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So you agree to make a guitar for another person for cash!!

No problem right, I've built a few, they look ok, they work as they should, apart from the one's that live under my bench, but I wont mention those.

Idea's are exchanged, an imaginary design agreed, just to be clear this is two people thinking about roughly the same thing and fine tuning it on the telephone. Is this faith in my ability justified ?

Next question how long will it take ?

That one I struggled with, I have never really thought about how long it takes me to build one before because it has never mattered, it's done when it's done.

A quick mental calculation required, I have most of the components not a problem, what is a problem is the way I work. Building for me is not work, that's what I go out to do every day because I have to. Building for me is pleasure something to be savoured and enjoyed.

So my usual approach would be to go in to my workshop/studio [ garage ] sit at my bench put some music on have a drink and a smoke and think about it for a while, when I have done that I might have another drink and another smoke and think about it some more. Then I will make a start cut the neck out first usually, then I will get distracted thinking about the bridge or something else that does'nt need thinking about yet, and on it goes spending ages doing things that don't need doing, and a bit of time doing things that do, but thats because I enjoy it.

Discipline thats whats needed so I say a month, my client is happy with this so off we go.

Over the next few days the neck is cut the bowl is cut [ I favour bowls over boxes ] a dry joint made reasonable progress! Then life happens it's two weeks before I can get back to it. Panic sets in.

Super applied discipline now required, a couple of days later it's mostly done, no drinking and daydreaming, well just a bit.

So self induced pressure gone, self doubt gone, guitar finished to be handed over in two days, enjoy it Paul.

Will I do it again.

Off course I will.

There's always a story.  I'm too amped up right now to type it out here, but here's my lyrical contribution for today.  I'm sure I've got some good company here.

*

Half way to nowhere
meet a customer I saw 3 years ago
now wants to buy
Everyone wants a piece of me
Can't have none unless you got money
Got them dashboard blues
Got them windshield blues 
Got them outta town blues

*

Passing rental cars
Two starch shirts jaw jackin' about nuthin'
Acting like azzholes with the boss's money
Made six but didn't earn any 
Time to get a new job 
Got those dashboard blues
Got those windshield blues 
Got those road worn blues

* 

I love this quote from the Kruger Bothers about moving to North Carolina:

“It’s like the state motto, ‘To be rather than to seem,’ ” Uwe says. “The music is like that for real here. You drive around and see people playing on their porch, which you don’t see anywhere else nowadays. The whole state is kind of like that image of Ireland, where the whole pub starts singing. Music is not a spectator sport here.

http://www.ourstate.com/kruger-brothers/

I was born and raised here and thats been my experience.  If someone is having a get together, you bring your guitar (or banjo, or dulcimer, or harmonica... ).  I remember visiting my cousins in Oregon as a teen and my aunt & uncle threw a small party.  The whole vibe felt kind of weird and I realized later that night that it was because no-one was making any music.  Its simply not a party if there is no live music.

I guess some folks or some sub-cultures just don't value music or musicians.

And that puts me in mind of those great lyrics from Lovin' Spoonful's "Nashville Cats":

Well, there's sixteen thousand eight hundred twenty one Mothers from Nashville
All their friends play music, and they ain't uptight If one of the kids will
Because it's custom made for any mother's son to be a guitar picker in Nashville
And I sure am glad I got a chance to say a word about the music and the mothers from Nashville

I know Nashville isn't NC. But, in a way, it is

- Bob

So I finally got around to making a CBG.

Over all it was a big success, considering that when I first beginning working on this project I was not very optimistic and I was worried that the neck would snap 1/2 or the thing would explode.

I used Torpedo box, oak neck, tuning machines from a cheap mandoline and some discarded screws.  I found a couple of discarded Sorvall centrifuge tubes and make one into a slide.

A lot of mistakes (which I expected) were made, the original plan was to make a 4 string, I ended up making a 2 string.  Making the guitar neck ate up the most time, I did not plan accordingly and had to make adjustments to compensate for my mistakes.  I think the neck is as good as it is going to get, the action is kinda high but it works fine with a slide.

