Comment

Comment by Tom "Broken E String" Sobieski on March 14, 2012 at 9:51pm

I have built a CBG out of a cigar box. I now have an interesting tin box from a bottle of Jack Black. I want to turn it into a 3 string, fretless git box, electric if possible and I'm wondering exactly how to do it. Some say re-inforce the tin, some say not needed. Sound holes??? Any advice woluld be appreciated. PS, I'm using a hardwood ax handle for the neck, looks cool!

Comment by jon neet on March 14, 2012 at 7:57pm

  Looks like I joined this group at a good time. I bought my first CBG from a builder on ebay. It's a nice looking three string fretted one. So far, a couple issues. First, the strings are mighty low for clean slide work. Note that I'm a guitar player and have played slide on an acoustic with pretty high strings that requires no subtle technique to slide work. The bridge is not glued, so I just loosened the strings and shimmed it up with little thin cardboard strips (two of them). Can't shim at the nut, as it's glued in place. So I'm trying to work on my slide technique and develope a lighter touch.

    The other issue is that this CBG uses a block of wood at the bottom of the cigar box to route and hold the strings. It's glued to the box and drilled through. It has little plastic (at least they look like plastic) inserts at the top. But at the bottom, where the strings have the little metal "ring" they just sit on the wood.  It looks like the strings may be wearing into the wood. I was thinking of what I could do about it. Remove the strings and enlarge the bottom of the holes with a drill and I could buy 3 metal roll pins of the right size so that the string would go through, but the metal rings would rest against the roll pins instead of the wood.

   I see this subject is being discussed here right now. I'll read through the discussion also. Someone is suggesting pop rivets with the nail removed, or metal washers. I am concerned about the strings wearing too far into the wood block, and I want this CBG to last me a long time.

    Thanks, Jon

Comment by Oscar Myer on March 13, 2012 at 2:37pm

I countersink the ones in the back. I think it looks cleaner that way.

Comment by Jim burt on March 13, 2012 at 12:23am

I like the idea of putting pop rivits on both side of the neck ....

Comment by Oscar Myer on March 12, 2012 at 10:02pm

I use pop rivits with the nail pulled out of them. One on the front & one on the back so it don't cut into the wood on either side

The pop rivits can be gotten at the hardware store or Lowes or Homedepot.

Comment by William McCauley on March 12, 2012 at 3:00pm

I like to use very small flat washers under the ball for a little extra purchase on whatever kind of tailpiece I'm using (small hinge or picture hanging bracket)

Comment by Habanera Hal on March 12, 2012 at 1:28pm

 

Alice, you can also use small grommets available at any craft store like Michael's.  Here's a pic showing what Honsik's talking about:

Comment by Honsik on March 12, 2012 at 11:15am

Use rivets with the "nail"removed to prevent the strings cutting the wood. Just take a steelstring which has a "knob"at the end and route it through the hole in your tailpiece.Easy as it is.

Comment by Alice Saxe on March 12, 2012 at 11:11am

My first question for CBG 101 is:  Some make their tailpiece by simply running the neck through the box.  This looks easy enough, however, how do you secure the strings on the underside  --   I have never seen a picture of this.  Also, where do you get the little metal piece to insert in the hole so that the string is not right on the wood?  Does this metal piece have a name?  You see, there really are a lot of "basic" questions.

Comment by Jim Olean (JimO) on February 22, 2012 at 10:45am

I did not think it was the norm. Thanks

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