Steel (4)

So many questions...I'm thinking of building something that resembles a miniature lap steel guitar . Here's what I'm thinking -

* 6 string instrument tuned open D 

* very short scale length (roundabouts a concert/tenor ukulele size - around 23 - 26"

* no electrics, just a deep resonator box made from very thin plywood.

It's more of an experiment than anything else but I'm really stuck with what gauge strings to use. I've always used medium-light strings on my guitars but would these still be too heavy for such a small instrument? Would I have to use ukulele or classical guitar nylon strings to get the right tension without snapping the thing in half?

My thinking is that steel strings are better at sustaining the note played on them than nylon - especially important with a small acoustic instrument.

Am I mad or is this imaginary instrument do-able? :P

If anyone could share any insight on any of this I'd be very very grateful!!

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I have never build a Cigar Box Guitar!

Now, I am one of those people who has never build a cigar box guitar. Really!


imgp3164_orig.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710xThat's because I'm living on a lonesome hill in central Portugal and I just didn't find any cigar box here. Call me a "purist" but I do not want to buy a box or any other part for that matter. Not only because of the choice once made to go and live in a place where modern gadgets haven't set foot on the ground yet, but also because all penny's made are needed to get food on the table. No, I (we) am not a misfortunate person, it's a well thought over decision to give up on microwaves, dishwashers and other modern life convenient equipment, to be able to get more into the joy of living without the daily stress of bosses, managers and dress codes. That said, it doesn't mean I live without the normal luxury of daily life appliances like fridge, freezer, washing machine, etc. but why should I have a microwave if there are no "microwave ready-made meals" available and all food comes fresh from the land. Next, to that, I actually do like to have an outside shower under the 70-year-old bucket. So what does all that have to do with building homemade instruments you might think, well....


401546-2117013304692-618353596-n.jpg?1526201453&profile=RESIZE_710xWhen I was a teenager, and believe me, that was a long time ago, all kids were dancing at the sounds of Saturday Night Fever while I was listening to Robert Johnson and Barbecue Bob. I collected old records, lived completely in another world than my schoolmates and it turned out to be not just a childhood phase. Later on in life, I organized many blues festivals, produced a radio show for over 10 years and wrote for a blues magazine in the Netherlands.
377159-2122585483993-250817291-n.jpg?1526201426&profile=RESIZE_710xYou could say it's the only thing in life that kept a constant interest. At first, you believe the romantic stories about the string up a post of the porch being used as a bass, the washboard rhythm and yes, also the cigar box guitar. In fact, it's not romantic at all, is it? It's all about dark and hard times, about being poor and looking for solutions to overcome the lack of money. People made instruments with the items that were available for free, cigar boxes, washboards, tin cans, buckets and so on. The lucky ones bought a proper instrument the minute they could afford it. Which brings me to the way I build my instruments, finally...

9353915269?profile=originalNo, I can't compare myself with others, not with the ones that made instruments out of poverty, not with the luthiers in history that made beautiful works of art without the modern tools we have nowadays. I am this lucky guy with a 300-year-old workshop (which I rebuild from a ruin, but that's another story), living in a time where people throw so much good stuff away that it isn't hard to find the materials to build whatever you like to, I didn't find a cigar box yet though. A box is a box though and I like to recycle them into stringed instruments, that's why I call them RBG's (recycled box guitars).

9353915868?profile=originalAny box will do if it's not too small or too big. It's just that people throw away so many things that are usable in the process of making an instrument. At the moment there are 2 washing dryers, 2 dishwashers, a satellite dish and an old street light underneath the carport next to the workshop. The shop is nicely filled with all kinds of wood, donated by a local builder who saves up all usable pieces when he restores houses and calls me once a year to collect. I do make furniture, lamps and other items, rebuild or restore old Portuguese furniture (for a living), but I don't do new doors, windows or other structural builds and therefore I am no competition, that's why the builder doesn't mind giving me the wood.

9353916677?profile=originalMy goal is to buy as few things as possible. Not in a "purist" way, I will use old guitar parts (or new ones if I find them on a flea market or car boot sale) if they are available, but when not, then it's a nice challenge to make parts. I mostly make my own (Fado guitar style) tuners and frets. I guess I'm the one who started using little cigarillo boxes to hide the tuners and a few other "first time" features like a "wind ashtray" to make an "open or closed" soundhole. Most o my builds find a way to someone who actually has the talent to play. Next, to Coffee, it's an addiction that seems to be untreatable! 

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Steel drum resonators

Yesterday I spotted small cat/dog bowls in a nearby shop.. 

With a head full of 'resonators!' I grabbed one and flicked the bottom to hear the 'boing' .. What was I doing? I know nothing about them.. So I grabbed out my mobile phone, turned on my guitar tuner app and took a reading.. It took about 6 bowls until I got one that seemed to be a D..

I thought I might share this with you guys.. And then had another thought.. Post build.. Couldn't they be 'tuned' much like steel drums are tuned with dents and holes?  If they resonate.. Can't they be made to resonate at a desired frequency? 

I bought the D bowl anyway.. I might tinker with this idea when it gets used. 

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How to fit a non-adjustable 'truss rod'

I thought I would share a technique with you which I picked up from a great builder who is not a member CBN. I think you can argue that a 3 or 4 string CBG doesn't really need any additional neck strength, but I've  found myself making thinner necks recently, and I'd like to make sure they stand the test of time. I am also gearing up to have a go at making a 6 string from scratch so this is a technique I will need to learn sooner or later.

9353849696?profile=original

So, to do this you will need some mild steel bar. I got 3x13mm. A 4 metre length cost me about £4. The postage cost twice that but it was almost worth it to see the look on the delivery driver's face when he handed over a 4m long cardboard tube. You also need a router, and a bit of the correct width and depth for the bar.

9353850659?profile=originalI used the parallel guide on the router to slide along the side of the neck to cut the channel. I used a high speed and 4 shallow passes to get the finished depth (which needs to be a tiny bit deeper that the width of the bar)

9353851053?profile=originalIt fits. Now time to glue it in. I used epoxy with a long curing time. Getting the glue in the channel is quite tricky.

9353851092?profile=originalI held the bar in place with clamps and left it overnight. Make sure you put something between the clamps and the neck so you don't glue them together!

9353851671?profile=originalOnce the epoxy had set I lightly sanded the surface to remove any residue.

9353852084?profile=originalThen just glue on your fretboard as usual and you have (hopefully) a super strong bow-resistant neck that you can shape a bit more aggressively than one without a strengthening rod.

Have fun!

RK

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