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Hi,

After several months in the making I have finally finished a new album of foot stompin gritty cigar box blues music.The first track "Jesse James" has been posted up in the video section for your approval. The album is available for FREE so please download a copy and help us spread the gospel of Cigar Box Music to the masses!

Every time you download a copy it pushes us further up the Reverbnation Blues chart gaining us more exposure and therefore showing to the ill informed that you can make great music with a very cheap instruments made out of recycled material. After all it is only 3 chords, 2 fingers and the truth!

Your help would be greatly appreciated. It's a cracking album I promise! Oh and once again its FREE!

Grab a FREE copy at www.reverbnation.com/leadfootrecords

Leadfoot & Fingers

Finished the pain in the butt tin postcard reso uke build yesterday. Had only to glue down the bridge & nut and string 'er up.

Lots went wrong with this one - not the least of which was the really awful no good terrible really bad box I decided to use. I knew it was a bad box, but accepted the challenge anyway. The Royal Jamaica Petit Coronas box has a split opening, not a lid so working on the internals was a nightmare. Not only is the box shallow, because of the split opening you only get HALF of that shallow width to work with.

So yeah - there were problems. As well, I decided to try and do a 'speed build' so that didn't help in the problem avoidance department. No time to be super careful!

When I glued down the tailpiece I also screwed it down and when I used my countersink bit it split the end of the tailpiece! So I glued it and covered up the mistake by epoxying some little dowel pieces over the screw holes. 

When I cut the soundholes they came out uneven.

But when I added the strings it sounds GOOD! Except for buzz on the A string that I couldn't figure out at first because the action is high enough. Turns out it's at the nut, so I think cutting the channel a bit deeper will fix it.

I'm actually donating it to a silent auction at a show that's a benefit for a struggling artist friend. I'm also playing/singing at the show. 

I WAS going to keep it 'cause I don't have a uke - and still don't now, lol - but this is a good cause!

I generally place them into a few categories, all wood, paper and wood, Masonite (particle board), and cardboard.

1. All wood is the best. I prefer Brickhouse the Mighty Mighty Menduro which is the largest box out there. I have one of the rare black. The Padrones are the same volume but longer and shallower. This is nice for the double resonator cone version you can see on my page. The quality of the wood is good the boxes are not constructed as well as a Brickhouse and I often have to fill in gaps or add additional bracing. They recycle them so my chances of getting a fresh one are less likely now. The wood is not dyed and I have some really pretty ones in my 25 box collection (and growing). Perhaps the usage and wearing make them more attractive I hope, like faded jeans.
2. Wood with Paper. The sound is as good #1 but the paper can deaden the sound if it is too thick or complete in coverage. The logos tend to be prettier but also larger causing me to try new ways to make sound holes that won't impede the graphics I like so much.
3. Masonite, let's face it sounds dead and really need to have pickups and go electric.
4. Cardboard is the same as above but they are great for me to practice new techniques on.

There is a newer category, the handmade box. Superior material assures great craftsmanship and you can control the sound however you will never get the true great sound of a dreadnought. Mandolins and ukes are not large either but have great sound. Not being a master of sound dynamics I just do my best. There was a great navy architect named Phil Bolger and a very famous airplane engineer named Steve Whitman who built square shaped boats and planes, not rounded. Science proved them to be correct in that they moved through the air with greater efficiency and speed. Phil's boats were banned from racing as they proved too fast even with handicap. People didn't like the flat sides and thought a true boat or plane was rounded and so they never really sold accept to the purist’s. One of those purest was Steve Job's who built the "Bolger Box" yacht just before his death that was to prove to be the "New Wave" in luxury yacht design. It has also been proven that rectangular shaped instruments produce better sound than the rounded ones. Moving air or moving through air or water is the same science. Again, everyone has been trained to want the traditional female shaped bodies (no guessing here as to why) despite the inferior sound quality. CBG's by accident are the vanguard of new instrument design and may change the world for the better.

Brought my reso uke into the bar I frequent both as a patron and performer and someone wanted to buy one just like it!

Wasn't even trying. Sweet.

ALMOST finished an entire build in one day yesterday. It's my second reso uke. This one is using a tin postcard from Hawaii. 

The box should have been rejected outright. Not a great box and it sort-of splits in the middle instead of having a top lid. Used it anyway.

