How good can it sound unplugged?

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How good can it sound unplugged?

Share experience, tips & tricks that have produced the best acoustic unplugged sound in your cigar box instruments. This applies to commercial or self made boxes.

Members: 148
Latest Activity: Dec 18, 2020

Discussion Forum

Resonator Ukulele

Started by John Hopper. Last reply by Order99 Jul 9, 2020. 1 Reply

Innards - reinforcements, struts and bass bars?

Started by Diane in Chicago. Last reply by Dustin Smith Oct 25, 2010. 19 Replies

bridges - materials - setup etc.

Started by David Beede. Last reply by Dustin Smith Oct 25, 2010. 15 Replies

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Comment by Robert Killen on December 18, 2015 at 1:51pm

Thanks for the comment, Bug. I admit I haven't yet come to appreciate resonators. It - like electric amplification - is something I see in my future builds.

I certainly agree about the box size and am still exploring bridges. I started with bolts and only stepped it up with my last build.

Comment by Thomas "Duck" Petry on December 16, 2015 at 4:29am

I know a lot of people seem to think that the wood boxes have better sound, but I have gotten good sound out of the "paper" boxes as well. Experiment and compare.

Comment by Thomas "Duck" Petry on December 16, 2015 at 4:24am

My best result for acoustic sound and volume has been with a "Partagas Gigante" box. 8 5/8" X 6 5/8" X 3 1/4" deep, that I built with a cheap white pine neck. I think the size and depth of the box has a lot to do with the way it sounds.

Comment by BUGGY (C) on December 15, 2015 at 10:21pm
Tulip wood sides and 6" resonator cone
Makes a nice sound with four small sound holes.
She Shane's white resonator CBG
I also like big boxes acoustically.
I think the bridge footing is critical too.
Changing a bridge can make a lot of difference.
Comment by Robert Killen on December 15, 2015 at 8:22pm

I know it's been a long time since anyone posted here, but I'm gonna throw out a topic and see what happens. :-)

I'm (4 mos) new to this CBG world and very interested in fine tuning (no pun intended) acoustic builds.

  - Do you have a box or design that you would call your favorite acoustic build?

My favorite build is a Jaime Garcia with a full 3-degree angled fret board. It has a very even sound, although I'm still trying to identify a high string buzz. I recorded "At the Horizon" for the 2015 Xmas Album on this instrument.

I have a Sun Grown build that has a bright sound that really pops. Even with a very simple flat neck it has more volume than the Jaime. It has a banjo character, I believe because of it's relatively square shape.

I also have flat neck build with two Corojo no. 5s joined together. It has a very broad, bluesy sound. You can hear it in my "Hey hey Santa..." video/xmas album submission.

When all is said and done, I think I'll be experimenting with more doubled boxes.

Comment by James A OBrien on March 12, 2014 at 5:43pm
I've finished 3 guitars so far from two different boxes. A few factors come to mind: type of box, shape of box, size of box and room / noise of room size. I'm an early childhood educator using a cbg in the classroom without my battery powered amp my guitars are quiet (children are loud) but at home, the guitars are sounding great. I built two shallow Arturo Fuente builds and they sound good in a quiet room, but are difficult to hear in my classroom. I have a few other boxes that I'm anxious to build which have more depth to hear how they reverberate. I'll keep you posted.
Comment by TN Twang on March 5, 2014 at 8:57am

hello, world

Looks like the comments in this group have been a little sparse the past year or so. If the experienced builders have resolved all of the issues, I hope you'll be willing to share your knowledge with us newbies.

I look forward to asking a bunch of dumb questions.

TN

Comment by Raymond Lee on January 17, 2014 at 12:27pm

Thirsty  Here's mine unplugged

Comment by Matt scott on March 25, 2013 at 5:05am
Planing on a tuna can reso. Should I install a piezo ? Will it sound good unplugged?
Comment by J-Peg on March 13, 2013 at 1:25pm

@407bug, This is the internet - pics or it didn't happen. ;)

 

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Discussion Forum

Resonator Ukulele

Started by John Hopper. Last reply by Order99 Jul 9, 2020. 1 Reply

Innards - reinforcements, struts and bass bars?

Started by Diane in Chicago. Last reply by Dustin Smith Oct 25, 2010. 19 Replies

bridges - materials - setup etc.

Started by David Beede. Last reply by Dustin Smith Oct 25, 2010. 15 Replies

Box construction materials

Started by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars Mar 10, 2010. 0 Replies

sound absortion inside box

Started by bucky. Last reply by David Beede Sep 8, 2009. 1 Reply

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