Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
- Thread starter ZoSo0789
- Start date
NoOnesFang13
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Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
**** yeah!!! they are tons of fun, and i use mine acoustically more than my other guitars, and you can keep it in your car and not feel too bad about it. I did mine with some upgrades. here are the specs
6 string
8"X8"X4" Ceder body
24" scale
Rosewood fretboard
Cherry? neck (not sure its a really deep red)
Plywood neck pocket
bridge from a classical guitar
Ceramic Strat neck pickup
Homemade piezo (being replaced soon by a dean markley)
Vol Tone 500k
3-way pickup switch
Harmony tailpiece
Honey trans finish
the whole thing cost me around $20 for the finish, box, and glue
just go to a local cigar shop and they have tons of boxes for sale, mine was $4
You can get some really awesome tones out of these. My neck pickup has a cross between a strat/thinline tele/banjo all rolled into one. Believe it or not this thing is really versitile, and can play most styles (even some metal... just kinda loose, so like black sabbath) This guitar is my #4 behind my HH SSS and HSH guitars
Ok here are the pics
**** yeah!!! they are tons of fun, and i use mine acoustically more than my other guitars, and you can keep it in your car and not feel too bad about it. I did mine with some upgrades. here are the specs
6 string
8"X8"X4" Ceder body
24" scale
Rosewood fretboard
Cherry? neck (not sure its a really deep red)
Plywood neck pocket
bridge from a classical guitar
Ceramic Strat neck pickup
Homemade piezo (being replaced soon by a dean markley)
Vol Tone 500k
3-way pickup switch
Harmony tailpiece
Honey trans finish
the whole thing cost me around $20 for the finish, box, and glue
just go to a local cigar shop and they have tons of boxes for sale, mine was $4
You can get some really awesome tones out of these. My neck pickup has a cross between a strat/thinline tele/banjo all rolled into one. Believe it or not this thing is really versitile, and can play most styles (even some metal... just kinda loose, so like black sabbath) This guitar is my #4 behind my HH SSS and HSH guitars
Ok here are the pics
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
more...
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NoOnesFang13
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Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
also i forgot to not i made mine full hollow, instead of semi like they have on http://cigarboxguitars.com/ i just took the idea a little further. in order to support the strain i reinforced the sections for the tailpiece and the neck pocket with 3/4" plywood that is cut about 1/4 from the top, to not let it interfere with the resonance.
also i forgot to not i made mine full hollow, instead of semi like they have on http://cigarboxguitars.com/ i just took the idea a little further. in order to support the strain i reinforced the sections for the tailpiece and the neck pocket with 3/4" plywood that is cut about 1/4 from the top, to not let it interfere with the resonance.
ZoSo0789
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
ha thats awesome. I'm thinkin of buildin a 3 or 4 stringer for slide crap to mess around on. But I dunno I would do the bridge, or tailpiece and stuff. I'd like it to have a metal cone resonator style, but I don't even know where to get one that **** small and stuff. I read all that crap on CigarBoxGuitars.com or whatever, but the building tutorial doesn't really say crap about how to get all the stuff on there and crap; it's just a very poorly written thing.
ha thats awesome. I'm thinkin of buildin a 3 or 4 stringer for slide crap to mess around on. But I dunno I would do the bridge, or tailpiece and stuff. I'd like it to have a metal cone resonator style, but I don't even know where to get one that **** small and stuff. I read all that crap on CigarBoxGuitars.com or whatever, but the building tutorial doesn't really say crap about how to get all the stuff on there and crap; it's just a very poorly written thing.
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
yeah true, i mean there is no wrong way to do it, they origionally came from the poor blacks in the south who could not buy instruments in the late 1800's, so they made them out of whatever. Just ty to think of different things you could do. I had the parts laying around on plywood guitars so i figured what the heck. My neck "hillbilly" project is an upright bass made from a washtub, except it actually looks like an upright.
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/kochbas3.htm
yeah true, i mean there is no wrong way to do it, they origionally came from the poor blacks in the south who could not buy instruments in the late 1800's, so they made them out of whatever. Just ty to think of different things you could do. I had the parts laying around on plywood guitars so i figured what the heck. My neck "hillbilly" project is an upright bass made from a washtub, except it actually looks like an upright.