The next step will be to a install a pair of pickups and volume pod in it.  I saved a few telephones from being throw into the garbage, I am goanna use the receivers as pickups.  I don't think the telephone receivers will make good sounding pickups, but they did not cost me anything and I figure it's worth a shot.

My second CBG was given to a child and I wasn't too worried about it being "politically incorrect" on account of the smoking connection because his parents are smokers.  But, I probably won't do it again.  Instead, I'll use a school box like this from Amazon--This box is manufactured by General Box Company, Waycross, Georgia, USA, and they sell this and some other school boxes at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_office-products?_encoding=UTF8&node=1064954&field-brandtextbin=General%20Box%20Company . I have one of their older boxes and it is 8 3/8 x 5 1/2 x 2 3/8 inches or about 21 x 14 x 6 cm.

The company's web site has some interesting information at http://www.generalbox.com/html/history.html where you learn that the founder invented the hinged lid box in 1938.  Aside from being surprised that you could get a patent on something so simple, I was happy to learn that the company is still in business and making lots of boxes here in the USA.

Old time Blues masters like Muddy Waters and Bukka White usually referred to Vestapol tuning (151351) with the major third tuned down a half step to the minor third as Cross Note Tuning (151b351)

Actually this is the same as Open Minor tuning. Although, they did not play a minor blues. Instead by fretting the third string, they had a major chord again. Lifting the finger was the same sound you get when playing in standard tuning, fingering an open position E chord and lifting your first finger to open the third string.

This tension between major and minor third is an important element in that blues sound. Although, not commonly associated with traditional blues, by tuning the third string up to g, the guitar is now in DADgad tuning. This is another very popular open tuning.

So, by just retuning one string in Vestapol tuning, you can play in 3 different tunings and create 3 very different musical ideas: DADf#ad...DADfad...DADgad.

I am using 151b351 tuning in this video. Key of C (CGCeflatgc) Listen, I pick out the minor chord at the end.

 http://youtu.be/QiuHxwOplck 

Cardboard box with very light reinforcing.  The neck is birch veneer and the box reinforcing is really light pine or something like that--all the wood came from a pallet made in Europe.  The lid is held on with four tiny screws.

18.75 inch scale length, weed whacker strings which look better than they sound.

Front.  The grommets were made for tarps--the lid is almost too thick; next time I'll glue them on. Fret Distances Calculator is from http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/fretcalc/index.htm  The "frets" are only pencil marks.  The neck is 15/16 inch wide, rounded in back, about 1/2 inch thick, and cut away under the box lid (this section was later reinforced).  The small sizes were chosen because this was intended as a gift for a child with small hands.  I recommended that it be restrung with nylon strings and that presently it sounds best when played like a lap steel guitar.

This picture is in poor focus but you can see two brass strips that the strings cross at the tail: these are L-shaped in cross section and I bought 36 inch pieces that way but they could easily be bent from thin metal; they are glued with super glue; the shorter one sits in a fret slot.  They should prevent cutting into the wood and cardboard.

The nut is a wire tie; I don't have any idea how long that will last. The bridge is a small bolt (intended for light fixtures) for low action and less finger pressure.

Stand at the very edge of the cliff.Feel the fear of the unknown,a sense of dread even.Steel yourself-Step off...

You can't see them beneath the clouds, but I can assure you there are people you've never ever met,perfect strangers,holding their hands out,far below in foreign lands.They will catch you,shelter you,feed you..I earned a few mad stacks whilst touring Europe, but this knowledge is far more precious than gold.

      So yeah,I was scared tell you the truth-it was like a personal challenge to do my first tour alone-what if the Bellybus broke down-I have no breakdown insurance,cant speak the language,no one to help..what if I get mugged?what if my health fails? what if I lose my satnav? and on and on..dunno about you when facing the unknown, but my mind delights in furnishing me with ever increasingly lurid technicolour fantasies of all that could go wrong.I should have recognised how things might actually turn out when,out of the blue, Steve 'Leadfoot' Thompson comps me free ferry tickets across the English Channel, to 'help a brother out'.This is the first example of how people will respond to my situation, for reasons that, for me, still remain unclear.What I do know is that I felt the same way with Bob Log when I met him on his tour-if he'd have said to me "John I need to travel 50 miles to buy a plectrum" I'd have driven him happily.

