Adding some kind of weight to balance CBG? - Cigar Box Nation2024-03-28T20:02:51Zhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/adding-some-kind-of-weight-to-balance-cbg?commentId=2592684%3AComment%3A2893327&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noTaffy,
Keep going! Add more…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-29:2592684:Comment:28933612017-06-29T12:49:35.669ZRon "Oily" Spraguehttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/RonaldSprague
Taffy,<br />
<br />
Keep going! Add more to this thread. Good shtuff, mate.
Taffy,<br />
<br />
Keep going! Add more to this thread. Good shtuff, mate. Re the Sustain issue.
Hi all,…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-29:2592684:Comment:28933272017-06-29T02:09:37.662ZTaffy Evanshttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/TaffyEvans
<p>Re the Sustain issue.</p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Hi all, I thought that I would add what I know and do regarding sustain and then thought wow that’s a big subject, so I thought I’ll refer to my notes from building acoustic guitars over the years. I was right it is a bit of an in depth subject and as I’m not too good with explaining myself, I will contribute but keep it short and sweet.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> …</font></p>
<p>Re the Sustain issue.</p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Hi all, I thought that I would add what I know and do regarding sustain and then thought wow that’s a big subject, so I thought I’ll refer to my notes from building acoustic guitars over the years. I was right it is a bit of an in depth subject and as I’m not too good with explaining myself, I will contribute but keep it short and sweet.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">With the full sized guitars that I build I go to a lot of effort/time to tune the top, back and braces to get the best of tone, volume, balance and sustain that I can.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">What contributes to sustain is the characteristics of the top, back, strings and the strings anchor points and of course the player.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">A dense or overbuilt top, will give a different sustain to a more flexible responsive top.</font></p>
<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> Take the example above of the large nuts being used to dampen [stiffen] the top and in doing so created more sustain, I suspect you may find that this was at the expense of the roundness/fullness of the notes/tone.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">As one lightens a top it becomes more musical more responsive, but sustain will diminish proportionately.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">*Stiff/heavy top = brightness of response = longer sustain, but the sound is constrained and lacking dynamic range.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">*Flexible/lighter top = more responsive, more bass more acoustic sounding = less sustaining. It takes more energy to drive this kind of top; the energy comes from the vibrating strings.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Some soundboxes receive the strings energies and release them pretty much right away, while others will release the energy over a longer time. So how one builds the soundbox has a bearing on sustain also.</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Does this apply to simple Cigar box Guitars? I think it can. A recent CBG I built was an experiment where I used acoustic guitar principals and techniques with a thin responsive top, active back and bracing considerations. I must say it has a “wow” factor sound compared to my other CBG’s......... Probably sounds more like a bad acoustic guitar, ha ha.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">This was not a short post after all, and it’s only a fraction of the story</font></p>
<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Cheers Taff</font></p>
<p></p> Cool idea Oily. But i have lo…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-27:2592684:Comment:28928332017-06-27T16:42:53.916ZCause the Blue rathttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/CausetheBluerat
<p>Cool idea Oily. But i have lots of wood. No sheet metal. Could even put a piece of wood across the tail end. Wont be exactly balanced. But would help and not interfere with the overall sound. </p>
<p>Cool idea Oily. But i have lots of wood. No sheet metal. Could even put a piece of wood across the tail end. Wont be exactly balanced. But would help and not interfere with the overall sound. </p> Rat,
Instead of wood, or may…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-27:2592684:Comment:28927232017-06-27T15:52:40.650ZRon "Oily" Spraguehttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/RonaldSprague
Rat,<br />
<br />
Instead of wood, or maybe in addition to, why not a piece of sheet metal? You could still do thin ply...hmm. Just do a piece of sheet metal across the tail end of the box. Screwgie it on.
