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Submission Thread for 2011 Cigar Box Guitar Builders Challenge

Please post pictures of your contest submissions here. Be sure to include any pertinent information about your instrument that you think others, including the judges, would enjoy knowing.

Good luck and good building!!!

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Liam Stirling on December 21, 2011 at 6:43pm

Thank you much Hal, very appreciated.

My entry, and sadly nameless at the moment, is a 21 inch scale lengh slide guitar built from a Macanudo box trimmed in Wenge.

The neck and head is a solid piece of Teak with a Koa fret board inlaid with Wenge for fret markers and Walnut for scale markers. The octave is marked with a bit of Brazilian cherry.

The saddle is Walnut with a bridge made of deer antler, as is the nut, and the tailpiece is a bit of sheet steel.

The box has a Koa rosette and a single Piezoelectric disk pickup under the bridge with a Wenge jack plate.

Enjoy

Permalink Reply by Liam Stirling on December 21, 2011 at 6:45pm

I would also like to note that no power tools were used in the construction of this guitar.

Permalink Reply by Dan on December 22, 2011 at 8:25am

This has to be the winner!! It's got everything but the kitchen sink....

Tom Bingham said:

Permalink Reply by Frederic Thorner on December 22, 2011 at 12:28pm

This is my first attempt at building a cigar box guitar and case. I hope you like it. See below the photos for more detailed information on the build. --Frederic Thorner

Guitar

Body: Punch Grandcru cigar box
Bridge: Hand carved bone on hand carved rosewood platform
Pickup: Mini-humbucker
Neck: Hand carved maple
Fretboard: Rosewood with brass inlay fretmarkers
Nut: Hand carved bone
String tree: Floyd Rose type hand carved brass
Headstock: Tele style with rosewood veneer and brass inlayed logo
Back: Magnetically held trap door

Case: Plywood custom fitted for guitar, amp and cords with accessory compartment
Lined with Ultrasuede ® velvet. Outside decorated with cigar box labels and bands and fitted with brass hardware.

Permalink Reply by Michael Cuell on December 24, 2011 at 7:09pm

Here's my entry. It's the second guitar I've made. This one is from scratch. Cedar box, top and bottom. Poplar neck, and oak fingerboard. It has brass accents all around with a peizo pick up installed.

Permalink Reply by Habanera Hal on December 24, 2011 at 7:49pm

Micheal,

Nice build. I've been looking for similar soundhole covers for some Asian-themed builds I'm doing. Can you tell me where you got yours? Thanks.

Hal

Michael Cuell said:

Here's my entry. It's the second guitar I've made. This one is from scratch. Cedar box, top and bottom. Poplar neck, and oak fingerboard. It has brass accents all around with a peizo pick up installed.

Permalink Reply by Michael Cuell on December 24, 2011 at 8:09pm

I got the covers at Lee Valley. Here's the link (item D):

http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=48670&cat=3,49938

Permalink Reply by Andy Eight Spades CBG on December 24, 2011 at 9:56pm

Hal, you should look at some Japanese tsuba off of swords for sound hole covers. You can get some for very little money on ebay and there is a large selection of some very nice designs.

Permalink Reply by Habanera Hal on December 25, 2011 at 7:12am

Thank you, Russ! I'll look into that as well. I tried searching the Lee Valley site and was overwhelmed Michael!

A Russell Eight Spades CBG said:

Hal, you should look at some Japanese tsuba off of swords for sound hole covers. You can get some for very little money on ebay and there is a large selection of some very nice designs.

Permalink Reply by Joe Stidham on December 26, 2011 at 9:34pm

Here is my entry. While I have had cheaper builds with whatever parts I could scrounge up, I wanted to make something that would showcase some of the great products available to builders. Here a is rundown on the parts:

Walnut fretboard by Mike Orr

Old Lowe resonator, sound hole covers, and tailpiece

Ted Crocker Gold Nugget piezo pickup with volume pot

Sealed gold tuners from C.B. Gitty

Designcraft Industries handmade cigar box

This is a three string, with the strings being in sets (like a 12-string guitar). The braided strap runs into the body.

It was a fun build and it sounds great

Attachments:

DSC04039.JPG, 2.2 MB
DSC04048.JPG, 2.1 MB
DSC04049.JPG, 1.7 MB

Permalink Reply by Joe Stidham on December 26, 2011 at 9:35pm

Here are two more pictures. Thanks, Joe Stidham

Attachments:

DSC04052.JPG, 1.9 MB
DSC04053.JPG, 1.8 MB

Permalink Reply by George Durbin on December 27, 2011 at 10:57am

Here's my entry, which also happens to be my fifth dulcimer build.

Base is a Chateau Fuente "Lost City" box with offset tuners on a spalted Ambrosia Maple neck and red oak fretboard. Uses standard dulcimer strings and has a piezo pickup and endpin-style jack due to the thickness of the box.

Attachments: