One of the things I thought we could do with this group is exchange information on sources of materials etc. I am a fairly recent convert to the world of CBGs so my experience is limited, but I'm sure we all have information that can help others. Even sharing experienced with components. 

 

So, to kick things off: 

 

Maplins. In almost every town that I know of. I have used their piezos, 1/4" jack output sockets and volume pots. For these they are cheaper than the best on eBay and comparing quality they seem better. I got an output jack from eBay and the tread was very badly formed to the extent that the nut didn't fit properly. They replaced it but the replacement wasn't great. The ones from Maplins have well cut threads and seem fine. Volume pots are also cheaper. I have compared the piezos with some other ones popular with the CBG makers and prefer the Maplin ones by a small margin. Again, they are cheaper. 

 

For tools and consumables Wilkinsons is good. Sand paper, steel wool, Danish Oil. All very cheap there. I got allen keys on a large keyring type thing which I think were 99p per set (could be wrong on that, but cheap anyway). So far the fit seems fine and they are strong enough. I got a set in imperial and in metric. 

 

Just a thought that I had the other day, and someone may be able to confirm or squash this. Finding cigar boxes. Some clubs (golf clubs, cricket clubs, gentlemen's clubs) sell cigars. What do they do with the boxes? This has only just occurred to me but I wonder if anyone else has tried this as a source and did it pay off. 

 

OK. That's all I have at the moment.

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We have no cricket clubs in Eugene, OR.

You can no longer smoke in Oregon bars (nor in English ones, eh?) so just about the only place you can buy cigars is at a tobacconist. You see them at our off-license (Yanks call them liquor stores), but they sell so few they rarely have empty boxes.But I DO know some tobacconists who sell piles of cigars, so I buy from them.

Yes. I think you're right. Would golfers smoke on the course between bouts of ball whacking? I don't know, but I was probably barking up the wrong tree. Any other thoughts welcome.

Alan Roberts said:

We have no cricket clubs in Eugene, OR.

You can no longer smoke in Oregon bars (nor in English ones, eh?) so just about the only place you can buy cigars is at a tobacconist. You see them at our off-license (Yanks call them liquor stores), but they sell so few they rarely have empty boxes.But I DO know some tobacconists who sell piles of cigars, so I buy from them.

HERE'S a thought: Heathrow! Or any other duty-free shop center. I bet they sell LOADS of cigars. You would have to be making an international flight to buy a cigar, but what about the boxes?

 


John Maw a.k.a. Roadkill said:

Yes. I think you're right. Would golfers smoke on the course between bouts of ball whacking? I don't know, but I was probably barking up the wrong tree. Any other thoughts welcome.


Picked some more wood up from Mr Thornton's woodshop in Bushey this morning, four 35 inch lengths of 3/4" x 1 1/2" American Oak perfectly planed to size for 30 quid (-:

 

He's still cutting American Oak and will supply anyone who wants this size or other but still finds it puzzling how a guitar can be made from a cigar box...will take one along to show him next time!

 

.

I got a couple of boxes from a wine shop. They sell cigars as a complimentary line. The nicest (prettiest) ones were rather small. I am using a small squarish Cohiba one for storage and a Hoyo de Monterrey for storage and as a foot stool when playing the guitar.

Alan Roberts said:

We have no cricket clubs in Eugene, OR.

You can no longer smoke in Oregon bars (nor in English ones, eh?) so just about the only place you can buy cigars is at a tobacconist. You see them at our off-license (Yanks call them liquor stores), but they sell so few they rarely have empty boxes.But I DO know some tobacconists who sell piles of cigars, so I buy from them.

Maybe you can get him interested in the site. He might even want to advertise. Sounds like you found a good source. I am trying to limit myself to reclaimed wood (and a friend gave me the most enormous bit of mahogany which I will cut when the weather gets warmer - 5'x10"x3"), but I might need to buy new at some time in the future.

Steve Trowbridge said:

Picked some more wood up from Mr Thornton's woodshop in Bushey this morning, four 35 inch lengths of 3/4" x 1 1/2" American Oak perfectly planed to size for 30 quid (-:

 

He's still cutting American Oak and will supply anyone who wants this size or other but still finds it puzzling how a guitar can be made from a cigar box...will take one along to show him next time!

 

.

Has anyone had any success at any of London's flea markets? Here is a link to some of them (although many on the list are not suitable and some are food markets), but I've not tried any for CBG materials. I suppose the other option is car boot sales. There is one near to me that I have never been to (how much stolen property does one man need?) but I might go and see if there is any potential there. I think mentioned house clearance firms (ask for old furniture that is too badly damaged to sell normally but has some worthwhile pieces of wood) a elsewhere. I contacted one but haven't yet had anything from them. Must drop in when I am next passing, just to remind them.

yes john, i use maplins, also glean wood from old furniture, we have a community shop nearby,(20 miles)it's shared between several groups, each having it for a few weeks in turn. when the current group get to the end of their period they are glad to sell very cheaply.they seemed a bit puzzled when i broke it up to get in the car.

I tried the local car boot sale today. There is a very large one in Denham but I've never been before. Trouble is I'm not well suited to that sort of thing. I'm not a natural shopper and buyer fatigue set in before I had got a quarter of the way round and I'm sure I must have passed by lots of worthwhile things. I did see some scruffy old furniture that might have been useful for wood but I don't have any idea what I would have paid.

Any tips on what sort of thing to look out for would be welcome. Other people seem to get interesting things at these events. I must have an attitude problem. I will go again though and see if I get better at spotting the hidden gems.

john, try auction rooms,not the posh ones,some really tatty furniture goes for a couple of quid,also if not sold it's discarded,you may have to hover around at the end of the sale, but it can pay off. good hunting ...don't be scared to ask,and don't offer a lot, you'll soon find out what they're hoping for-

There is an auction room in Chatham that sometimes has a £2 specials with tat in a box on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The boxes can sometimes be useful for amps and stuff. You may even be lucky and get a few old cigar boxes.

Daz.

Anyone know of any good sources in the northeast part of town. I occasionally have reason to be in the Walthamstow area. Back when I lived in that neck of the woods there used to be an old fashioned hardware store on Lea Bridge Road where they had shelves and boxes full of seemingly random junk but sadly it closed some years ago.
I guess a lot of my favourite bits of east London have been purged of anything old and eccentric in the name of the almighty 2012 Olympic project.

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