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Shane Speal Woodshop Diary: "The Beauty of Rust & Scratches"

Notes from Shane Speal's personal woodshop, York PA

Instrument: "Nails & Screws" 4-String Electric Cigar Box Guitar

Completed tonight at 8pm. This will eventually be on sale at www.SpealGuitars.com. I just need to let the glue dry and spend a couple hours playing it for my own enjoyment.

My latest guitar, the "Nails & Screws" (named for the words scrawled on the top) came to life as I picked out parts to match the chosen box. The all-wood Don Sixto box had scratches, dings and scrapes to begin with, so I decided to match it with 'aged' parts. This means I used a LOT of Rustoleum textured spray paint that looks like rust!

Pickup: I knew I wanted this guitar to be electric with a magnetic pickup because the box top was thick and wouldn't be a good acoustic instrument. I chose a "ThinBucker" humbucker to be the engine. These are hand-wound by Dan Sleep of Humidorguitars.com. (I bought ten of these suckers a while ago. I've been waiting to use them.) I used the rust-colored spray paint to destroy the look of the beautiful metal cover.

Neck/Fretboard: I used poplar for the thru-body neck and attached a Lowe's yardstick (just 94 cents!) on top as a fretboard. I stained the yardstick first and distressed it slightly with steel wool to give it an antique look. The fret markers are on the side to give the player a cheating advantage. I also used screws to mark the fret dots on the face of the fretboard.

One note on the neck: I reinforced the neck-thru inside the box by gluing a scrap piece of maple to the underside where I notched out the poplar neck to make room for the box lid. This should stiffen it up and help resist bowing.

Sound Holes: Although the sound holes are very striking visually, they're actually simple to create. I started with a pair of C. B. Gitty Mini Humbucker Wood Pickup Rings ($4.99/pair) and added a small section of metal lattice I picked up at Lowes. (BTW, I painted the lattice with the rust colored paint first, of course). The lattice was attached to the pickup rings with hot glue.

I've used these pickup rings before, most notably in my "Peep Show" series of cigar box guitars:

The lattice is sold in the nuts and bolts aisle of Lowe's. I love how it gives a Catholic confessional look to sound holes. Here's a guitar I built and sold last year that featured the lattice:

Ok...back to the Nails & Screws guitar:

Bridge & cover: The bridge is a C. B. Gitty laser-cut maple bridge ($3.49) that I whittled down to fit the build. The cover is a Black Colonial Box Handle ($4.79/pair) that Gitty sells for cigar box amps. I painted the handle with rust paint and put it over the bridge like a Dobro bridge cover. It completes the look.

Performance: I've only rocked this baby for a little while tonight, just to test the wiring and setup. It sings beautifully and plays some serious Muddy Waters slide. I can't wait to really put it thru its paces in a day or so.

Well, that's all I have for now. Let me know what you think.

Stay primal.

-Shane

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rooster on October 18, 2015 at 2:39am

Great tips Shane ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Carl Laman on October 18, 2015 at 3:45am

Shane, that is a fantastic looking build!

Any chance of a video demo?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on October 18, 2015 at 8:38pm

Really like the sound hole covers in the last pic.

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Permalink Reply by Clark Rowden on October 19, 2015 at 2:20pm

Nice!

And in case you didn't know, there's "Instant Rust":

1 part hydrogen peroxide, 1 part vinegar and a table spoon of salt mixed in a spray bottle.

https://youtu.be/OSH8CuSVN6M

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Frank on May 6, 2016 at 1:04pm

So sweet thanks for sharing

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Permalink Reply by Bristol Blue on May 7, 2016 at 3:57pm

I have a confession .... I love it !

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on November 3, 2016 at 8:33am

Awesome build Shane, love the look and the soundholes are great!

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Permalink Reply by Alex Grover on January 11, 2017 at 8:26pm

Sweet as usual! Keep up the good work Shane

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Permalink Reply by Dano Schultz on January 12, 2017 at 8:09am

Terrific ideas. Thanks, Shane... distressing new yardsticks - seems simple now, but it never occurred to me. This one is just missing a beer bottle water ring!

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Permalink Reply by Bart Blankenship on October 13, 2018 at 7:13am

Thanks Shane! I love your videos! In appreciation I’d like to give you a free Flatpup style pickup I’ve copied in thanks but also for your feedback.
My number is 4352609069 if you want the pickup n want to text me your address.
Thanks,
Bart