Howdy, I am in charge of a church youth group (6 11-13 year old boys). Looking for the simplest plans possible to give them an introduction to building instruments.
Hoping for something that can be done in 1.5 hours (by those with little to no
Read more…Howdy. I have had a lot of luck with getting cb Ukes to sound VERY good. Not so much with a cb Fiddle yet. Any plans (or simple screenshots) of cb fiddles that had a decent sound? Thanks!
Read more…Howdy. Curious what kind of wood wine boxes are typically made of. Looks like common cedar to me. Any guesses? If it is cedar I plan on planing it down and using it for a flat-top mandolin.
Curious to hear how yall shape your necks? I usually use the bandsaw to get a rough shape, then smooth it out on the sander. I would use hand tools, but have wrist problems. Any router users out there (table or hand held router)?
Read more…Howdy. Been building for a few years now. I was recently approached by a summer camp director at a local children's museum. She was wondering if I could help the kids learn how to build an instrument. They don't have a lot of money nor do they have a
Read more…Howdy. Anyone have experience with making license plate ukuleles? Specifically using nylon strings? It seems to me like they wouldn't sound very good on metal (or provide much sound at all).. Anyone have experience with this?
THANKS!
Read more…Which of the two do you own/use the most? Looking to buy one, not both, so want you suggestions on which is more necessary in your builds, and what specifically do you use if for?? Thanks !!!
Read more…Howdy. So I have built a handful of cigar box mandos, Ukes, guitars, banjos, and even fiddles. I have also put together a few Mando kits. I am ready to tryout my own scratch build (I think I will go for a uke first). I have power tools including a 9
Read more…Howdy. As of late I have been making my 3 stringed fretted guitars using red oak for the neck, and a smaller strip for the fretboard. If I were to switch out the neck with poplar, while still keeping the oak fretboard would it be strong enough to r
Read more…I have built a few Ukes using a single piece of poplar or oak for the neck, adding the frets directly to the neck and not adding an extra thinner piece for a fretboard. I have not had any problems with neck bending while doing this. Has anyone down t
Read more…Question regarding Shellac: I applied and let it sit for the time recommended on the instructions. However, When I sanded after letting it dry it left a white film over the wood, especially in the grains (red oak). What should I be doing differen
Read more…Ladies and Gents. As of now I have done all of my un-electrified cb Ukes by attaching the neck. They are plenty loud and sound great. Has anyone heard a comparison of a uke with a through body neck vs attached? I find through-neck easier to build, bu
Read more…Well, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and get myself a dremel tool (i went through 3 rotary tools at HF, burning out all 3 before finally giving up (thank goodness for their 90 day return policy).. I dont want to break the bank by any mean
Read more…Howdy. As of late I have been building a lot of ukes. I have been flipping the box over, using the backside of the box as my soundboard, and attaching the neck, leaving the box empty . I am curious how much doing a through-neck design will alter (
Read more…What do y'all use to cut your f holes? I have used a big rotary blade attached to a drill but am looking for something less aggressive. Any recommendations?
Read more…Ladies and gents. Thinking of my next few builds. For a tenor banjo do y'all prefer a wooden box or a cookie tin (or option 3 is a license plate for the sound board and wood for the back). Question 2. For the license plate concept do I need to inclu
Read more…Any tips or tricks for increasing the acoustic volume on a cb mandolin? I am using a metal bolt for the bridge. Would a hardwood bridge help? If so, is it better to have it thicker or thinner? Also. I have a through neck design that was glued onto th
Read more…Hey, New to CBG. I have made a couple so far. I have a question regarding amps. I currently make my own pickups (simple piezo).The amp that I use is a cheap, small, FIRST ACT amp that runs off of 9 v batteries. The setup works very well for the g
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