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John Nickel Inspired 3-String Cigar Box Guitar/Bass

Posted by Doug Thorsvik on January 4, 2021 at 2:40pm

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This 3-String GDG tuned Cigar Box Guitar has two separate pickups: a disc piezo under the bridge running to one jack and a single pole pickup under the low G bass string running to another jack. The bass line runs through an octave pedal to drop the low G one octave. If you want to see someone with real skills demonstrate what's possible on 3-strings here is the link to the video that inspired me: https://youtu.be/zrV6P_z_IqQ

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Doug Thorsvik January 6, 2021 at 10:56pm

I bet seeing John Nickel was a real treat Poorness. I had hoped to see him at the 13th CBG festival in Huntsville, but it didn’t work out. I did see his dad, Pat Nickel, play and his performance convinced me the 3-string guitar is more versatile than I originally thought. I am really enjoying the new sound, surprisingly, it even works using my Danelectro Honeytone amp with a resistance mixer blending the two signals into it.
Poorness Studios January 6, 2021 at 8:34am

I saw John Nickel live at the PA CBG Fest in 2019. He really is a great one-man band. Nice work on the build Doug. It does sound like 2 instruments at once.
Doug Thorsvik January 4, 2021 at 4:54pm

It is surprising what adding that extra low G into the mix does. Thanks for encouraging me to do the video, I hope it encourages others to experiment. It really suits 1-finger playing well or any chords for that matter where the low g has the bass note. Now it’s time to experiment with some simple foot driven percussion.
Uncle John January 4, 2021 at 3:36pm

That single pole fattens it up nicely. Cool! Sure sounds like more than 3 strings.