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 Anybody know what's wrong? Haven't been able to post all year.

So I got a box, not a cigar box and a bit too deep for a serious instrument but perfect for me to have a test run building a resonator guitar.

gathered some wood together and started chopping, drilling and generally having a blast and a beer. I had a full day off work and nothing to do but have some fun testing out my rusty woodworking skills. 

One hand drill, one electric drill, various drill bits, screwdrivers, a hammer, 3 chisels, tape measure, ruler, pencil, Stanley knife, and beer.

Time slipped by quite quickly and what a learning curve! Most of my ideas came together quite easily (thanks to all you guys and the magnificent invention of the internet). Some needed a bit of a rethink and redesign. "Oh hold on, my box sits right over the plate screwing my neck to the wood.. Time for a beer" 

Six hours later and my basic guitar was finished. It's about that time that I realised that I had no strings! ... Back to work tomorrow so it will have to wait a few days before it can be finished and tested.

I haven't had as much fun as this in a long time.  Here's a picture of it as it sits waiting for my return.

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. 

Only being a new member from Australia. I had a look in members area to see how many other Western Australians had a similar habit.

After look at many profiles I came across one. Mick Crickey  Hardy.

He built a BNC neck copy machine about 6 years ago and posted on here.

His surname looked right but his first name was close to a cousin I have not seen in years. After watching the video it was indeed my cousin Mike.

So lost contact was restored and he had this addiction for a good many years. Buying Teds pickups back then and turned out some quality gear.

Life has moved on in a different direction for him now but thanks to CBG nation I look forward to returning to the city on leave to catch up with my cousin and pick his pockets for any CBG gems he might have stored.

Who would have thought CBG was a generic. Maybe Cousin Blood Guitars.

Goldfinch, Smokestack Lightnin.

It took me many hours but it was all worth it.
I based the artwork, top and sides, on the blues classic "Smokestack Lightnin". The design is lasered into the wood.

Please, let me know what you think of this new model.

www.goldfinchguitars.com

Is this right? I can wire up two pups x two vol x 2 tone but this is confusing the crap outta me.

Just two pups, one vol and a jack.

How to make an easy string Ukulele Bridge.

Following is a really easy method to make 2 bridges for your cigar box Ukulele or equally good for a normal Ukulele. This bridge allows for really easy stringing method by simply tying a knot in the end of your string and slotting them in the back. You could follow this method for bridges with any amount of strings and depending on the toughness of the wood May be suitable for steel strings too although Ive only used it for Ukes. P.S The dimensions are by no means set in stone feel free to make it smaller bigger. Its up to you. This takes about 1/2 an hour to make two bridges using a bandsaw A pillar drill, slot cutting bit on the pillar drill and belt sander This should be fairly straight forward to do with handsaws and a hand held drill.

First you need a Block of Hardwood approximately 90mm long by 25mm square This is Aformosia
The next step is to mark cetre lines along one face this will be the rear or the bridge

 And then mark a line approx. 10mm from the rear  on either of the other faces which will be the top face

You can mark your saddle slot at this point to fit your saddle this one is 2mm from the front face and 2mm thick.
 On the rear centre line mark out your string spacing usually from 13 - 15mm these are 14mm
Then extend those lines to the line on top face

 Then 1mm in front of the line on the top face and at central points between the 1st and 2nd string line and 3rd and 4th string line mark 2 points. These will be the holes for your mounting screws.

Drill 4 10mm Holes on the centre point on the rear of the bridge 10mm deep

 Cut your saddle Slots. either with a saw chisel or I use a thin rotary slot cutting disc on a pillar drill.

 Cut the saddle slots to your required depth on both sides. You could probably just stick a fret or thin piece of saddle material on the top of the block forgoing the slot which can be a bit tricky without a slot cutting bit

At the points marked earlier on the top drill 2, 3mm holes right through the block

Then along the string centres cut 4 slots up to the 10mm line from the rear.

Then cut the block in half hey presto you now have two bridge blanks.

Then you need to sand the bottom just enough to get a flat surface

Then sand down the top so the Bridge is about 10mm thick You might want it a bit thinner or thicker to suit your particular build. You can leave the bridge square at this point or like I have on this one shape it. I do mine on a belt sander.
You may need to slightly widen the 2nd and 3rd string slot to accommodate the wider strings.

Finally countersink 6mm holes into the mounting screw holes about 5mm deep. Enough for the mounting screw to be recessed below the surface. the hole can then be filled with filler or plugged with a dowell or for a really nice touch put place a fret marking dot that matches the fret board in the top.