          So the tour kicks off at The Chambers,Kent.Despite it being midweek the turnout is pleasing-with several cigarboxnation members in attendence.The gig goes well,the first of the tees n' cd's start getting sold and obviously I comp Leadfoot a tee, cd n' stickers as a thank you.

          I go back to my mate DJ Hillfunks' gaff-my regular hang out when in these parts.The next day mid morning I board the Ferry and leave England.Watching the White cliffs of Dover as you depart for foreign lands always elicits an emotive effect for any Englishman.I feel like ringing Mrs.Belly but at that thought an unexpected lump forms in my throat so I leave the phone in my pocket.

         Pretty soon I disembark and cruise (on the right!) via France to Ziggys bar in Kortrijk,Belgium.I am offered a bed for the night by the bar owner but as I set up the Blaublues Festival Crew turn up.They inform me that after the gig they will escort me back to their house where I can reside during the 6 dates I will be playing in their country.Wow! and heres me thinking I'd be living like a tramp in the Bellybus for 16 days.I've been on the road 2 days and been offered at least one bed each night without fail.

         The gig goes well enough,I collect my dosh and follow the Blaublues Festival crew to a rather pleasant home in a rather pleasant suburb, where I am sheltered, fed,have my clothes washed and folded,and am generally looked after beautifully.Each night the guys pull on their Hollowbelly tour tees and hump my gear,even magically delivering a PA system to gigs that dont have one.The sound dude donates his equipment free of charge, and even turns up at one of the gigs to operate it.When one of my harps fail I am driven to a blues harp players house,where he lends me one as a spare-nothing is too much trouble.Patrick takes photos at gigs and mails them to my email address each night.The guys even make a round trip of 160 miles to support me at my last Belgium gig in Brussels.

         Each gig is very different-sometimes a young crowd,sometimes an older crowd-sometimes a bar,pub,club.Luckily the reception is always the same and the cd's and tees sell steadily each night.Its interesting to witness people in different cities laughing at the same between-song jokes, now I witness them laugh at the same jokes in different countries.People are the same wherever you go I guess.When I slag off the international bankers during the introduction to 'She dont love me no more' they laugh knowingly-they know the score- in any country, the truth is the truth.

          One day I'm checking the oil in The Bellybus outside Patricks house when I see a cop car turn into the street-it takes a wrong turn but I instinctively know they're looking for me.I decide to  seek refuge in the house but I can see them coming after doing a u turn..they just wanna know who I am and what I'm doing so its no trouble,although I feel a little embarrassed that my scruffy foreign presence has bought the law to my hosts door.

        The gigging is hardcore-the europeans want you to play say two 45 minute sets at least-I cant quite believe anyone would want to listen to me for 10 minutes,let alone that amount of time.On Sunday its an afternoon gig,so it feels like I have a night off-Patrick asks me not for the first time if I'd like to accompany him to his local bar-I am introduced to the locals and much to my embarrassment they play Long Road over the sound system.I start drinking whiskey and of course its Europe-no small measures here like in the UK-its like half pints,pretty soon I'm pissed as all hell and of course the drinks just appear from nowhere into the early hours-I never recall actually buying anything-I mention my favourite song of all time is Shes Lost Control by Joy Division,I go to the loo and when I come out they've put it on the sound system-I start doing an Ian Curtis dance and I couldnt give a **** who's watching-I'm really too drunk to care.

                 Well it's a week into the tour when I leave for Amsterdam-the Belgian boys tell me I'll get stopped by the Man again cos I'll be driving on the main drugs route out of Holland.I pull into a truck stop at 2am after playing Brussels and sure enough a young cop comes across,shines a torch and asks the usual questions- fortunately,he seems quite impressed when I tell him I'm on tour and I ask him if its legal for me to kip there-he says its no problem, so the encounter turns out quite good cos at least I know I'm not doing owt illegal by sleeping there.

