I know most of you live nowhere near this area however your ideas to inspire are welcome. I've created a forum for this club/topic here on the nation. As we grow, there will be a Facebook page and web site link to focus club info. This is a golden opportunity to take building and playing CBG's out and into the community on a monthly bases. I plan on sharing all I've learned and meet new friends in person while lounging inside a awesome Blues embossed environment drinking lrg ice teas. The roadhouse in Webster Groves MO. is on Rt.61 the blues HWY, hence it's name 61 Roadhouse & Kitchen. The 61 roadhouse is home to the CBG festival here in St. Louis MO. There is a stage, PA system, plenty of plug ins, tables chairs and an upstairs to extend our meetings if they run into business hours. Possibilities for activities are only limited to our imagination. Please share your ideas with us and we encourage you to drop in and be a part of this. Schedules will be set on one Saturday a month when we have at least three members to kick her off! Who wants to be the first member?

Contacts are Gary Herget (here on the nation) and myself.

Thanks goes out to Bill Kunz (owner of 61roadhouse)!

I decided before Christmas I wanted to have a go at making my own magnetic pickups, and put it on my to-do list for the new year. I studied this guide http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-A-Guitar-Pickup/ extensively and ended up taking inspiration from a few other sources to come up with a design, here is the process:

I ordered a 500g spool of 42awg (0.063mm) copper magnet wire from Brocott's (UK supplier) and a couple of packs of alnico 5 rod magnets (5x19mm) on eBay. I had some 3mm sheets of sapele so I figured I would use this for the bobbins.

These were the first 2 bobbins I finished, I fixed the magnets flush with the top and bottom with a dab of superglue and drilled 2 holes for the start and end of the wire. It is really important to sand the inner surfaces of the bobbins completely smooth and free of any tiny burrs as the wire will get caught. Best case scenario you'll have to unwind several hundred turns, worse case the wire will break and you'll have to start over.

This is the winding jig I made. I did try a sewing machine first but I felt that I didn't have enough control. This is just a hand-cranked drill clamped to a desk, with a block of wood fixed to a dill bit. I attached the bobbin with an adhesive pad. One turn of the handle is about 4.2 turns of the bobbin, so I would do 50 turns, check for any tangle or loose winds, then do another 50 and mark a tally. When I had done 19 x 100 revolutions of the handle, I had roughly 8000 turns on the bobbin. This took about 30 minutes altogether.

I then decided to make a hole in the soundboard of one of my guitars to check for the fit. I use a neck-through design so I also needed to chisel out a recess for the bottom of the pickup to sit in.

I used a drill to start the hole, then fed a coping saw through to cut it out, then sanded etc. I then realised I hadn't thought of how to mount the pickup, and after looking at pages of pickups on Google images, I decided to start over and go for a top-mounting design. (Thanks to Mr. Crocker - an endless source of inspiration!)

These were mark 2. I made the tops of the bobbins larger than the bottom, so I could screw them into the soundboard through the top, covering up the hole for aesthetic and acoustic reasons. I also replaced the holes for the start and ends of the coil with small screws. I used steel screws for these but I do not recommend it - it is very tricky to solder onto them - as you can see:

Hmmm... not looking too great. Soldering was very difficult as I needed to melt off the enamel coating on the copper wire before the solder would stick. However I checked the connections by attaching a jack and plugging it in and it did work! Next step was potting.

This is a double boiler I constructed to melt the wax. I put about 600g of parrafin wax pellets into a kilner jar, placed a block of wood underneath so the jar was not in contact with the heat source and lashed the top of the jar to the sides of the pan with rubber bands. I filled with water up to about 1" from the top level of the wax and used a meat thermometer to gauge the temperature (which needs to be about 65c). I should add that I have an electric hob, and I think this process would be quite dangerous with an open flame. (This is so far the only advantage to an electric oven I have ever found).

Once the wax had all melted, I wrapped the lead wires from the pickup around a screwdriver and rested it on top of the jar, so the pickup was suspended in the middle, not touching the sides. The idea here is to wait until the bubbles stop rising and the coil will be saturated. I should add that the wood I used also took in wax - and bubbles came off that too. I have it about 20 minutes, took it out, wiped the excess from the bobbin and let it cool. I then wrapped round some PTFE plumbers' tape to protect the coil.

Then it was time to wire it up and put it in the guitar:

As you can see, I attached the pickup with 4 small screws. The clamps are there because I had to re-glue the lid on the box.

I then strung it up and plugged it in.

Hmm... not much volume, and lots of buzzing. I replaced the bridge with a pencil, to make it much lower, and the sound was louder - the pickup was too far from the strings. I also had not grounded the strings (which is a whole other problem as my bridge and tailpiece are both wood. Back to the drawing board again!

As you can see from Ted's diagram, the ground wire needs to connect the pot with the strings. I am planning to replace my wooden tailpiece with a metal one.

