I read the conditions being sold as opinions on media related sites.
I love to keep it positive. I like building instruments and sharing with friends. I hope we are not a clique or even snobs. Let us define what it means to be a cigar box guitar. They are boxes that once housed cigars that have been converted into stringed instruments. We all know that. However, with the cigar box guitar comes its many cousins. It is hard to define because there are so many varieties of homemade instruments that can be created limited only by imagination.
Here’s comes the conflict that seems to drive a wedge between a community that supports diversity on all levels of experience.
Do we have the freedom to build with any material from anywhere, be it China or US?
Does it matter the shape or density, originality?
Is it completed from scratch or salvaged from cheap knock offs?
Do we police the post on a CBG build site by ostracizing those who fall short of build criteria?
I’ve heard the sermon on the mound about purity and rite of passage from those who have paid their dues or came before us.
I really hope nobody buys into that!
For if you do, we will alienate ourselves from a unique opportunity to connect with people whose interest for the most part is to share all related subjects that have sprung from the Cigar Box Guitar.
Remember this blog is a response to other media sites that use their association with friends on here as leverage to support their ideology. I personally am open to discussion on definitions as long as I’m not attacking another member while expressing with them my views.
I not only respect but appreciate all the hard work and giving from all that have come before and are still providing us with service. There are many types of leaders, those who dictate, use fear and those who encourage though positive influences.
I see the latter here on the Nation and admire his restraint and experience at knowing when to step in and calm things down to keep the peace
I’m a firm believer in the no rule build policy but strongly encourage the traditional CBG build and respectfully share it’s roots. I build everything from canjos, 1-2-3-4-5-6 string CBG’s, Whamolas, bases, Ukuleles CBU’s, salad bowl banjo’s and vintage ironing board lap steels! “If it’s dead and laying around, I will build it and string it”. Stay positive!
smilingdog
Comments
In terms of economics, a collective race to the bottom of obtainable pricing is never a fun exercise and in my experience with competitive markets, it is hardly the only option. That being said, I'm happy selling guitars is not my sole means of putting dinner on the table. It simply satisfies my quest for continued learning and self improvement.
Ron:
?
Yes, I have a sophomoric sense of humor. Sometimes.
Wayfinder:
Very funny. Thanks.
Ron:
The initial price may be set by the seller, but the buyer determines the final price in the transaction.
If you are selling X at a certain price point, and you have no customers, then you have two choices:
1. Lower the price until you are able to attract customers. Or........
2. Eventually go out of business.
Position: Hip hop and rap are not to my taste. However, there is creativity in those styles, both lyrically, and percussively.
Position: Pricing is determined by the seller, and the buyer (s, if any). Some people sell better than others. Some build better than others. The Chinese can build a CBG for under $50. So can you, with...cheap Chinese parts. Or found cast offs.
Position: No Rules follows conventional spelling. In the spirit of anarchy contained within its message, and following what is now Hip Hop convention, it should be spelled No Rulz.
Wayfinder:
I totally agree, everything is hip hop or pop in the music world these days. That is because those in control have decided that this is where they can make the most profit, so that is what gets the big push.
Americans have been conditioned to go for price and not quality. And that is just how it is. In addition, we are entering into a world wide deflationary cycle, which will compress margins further. It will become a buyers market as each day passes.
Pricing has to do with perception. It it is deemed desirable it commands a better price. However, one cannot charge more than the market will allow. The price is really set by the consumer. I would imaging that those who sell CBGs for $150.00 move a lot more instruments that those who price their product at double that price point.
As a consumer and not a builder, I was very happy to purchase my first CBG for 175.00 (Fed-ex shipping included). Padron body, maple neck and fret board, hum bucker pick up, and Sprague orange drop capacitor. The builder appears to be able to move a fair amount of these on ebay, and I am happy for him. Could he get more for these? Probably the answer is yes, but he would likely move less product. Which approach would get him the greatest monthly return? I don't have that answer.
And I don't think you derailed the thread. These things tend to take on a life of their own, and I rather like that.
Phrygian Kid:
I have seen a Gretsch Bo Diddley signature cigar box guitar. 6 string model and priced at $3,100. I don't know where it is made.
I just did a quick search of the online guitar sellers in the US, and no one sells cigar box guitars. I believe Guitar Center has one for sale a few years ago, but no more. So, if it was a Chinese made CBG (and I don't know that it was), it was a flop. So, I will stand by my original statement. The Chinese are not interested in mass producing CBGs for the American market. The market for such a product is too small, or the profit margin does not justify the effort.
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