Finally fine sand and its ready to fit to your Ukulele

A Little Help for The Aspiring Cigar Box Guitar Composer

My interest in cigar box guitars sure has taken some interesting twists and turns. Up to this point, I've focused mostly on building them, not so much on playing them.

I've dabbled with music composition in the past. I have always owned a guitar, and I think anyone with a passion for music will eventually write one, two or more songs. That's what I've done. Strangely, cigar box guitars seem to have little to offer in the way of available music that is written specifically for them. Mostly the slide CBG has little available, which seems to invite those with a creative nature to step in and add to its charm.

So here I am, thinking that it would be great to write music specifically for the cigar box guitar. However, finding a program that would allow me to write TAB notation specifically for cigar box guitar seemed unavailable, but I refused to give up. I did contact Glenn Watt because he had beautifully displayed tabs on his website, and I wanted to know the software he used, and being the gentleman that he is, he was quick to give an answer. The program is called TablEdit.

I can't comment on the value of the program, because, quite honestly, I'm poor and can't afford to buy it (not that it's overly expensive). Maybe Glenn can review the product in the future. So that being said, I decided to turn to my old friend, the free software MuseScore. I've used it in the past to write a few short songs. It does have a learning curve, but with some time I have learned to make it work for my specific needs.

I sat down with my computer and stared searching for answers. I knew that MuseScore had TAB notation for traditional string instrument, but the staff for cigar box guitar TAB's was something different all together. It only has three lines; whereas most guitar TAB's use six lines. Looking through the list of instruments in the program, I couldn't find anything compatible, so I took to the internet to find a solution.

After several hours of surfing, I learned that it was possible to customize a staff in MuseScore—lines removed or added, notes for each line changed. Also, once the the changes had been perfected, the work could be saved as a template. Outstanding!

It took me a couple more hours to design and perfect two separate templates, but now I have them and can always start with a fresh staff when I compose for the cigar box guitar.

So what am I saying here? I'm suggesting that we need more creative effort in the creation of music that is written for the cigar box guitar. The free software is available and is compatible with writing TAB's on a three line staff.

If you have never used MuseScore, I will tell you that it does have a learning curve. The documentation is available online at the website (www.musescore.org), but sometimes the difficult questions are hard to answer. Nonetheless, once you get over the hump, it's quite a pleasure to use. I think everyone who owns a CBG should give it a try, even if you're just writing TAB's for a popular song and want to bring it to the world of cigar box guitars.

I do plan on making my templates publicly available, and if I can do so here, I will. I see no reason why anyone need reinvent the wheel when I have it on my computer.

www.musescore.org

www.tabledit.com

CBG%20with%20Voice.mscz

cigar%20box%20guitar%20tab.mscz

4StringTemplate.mscz  Contributed by turtlehead

turtlehead TABS

 Guess this is the best place to start a progress thread so here we go.

 I've been wanting to build a CBG for quite awhile now, past attempts to find boxes were futile but I now have found a box supplier near me :D

 I found this selection of boxes, found  this site of course and started watching tutorials on You Tube.

(I was hoping to find one cool box and walked out with 7, yikes!)

 Going to start with the Hoyo de Monterrey and have almost everything I need to follow Unstrung13's tutorial. Hopefully I'll be on that within a few days. It seemed to be the simplest tutorial so I figured the best place to start.

 Of course the Brickhouse needs to be a Bass :D (which is my main goal for this endeavor. I'll make that one electric and get a few nice parts (gold volume knob) and tuners from CBNG.

 My favorite though is the Chillin' Moose'. Sweet little box, but it's small so I figure probably more of a Uke scale, definitely electric, probably piezo.

 I think I'll try a stomp box with the baccarat, though I'll probably use it more as a 'slap box'.

 I'd like to turn the Romeo into an amp, but I'm getting ahead of my self. 

 I'll post some pics of progress and or finished g when it's ready :) 

Aloha all,

Iv, e been getting request to play. ONly problen

M is I don, t play.  Or type well either.

