I do for future reference for others.I think I know what to do. Half the fun is improvising and using stuff that's readily on hand. Loving the pictures of everyone's builds! My first was very basic, now I'm inspired to try so many different things after seeing so many great ideas! I especially love the spoon for a string anchor. Looking like a trip to the local flea market is in order. as well as picking up some tightbond glue. So far I've been using Elmers wood glue for gluing braces onto the backs of necks. Scarf joints! I have to try that! I like the angled headstocks and the idea of adding wings.
Burt, my garage is littered with just as many failed experiments as success stories. I have successfully built CBG's, designed and built wood canoes,, built a 74 AMC AMX, a few Jeeps, a couple motorcycles, designed and built R/C airplanes, etc.
I have failed miserably at building a strip built canoe, boat cradle, other R/C airplanes, I never finished that stroker 383 motor and sold it to a friend to finish, another chopper that I didn't have time to finish, and multiple other projects that are "half built"
If you never try, you can never achieve anything. Bite off more than you can chew. Attempt things that are out of your element and comfort zone. If you don't stretch your legs, you'll never learn and achieve anything. Just go for it. Build that bass. What's the worst that can happen? You may fail at it, but you WILL learn some new stuff along the way that will help on your next project.
Best way to learn new things! Just jump right in and try, can't say you never tried if they fail and I'm using mostly scavenged material. :D The acoustic was very cheap and has sat in my closet for a couple years, just trying to figure out what to do with it. I can buy a new neck for about $50 but there's no guarantee I can fix it that way. I have a nice maple piece left over from a scavenged dresser top I cut up for CBG necks (been quite a fun crash course in building them!) I know I can make a bass, saw a great video yesterday here where a guy used some hemlock. If it fails I'm out nothing and gain knowledge so it's win win. I'm thinking the same idea as the neck through the body design as the acoustic body would probably fold under the tension otherwise. I'll share pics when I start. I'm currently working on a couple cbgs, one electric, just wired the electronics yesterday out of scavenged parts from work on one of my six strings, and two more acoustic cgbs, one getting a piezo maybe two wired to seperate input jacks to be able to route it to seperate fx channels at the same time, then like 8 more necks all cut, ready for sanding. Made a fretboard today, mostly anyway, another fun crash course, seems to have come out well, I will know when I attach it to a cgb, temporalily at first. It's just a test one to start with to make sure I got it right. I copied the fret positions from another guitar at the same scale. I tried W fret but up to 12th fret they were off. I have 2 other bought basses I can use for reference as far as scale and fret positions. There's just something about building and playing your own instruments! Next I'll try a really nice full sized guitar. I have 2 necks just hanging around looking for a homemade body to go on. I was thinking maybe an electric violin at some point hahaha Building amps and stuff looks fascinating! When I learn everything needed I can try to scavenge most of it. Great things come from experiments unless of course your making monsters with genetic experiments and they get loose!
Man That Is Crazy Cool!!!! I love that Bent Triangle sound hole over the lion Awesome!
how ironic, I am just starting my next build and am going to use a Gitty Electric Delta pick up w/ harness V/T set up and was doing research to confirm how I will secure the pick up. Anyway, the ironic part is I came across this picture of yours and I am using the same box for my build as pictured here. Nice big box. I wanted to put f holes on each side, but not sure if there will be enough room. This specific box is only the second time I have seen one. Best wishes.
Matching Underwood 3 string and amp. It's my first raked back scarf joint neck. The side pieces were some scrap I had left over from making some whistles for all my friends kids. I kinda copied the look of Rickenbacker guitars for the sound hole and headstock shape. Just took the guitar apart to install a 3 pole Electric Delta pickup with tone and volume. Still trying to figure out the install on that pickup since no instructions came with it and no video on YouTube for it. I'm sure I can cypher it out though.
I think I'm making these pictures too big. How do I size them?
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