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/kochbas3.htm
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
as far as a bridge and tailpiece go you could use anything really, a bridge could be a nail with the head clipped off, and the tailpiece on the standard CBG (Cigar box guitar) is typically the strings ran throught the neck through with small washers to prevent wear. but i would highly suggest a 6 stringer you might like it more than you planned
as far as a bridge and tailpiece go you could use anything really, a bridge could be a nail with the head clipped off, and the tailpiece on the standard CBG (Cigar box guitar) is typically the strings ran throught the neck through with small washers to prevent wear. but i would highly suggest a 6 stringer you might like it more than you planned
ZoSo0789
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
But I don't know how a cheap piece of wood of poplar or something can handle that much friggin tension through a completley hollow POS-wooded cigar box. Thats a couple hundred pounds of pressure on that thing, theres no way it'd hold.
I wouldn't do it like your neck pocket. I'd have no clue how to make something like that haha
I'd just do it like I've seen on most sites by cutting out the dimensions of the neck in the box's sides to where the lid closes flushly to complete the "hole" the neck sits in. So from there to make the tailpiece (barring the resonator that I WANT to attempt), I could just drill 4 holes in the end of the neck board that sticks out the rear and blue some kind of big ass bolt on the top of the box's rear side with little grooves in it....
But to do what I actually want, I need a resonator cone..... I saw one on the internet where some dude just used an Altoids can that stayed in place from pure pressure of the strings barring down on the bottom of the box (the top had a huge hole where the can was, and the can just kinda layed inside).
But I don't know how a cheap piece of wood of poplar or something can handle that much friggin tension through a completley hollow POS-wooded cigar box. Thats a couple hundred pounds of pressure on that thing, theres no way it'd hold.
I wouldn't do it like your neck pocket. I'd have no clue how to make something like that haha
I'd just do it like I've seen on most sites by cutting out the dimensions of the neck in the box's sides to where the lid closes flushly to complete the "hole" the neck sits in. So from there to make the tailpiece (barring the resonator that I WANT to attempt), I could just drill 4 holes in the end of the neck board that sticks out the rear and blue some kind of big ass bolt on the top of the box's rear side with little grooves in it....
But to do what I actually want, I need a resonator cone..... I saw one on the internet where some dude just used an Altoids can that stayed in place from pure pressure of the strings barring down on the bottom of the box (the top had a huge hole where the can was, and the can just kinda layed inside).
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
well you could always use a cookie tin instead of a cigar box to get the reso tone. Kinda like this guy http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3NtOmBdqC8&feature=related i plan to make a full scale out of a Cranium game box that i have (its tin)
i mean its really open ended as to what u can do. This guy made one out of a webber grill
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IpL1fqe-ZfE&feature=related
it seems as though people are using poplar, so it should work, if not use a piece of oak or somthing
well you could always use a cookie tin instead of a cigar box to get the reso tone. Kinda like this guy http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3NtOmBdqC8&feature=related i plan to make a full scale out of a Cranium game box that i have (its tin)
i mean its really open ended as to what u can do. This guy made one out of a webber grill
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IpL1fqe-ZfE&feature=related
it seems as though people are using poplar, so it should work, if not use a piece of oak or somthing
ZoSo0789
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
yeah.... this is like what I want.... doesn't have the resonator cone for a bridge, but thats the general tone I want. Still sounds resonator-ish..... I want something nice and simple like that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rk2ZY9z-vW0
yeah.... this is like what I want.... doesn't have the resonator cone for a bridge, but thats the general tone I want. Still sounds resonator-ish..... I want something nice and simple like that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rk2ZY9z-vW0
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/#my here is an interesting site, good luck with you project by the way
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/#my here is an interesting site, good luck with you project by the way
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
yes yes u do and possibly you will then get on the radio
yes yes u do and possibly you will then get on the radio
ZoSo0789
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
okay I think I know what all I need... dunno when I'll actually get around to getting any of it, but this is perfect for the kinda thing I want laying around, so I'm gonna give it a go.