 Need web wite for free lesson thanks tommy

Music and Building Roots

I'm sure everyone can remember where their first expos-er to Music and Building things began
For Me It was with My Grandpa ,Guess I was around 5 years old or so, long time ago I'm now 64
and still Love to play Music and build things. Not just Guitars ,Chairs, Swings, Tables. Toys, Built most of My Own, Poor Boy Toys you might say. I didn't Know the difference Back then you couldn't afford it you built it yourself. I went on to build many things over the years even My Houses. Grandpa also taught Me the value of Hard work. Grandpa never played guitar but played Spoons and percussion on Syrup Cans and Oatmeal Box's ,Help Me Build My first Guitar .Was noting more than a stick stuck through a Oatmeal Box, Got Me started been playing ever since. He had a Beautiful Voice. I use to set on The porch and listen to Him Sing . When He sang in Church You would think You were listing to an Angel He got many request to sing. When His friends came over Junior and Raugh one played guitar and the other Banjo . Talk a bought some fine entertainment , I would set on the porch and listen to them all evening. That's how it was done back then Country folk entertaining there self”s He Built Many Things Tables Chairs What Not Stands Shelves and was an excellent Wood carver. Would set and watch Him work Learn so much from Him it was Amazing.
My Daddy was the first that Taught Me How to play Guitar. He was a very good Musician Excellent Guitar Player. Played in the Clubs and Bars around south Alabama. Even Played with Hank Williams in The Early Years, They live close together and got together often to Play. Dad lived in Red Level Al and Hank Live in Georgina Al very close to each other. Dad never hit the big time like Hank. Guess The responsibly and stress of raising 7 Kids held him Back .But He was one hell of a guitar player . Was only 51 when He died. Wish I could sit down and play with Him Now. Just finish My 7th Cigar Box Guitar Guess I'm Hooked still Love to Play Sing and write Song's . Still got many Factory Guitars also
I collected over the pass 5 Decades. Oh what a deference 64 years Makes . Well That's My story of how I got stated . Would Love to Hear Yours

Your Cigar Box Guitar Loving Friend James O

This guitar is made from recycled and left over materials from my home renovation and from parts filched from unwanted or unplayable guitars.  The top and back are red cedar roof shingles, the neck is made from a left over 2x4 from a garden gate project (yes it does have a fixed truss rod; made from bar stock remaining after a lunatic moment when I thought I might branch out into iron working)  the sides are made from an aromatic cedar board left over when I put a new towel cabinet in the bathroom.  

While I agree that there are no rules in the CBG game I hesitated in calling this a CBG since it doesn't use a cigar box. I suppose it could have but I didn't have one as good as those roof shingles - so "Hobo" guitar it is because it is small - 8 inches wide (2 3/4 inches deep in the soundbox) 33 inches long and light, weighing in at 840 grams so it won't get in the way as you hop the slow train out of town.

My ongoing quest has been to build acoustic instruments from recycled and reused items - that is without benefit of specialty "luthier woods" or expensive tuners and bridges -  while still trying to get nice tone and volume and a playable instrument.  All that said, when I can't find used tuners I buy them - fret wire too - thank you CB Gitty for bringing us affordable supplies and tools and all that know how.

Check out the sound file - it was recorded at my computer with no amplification other than the guitar's soundbox.

Sound sample of the Hobo guitar  4%20String%20sample.mp3

Many thanks to my best friend Raul for helping me compose the little piece at the end of the sound file.

Post script, November 14, 2019.

I thought I would provide an update FYI.  The hobo guitar is still going strong and producing sweet music.  It sustained damage in a fall that was easily repaired.  Most interestingly, it seems to have improved becoming a bit louder and more mellow.   Have a listen...Slide%20thing%202019.wav

Happy building and playing.

I cruise through CBN and see a lot of really cool, well built , well designed CBGs.

I look in my "shop" and see an old beater.  This guitar is my experiment guitar.  Before I try anything on a "good" git, I will try it here.

A friend donated a Chinese classical guitar to me so I stripped the frets and they found their way to the Beater.  The cigar box is a Chillin' Moose so it looks cool but I can't get any sound out of the thing.  It's got tape where the box kind of fell apart. 

It's riddled with holes where I have experimented with the bridge or some other part of the guitar.

Currently the Beater is having a face lift.  I am practicing using my Safe-T-Planer on the head stock.  I found a piece of 1/8" wenge wood so the head stock actually looks respectable.

The through box notch was another great chance to use the Safe-T-Planer.  It worked great except the neck was too thin.  I glued on a 1/2" piece of oak.

I am re-doing the bridge.  I made a rosewood acoustic style bridge to accommodate a bone saddle.  In doing so, I have killed two birds with one stone: I have more experience with these saddles and I have covered up nearly all the evidence from my previous modifications.

Rumor has it, I will be getting piezo rods today so I will stick one under the saddle.  More experimenting!

I actually had the Beater torn up and in the trash last night.  I have a new Chillin' Moose box and I thought It would be good just to start over.  Then I remembered, "This is the Beater!  It doesn't matter!"  I saved it form the trash and glued it back together.