         Wake up, make meself porridge and coffee in the Bellybus.                                                                 Get to Amsterdam and sit down in the promoters loft apartment-I have a day and night off-my first.I call home-its my 14 year old and she's crying-her best mates dad threw himself under a train-he was 36.So my tears and snot fall onto the wooden floor and the promoter will think I'm insane when she gets back from the shops.I clean myself up.I can't get my daughters friend out of my mind-I really like the kid,shes always sleeping over at our gaff and I can't make it better.I can't fix it.I'm gutted tell you the truth.I dedicate one of the new songs 'Save your tears for the living' to his memory in the next few shows.I dunno whether its tiredness but I remain haunted and sort of fragile for days.It hangs on me like an invisible, gossamer thin shroud.I sit in a park midmorning in Amsterdam just staring.The dog walkers seem like cardboard cut outs,or figures from a painting by L.S.Lowry.The grey blanket-like sky is fitting.A hollow man on a bench.Disengaged.

The Dutch gigs go well,I meet several people in Holland who have travelled three hours to see the show.I drive east and again I am housed by the owner of The Crowbar,who's boyfriend is an excellent cook and delights in making me vegetarian food.I actually have 2 days off and so, midmorning, off I roam to enjoy walking around Groningen.I inadvertently turn a corner and I'm in the red light district,near naked women are selling themselves in shop windows in broad daylight.I thought they only did this in Amsterdam.You learn something new every day I guess.I am relieved to get back onto mainstreet.Up to now all I've seen of Europe is a stage with red lights,followed by another stage with red lights,night after night, so its nice to get out and about and act like a tourist-see daylight,breathe smokeless air,sit by a canal,have a coffee,that kinda thing.

                   The next country is Germany.Again my promoter turns perfect host,I stay in his apartment,leave The Bellybus parked up outside as he drives me to each venue.You can tell he's been around bands as he says all the right things-leaving me alone 30 minutes before showtime,sending me backstage to cool off/calm down after the performances, he sells the merch for me and shoves the loot in my hands.The shows go down great and the last performance of the tour is at the Heartbreak Hotel-                     an uber tiny venue,no pa,I can only fit on the shelf like stage by jamming the kick drum against the strippers pole and sitting on an upturned beer crate-yep this is rock n roll and I like it,like it,yes I do.Some folk have travelled all the way from Berlin to catch the gig,others have followed me from last nights show.My cd case is empty.Having no show the next day, I go mental..its supposed to be therapeutic but afterwards I feel drained backstage and feel like I'm gonna have some sorta breakdown.The comedown is slow.All I can do is stare at the floor.My tee is soaking and when I move, it sticks cold and clammy to my skin.

           And so it ends, and despite being tired I know for sure I'll be back.The next day I drive 600 miles across 4 countries to get back to my girls.Back in England it feels great giving my mrs some mad stacks and I feel useful for once,instead of a middle aged, useless, burnt out ****.I feel a new found confidence and most importantly of all,I have rediscovered something I'd forgotten beneath all the ugly 'news' that we get force fed in the media-I am reminded that humans are wonderful.That they would exhibit such kindness toward a stranger,catch me,feed me,shelter me,even clothe me.Like I said at the beginning dear reader-that discovery is more precious than gold.

                   HB.

A heartfelt thank you to Esther,Dawn and Joe (Holland),Jurgen,Patrick and the rest of the Blaublues crew (Belgium) and TVT (Germany).

Thanks for all the help guys and suggestions.  This site is great... I am starting on my second one soon...  I learned a lot from my mistakes

OK, I lied.  There is no movie.  

I know that we are about the building of these instruments but we are all also keeping an eye out for cigar shops.  I've got 6 shops that I routinely check and one that I went to once and never will again.  

One store just gives them away, one will save boxes for me, one thinks their boxes are are the only ones in town and the others are reasonable with what they charge.  Lots of times I go into a cigar shop and there is nothing there I'm interested in and other times I see some really great boxes.

Some times I won't see anything that inspires me for an instrument but there will be some nice boxes for keeping things in like parts for building cbg's.