This is the new pickup I made last night. As you can see the top of the bobbin is much thicker, 6mm this time (an offcut from a sapele fretboard). The termination screws are now brass, so will be easier to solder. I also used a craft knife this time to scrape off the enamel coating, so soldering should be much easier. My next step is to pot it in wax and then wrap it with some copper foil tape, which just arrived yesterday. I will solder a wire from the ground on the pickup to the outside of the copper tape (thanks Bob Harrison for this tip). This combined with grounding the strings should have much better results, so fingers crossed.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Rick

[Part 2 here now: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profiles/blogs/my-continued-adventures-in-pickup-building]

The following song is in ABC music format and it should be cut-and-pasted into an ABC converter program like the "abcConverter" on Mandolintab.net. Once you submit your ABC file, the converter will produce a quick and dirty image of your musical score which is then displayed on screen. Above the music, in the center of the screen, you should be able to see these three links:

[MIDI music file]  [PDF Sheet Music]  [ABC source]

The first link will allow you to hear your music as played on a midi player, which is great for learning what a new song is supposed to (kind of) sound like. It's great if you are not sure of the timing of the music. The second link converts the ABC source into a .pdf image of your music which you can then save and/or print to yield prettier sheet music. Then, if you want to view the ABC source again, you can click on the third link. However, to edit your ABC source, you best click on your browser's back arrow to take you back to the original text box holding your ABC source.

Well, I like this song, and I hope you do as well. Enjoy:

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

X:1
T:Navvy Boots
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:Gmaj
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:A dig-ging and a-pick-ing as I_ was one day
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B3
w:The thought_ of my true love it led_ me a-stray.
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5
w:~
B | e2 dB| c2 ec| B2 AG| A2
w:The day it was gone and the night com-ing on
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 4 3 4
w:~
GA | B2 cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:And I hit for the road with my nav-vy boots_ on.
w:3 4 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~
w:~
w:~Verse~2:
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:I knocked at my love's win-dow, my knock_ she did know
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B3
w:And out_ of her slum-ber she wak_ ened so slow.
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5
w:~
B | e2 dB | c2 ec | B2 AG | A2
w:I knocked there a-gain, and she said "Is that John?"
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 4 3 4
w:~
GA | B2 cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:"Yes in-deed it is me with my nav-vy boots_ on."
w:3 4 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~
w:~
w:~Verse~3:
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:She o-pened up the door and in-vit-ed me_ in
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B3
w:"Draw up_ to the fire, love, and warm_ your cold skin."
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5
w:~
B | e2 dB| c2 ec| BB AG| A2
w:Her bed-room door was o-pen and blank-ets rolled down
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 5 4 3 4
w:~
GA | B2 cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:So I jumped in-to bed with me nav-vy boots_ on.
w:3 4 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~
w:~
w:~Verse~4:
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:Then ear-ly the next mor-ning at the dawn of the day,
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B B2
w:Says I_ to my true love, "It's time_ to go a-way."
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5 5
w:~
B | e2 dB| c2 ec| B2 AG| A2
w:"Sleep down, sleep down, you know_ you've done_ wrong
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 4 3 4
w:~
GA | B2 cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:For to sleep here at night with your nav-vy boots_ on."
w:3 4 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~
w:~
w:~Verse~5:
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:Oh I_ bent down my head with a laugh and a smile
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B3
w:Saying "What could I do, love, in that length_ of_ time?
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5
w:~
B | e2 dB| c2 ec| B2 AG| A A
w:For all that I've done it was just a bit of fun
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 4 3 4 4
w:~
GA | B2 cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:And I'll do it a-gain with my nav-vy boots_ on."
w:3 4 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~
w:~
w:~Verse~6:
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:The six months be-ing o-ver and se-ven af-ter this
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B3
w:This pret-ty fair maid grew stout a-round_ the_ waist
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5
w:~
B | e2 dB| c2 ec| B2 AG| A A
w:Then eight months_ being o-ver and nine comes a-long
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 4 3 4 4
w:~
GA | BB cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:And she hand-ed me a son with his nav-vy boots_ on.
w:3 4 5 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~
w:~
w:~Verse~7:
z2 z B | EF GA | B e2 d | B-E E D | E3
w:Come all you pret-ty fair maids take heed of what I say
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 7 5 1 1 0 1
w:~
B | E-F GA | B2 ef | g3/2- f/2 ed | B B2
w:Don't ev-er let a poor nav-vy come_ in-to your bed,
w:5 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 9 8 7 5 5
w:~
B | e2 dB| c2 ec| B2 AG| A A
w:For their hearts do run light and their minds do run young
w:5 8 7 5 6 8 6 5 4 3 4 4
w:~
GA | B2 cB| B2 AG| AGE-D| E3 z|
w:Sure they'll jump on your bones with their nav-vy boots_ on.
w:3 4 5 6 5 5 4 3 4 3 1 0 1
w:~

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Notes:

1.) A "navvy" is a common laborer who digs canals, dikes, railroads, etc. The term comes from the word "navigations" which was an early British word for canal, thus a "navvy" is a man who digs canals and other earthen works. So, "navvy" is not simply a corruption of "navy".

