Need help in the SETUP of my CBG 3 strings!!!

Hi there! Sorry if I mispelled something, I am learning english.

I am new to the world of the CBG's and well, yesterday I just finish my first cbg and I though it was OK, but then I start to try to learn the basics but it was impossible! I don't get the same sound of all the other cbg's!

I order the CBGITTY starter pack and I just made it, I didn't use the nut and bridge that the pack had because I though it was very high (I play bass and a little guitar so I though it would be very high!). I put the tailpiece in the box, not in the bridge, I don't know how to say that, but for that are the images. I tune in OPEN G and my digital tuner tunes ok, but I think those tuning pegs are just horrible, they don't stay in tune, I THINK, or maybe I am doing something wrong.

It's electro-acoustic with a piezoelectric pickup and electric as acoustic the sound is different from other cbg's around youtube and other places.

Do you think I must put the bridge and nut from cbgitty?
The action is low or high?
My amp is a cbgitty's one, volume and tone, I play acoustic guitar no electric so I bought a nice OLIVA gitty's amp, THAT COULD BE A PROBLEM IN ACHIEVING THE DESIRE SOUND?
Is pretty dificult to get the OPEN G tuning because a slightly turn in a tuning key and the G or D is GONE!! THE TUNERS COULD BE A PROBLEM?
What must be the note that goes in the first fret of the neck? Iam getting a B flat in the G's and in the D string an F sustained (I DONT KNOW IS THAT WHAT IS CALLED IN ENGLISH a "bemol" and a "sostenido").

This should be easier, but it seems you are missing something, so let me try again...you have a stick 36" long. Don't know how long your box is, maybe 9"? So if you do a standard neck-thru, about 2" will stick out for the tailpiece, about 9" inside the box, gives you 25" sticking out for remaining neck. Or you can do like you've done with a hong, so instead of 2" sticking out of the bottom of the box, you butt it up against the inside of the box like your first build. This will leave you with 27" sticking out of the other end of the box. About 1/3 the way in from the tailpiece edge of the box is 3" for a 9" box. That is approximately where your bridge will rest on top of the box. From there, you have 31"-33" (the 25"-27" sticking out, plus the 6" along the top of the box to your bridge) to the headstock end of the stick. You can easily do a 25" scale on that, leaving 6"-8" for the headstock, if you want to cut a scarf neck joint, or just do a flat Strat style headstock. Ample room for tuners. You plug in 25" to the Stewmac calculator, and say you want 22 or 24 frets. Then you mark your nut 25" from where you located your bridge on top of the box, and start marking frets from the front edge of the nut toward the box per the calculator. You can make fretwire from thin steel finishing nails, copper coat hanger wire, or even Super Glue (cyanoacrylate) on flat trimmed bobby pins (It works - my custom SwampWitch has bobby pin frets, and plays great, and my first two builds used bent finishing nails for frets, which also work). Or just stay fretless. Use metal screws or bolts for the nut and bridge.

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Ron "Oily" Sprague June 5, 2013 at 2:46pm

You got it.
juan garcia June 4, 2013 at 4:36pm
Ron "Oily" Sprague June 4, 2013 at 3:51pm

Hong = hinge
Ron "Oily" Sprague June 4, 2013 at 3:50pm

This should be easier, but it seems you are missing something, so let me try again...you have a stick 36" long. Don't know how long your box is, maybe 9"? So if you do a standard neck-thru, about 2" will stick out for the tailpiece, about 9" inside the box, gives you 25" sticking out for remaining neck. Or you can do like you've done with a hong, so instead of 2" sticking out of the bottom of the box, you butt it up against the inside of the box like your first build. This will leave you with 27" sticking out of the other end of the box. About 1/3 the way in from the tailpiece edge of the box is 3" for a 9" box. That is approximately where your bridge will rest on top of the box. From there, you have 31"-33" (the 25"-27" sticking out, plus the 6" along the top of the box to your bridge) to the headstock end of the stick. You can easily do a 25" scale on that, leaving 6"-8" for the headstock, if you want to cut a scarf neck joint, or just do a flat Strat style headstock. Ample room for tuners. You plug in 25" to the Stewmac calculator, and say you want 22 or 24 frets. Then you mark your nut 25" from where you located your bridge on top of the box, and start marking frets from the front edge of the nut toward the box per the calculator. You can make fretwire from thin steel finishing nails, copper coat hanger wire, or even Super Glue (cyanoacrylate) on flat trimmed bobby pins (It works - my custom SwampWitch has bobby pin frets, and plays great, and my first two builds used bent finishing nails for frets, which also work). Or just stay fretless. Use metal screws or bolts for the nut and bridge.
juan garcia June 4, 2013 at 3:22pm

Ok, I will do a new neck, a 25'' scale cbg.

Ron, you say I start with a 36'' stick, ok with that, but I first need to check the measure from the nut to the bridge to see where is the 25'' ? and then i just cut whatever is messing around with the stick right? then I put in the FRETCALC the scale and how many frets I want... how many frets you think is best? I wont put frets but just sharpie lines, the first neck of the other cbg has,but I dont have more fret wire and I am lazy hahahah

THANKS ALOT FOR EVERYONE WHO REPLY :)
Ron "Oily" Sprague June 3, 2013 at 11:33pm

If you're getting "G flat" (F# in standard Western musical parlance) at the 11th fret, then you should be getting pretty close, within, say, 10-12 cents, to G at the 12th fret. If your bridge is almost at the tailpiece, then you have likely shifted your scale to maybe 21-22". I'd try a decent hard material nut and bridge (metal screws or bolts work fine, as does hardwood, Corian or any other of he materials RTZ posted, all the way up to the gold standard bone; extra light strings, the 2, 3 and 4 from a standard 6 string set; or go nylon baritone uke strings, and build another CBG with a longer neck. Start with a 36" stick; you should be able to get a standard 24-25" scale length with that. Use the free fret / scale length calculator at www.stewmac.com. As SD has shown below how scale length is calculated, start with that, then transfer that to your box and stick combo. There's conventional wisdom that says the bridge should be about 1/3 -1/4 the way in from the tailpiece for decent sound. It seems to work for most boxes and commercial gits.
Suspect Device June 3, 2013 at 9:52pm

oops I meant " your 12th fret should measure 10-1/4 inches from the nut."
Suspect Device June 3, 2013 at 9:50pm

What is your fret scale supposed to be? If you built it as a 20-1/2 inch fret scale, then your 12th fret should measure 10-1/2 inches from the nut; the saddle of the bridge should measure 20-1/2 inches from the nut. ..But only if you are working with a 20-1/2 inch fret scale.
juan garcia June 3, 2013 at 8:53pm

can't setup... iam frustated hahahah i bought new strings, put a screw in the nut a good one, and i put a screw at the briodge, I didn't paste it so is just there.

I can't find to get the G at the 12th fret, g flat at 11th and the bridge almost in the tailpiece!!!

I will burn my cbg hahahaha, does a longer neck will help??? WHAT CAN I DO? like a say the scale from the tailpiece to the nut is 24 inches WHERE SHOULD BE THE BRIDGE???
Ron "Oily" Sprague June 3, 2013 at 2:49pm

A 20-1/2 inch scale length is squarely in the range of a baritone ukulele (19 - 24"). Your strings may be putting too much tension on the neck at that scale, also causing you difficulty in tuning.

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