My first attempt was a bit crude, but given that I used wood I had laying around the shop ( mostly Pine ) and old bicycle parts, I can't complain too much. Various bits of an old shifter make up the majority of the hardware. A brake pad is being used as the nut while a chain ring serves as a decorative touch for the sound hole. I used actual guitar strings but was given a bright idea this morning of using brake cable for the strings instead ( shoulda though of that myself...). I'll have to re string it and see what it sounds like. For it's simplicity and crudeness it actually produces quite a naturally distorted sound. I'm determined to mike it and use it in some of my recordings.
The second attempt serves two different purposes. The first being that I get to further smooth out wrinkles that occurred in CBG 1.0 as well as make a gift for my Father for Christmas. My Dad does not play guitar but told me that he always wanted to learn banjo. While I can't afford to buy him a banjo, I can afford to make him a cigar box guitar. One thing I had going for me right out of the gate this time round was a a supplier for real cigar boxes... A co-worker's Father recently closed the doors on a long time cigar shop, leaving hundreds of empty boxes with nothing to do besides take up real estate in his Father's garage. I've made my plea for taking as many as he's willing to give me off his hands.
So, cigar box(es) in hand I laid out my plans. I knew from my first experience that tuning machines were a necessity. It's true, you can make tuning pegs that will kind of work but authentic tuning machines make life easier. I also wanted to pick up a nice piece of hardwood for the neck. $19 later I had enough supplies for two guitars and was ready to go. I had wanted to use fret wire on this piece as well but financially it wasn't viable and I also couldn't wait for shipping so I went ahead without.
All in all I'm very pleased with the outcome, it looks good and is fun to play. The sound in general leaves something to be desired but I've taken note of where I think the problem areas are and will remedy them on my next attempt. It sounds a bit like a half sized guitar mated with a ukulele.
"The Preachers Box"
If you're interested in having a CBG made for you, drop me a line at smhfrlnce@gmail.com and we'll go over specifics. Thanks!