2.) Several other versions of this song exist, with words differing with different trades. For instance a coal miner (collier) version is called "Pitt Boots".

3.) Here is a link to download a .pdf version of this song suitable for 1-5-8 tuned instruments like most stick dulcimers: Navvy%20Boots.pdf. Enjoy.

Watch this first. Or not. 

audio/video: Uncle John

***

Little Albert trudges westward up the winding pathway to the burnt out ruins of the old Doo Dah place, periodically stopping to adjust the load on his back, nervously glancing over his shoulder at mist-enshrouded Camptown Village falling further and further below him, the sun just beginning to cast a slight glow over the low eastern hills.

He knows that he shouldn't be doing this, knows that it isn't safe, knows that he shouldn't be going there, but it's as if some force greater than himself, greater even than Parson Hieronymous Pikk and his terrifying fire and brimstone excoriations, draws him to that place.

Encouraged now, courage rising up from the depths of his guts, he makes his way closer and closer, and closer still, to that grim and foreboding weed-choked shell of a... house?

A building once, yes, perhaps even a house, most certainly it is no home, unless the... but, no.

Best not to even think of that, unless he is to lose all resolve and tear back down the mountain, back into the stifling embrace of the village and the warmth and safety of Uncle Johannen's cottage.

He is there now, actually there, and he draws in a deep breath and... freezes.

He can feel them, the eyes, and they are like glowing red coals set in grim grey stone and they bore right into his skull into his brain and all his desires and demons are exposed to a thing which is not there but is there all the same.

The WAH stirs.

And he falls...

***

In the light of the early dawn, a shivering Kristoff Bugg makes his way to his cozy little junk shop, periodically stopping to root through the neighbors rubbish bins, collecting in his big brown sack a: rusty colander with broken handles, two old door knobs, a large black broken hinge,  assorted cracked buttons, a piece of the true cross, two wine bottles, a tooth of the Buddha, and a small wooden tobacco box with no lid.

He passes close by the Johannen place, making a quick check to see if Little Albert is up, but seeing no signs of life he scurries on by.

Almost there, he is briefly waylaid by, of all things, a dark blue dog in an old felt hat... a dark blue dog gnawing on an old harmonica... a harmonica which Bugg tries, and fails, to "borrow."

Safe at last in his shop, Bugg stokes a roaring morning fire and puts on the kettle, enthusiastically stuffing leftover curry into his mouth as he sorts through his sack of treasures.

And all of a sudden he starts up with a shiver, realizes he has dozed off, yet some thing has awoken him, some... vibration?

Chilled to the bone despite the still burning fire, he slowly creeps to the window and, with great trepidition, peers out the window, then pulls back in shocked disbelief, his large eyes bugging out of his skull.

The entire mountain, all of Mount Stogie, is vibrating.

***

Madog ap Patraig glances behind himself, trudging down the street, cursing under his breath "Damned mutt!" as the mangy cur has followed him about this odd little foreign village ever since he has arrived to visit his old friend Johannen... and that odd nephew... "and really, doesn't that dog have to much of the wolf in it? And why the devil is it wearing that pocketwatch around its neck?"

Picking up his pace, he strides purposefully towards the village square,ignoring the plaintive awooing sounds behind him, and... all of a sudden, he is thrown off his stride, stumbling into the side of a nearby building, vertiginous waves of sound pulsating through his body.

In a flash, the watch-wearing mutt darts forth and snatches Madog's large packet of steaks and races down a nearby rabbit hole.

***

Johannen the Hatter...  Uncle Johannen to all the youngsters of the village... sits on an old crate out in the cold of his shed and waits patiently for his profane heater to warm up.

He sees that odd little trash collector with the giant eyes walking by and crouches down beneath the unshuttered window.

He has squeezed nearly half a mugful of lukewarm coffee out of his nightcap, the result of his wife Lyndt dumping it on his head because he was, as usual, early to bed and late to rise.

Casting a glance from side to side, he reaches into the crate and pulls out a small flask and empties its contents into his mug and gulps it down and burps and sighs with satisfaction and...

And...

The crate he is sitting on shatters into shards and his mug fragments and explodes and the profane heater barks like an angry gang of rabid squirrels attacking a nut and a warping wave of sound passes through his bones and a bearded giant yelling about some "cursed mutt" crashes right through the wall of his shed and...

***

Out in front of the old Camptown Distillery, perched on a granite outcropping of the eastern hills, Vinnius and Theodoric sit close to a small coffee-heating fire, smoke rising up out of the bowls of their long-stemmed pipes.

"Good stuff, man."

"A-yup."

"Think me gonna have some more."

"A-yup."

"What in the red heck is that?"

"Looks like a bunch of sound waves comin' from the old Doo Dah place."

"Oh."

"A-yup."

"Should we, like, duck and cover or something?"

"I guess."

"Okaydoke."

"Wow."

"Heck."

"Good thing we ducked and covered"

"A-yup."

"I mean, like, the whole distillery just disintegrated."

"A-yup."

