Getting things drawn out for my first build. Decided not to go with the cigar boxes I have. Most are cedar veneer over particle board. Kinda disappointed but they wont go to waste. I do have a couple that are or at least look solid wood. I'll save them for later. Going to make the box out of 1/8 ply savaged from an old dresser I got off the street on trash day. The neck will be 2 piece maple from the same dresser. These folks have cats. The smell will travel farther and faster than the sound....LOL The bottom of the dressers will have to go.

Here's my plan that will lead to my question.

The only structural support for the top of the box will be two long thin bolts imbedded into a small piece of wood going from the bottom of the box to directly under the bridge. 

What I'm thinking of doing is using nuts and locking washers to suspend something off this assembly. The sound traveling from the tension under the bridge would travel threw the bolts and into the resonator.  

My questions. If I suspend something inside the box will it make it louder? Wood or metal? The inside of the box will be 10 3/4 x 7 3/4. Anyone have a formula or idea as to how big or what shape would create the best sound? 

Good idea? bad idea? why? 

Thanks again folks!

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I can't really picture what you're planning, but whenever I think "the sound [vibration] will travel..." I remind myself that vibration does not travel... the whole shebang from headstock to tailpiece and everything connected to it vibrates as a system. If the system tends to resonate in a conducive way due to mass, stiffness, proportion, and black smoke voodoo, you win. For ideal resonant cavities like tuned port bass-reflex systems, there are formulas, i.e. Helmholtz resonance, but for CBGs, I just don't think such rules apply, thank God. Principles yes, rules no.

FYI... try to borrow a florescent blacklight and check for cat urine. If the wood got sprayed, forget it. The only effective treatment I know of costs like $20/gallon. You could buy some nice cigar boxes for that coin.
Thanks BenBob, the black light idea is cool. But the general smell and staining kinda gives the locations away. I picked both dressers up about mid winter. Kinda noticed the smell then. Now that the garage has warmed up...LOL But can't complain about the price. Free is always good!

Just wondering if an internal resonator would be a good idea.
Build a regular one first and get the details down. Then you can figure just how a reso will work. The reso is a little harder build, but if you build a regular one you will see how the reso will go. You wull get a grasp of how the neck and bridge come together in the same plane. Cheers Ron.
Here's a pic I took when my resonator was in progress:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/resonator-build-in-progress?con...

The resonator in this case is an aluminum lid for a girl-scout cooking set... It sits on those two rails in slots, suspended from the back of the guitar by about 1/4". This lets all the air move around...
The bridge sits directly on top of the resonator, and then the cover goes over that; neither it nor the face of the guitar contact the resonator in any way.
That's fairly typical construction.
Look toward real guitars for an understanding of acoustic technology. Notice that the soundboard (top) is free to vibrate. The wave vibrations of the strings move the brigde. The bridge moves the soundboard. This is why the top is made out of cedar or spruce (braced) and the sides are made of harder woods like rose wood. Internally this movement generates waves inside the box developing the tone and volume. Anything restricting soundboard movement will effect your sound.
A resonator is not built like a standard acoustic. The whole box is fixed and stiff forcing the sound out of the resonator cone. There is no soundboard. This is why they are commonly made out of steel. They are definitely two entirely different birds.
I hope this adds some insight. Enjoy.
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/2592684:Photo:117855?context=user

I did the suspension thing and it worked great
Thanks again everyone.
Mungo Park, Don't really want the look of a resonator for this guitar. Kinda want to keep the box as simple looking as I can.

Mark Werner, Great shot of your work. And Thank you for the info! I didn't know a resonator assembly shouldn't touch the top of the instrument. Totally cool dude!

Keni Lee Burgess, I have a 1970's Yamaha acoustic. Deep and loud. Hoping to build something that will hold it's own against that kind of volume.

Matt Philip, you and I are on the same page my friend. Great to hear it works! Metal it is!
Mark what size of box are you using for that?

Mark Werner said:
Here's a pic I took when my resonator was in progress:

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/resonator-build-in-progress?con...

The resonator in this case is an aluminum lid for a girl-scout cooking set... It sits on those two rails in slots, suspended from the back of the guitar by about 1/4". This lets all the air move around...
The bridge sits directly on top of the resonator, and then the cover goes over that; neither it nor the face of the guitar contact the resonator in any way.
That's fairly typical construction.
That Casa Blanca box is a big one, almost 13" long and 8" wide, 2 1/2" deep. Wish I could find more....
never even seen one that big here in the uk, having said that ive only just started to try and get hold of boxes in the last ten day. Biggest so far is a davidoff double R's box.

Mark Werner said:
That Casa Blanca box is a big one, almost 13" long and 8" wide, 2 1/2" deep. Wish I could find more....

This is an old thread I know.  But you inspired me to experiment with my build.  #3 has an internal hip flask double resonator.  The large flask is bolted under the small flask and is suspended freely inside the box.  The sound is great and it is loud!

Hi, The use of a inner cone ,is there for to bounce the sound back out, so it gets louder, they created (The DOpera Bros; DOBRO,in the big Band era, so they whoed bee loud enough whit the Horn section and the other instruments) the vibrations come out two way's by the cone and from the otherside in the body of the (wood or metal) f slots opening or roster hole's if you have the square neck lapstyle dobro, so sound travels ,& vibrations vibrate what you need is volume inhancement and projection! I say just build the thing and see what happens!!! Greeeeettssszzz And good luck on the Building !!BCB Holland !

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