cigar box guitars and diddley bows

James1214 · June 26, 2012, 12:49:23 PM

Anyone own one? Make one? Have experience with em?

Corey Y's post in the New Gear Acquisitions thread and subsequent discussion of Krappy guitars got me GASing for one.

I picked up a dozen assorted cigar boxes the other day for free, local cigar shop sells them for 5 bucks a piece but when I told him what I was doing he was like "I make them too, so I'll give them to ya for free, just bring one in when you're done. Because I'd like to see someone else's take on things."

I've been researching designs and think I'm going to go for a higher quality then most people, i.e: making a bridge and a nut out of corian rather then using bolts, using fret wire instead of nails or gluing wires in place, having a neck with some profile to it. Wether or not it makes the guitar more playable and better sounding it's more about doing it right.

fallen · June 26, 2012, 03:57:08 PM

I've been considering building my own lap steel. No frets to worry about, just a plank with a nut and bridge and a pickup.

Lumpy · June 27, 2012, 12:35:05 AM

A friend of mine made one and he loves it. I think he followed the instructions at Make Magazine (dot com). He's not real picky about instruments though, so use your own judgement. (Make Magazine is cool though.)

VOLVO))) · June 27, 2012, 12:24:21 PM

Quote from: fallen on June 26, 2012, 03:57:08 PM
I've been considering building my own lap steel. No frets to worry about, just a plank with a nut and bridge and a pickup.

You fuckin' bet, dude. Make sure you get a bridge with no radius.

James1214 · June 27, 2012, 01:46:50 PM

Quote from: Lumpy on June 27, 2012, 12:35:05 AM
A friend of mine made one and he loves it. I think he followed the instructions at Make Magazine (dot com). He's not real picky about instruments though, so use your own judgement. (Make Magazine is cool though.)

lumps, I've been a makezine subscriber for years. their CBG is pretty good. I actually fucked around on it at makerfaire this year I didn't like the neck at all though. I think it was pine or something similar. I'm thinking something with pretty good mass. I've got a bunch red oak leftover from when I made my bow so I figure ill use some of that.

James1214 · July 13, 2012, 09:31:50 PM

CBG number 1, a single string non fretted with maple neck

has a piezo under the bridge, sounds pretty damn good considering its an el cheapo box that's got the worst acoustics of the dozen boxes I have.

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

James1214 · September 23, 2012, 03:54:41 PM

just finished my newest cbg, I love it. made it for Dr Zayus' birthday.

maple neck with oak fret board, "J" holes cuz his name is jason james. corian nut and bridge, aluminium tailpiece and jackplate and a piezo pickup.

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

Sam Hain · September 23, 2012, 03:58:43 PM

That's mint...

grimniggzy · September 25, 2012, 10:14:39 AM

very cool

Hemisaurus · September 25, 2012, 11:25:39 AM

http://cbgitty.com for supplies

James1214 · September 25, 2012, 11:51:29 AM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on September 25, 2012, 11:25:39 AM
http://cbgitty.com for supplies

word. that's where I've been getting tuners. the next one, a shortscale bass, is going to require frets. working on making fret rulers for a few different scale lengths now. particularly tenor uke scale, 24" scale, 30", and 35". also gonna make a video going over the deets and show how the one above sounds. delivering it tomorrow.

Hemisaurus · September 25, 2012, 12:02:05 PM

There's an online fret calculator somewhere, I swear I had a program somewhere that would print out the fret divisions. Lemme look.

Got it

http://www.dougsparling.com/software/fretcalc/

lets you make up your own custom scale lengths, does dulcimer scales etc,.