***

And amidst all of the turmoil a little kitty cat calmly sits atop a stone pillar in the town square and simply purrs.

***

And now, a word from 407bug!

audio/video: 407bug

Music: 407bug

Video & audio distortion: Clock The Wolf

***

Additional audio/video clues

***

FINAL VERDICT:

The Camptown Conspiracy: 33° Edition

7-25-2014?!?!?!

HOLLEEEEEE SH!+

7-14-2015

UPDATE!

Merry Christmas! May your day be filled with joy, blessed with the sounds of children's excitement, and shared with our most precious gifts-family and friends!

Hello again Dear readers to my Blog, and Merry Christmas.

This is most likely going to end up being a cautionary tale, but as this seems to have been a topic of discussion for me lately around the house I figured maybe a few of you might be interested.

Question of the Week - December 24, 2013

"So, Greg.... Hows the Business doing?"

Yes Folks.... believe it or not, I'm a professional "self employed" Luthier. < GASP! >

How can this be?

Is it really possible?

I heard that....

Ok, Ok, go refresh your drink and sit back in your chair, I'm about to tell you a story about what NOT TO DO.

My humble tale started a little over 2 years ago, and all considered, I've not done badly.

"In the Beginning..."  I was in a fine career, working for a major fortune 500 company in a bottling plant. I was doing very well, married, had 2 step children and making just over $50K a year running an assembly line. My musical experience was playing Tenor Sax in High School back in the late 1970's. I played Sax occasionally since then but in all honesty I probably uncased my instrument an average of 3-5 times a year over the next 2 decades. That is it.... Never learned to play any other instrument, let alone had any interest in building any. Then came that Life Changing "Mid-Life Crisis" that I had heard spoken of in hushed whispers... on April 1st, 2011, after working for 9 years, the manufacturing plant closed, and all 250 of us were unemployed. I found myself at the age of 51, unable for a number of reasons in this economy to find gainful employment. Believe me, I searched and searched, but I was far too "Overqualified" apparently to be hire-able. I couldn't even get transferred to another facility in the corporation ( I was within 10 months of being vested in their retirement program, so I was of course "Overqualified" for any open position.) Over the next year and a half I lost my home, my 401k, my marriage, and found myself bankrupt and legally declared indigent. The unemployment assistance checks ended the month before the last Presidential Election when unemployment dropped to 7% and the government closed tier IV.  I found myself facing a choice, move back home with my parents or sleep under the overpass. I chose to move back to my parents house.

Now, I'm telling you this because I want you to understand that it doesn't matter how much you have to invest to get a business started.... I literally started with nothing! When I set out on this little adventure I did so with no money, no skills, and literally no clue where to begin. All that I did know was that if I was going to have a job and make a living then I had to do it myself. Now, Providence is a fine Lady, and the Sister of Wisdom. It turns out that I did have a few playable cards in my hand that I was not counting in my initial assessment, but I was not in the right mental attitude to play them at first.

My previous hobbies & interests were mainly in historical research and military war-gaming, far, far away from anything music related. But, I had to find something to do with my life. After settling into my parents spare bedroom, I took inventory of the resources available to me.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Be aware of your surroundings, and be prepared to use the resources available to you.

They are there for you to use, so Use Them!

My father has been building furniture and cabinetry for family & friends for as long as I can remember, his father (grandpa) was a master carpenter as well, and between the tools he left my Dad and what Dad had collected himself over the years gave me access to a well equipped (though primitive) workshop. My Dad told me that I could use it "IF"...( and this was a daunting IF )... I could find or figure out something that I could make money on. Now this is difficult to do if you have any experience in the current economy where Walmart and Chinese mass production has given people the idea that you can build most anything for Free!  Seriously, I've been asked to build a lot of stuff for people, but when it comes to paying for it... well now... your time spent doesn't seem to carry any value. Sure, I could build that chair for you.... I'll just buy $20 worth of wood, spend the next 32 hours building, and somehow I guess the electricity that runs the lights & tools will need to be covered.... what's that? You want me to build it for $10.00

What is it that you do for a living again? Well now... would you be willing to pay your boss $20 for the privilege of working a 32 hr week for FREE? No? Well.... me neither.... sorry 'bout that.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Your Time and Your Skilled Labor Has Value!

Do not short sell yourself!

I spent the first few months looking at the various things I might be able to build, given the resources at hand. I checked the local markets and ebay. In the meantime I took a crash course in wood working from my father. He is in his mid 70's and long retired, but he had a lifetime of experience and I saw the value in that resource. In a matter of 6 months I was becoming competent with wood working. I gained experience in building, repairing my mistakes, and turning items on a lathe. Being that I have certain religious convictions I started out with carving various religious items. I had hopes that my show of faith would pay off ...

IMPORTANT NOTE:

It is not wise to mix money with faith.... just don't go there... trust me.

It is "Bad Karma" to seek financial profit from Spiritual things, unless your beliefs are rooted in a certain short list of traditions, a subject for another time & place...

If you are seeking a shortcut to Success, buy a lotto ticket.