It's actually a pretty cool guitar.  Nothing fancy.  It's a beater.

After a recent fall and injury I was unable to get into the shop and build for almost 2 years. I really was not in that bad a shape, could've been a lot worse. But I was not comfortable enough on my feet to walk around a shop safely, so I chose to stay out of the shop. As you can well imagine my head is spinning with projects I am dying to get started on. I am equally as excited about the three or four projects that I had underway at the time of my fall. I would like to thank the good people of cigar box nation for occupying my mind and entertaining my eyeballs with such a wide variety of projects. These cigar box building community appears to be a quite tight community that is willing to share what it knows with others. I have been involved with other creative endeavors where members of that community were not so anxious to share their tips and tricks. It is refreshing to see that so many builders want so badly for people to see their projects underway and then complete. One of my first projects upon returning to the shop will be a vintage suitcase amplifier. I have had the suitcase for years and have stared at it and contemplated it in all possible manner. As in most of my projects I will photo document it's  progress.

About a year ago I bumped into this video on a cold winter day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgiZ_A6objs

I was smitten. After scrounging a bunch of parts, and buying a few, my first CBG came to be. I am now about 12 instruments in with about 4 or 5 additional builds going.

Just wanted to thank you guys for all the input, encouragement, and 'rules' :)

Thought I'd post this one, it was my second build.  Box was scrap hardwood flooring, the tongue side made a great recess for the plate.  The bottom is scrap thin ply of unknown origin.  The neck is the unique feature, it is half of a hickory branch that was originally intended for a bow but I decided the the knots and kink are beyond my bowyer abilities.  The kink made the string break for the tuners.  The action is no action, with the curvy branch it is slide only for this one.  I passed the branch thru a hole in the box and screwed it all together.  A scrap stainless shelf bracket became the bridge.  A worm hole in the bottom piece hides the piezo pickup jack.  It sounds good to me and is fun to play, the neck does not feel that weird.  No finish on the box except the white stripe to go with the Texas plate, just tung oil on the neck.

I guess I like fiddlin' with the headstock. This one is cascading. Also, left the weathered sides on the neck to make it look more backwoods. And... homemade tuners.

Don't rant me, bro.(LOL) I'm just riffing on headstock design free form as a nubee neophyte can't get the right step right.

<br /><small><a href="http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/photo">Find more photos like this on <em>Cigar Box Nation</em></a></small><br />

This will probably turn in to a rant, actually, no it will be a rant.

Being a relative newby I spend a decent amount of time here soaking up information, tips, ideas like a sponge. I also spend time pouring over the posted photos for those hidden ideas such as using a fork for a tail-piece, an area of a CBG I tend to struggle with for some bizarre reason. Along with placing those sorts of ideas in the ideas tray section of my brain I also latch on to those hidden gems such as the violin case Dan Bau/Diddly Bow. I've never heard of a Dan Bau before but after some research I can see they are easy to make so the idea of a traditional looking one now also resides in brain ideas tray.

What's brought this post on though was going through the photos a few moments ago. I came across Keith's scrap wood, dented tin and what looks like a dog chain ratchet piece and it blew me away, too me the true essence of building a CBG - SCRAPS. I also saw many immaculately presented instruments that look phenomenal, some needing to be hung on a wall and not touched apart from with a duster and some built for their wit and whimsy and obviously others that retain that original ethos, just nicely built - I'm confused, hence the title of this piece "Are CBG's Losing Their Way, Is It Natural Progression, Or Ego?"

I could name many a builder here who just amaze me every time they create that simple something, I could also name a few who go above and beyond and create the duster instrument. Now I'm not saying these dusters don't belong, what I'm saying is "Is this the natural progression?" The point where the humble CBG becomes more mainstream or is it "Ego?"

I personally lack many skills when it comes to woodworking, it was a subject in school I despised but as I have aged I look back on that time and tell myself I should have paid more attention.
With that said, I still couldn't build a duster piece, what I've built so far yes are themed apart from the very first one but even though themed I would struggle mentally to create a duster piece - don't forget, I have the machinery here (CNC's - Lasers etc) to build boxes and necks millimetre perfect but I choose not to use them except for embellishments. I get more enjoyment going at a piece of wood with a spoke shave or a block plane than I do watching a machine do the same thing in a fraction of the time.

Where am I going with this? I'm not overly sure, it's certainly not a raving jealousy piece - I'm well chuffed with what I build and if you don't like them then it sure as don't stress me none. If anything I am asking that question - "Are CBG's Losing Their Way, Is It Natural Progression, Or Ego?"