A few of my latest cigar box guitars..with a quick rundown on my approach to building them..and a few pointers on how to play (that comes in at about 10 minutes in, taking you thru' the basics of simple walking bass and blues progression.
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hey eK, I disagreed with what u said, thats all. Im not looking for a feud. I dont consider myself a luthier neither, although I did tell the government thats one of the things I do one my last tax form..
but regardless, luthiery is what we do whether we profesional or trained or otherwise
Ive been fortunate enough to sell a lot of my builds, people like em and they want them. I dont go to the lumberyard and specify mahog or rosewood or anything, I use recycled lumber from demolitions and packaging. and it works for me.
I also believe that working with 'found objects' and recycling is the absolute core of what this movement is about. If you refer to your original argument that i disagreed with you might see what i mean, because I think you have backtracked rather hastily when you say 'I'm sure stradivarius worked with whatever he could get" -- he didnt btw, all the Cremona guys had real strict standards with their materials. Now theres nothing wrong with going and hunting down specific materials to make your instrument. But if your gonna do that why stick em on a cigar box?? Make a real instrument for goodness sake, this is packaging not a spruce soundboard.
Hey guys...it's all good to be discussing this stuff. I think in the past when people have seen CBGs appearing in commercial shops and it looking like a 'production line' process, it can look like the spirit of the thing has been compromised.
I make no bones about it, making guitars puts bread on the table for me and my family, and the levels of expectation from potential customers can be pretty high, so I try and make sure my guitars are as good as I can make them in terms of playability and finish. I've been inspired by people like Shane and Ted who seem that have combined a creative vision and a 'can-do' spirit...and seemingly more energy than I can sometimes muster.
At the previous Boxstock events I've been absolutely knocked out by the guitars people bring along, by their enthusiasm, inventiveness and craftsmanship. Whether it's a simple first-time effort, a refined piece of art or just something that's madder than I could have imagined...it's always refreshing and uplifting to see what this movement is stirring up in people.
As for being a luthier..when I've built my first lute I might use the term....until then, I make and fix guitars
@wes Carl - I agree with you and jef(?) they can sound good no matter what they're made from. I said as much in my original comment when I said either approach to building a CBG (planned or chance) seemed to work well. :-)
@Phrygian Kid - why do you say "I seem to think"? I was simply complimenting ChickenboneJohn on his approach to building instruments. I didn't say anything about budgets or money. All I said was I respected his work. That doesn't mean he's exclysiveky shopping at the boutique tone wood suppliers. I'm sure Stradavarius and many other great instrument builders used what was available. The point I was trying to make was that some builders are more careful about what they select and combine. And it doesn't matter where they got whatever they're using. John's video takes pains to discuss the level of craftsmanship he employs. I was saying I appreciated his attention to craft. I'm sorry if "luthier" is a dirty word around here - although I can't imagine why since arrogance doesn't automatically go with a job title - and there are just as many arrogant hacks as there are craftsmen out there. I apologize to those who feel offended by whatever they seem to think I was trying to say even though no offense was intended. And as far as John's instruments go...well...laminated necks, quality closed tuning machines, high quality frets and separate fingerboard construction? Dunno. But somehow that doesn't strike me as my grandfather's CBG even though John is modest enough to do the "Aw shucks!" about it. ;-)
@ChickenboneJohn - would it help if I took back all the nice things I previously said about you? (*kidding*) :-)
Despite having made nearly 400 guitars, I'd hardly say I had a luthier's approach. Until the moment it's strung up and plugged in, there's no knowing what it's really going to sound like..and that's where the enjoyment lies. You ought to see me carefully selecting materials from pretty much every skip I walk past...there's still a huge element of serendipity even in the most refined-looking of builds.
Comments
Yaeh, Mr Wolf. LOL. Lex was a "GREENhorn" re Kryptonite (ouch!!), but sure learned fast :)
Lex Luthier? Was he the dude played a kryptonite telecaster?
l
I only know that Lex Luthier was Superman's main enemy. Can I join the coversation? LOL
hey eK, I disagreed with what u said, thats all. Im not looking for a feud. I dont consider myself a luthier neither, although I did tell the government thats one of the things I do one my last tax form..
but regardless, luthiery is what we do whether we profesional or trained or otherwise
Ive been fortunate enough to sell a lot of my builds, people like em and they want them. I dont go to the lumberyard and specify mahog or rosewood or anything, I use recycled lumber from demolitions and packaging. and it works for me.
I also believe that working with 'found objects' and recycling is the absolute core of what this movement is about. If you refer to your original argument that i disagreed with you might see what i mean, because I think you have backtracked rather hastily when you say 'I'm sure stradivarius worked with whatever he could get" -- he didnt btw, all the Cremona guys had real strict standards with their materials. Now theres nothing wrong with going and hunting down specific materials to make your instrument. But if your gonna do that why stick em on a cigar box?? Make a real instrument for goodness sake, this is packaging not a spruce soundboard.
good luck to ya man
Hey guys...it's all good to be discussing this stuff. I think in the past when people have seen CBGs appearing in commercial shops and it looking like a 'production line' process, it can look like the spirit of the thing has been compromised.
I make no bones about it, making guitars puts bread on the table for me and my family, and the levels of expectation from potential customers can be pretty high, so I try and make sure my guitars are as good as I can make them in terms of playability and finish. I've been inspired by people like Shane and Ted who seem that have combined a creative vision and a 'can-do' spirit...and seemingly more energy than I can sometimes muster.
At the previous Boxstock events I've been absolutely knocked out by the guitars people bring along, by their enthusiasm, inventiveness and craftsmanship. Whether it's a simple first-time effort, a refined piece of art or just something that's madder than I could have imagined...it's always refreshing and uplifting to see what this movement is stirring up in people.
As for being a luthier..when I've built my first lute I might use the term....until then, I make and fix guitars
@ChickenboneJohn - would it help if I took back all the nice things I previously said about you? (*kidding*) :-)
my point was there is a lot more to a build than the materials..
theres magic you put in em..
and some builders got more than others..
great stuff
*like* im another proud dumpster diver..
Despite having made nearly 400 guitars, I'd hardly say I had a luthier's approach. Until the moment it's strung up and plugged in, there's no knowing what it's really going to sound like..and that's where the enjoyment lies. You ought to see me carefully selecting materials from pretty much every skip I walk past...there's still a huge element of serendipity even in the most refined-looking of builds.
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