My search for a marketable product eventually brought me to music. It was what was left after I tried and eliminated almost everything else Spiritual. My very first project... a Temple Lyre. Now I knew absolutely nothing about building an instrument, so I went to my best resource for education.... You Tube.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Virtually every skill, every trade known to mankind... can be found on YouTube. Somebody has done a video on it!

The Internet is the modern day "Library of Alexandria", it holds all the educational resources needed for learning virtually any trade skill. You just need to watch and practice. I effectively educated myself to be a Luthier in a matter of months.

Once I started to build instruments, I began to look around for a nitch I could fill in the market. I knew right away that building 6 string electric guitars would be unprofitable. The market is full of $100 Gibson & Fender clones. There are walls full of them in big box stores & pawn shops. I needed to find the gap in the market. And what I found was that here in Florida, there are multitudes of people living here that came from someplace else. And the places they were from had local folk traditions & flavors that were just not found here. The Appalachian Mountains have Dulcimers & Bluegrass.... The upper Mid-West has Hammered Dulcimers, The North has Irish Bouzoukis and Psalteries, We have new Immigrants with Hispanic traditions and folk instruments of their own. And finding a well crafted Folk Instrument that reminds them of "Home" is very appealing. There is also cultural trends that cycle through, like the current interest in such things as Cigar Box Guitars and Cajon Drums. 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Build what the Customers in your area are looking for, but are having trouble finding.

Make it well built, don't take shortcuts... and if at all possible remember "SHINY SELLS", there is nothing that says quality like 8 coats of Krylon Clear Acrylic...

It's getting late, I'll continue in part 2

G.S.Monroe

Playing a Larry mead 3 string

Playing a D.B. Custom 4 string

I suppose this is my version of those awful ‘round robin’ letters you get sent with Christmas cards, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, then please read no further. I haven’t been trekking in the Andes, celebrating a birthday in the Maldives, skydiving, buying a Porsche or seeing my children graduate from Oxford University…nobody is forcing you to read on, so rather than posting to tell me to shut the f*ck up, just stop reading, OK?  Having said that, I’ve felt the need to put my thoughts in order about what’s happened to me over the past 12 months to help me get some perspective and try and set out my direction for the next year It’s not all been good, but I’ll try not to dwell on the negative aspects….maybe that’s the sort of thing I ought to start writing songs about. In some ways it’s been the culmination of the past 4 years, I’ve gone  from making a few guitars each year to a few each week (although I made my first cigar box guitar back in 2005).

The past 4 years have also been full of some pretty heavy personal stuff, but I’m not going to go for the sympathy vote, everyone has their own share of life’s travails to deal with. 2013 has been the year when I’ve moved fully into earning my corn at guitar making and music, so I hope you may excuse me if sometimes I seem opinionated and at times come over as being a bit of a know-it –all. It’s been damned hard, so don’t go thinking I’ve been lucky, luck has precious little to do with it. I see too many people sitting around waiting for an opportunity to drop into their lap...well let me tell you, that’s not going to happen, not unless you are totally committed and are willing to work. And for me, work means long hours.   I’m usually at work by 6.00am, whether at my computer, in the workshop or on the road, and often the day doesn’t end until midnight or the small hours the next day...that’s how you get lucky.

Learning to play cigar box guitar – workshop at the East Anglia Guitar Festival

So, as the year draws to an end, I’m reflecting on what changes the past year has brought.  With mixed feelings at least I can say I’ve been spared some of the sniping and grief of that had been shot in my direction from some quarters the previous year, but I’m under no illusion that some folk are always willing to have pop at me for some reason or whatever.  On a more general note, I know everyone is out there on the cigar box guitar scene “doing their own thing”, but I feel it’s not quite the same cohesive and open-minded community that it used to be. Sad to say, but my perception also is that Cigar Box Nation isn’t the force it used to be, and for me it isn’t the vibrant forum for new and inspiring ideas that it once was. It’s only my personal view, and it continues be THE go-to contact point for the subject. However, I sometimes  need to remind myself of some of the lines of the Desiderata, “Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are a vexation to the spirit”. I haven’t been that active on CBN of late, mainly because I’ve been too busy actually doing things rather than talking about it, and sometimes I feel I just need to keep my head down.  It makes me a bit sad but I hope it may all come back round in the fullness of time. It’s the nature of the internet, and to each their own.

First gig in Germany – Bremen Roemer Club

For me the past 12 months has marked a huge change. Before this year, I did the odd workshop, made guitars and sold them at guitar shows...it kept me busy and provided me with a decent income. This year has seen a massive take-up for guitar making workshops, and going overseas to make guitars and play gigs -  both aspects have completely altered my perspective on what I’m doing.  Some press and TV exposure have also helped…and not wishing to play that down, that’s just been part of the mix.

Demand for my guitar making workshops has been satisfyingly steady, and I’ve got more geared up and more organized so I can now make a good proportion of my living doing it. I’m always glancing around to see what else is happening, and I know I’m not the only one doing this caper, so all that keeps me on my toes. 