Yesterday and today I accumulated 5 more boxes.  I got a Punch Pitas box, 3 Cohiba Toro's and an Ashton Crystal Belicoso with the Punch being the smallest at 10 5/8" X 6 5/8".  Total cost was $8.

The Punch is a "no brainer".  It will be a copy of my last guitar, the "million dollar bill" fretless and I don't yet know what the others will become.

Anyway, I thought it is fun to beat the bushes and find new boxes and I don't recall seeing a discussion about it and we all do it.  It's probably the most mundane part of the process, but I enjoy looking for treasure.

My first CBG.  I didn't have a box handy so I built one about 8 1/2 x 11 x 1 1/2 inches.  The top, bottom, and fret board are a little thicker and stiffer than door skin plywood; the neck is scrounged (free) birch veneer plywood (12 plies).  The neck is glued to the soundboard (probably the only one I'll do this way) and the back is screwed on with six tiny screws; a piezo is coming.  The nut started life as a spatula handle and it is a similar to solid nylon; the frets were recycled from a broken fret board.  The U-bolt to attach the strings works pretty good: there is no way to get it off without loosening all the strings.  The face-like appearance is a successful accident--I had intended to have only one sound hole but I drilled it from the back in the wrong corner so I added another hole in the top left.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3519558950659  The facebook video is of a friend playing it.  I think this was his first encounter with a CBG; I am nowhere near as good.  The slides in the video are 11/16 deep socket and 3/4 copper pipe.  25.5 inch scale tuned GBG

I hate waiting for glue to dry!  Okay, so I jumped in head first on my first build.  I have only screwed up something like, oh, one or two dozen times.  ;)  but I seem to find some way to "fix" it.  lol  I have some machine heads that I am "Making" work and my cutting job is something to be desired.  It is my first one though and I am learning a lot from the small mistakes I have made.  It is turning out though!  I can not wait to string it up...  If I can get the bridge and nut right *Coughs* and fixed, kind of have a grand canyon at my neck with the fret board on (currently drying)...  That is what scrap wood is for I suppose.  

Well, it was going to happen eventually... The more I write and play, the more guitars I would want to include in the show. The problem that I have now is the "dead air" between songs feels like forever.

Since I don't have a guitar tech to run one over to me mid-show like the big dogs have, what can I do on the cheap to make that in-between guitar time really short, or mildly entertaining.

I've had some crazy ideas of duct-taping all my guitars together on a hula hoop, or on a gatling gun, to spin them around. Seem impractical, heavy, and a little silly (could be entertaining?) to wield such a thing. If you've got any wild ideas, post 'em.

Thanks!

sometimes

every note is perfect -

blue moon

Boxes almost complete,necks fitted,getting closer.

Started building a couple of CBG's for my niece and nefew,I call them the Twins,even though there will be some differances in the two.Both will b traditional three string,with maple tops,as always with my builds,the boxes are hand made as well.

Blues Guitars France is an attypical shop in France 17 rue Duperré Paris 75009 in the well known quarter of Pigalle. we only sell instruments handmade with differents luthier through the world , Indonesia, Usa ...We get our own brand Stlouis..We Make differents  electric guitars, Custom, Relic, Art.. the ART model are paint by a famous French painter named Julius Baltazar

Musicians love to come visit our shop to try out guitars to jam out on!

so give the shop anf the website a visit!!!

joel Poupeau

http://www.blues-guitares.fr

Wow! I've just read a review of Mike Orr's Handmade Music Factory on http://www.southerngospelblog.com/archives/14370, and while it's a positive review, I was amazed to read this paragraph:

" This book has much of value to a Christian homeschooling audience, but would require several edits. Two handmade guitars involving bedpans as resonators are given names playing off of words not used in polite company. Each name is mentioned two or three times. There is also a (positive) reference to “mojo,” and a reference to those who make their own instruments as “subversive.”

Each to their own.

after reading for months and a half dozen different ways from step by step, to "Just throw that wood in there and go."  

After getting all the oak etc...  I have a pile of cigar boxes.. Wood...  Pickups that I have bought, made and crafted...  

I am nervous lol...  I want my first guitar to work...  So I guess I will never know until I build it.  The fret board is the making me nervous part I guess