Rat,<br />
<br />
Instead of wood, or maybe in addition to, why not a piece of sheet metal? You could still do thin ply...hmm. Just do a piece of sheet metal across the tail end of the box. Screwgie it on. Going to be building an acous…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-27:2592684:Comment:28928102017-06-27T13:28:46.262ZCause the Blue rathttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/CausetheBluerat
<p>Going to be building an acoustic CBG. Was planning on putting a piece of ply on the back of the box to help with the weight. </p>
<p>Going to be building an acoustic CBG. Was planning on putting a piece of ply on the back of the box to help with the weight. </p> Making the f-holes was actual…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-26:2592684:Comment:28924092017-06-26T20:58:37.089ZHanshttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Hans
<p>Making the f-holes was actually pretty simple: I googled a template, printed it, cut the f-holes out, spray glued them to the top, sawed them out with a fretsaw, and sanded the edges. </p>
<p>Making the f-holes was actually pretty simple: I googled a template, printed it, cut the f-holes out, spray glued them to the top, sawed them out with a fretsaw, and sanded the edges. </p> There is a reason they are ca…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-25:2592684:Comment:28904602017-06-25T00:55:30.847Zdarryl kernaghanhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/darrylkernaghan
<p>There is a reason they are called "F" holes Jamie</p>
<p>There is a reason they are called "F" holes Jamie</p> Great post - I was just wonde…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-25:2592684:Comment:28904572017-06-25T00:41:23.390ZGeordie Hillbillyhttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Jamie729
<p>Great post - I was just wondering the same thing myself!</p>
<p>I have a question for you though, if you don't mind? The whole design is excellent! How did you get such perfect f-holes on your cbg? </p>
<p>Great post - I was just wondering the same thing myself!</p>
<p>I have a question for you though, if you don't mind? The whole design is excellent! How did you get such perfect f-holes on your cbg? </p> Well, I found something else…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-24:2592684:Comment:28904292017-06-24T19:47:22.916ZGrandpahttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Grandpa958
<p>Well, I found something else to do. When the truck was clean, I typed "improving sustain on a cbg" into the browser. Came back with several threads from CBN from several years ago. Lots of discussion, lots of suggestions, some more experimenting to embark on. We'll see. Short attention span. I'm gonna go fret a neck for now, then maybe start on a "Log". See Les Paul.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Well, I found something else to do. When the truck was clean, I typed "improving sustain on a cbg" into the browser. Came back with several threads from CBN from several years ago. Lots of discussion, lots of suggestions, some more experimenting to embark on. We'll see. Short attention span. I'm gonna go fret a neck for now, then maybe start on a "Log". See Les Paul.</p>
<p></p> Further investigation yields…tag:www.cigarboxnation.com,2017-06-24:2592684:Comment:28904272017-06-24T17:42:49.867ZGrandpahttps://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Grandpa958
<p>Further investigation yields the following info. For what it's worth. Violin sound posts seem to work due to the strings are being "dragged" side-to-side by the bow. Jimmy Page notwithstanding, this is not the normal stress being placed on a git string set. Arch Top git players debate on what will, won't, or might be good in regard to round sound posts, square sound posts, hourglass-shaped sound posts, or trestle bracing, and they do get played the same as our gits. Strumming, picking, and…</p>
<p>Further investigation yields the following info. For what it's worth. Violin sound posts seem to work due to the strings are being "dragged" side-to-side by the bow. Jimmy Page notwithstanding, this is not the normal stress being placed on a git string set. Arch Top git players debate on what will, won't, or might be good in regard to round sound posts, square sound posts, hourglass-shaped sound posts, or trestle bracing, and they do get played the same as our gits. Strumming, picking, and parabolic string vibrations. Violins and arch top gits rely on curved instrument top and bottom surfaces, so bracing is required to a degree not usually found on cbg's (no real revelation there!). But!....all of these instruments rely on vibration to transmit sound, and hopefully, music. Makes building a cbg seem easy! Still, what about that sustain, boys and girls? Lord, I gotta go find something to do!</p>