Massive thanks must go out to Hollowbelly, for my being able to (literally) profit from his contacts in Europe, which got me my introduction to working overseas. He has been unstintingly supportive and generous in spirit in teaming up for these joint ventures…and I have learned a lot from spending time on the road with him during the course of 4 European road trips. Also, all my new contacts, customers and friends, particularly in Europe have buoyed me up and given me a new sense of optimism and direction.

First workshop in the Netherlands

Doing filming for the History Channel “Pawn Stars” programme was an interesting start to the year, and getting a guitar reviewed in Guitar and Bass magazine was a bit of a coup, but the big shock to my system was going to Europe. I’d been trying to organize a workshop and gig in Holland for some time, but despite my best efforts it had all fallen through...mainly down to not being able to get the money part of it agreed.  Undeterred, through the wonder of Facebook I managed to hook up with one of Hollowbelly’s German contacts and also with the help of a complete stranger in the Netherlands who seemed to like what I was doing and offered to sort out gigs and a workshop. Me and Hollowbelly formulated a somewhat illogical intinerary, with the route looking like a drunken spider wandering across a map of northern Europe…and I was thrown in at the deep end with 10 days on the road. Although I know HB from the very first Boxstock 5 years ago, the logistics of sharing the car, rooms and gigs for a week and a half was a bit daunting, and it was a lot of pressure to carry this venture off.  An exciting and challenging prospect, but an enterprise not to be undertaken lightly (sounds like marriage…). Well, we managed not to come to fisticuffs, and in fact it all turned out pretty groovy…some nice gigs, exhausting but inspiring workshops, and I came back to the UK older, wiser and a bit wealthier...and with about 2000 miles on the clock. I think those miles were harder on me than on my car. It’s difficult to sum up what I learned, but after seeing the way HB dealt with his stage performances and his overall approach to what he was doing, I felt I’d been given a membership card to a secret alternative world, which to me had previously been hidden. The fellowship, friendship and general hip-ness of this alternative music scene on the continent seemed to have been offered up to me on a platter, and I was all too happy to hoover it up like Posh Spice on a coke binge. Not that it’s all drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, far from it. I realised I’d taken on a massive physical and mental task...huge amounts of driving through snow, ice and pitch black nights, seemingly endless flights of staircases to lug countless boxes of gear up, packing gear into the car, unpacking again…and all this in constant close physical proximity to a guy I really didn’t know all that well, on a trip the like of which I’d never undertaken.  I suppose It wasn’t all totally alien to me, having toured with Tinqui8, Mike Snowden and Claude Hay in 2012, so that had at least got me into the crazy daily routine of drive, unpack, set-up, gig, break down, sleep, drive, repeat and repeat daily for a week or so…and the mood swings and exhaustion that it brings on. However, going abroad, staying with strangers and being responsible for the whole shebang was pretty mind-boggling. Still, in the words of Andy our German host,  after the first workshop and gig in Bremen “We did it guys!!”…and I think I can say with a degree of satisfaction, continued to do it and do it well for the rest of the year.

I’ve missed a few guitar shows this year, due to personal and overseas commitments, but it’s something I try and keep doing, getting the product out to the people face-to-face. The 2 day Birmingham show is the first one of the year, and it’s on my doorstep, so I’m sort of duty-bound to be there, but it is very expensive to take a stand. The take over 2 days isn’t as good as one day at somehere like Haydock…I like Haydock Park..it’s a nice venue and people always seem up for spending their money with me. It’s all part of the various aspects I have to consider to see what’s going to be most beneficial for my business.

The next big deal for me was Muddy Roots Europe festival in Belgium. Again I went with Hollowbelly. This time it was a leisure jaunt for HB, being asked back as a guest after playing the festival the previous year, but for me it was my first opportunity to take my shop on the road in Europe. What was very cool was the prospect of being able to meet up with Jos Maesen from Belgium who had come to the 2^nd UK Boxstock, and also to meet up with Andy and Ozzy, our German and Dutch “fixers”. I was bowled over by the intimate friendly atmosphere of the event (as well as the great music)...it was as if everyone was family. For me this cemented the idea that this was the way music should be, and indeed when we returned to Bremen a few months later for the Van Thom Weekender, we met up with a lot of people that we’d seen in Belgium. 

Making new friends at Muddy Roots.

For my last European road trip of the year, I decided to arrange the next visit for HB and me as a short hardworking weekend. 

Eindhoven for the 2^nd time this year

Ozzy sorted us out with some return visits to Belgium and Holland, packing in 3 gigs and 2 workshops in 4 days. It was enjoyable but hard work, and by now I was getting the hang of how to approach the job in a professional manner…all those unglamorous things like turning up on time, working out a route, making sure you have all the right leads, mics, amps, guitars, strings etc., plus all the materials parts and tools to make over 50 guitars (you can’t nip back to the house for something when you are 600 miles, 3 countries and a ferry journey from home).  The workshops are really a day-long performance in themselves, entertaining people and keeping them happy…it really is very hard work – I now understand what a difficult job being a teacher must be.