-cigar box (obviously....)
- 3 foot long 1x2 of poplar
- 4 crappy tuners
- output jack, and a piezo transducer from RadioCrap
- a set of soundhole screens (like on dobros)
- something for a bridge and nut.... possibly like a big diameter bolt or somethin
I want it to be a 4 stringer tuned to probably G or D opens, and will be used all for delta slide. I also want the neck to be a 24.75" scale......Dunno how I'm gonna pull this off, but whatever. It'll be cool
okay I think I know what all I need... dunno when I'll actually get around to getting any of it, but this is perfect for the kinda thing I want laying around, so I'm gonna give it a go.
-cigar box (obviously....)
- 3 foot long 1x2 of poplar
- 4 crappy tuners
- output jack, and a piezo transducer from RadioCrap
- a set of soundhole screens (like on dobros)
- something for a bridge and nut.... possibly like a big diameter bolt or somethin
I want it to be a 4 stringer tuned to probably G or D opens, and will be used all for delta slide. I also want the neck to be a 24.75" scale......Dunno how I'm gonna pull this off, but whatever. It'll be cool
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
shouldnt be too difficult, and you need a nut. But thats pretty much it. A warning about the piezo, it is really high mid heavy and nothing else. i still have not figured out how to get it to work right, so i am going to buy a piezo from dean markly for about 45
shouldnt be too difficult, and you need a nut. But thats pretty much it. A warning about the piezo, it is really high mid heavy and nothing else. i still have not figured out how to get it to work right, so i am going to buy a piezo from dean markly for about 45
ZoSo0789
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
I think I'll just use a bolt for the nut like i will the bridge. Possibly......
as for the piezo transducer, I haven't truly decided. I know NOTHING about them, or really what they look like. If I were to go to RadioCrap right now, I wouldn't know what to get or where to get them.
I think I'll just use a bolt for the nut like i will the bridge. Possibly......
as for the piezo transducer, I haven't truly decided. I know NOTHING about them, or really what they look like. If I were to go to RadioCrap right now, I wouldn't know what to get or where to get them.
ZoSo0789
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...&cp=2032058.2032230.2032266&parentPage=family
it'd sound like crap, but it woulda be **** awesome to have mounted on the front and covered by one of those screen covers; they're about the same size
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...&cp=2032058.2032230.2032266&parentPage=family
it'd sound like crap, but it woulda be **** awesome to have mounted on the front and covered by one of those screen covers; they're about the same size
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
lol, it will be plenty loud as it is. The piezos look like this
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...&sr=1&origkw=piezo&kw=piezo&parentPage=search
you take the element out of its plasic cover and tape it on the inside of your guitar. I am going to try mine on the back on the inside, instead of the top, i hope i get more bass out of it and less toe down wah sound.
actually i just rememberd they said use double sided tape. maybey i will try that
lol, it will be plenty loud as it is. The piezos look like this
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...&sr=1&origkw=piezo&kw=piezo&parentPage=search
you take the element out of its plasic cover and tape it on the inside of your guitar. I am going to try mine on the back on the inside, instead of the top, i hope i get more bass out of it and less toe down wah sound.
actually i just rememberd they said use double sided tape. maybey i will try that
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
so whats your plan of action, 3,4,6 strings? only for slide?
the instructions on Cigarboxguitars.com shows a picture of a cigar box what is covered in paper and stuff, i went with a bare wood box for resonance since that was a concern to me. I would like to hear you idea of what you will do. i love these guitars there is so much culture and history behind them.
so whats your plan of action, 3,4,6 strings? only for slide?
the instructions on Cigarboxguitars.com shows a picture of a cigar box what is covered in paper and stuff, i went with a bare wood box for resonance since that was a concern to me. I would like to hear you idea of what you will do. i love these guitars there is so much culture and history behind them.
NoOnesFang13
New member
Re: Cigar Box Guitars Anyone?
hey it wont take long to make, unless u are going fretted! in most cases an afternoon
hey it wont take long to make, unless u are going fretted! in most cases an afternoon
