Photos of my fifth handbuilt guitar

A few days ago I built my fifth guitar. As usual, I made a lot of mistakes (the frets aren't level, for instance, so I filed them down as needed) but the overall playability is pretty good. The thing I need to work on is volume -- it's not very loud.

I'm having a great time building them. I've got plenty of ideas for future guitars, but I better not talk about them or I might not do them.

Keni Lee Burgess has a very nice set of cigar box guitar playing lessons on YouTube.

More photos of my green-necked guitar here.

[#1 posted by Kieran O'Neill, August 10, 2009 1:57 PM]

Ah - I see what the problem is. A standard wooden guitar body is nearly as long as the neck, and much deeper. You need a bigger can.

Very cool, though.

[#2 posted by overgrown, August 10, 2009 2:14 PM]

you might also try planing a little thickness off the box lid.

[#3 posted by Anonymous, August 10, 2009 2:50 PM]

1 and 2 hit on good points. Also, the bridge is what transmits the vibrations from the strings to the sound board. A pencil is less than ideal for this. Even a cheap banjo bridge will dramatically improve your volume and tone.

[#4 posted by ill lich, August 10, 2009 2:50 PM]

You shouldn't have used such green wood-- that neck is gonna warp.

[#5 posted by Anonymous, August 10, 2009 3:01 PM]

Just turn it up to 11! That always works for me...

[#6 posted by xzzy, August 10, 2009 3:03 PM]

You are aware it's illegal in most countries to post about a new instrument, and not include a video of you playing it, right?

[#7 posted by jeremyhogan, August 10, 2009 3:12 PM]

For loudness, a lot of CBG folks use a pickup.

Here's one you can make yourself:
http://cigarboxguitars.com/workshops/Pickup_Workshop.php

Or you can use a Piezo transducer from The Shack:
http://nearlydeaf.com/?p=245

Or even an off-the-shelf 3 string pick-up.

[#8 posted by Pasketti, August 10, 2009 3:15 PM]

Don't ship it on United Airlines.

[#9 posted by Alpha Omicron, August 10, 2009 3:38 PM]

Does the neck have a truss rod? Steel strings will bow it eventually if it doesn't.

[#10 posted by Anonymous, August 10, 2009 4:01 PM]

Filing down the frets to level them is a normal process for guitar, banjo, etc. builders. (Actually the process goes: hammer the frets into the measured off notches, put the neck in a clamp, and file everything level.)

I presume post #4 was a joke. There is no reason for this neck to warp with tension from only 3 strings. And the banjo bridge is a good idea. (Even a folded over piece of tin can would be better than a pencil!)

And, since it's where many guitar builders get bone for the nut and bridge, (I can already hear the bad jokes, so suck it up guys!), try a bit of beef bone.

Even if you are a vegetarian, I bet you can find some. Works just as well as elephant ivory. (And you appear to be already using animal by-products anyway.)
When do we get to hear this?!

[#11 posted by Secret_Life_of_Plants, August 10, 2009 4:26 PM]

Que Bella !!

[#12 posted by Kieran O'Neill, August 10, 2009 4:26 PM]

@JeremyHogan: The electric guitar pickup (link 1) kinda defeats the point of getting the thing to resonate (since the sound is generated entirely from the movement of the strings in the pickup magnets).

The piezo pickup (link 2) is a very cool idea, and ultra simple/cheap.

(The piezo would also work with nylon strings.)

[#13 posted by Secret_Life_of_Plants, August 10, 2009 4:29 PM]

Also, the green is my favorite part. It is the perfect color.

[#14 posted by Anonymous, August 10, 2009 6:08 PM]

Arturo Fuente cigar box. Classsy.

[#15 posted by Anonymous, August 10, 2009 6:15 PM]

I make the bridge & nut out of deer or elk antler.
It's hard enough to transmit even the highest frequencies.
And it looks nice, too!
Nice job on the guitar

[#16 posted by kentkb, August 10, 2009 6:20 PM]

Sweet,
I like the lime color....
And it still smells of tobacco?

[#17 posted by ChunkyMonkeyBrain, August 10, 2009 7:00 PM]

are real guitar builds from places like Warmoth passe now?
Is it just not cost-effective enough?
you miss out on so much with cigar box guitars, really...

[#18 posted by Anonymous, August 10, 2009 8:17 PM]

The look of it reminds me of "township" oil can guitars that are seen, sold and played in capetown markets. A fella could see them on youtube and such.

[#19 posted by Mark Frauenfelder, August 10, 2009 8:34 PM]

"are real guitar builds from places like Warmoth passe now?"

Not at all. I am working my way up to a 6-string. Making CBGs is a fun way to get started.

[#20 posted by eustace, August 10, 2009 9:02 PM]

Beautiful, Mark!

[#21 posted by dculberson, August 11, 2009 7:08 AM]

I love it, especially the green.

I think the thickness of the pencil is what might be doing the sound in. If you look at, say, a viola bridge, they're really thin pieces of wood standing up on end. But I could be wrong - I have no expertise in the area!

[#22 posted by hohum, August 11, 2009 2:59 PM]

Here's a thought, keeping in mind that I have no idea how practical this would actually be to implement, nor how well it would actually work…

Since you can't make your resonance chamber much larger without freeing yourself from the cigar box, could you try implementing a metal resonator of sorts? I'm thinking pie-tin, thin sheet metal… Something like a Dobro or other resonating guitar…

I feel like that bluesy resonator sound would pair wonderfully with a cigar-box guitar…