Back in the UK - Upton Blues Festival, jazz style.

Birmingham Beer Festival with Chickenbone Blues

Last year I think we’d been too ambitious with Boxstock, so this year we decided to change the format – less outgoings, a smaller venue, no Friday night and a lower ticket price. It seemed to work well, and was certainly a lot less stressful to organise … apart from the minor inconvenience of loosing our headline act with 4 days to go. These things happen: you have to try and be a bit philosophical about it and just get on with it.

Boxstock 2013 in Leicester– learning to play the Hollowbelly way

So, 25 guitar making workshops, 2 TV appearances, 4 working trips to Europe, a few festivals, a few gigs and about another 100 guitars made…it’s been a busy old year.

Re-union gig with The Surprises

I could say I’ve been lucky, but it’s not been just luck, it’s been persistence and hard work…yes, some fortunate things have happened, some serendipity, but you have to put yourself in the way of fortune for things to happen in the first place. Something that Hollowbelly said to me earlier this year has stayed with me. If I recall rightly, we were unloading our gear off a converted trawler in Scheveningen harbour, dragging it across a snow encrusted gangplank and onto the quayside ready to load it into the car for a trip down into Belgium. He said (or words to the effect) that  “Most people don’t take the opportunities when they arise, because they are usually disguised as hard work.”  It struck me that during the task of hefting several hundred of kilos of gear at sub zero temperatures onto a snow-covered dockside, truer words were never spoken. I’ve been priviledged to learn a lot from Hollowbelly during the time I’ve spent on the road with him this year, about his work ethic and his professional attitude and his creative influences.

Well, I found this tune on my Uke fretboard as well (it's another stick dulcimer tune I play). Enjoy...

Hello Fellow Cigar Box Nation Reader,

I've been lurking around the forum for about a year now learning what I can and giving back when I can, and as this year draws to a close I feel it's about time I started a Blog so that others who find their way to these pages might find some trinket or two worthy of adding to their own personal vault of knowledge.

First off I would like to encourage you to pursue your muse, and take time to listen to the music that is all around us (quoting from the movie August Rush). Music is one of the few joys in life that can so easily be shared with a total stranger and in the process improve everyone's outlook on life. It covers the full spectrum of emotion..... love, hate, sorrow, elation, despair and rapture! Music is a healing salve that can mend the wounds of the heart, it is the Noble Messenger that can convey your deepest heart felt sentiments, and it can uplift the burdened soul into the heavens.

Well, I think that's enough for now, my next Blog entry will be about whatever the "topic of the day" happens to be...

Stay Tuned.

I was noodling around with my ukulele yesterday and discovered I could find most of the song Hard Times on the uke fretboard. Hard Times is one of my favorite songs and I play it regularly on my stick dulcimers. So, I decided to create a set of Tabs for it so I can practice it some more and pass the song on as part of my Uke tabs collection. The arrangement is mainly the melody (I'm not a chords kind of player). Here's the tabs...

The music is the same for the other verses and those lyrics can be easily found by searching the Internet. Enjoy.

-Rand.

Happy 5th! Here's a set of free plans. It's called a Rocky Mountain Dulcimer, a cardboard topped 3-stringed instrument. Sounds great! 

Here's a young lass playing one.

I used the info from this page to build this 3 string. It sounds bluesy and raunchy and I like it like that! Thanks for the help.

Just an idea , has anyone tried a double string diddle-bow, as in say, 2 "A" strings in the same tuning?

Thanks for a great Cigarbox Don CD Launch, the good news is Don has had a word with his pal Cigarbox Santa, he makes Cigar Box Guitars to (and other toys) and is gonna drop by his wee hoose for a wee hoose concert for all the wee ones (and big ones) join us please

If you don't already have a ticket, you can grab one here: http://www.stageit.com/cigarbox_santa/cigarbox_santa_festive_special/31338

We will again be showing at the Mega Market 136th & Q. We have been showing there the past 2 Saturdays. It is an indoor market open on the weekends. We will be there not only Friday the 29th but also Saturday the 30th. We have loved all the reactions and positive feed back from everyone that has come through.



I wanted to share a story about a customer that came through yesterday. I was away from the table but my wife had this interaction and related this story to me. This customer brings his wife and children to our table and states "These are the guitars I was talking about". He commented how great the guitars looked. He asked the price of the Mojo Guitar which is $1,000.00. He then begins to demean the work by saying he saw such a guitar on ebay for $40.00. Well long story short, my wife chased this guy away and was rightfully offended by such an attack on my craftsmanship. It's not that I consider myself to be the greatest craftsman, but the truth is I think this person really enjoyed my work, but didn't have the economic fortitude to be able to buy such a guitar. That is why I make other unique instruments so that almost anyone who wants a unique instrument can have one if they so desire. In the end we're all looking for a deal. In the world of handcrafted unique items the price paid is not all for materials, but for the time the craftsman took to come up with the idea to cutting, routing, drilling, sanding, spraying clear coat, sanding, winding pickups, wax potting, soldering, assembly and setup. I don't know one craftsman that isn't worried about the smallest details about what they are selling. A crafts person wants to put out a quality product to keep customers coming back, all the while honing their skills. Well, I just want someone to be happy with something they can't find just anywhere.