Box got a hole for the reso plate and two grommet soundholes. Took a uke bridge/tailpiece combo and cut it in two to separate the bridge and tail parts. Glued the tail, made a damn mess of it with a drill then covered my mistake with a couple of wooden pegs. Looks like I meant to do it.

Scavenged some tuners from a junker uke I had lying around. This meant that I had to thin down the headstock to accommodate them, so no scarf joint needed. Used the band saw for that and to rip down the neck so it wouldn't touch the resonator. Rasped, sanded, drilled and three coats of spray poly. 

Fretted and dressed the oak fingerboard which I will glue once the neck is fitted to the box.

All that remains is wiring up a piezo pickup, attaching a handle and stringing her up.

Hi fellas, I'm shamelessly soliciting " likes " and " comments " for my entry, # 20, in The Australian Wood Review's " So You Think You Can Dovetail " comp.  I'm only going for the facebook popular vote and a mag. subscription.  There are some very fine entrys for the judged 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  You can just see my computer alcove below the loft.  I built 99.9% of what can be seen in the photo.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=422783364460636&set=a.380883175317322.86937.126465104092465&type=3&theater

Here is a zip file that contains a handful of commonly used fretboard scales. Simply print out the PDF, cut it out with scissors and tape it together so the lines match. Then tape it to your fretboard and mark the fret locations. Enjoy!

Fretboard%20Templates.zip

Fret Calculator with compensation - SAE and Metric

Here is a simple spreadsheet I made. Again, there are MANY online and this is but one more. I did include a 1/32" nut-to-first compensation as many of us use this trick. Keeps the 1-3 frets from being sharp. Also lower the strings at the nut so the notes don't go sharp.

-WY

Waiting for poly to dry. 

Made a bridge AND tailpiece for the uke out of a salvaged Telecoustic bridge. The pin holes will make nice tie-anchors for the strings. They're a little widely spaced so I added some string guides (screws).

I used the other part of the bridge for a bridge. flipped the original bridge since it was compensated so I could  use the flat part. Epoxied it in place in the original wood slot, cut it to size and it's almost ready.  One I fit the neck and strings I can see how high the bridge is and sand down the bottom if needed.

Scavenged the nut off a Mahalo uke.

Added a drain cover sound hole and cabinet pull handle for a handle. 

Need to run to the Shack for a 1/4 jack so I can wire up the pickup.

Tomorrow it should be finished!

Now that I know more I'm going to rebuild the second CBG I built. It was  an unfretted 3-string with a piezo that didn't work. So I've decided to replace a new piezo, round over the back sides of the neck, insert a more efficient and better looking nut, and install frets at the 3, 5, 7, 10,  octave, etc. New strings and tuned to GDG. I was going to use it as a wall hanger but it sounds real good so I decided to try to save it. It can always hang on a wall later. 

Made some progress on my latest build - a LP reso uke. Neck is almost ready for poly. Cut the hole for the plate in the box, then measured and cut the holes for the neck in the box.

What I FORGOT was that the fretboard is overlapping the box so when I dry fit the neck, the fretboard was too low! Luckily it was just the thin box bottom. This meant I had to use the only flat file I have - a tiny one - to thin the bottom of the fretboard overhang. It came out fine and will work great. Took forever, though.

Live and learn.  Now I'll know the next time I do an overhang.

I gifted my first diddley bow to our son in law who is a huge fan of early raw Delta blues. The first 2-string went to our son who has been playing around with guitars for several years. So, on Christmas Eve we had ourselves a little family jams band. Great fun and everyone was excited with their gifts. 

Well... I did it again... a three stringer as a christmas gift for my girl... included a single coil pick up and a stubby slide, made of brass

Information Part 1 (Playing Come On In My Kitchen)

I play this song in Spanish Tuning. Sometimes I play this in the key of G (DGDgbd) or I will tune down a whole step to the key of F (CFCfac). I can also tune up a whole step to the key of A (EAEac#e) or using Open G tuning, capo fret 2. To get the tone similar to the old 78 RPM Robert Johnson's recording, I capo to the key of Bb (capo fret 3). It is essential that you tune the guitar to match the singer's vocal range. Regardless, because all the string relationships (from their repective major scales 515135) stay the same, all the positions on the fingerboard are the same too. Think of this as the same way a (diatonic)harmonica player has a different harmonica for each key of music. Although the notes are different, they are arranged in the same tonal progression based on the major scale and sound in a different key.    