Hemisaurus · September 25, 2012, 12:09:56 PM

Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 24
Frets Per Octave: 12
Fret 1: 1.347
Fret 2: 2.618
Fret 3: 3.818
Fret 4: 4.951
Fret 5: 6.020
Fret 6: 7.029
Fret 7: 7.982
Fret 8: 8.881
Fret 9: 9.730
Fret 10: 10.530
Fret 11: 11.286
Fret 12: 12.000
Fret 13: 12.674
Fret 14: 13.309
Fret 15: 13.909
Fret 16: 14.476
Fret 17: 15.010
Fret 18: 15.515
Fret 19: 15.991
Fret 20: 16.440
Fret 21: 16.865
Fret 22: 17.265
Fret 23: 17.643
Fret 24: 18.000

Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 30
Frets Per Octave: 12
Fret 1: 1.684
Fret 2: 3.273
Fret 3: 4.773
Fret 4: 6.189
Fret 5: 7.525
Fret 6: 8.787
Fret 7: 9.977
Fret 8: 11.101
Fret 9: 12.162
Fret 10: 13.163
Fret 11: 14.108
Fret 12: 15.000
Fret 13: 15.842
Fret 14: 16.637
Fret 15: 17.387
Fret 16: 18.094
Fret 17: 18.763
Fret 18: 19.393
Fret 19: 19.989
Fret 20: 20.551
Fret 21: 21.081
Fret 22: 21.582
Fret 23: 22.054
Fret 24: 22.500

Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 35
Frets Per Octave: 12
Fret 1: 1.964
Fret 2: 3.819
Fret 3: 5.569
Fret 4: 7.220
Fret 5: 8.780
Fret 6: 10.251
Fret 7: 11.640
Fret 8: 12.951
Fret 9: 14.189
Fret 10: 15.357
Fret 11: 16.459
Fret 12: 17.500
Fret 13: 18.482
Fret 14: 19.409
Fret 15: 20.284
Fret 16: 21.110
Fret 17: 21.890
Fret 18: 22.626
Fret 19: 23.320
Fret 20: 23.976
Fret 21: 24.594
Fret 22: 25.178
Fret 23: 25.730
Fret 24: 26.250

Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 18
Frets Per Octave: 12
Fret 1: 1.010
Fret 2: 1.964
Fret 3: 2.864
Fret 4: 3.713
Fret 5: 4.515
Fret 6: 5.272
Fret 7: 5.986
Fret 8: 6.661
Fret 9: 7.297
Fret 10: 7.898
Fret 11: 8.465
Fret 12: 9.000
Fret 13: 9.505
Fret 14: 9.982
Fret 15: 10.432
Fret 16: 10.857
Fret 17: 11.258
Fret 18: 11.636
Fret 19: 11.993
Fret 20: 12.330
Fret 21: 12.649
Fret 22: 12.949
Fret 23: 13.232
Fret 24: 13.500

James1214 · September 25, 2012, 01:32:12 PM

wow.... no homework necessary for me. thanks hemi. that site is gonna be invaluable in case i get some oddball request. next thing would be how much would you fuckos pay for a custom one of these. I have no idea what to charge if someone who ain't a tight homie wants one.

bass sic · September 25, 2012, 02:36:55 PM

I found these things in a little shop yesterday. They actually sounded pretty good, cept they only had one string. It made me realize how easy I could do this. These were only going for 45, but they weren't nearly as cool as the box you built.

James1214 · September 27, 2012, 06:44:52 PM

'ere be a video yo

spookstrickland · September 28, 2012, 04:37:35 AM

Quote from: James1214 on September 23, 2012, 03:54:41 PM
just finished my newest cbg, I love it. made it for Dr Zayus' birthday.

maple neck with oak fret board, "J" holes cuz his name is jason james. corian nut and bridge, aluminium tailpiece and jackplate and a piezo pickup.

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

Untitled by JamesHeaphy, on Flickr

That is about the most awesome birthday present ever! you are one Righteous Dude

Lumpy · September 28, 2012, 05:24:48 AM

Quote from: James1214 on September 27, 2012, 06:44:52 PM
'ere be a video yo

Looks real good. Post your electrified demo, if you make one. I'm curious about bass versions, but I'd really like to have some sort of upright style. (But not one that you need to wear a glove to play, or one where you change pitches by slackening the neck. Like a 'real' upright bass). Have you seen the bass kits made with a cardboard box? Hmm, maybe a wooden box could be swapped for the cardboard...

/hijack

RacerX · September 28, 2012, 09:09:11 AM

That could work, but thicker strings, longer scale, & string tension would probably make it more difficult.