For those new to cb fiddle building, permit me to share some hard-earned tips to get you started right.

1.   Getting Started:   If you want to build a full-size (4/4) violin, it is critical that you get the correct measurements for the string length from the nut to the bridge, and the height of the bridge must be the same as a real violin. Bear in mind that a violin has an arch top, which raises the bridge height. Your cigar box will have a flat top, so to compensate, you must angle your neck to match the correct angle of a violin. If you do not get this right, your strings will not be the correct height on the neck or at the bridge.

2.   Choosing A Box:   You want to find a box that is long and narrow; the body of a 4/4 violin is about 14" long and about 5 1/2" wide at the bouts. It is critical that it be as narrow as possible, close to a real violin, or your bow will hit the sides of the box when playing on the G or the E strings. Also, a real violin is about 1 & 1/2 " deep, and if you want to attach a chin rest, you will have to cut down the height of the box in order to fit it on.

3.   Creating A Template:   I know this next step is time-consuming and counter-intuitive for those who just like to jump in and build, but neglect this step at your own peril! Once you have chosen your box and adapted it for the correct height, (and this is how I do it: I take the box apart at the hinges, and cut out from the middle section all around the sides, so that when I re-section it, it will be 1 & 1/2" tall.) Next, I stand the box on its side on a large sheet of drawing paper, and draw the outline of the box. Then I locate where the bridge will fall on top of the box, which is determined by the correct tail piece spacing, copied from a violin. I draw the bridge to its full size dimensions. I then lay out the neck, paying careful attention to the correct height of the strings to the neck at the nut and the bridge, and also by getting the correct string length from the nut to the bridge. I transfer all measurements from a 4/4 violin neck so that the neck and fingerboard thicknesses will be the same for the custom neck I will build. NOTE: YOU MUST CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM BUILT NECK, as it will be longer than a real violin neck, to make up the difference in the length of your box to that of a 4/4 violin! Once I have drawn out my cb violin to its full size, I can then transfer all measurements for my build, and confirm that the neck is properly angled to be playable.

4.   Building The Neck:   Building the neck is without a doubt the hardest and most time-consuming part, but if you get it right, you will be rewarded with a beautiful violin that will actually play like a violin! I go the whole route, hand carving and tooling the scroll volute by copying from a real violin. It is critical that you make templates for the peg holes from a real violin, and transfer them over. NOTE: CAREFULLY DRILL THE HOLES SMALLER THAN THE PEGS, and use a round file to carefully enlarge each hole to fit the peg. Bear in mind that the peg hole will be slightly larger where the peg goes in than where it comes out, so take your time with each hole. Get it wrong, and you will have to plug and re-drill the holes, which is time-consuming and not as pretty! I create my neck out of 2" x 2" poplar stock, and splicing together two pieces to get the neck angle, but it would be better to use a 2" x 4" piece of wood to cut the neck out of in one piece. This would also make the neck stronger, but either way, the joint will be re-inforced once the neck is glued into the box. At the part of the neck inside the box, I cut away some of the bottom portion, leaving only a bit to touch the bottom of the box at the front and back of the inside of the box. This lets the box sound better and have more volume.

5:   Finishing Up:   Once you have the neck correctly built, the rest is easy! You will follow through much the same as building a cb guitar. I do use a piece of 1/4" dowel rod to build a sound post, set just to the back and right under the bridge. Soundholes can be made up of the same kind of things you'd use on a cb guitar, or you can make a "f" hole template from a 4/4 violin, and cut them out with a sharp knife. If you find that your bow will hit the sides of the box when playing on the outside strings, you may have to cut out some of the top of the box where the bouts would fall. Otherwise, if you have chosen your box carefully, it will be narrow enough to play without too much difficulty! You can create your own fingerboard and tailpiece and pegs, but I prefer to order mine for a more professional look, and you can find these sets online. EBay is a good place to get an entire set for less than $20.

Hope this helps, good luck with your build!

For two weeks in November 2013 Cigarbox Don Jack exhibited his upcycled homemade instruments and his Artoons in IG:LuInverness, he also recorded an album, with the Rob Ellen and The Medicine Mobile.

Here is "The Very Dab"

Scottish Home Grown Hand Built Cigar Box Music
"Pure MacHokum"

Getting ready for the 1st annual Venice, Florida, Brews and Blues Festival this Saturday.....Great food, Brews and Blues.  I will have about a dozen CBGs on display for sale.  Stop in if you are in the area.

Hi y'all I have been a bit busy.  My Biscuit (Busk-it) tin guitars are coming along very nicely.  Attempting to make this hobby in to a bit of a business.  www.elgordeaux.com

Take a look at my website and feel free to make comments or even buy a guitar.  But I know y'all make your own.

Keep playin and be happy.  ElGordeaux.