I teach this song on CD 5 arranged for 4 string CBG tuned in Spanish tuning key of G (Dgbd). Notice this is the 4 highest strings of the full 6 string tuning DG(Dgbd), but also notice a few other important simularities too. The two lowest strings (DG)Dgbd / (Dg)bd and the two highest strings DGDg(bd) / Dg(bd) are the same notes. So, going from 6 string to 4 string is very easy to understand. See CD 2.

Here is the beginning of the 4 string CBG lesson:

http://youtu.be/KLGnnF-TIbY

Here is this song in performance on 4 string CBG.

http://youtu.be/gRAW1LID1QI       

Compare it to the 6 string arrangement.

http://youtu.be/weWVZHj1CSc

I originally learned the Bottleneck Blues style on 6 string, but through my exploration of 3 and 4 string CBG (and 5 string banjo too), I greatly improved my understanding and skill.

In the next installment, I will talk about the relationship of 6 string and 3 string CBG using Spanish tuning.

It is my hope to clarify this material to my students, so they can take it a lot further in their applied practice.

Enjoy your practice, Keni Lee       

Its the end of the world - Have a Cigar Box Guitar

I made the neck and finger board day before yesterday.  Its gonna be a 3 sting fretless maple neck luan ply finger board humbucker or piezo p/u Nate Sherman Suave box.  I just finished gluing the f/b on the neck.  Pix to follow soon.

Check out the pics! LP reso #1 almost done. Waiting on some ferrules then I can string 'er up! 
Problem 1: Cut a hole in the wrong side for the EQ system. 
Solution 1: Cut a piece of plate to cover the hole and bolted it on. Looks like I meant to do it.
Problem 2: Didn't want strings contacting edge of box.
Solution 2: Used a piece of hex to act as a turnbuckle. Epoxied to tailpiece of neck.

Should get the amp done this weekend too. Too late for Xmas, but my dad will love it all the same.

Monster build redux: Sanded the scarf joint and glued on the fretboard. Today will be shaping the neck and hopefully painting.

I poly'd the neck of the LP reso I'm working on. 3 coats. Gotta smooth it out tonight then THAT part is done. Cut a hole for the EQ/preamp for the rod piezo. HOWEVER I THOUGHT I was cutting it on the TOP of the box, but I wasn't. Man alive. I might patch it with another PA plate I've got lying around and move it to the top. Probably will. Hope I've got some tin snips! 
Which stinks because I WAS at Home depot yesterday and didn't buy any snips. Haha.

I'll find something that works because this is a CBG and stuff like that will just make it look mean!

Rebooting the monster build too. It was my first project and all the mistakes are adding up to something I don't think will end up working. Scarfed a new neck and should have it all cut sanded and lacquered up tonight. Both builds should be complete this weekend!

Had a stage show Saturday so not much got done. Sunday I went to two different Home Depots... Got my work table set up in the basement. Also bought a Husky 'X' stand for my 10" band saw. Stacked 2 2'x2' sheets of birch ply and bolted them to the top of the X-stand. Then I screwed my band saw to the top of that. Pretty solid. I'll probably get a couple of those 50lb tube sand things to put on the legs to make SURE, though it probably doesn't need em. Then it was band practice so I didn't get much done on my builds. If all goes well tonight, I should be making my first cuts on my saw!

No photos yet but my 4th homemade guitar is in the works. I'm trying to make it mostly from found or re-purposed items. I bought an old trailer at a yard sale couple of years ago and it had a 1994 Florida license plate on it so I'm using that as the basis of my new box. I'm making my own box out of a piece of red Western cedar that was left over from repairing some siding on my house. The neck is a piece of red oak left over from rebuilding a park bench and the fret board is a length of an old yard stick from a long out of business hardware store. It is 25" scale and 20 frets which are made from finishing nails. I also cut a scarf joint and dropped the headstock. Not sure what I'll use for a pickup, magnetic or piezo. It will be 3 strings and probably tuned to an open G. And, I found a piece of broken fencing today that is pretty thin. I'll probably use it for a couple of future fret boards. This is FUN!