AGP #539 – “ADG”
3 String Fretted Cigar Box Guitar
Scale : 628.65mm / 24¾ inches
Strings : .042NW / .032NW / .024NW /
Tuned: A D G and G D g
I’m sure many other Cigar Box Guitar Utube followers of Tabs & Lessons, would be aware of an English Gent who goes under the name of Coda Tuition, I recently took an interest in a series of posts he done about using a pack of, DAddario Jazz Light Gauge Nickel Wound Strings, to obtain 4 different Standard Tunings from the one pack, and a EAD/EBe Tuned CBG from a pack of DAddario Regular Light Gauge Nickel Wound Strings, I didn’t use the actual DAddario Strings mentioned, but instead used the same Gauges from my plentiful supply C.B.Gitty Strings.
Instead of using one CBG and changing the Strings for each Tuning, I used 5 small cheap Cigar Boxes, that have been laying around in storage for a number of years.
All 5 Builds have a Single Coil Strat Type Ceramic Pickup of around 4k wired through Vol & Tone to the Output Jack.
3 of the builds have Poplar Necks and 2 have Radiata Pine Necks, all Fretboards are Merbau, all finished with a couple of coats of brushed on Garnett Shellac.
The first 4 builds are the same scale as Coda Tuition’s CBG, 24¾”, #541 is a 24” scale, owing to a bit of a Whoopsie, used the wrong side of my 24”/24¾” Scale Stick.
Have used the pick of the Bunch #539 as the main Pics, because it sounds the best to me, while the 2 heavier strung builds sound okay, the 2 lighter strung builds leave a lot to be desired.
Sorry about the long winded details, but if you consider it covers 5 Builds, I’m hoping people will understand. :-)
Comments
"Thanks Doug" as you can imagine with those Heavy Gauge DAd Strings, it does have a Bassier Tone than the GDg Build, but still sounds pretty good, will try and get comparison Video of them all done soon. :-)
Now that's a line up Alan! I'm curious about #540 with DAD tuning and how it sounds. It's interesting that you like GDG the best (a good compromise between bass and treble?) I recently restrung one of my chuggers with Flourocarbon fishing line with DA tuning (same low octaves). I know from experience that switching between DA and GD tuned CBGs is difficult for me, if I'm playing the same songs in the same key. Thanks for the details and the accompanying commentary.
I buy nearly all my Nickel Wound Strings from Gitty in individual Bulk Packs of 12, these 5 Builds worked out costing me on an average $6.34 AUD/$4.20 US, the cost of the strings would be cheaper of course in the US, as the overseas postage is nearly the same as the cost of the strings, the cheapest packs of Medium Guitar Strings in Aus is around $16, and would usually only use the 3 Nickel Wound Strings, and as you know I'm A bit of "Tight Ass", can buy cheaper packs of Chinese Strings, but they're very short :-)
Good strings, but pricey for a three. Does Gitty still sell packs of individual strings? I like the Musicians Gear strings from Musicians Friend. Perfectly good strings (six packs for standard tuning) for pretty cheap prices.