Back Porch Mojo on StewMac
Just thought I'd bring attention to the banner at the top of the StewMac homepage. Good to see a box on there...
Read more…Ben's Discussions (22)
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Possible Marketing Opportunity
So I know that most of us have been driven here by the maddening boredom of big stores like Guitar Center. Now normally, they have a weekly sale that is supposedly 1.2 million times better than the previous week's sale. This week's commercial caught
Read more…Easy Introduction To Hide Glue
So maybe you're like me...you started building these Cigar Box instruments but have also branched out into other areas of instrument making/repair. You quickly learned that in order to do it "right" you need to figure out this whole hide glue thing.
Read more…"How To" Videos
Hello Nation,
As some of you know, I am an instrumental music teacher in Maryland as well as a CBG builder and player. I have recently entered 3 videos in an Instructional Technology competition. They are representative of what I do as a music teache
Read more…Anyone Know Who Built This?
My buddy Yahnatan (you can sometimes find him playing in my videos) caught this CB Instrument (looks like a Uke) at about 1:45. Anyone here build it? Is Stephin Merritt on this site?
Perplexing Situation
So I just got a 30s-40s Supertone. From some preliminary research, I believe it is the 220 model - the 3/4 model of the 219 (which is the standard version of the "Gene Autry" - 216) which was produced in 1941. I haven't been able to find a picture of
Read more…I Survived the Great DC Quake of 2010
OK...so maybe it can't be considered a "great" quake. I know its a bit morbid, but an earthquake was on my "life list" of things to experience. Just so we can keep it music-related...your random 3.6 earthquake is a great reason to keep you guitars i
Read more…Donors Choose
Hey Nation,
For any of you that don't know me, I've been a member of CBN for a bit over a year now and love this place and the people here. I realize that many of us are drawn toward these instruments for their thriftiness and possibly our lack of fu
Read more…Drill bit blank
I know that a lot of people on here have seen the o'brien guitars tip du jour on making a drill press router. Has anybody here tried it? Also, he uses drill bit blank stock for the router. Does anybody know of a good source for this? I was hoping I c
Read more…Christmas came 25 days early!
I got home today to see a nice plump package sitting by my door. My Black and Tan Special! Very exciting to get it so quickly! I'm sure there will be many videos/pics of people wearing their shirts on here...
Read more…Tin Box Guitar
Hi there, I've made a few CBGs but just got my hands on an excellent, large, rectangular tin that is begging to become a guitar. I was just wondering what, if anything people did as structural support in these things. Its as solid as your average tin
Read more…Resonator Sound Well Depth
I'm planning my first reso build and was wondering about the depth of the sound well. Should I make it so that the top of the cone is where the top of the box is? Is there some compression of the cone or anything when the tension from the strings is
Read more…Multipup solution?
I know in the past there have been some discussions about how to blend an electro-mag pup and a piezo. Usually we go towards the switches but those of us who have tried that have found that while we get some interesting variations, its not really wha
Read more…Scale Lengths, etc. Group
I just started a new group for all things related to Scale Lengths, String Gauges, and how it all relates to tuning. It seems like with so many new people showing up, it's a pretty frequent theme on the forum. Check it out, leave a tip, join up...
Read more…Romeo Y Julieta
If any of you out there ever enjoy an occasional cigar I though you might be interested in this. They are offering a 4-pack sampler for $7.95 (That's $5 for the cigars and $2.95 for shipping). Its a pretty good deal but be advised that it'll take 6-8
Read more…Weedwacker Bass Questions
So I've been toying with the idea of building a CBBG with weedwacker strings. I know that I've seen a few of them around on here but have mostly been photos without too much info. Does anyone have any recommendations on string diameter and scale leng
Read more…Questions about Microphonics
I'm a little unclear about what Microphonics are exactly although I see plenty of discussion about them. Are they just the "feedback" you get from a piezo transducer? I also picked up a thread where people were encasing them in 3M silicone. Does this
Read more…Tenor Tuning
Hey everyone, I got my latest edition of "Acoustic Guitar" or whatever its called and the cover was Neko Case sporting an old Tenor guitar. I've had a recent interests in them so this caught my eye. I guess I was wondering if anyone out there tunes t
Read more…Pup Winding
So I've been experimenting with some different styles of wrapping pickups and have a question I'd like to throw out to the group. I am not using ideal materials (all purchased at Radio Shack or Craft Stores). I guess maybe I should start by telling y
Read more…Deep Thoughts with Ben
So I'm working on my first CBG and there are a few things I'd like to flesh out on here if anyone would like to help. The first thing is that I've got a maple neck I'm working with. I finally got the portion under the soundboard down to the level I w
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