February 2012 Blog Posts (23)

It is gone.  I'm a little excited and a little sad.  I really liked it and I was not planning on selling it today, but someone saw it, played it and pulled out cash.  What's a girl to do?

I am now in a frenzy to build its replacement and I have one Punch box.  I think I'm going to try for 3 at the same time and finish in a month.  …

Kids get a week off from School in February and Dad gets all out of sync with the schedules.  Inspired the following spontaneously sung this morning.  Could have used and accompanist.

 

Hard wakin' up this morning and didn't get to choose

Rolled out of bed and didn't get to choose

Dad was pourin' the milk and them cold cereal blues 

 

I got them blues

Them cold cereal blues

Soggy flakes and milk

Them cold cereal…

                                             And now a word from OLD SCRATCH about the real Devil's Music:

                                                                               …

hi guys im new here so if i goofup ple be gentle im new to the whole internet thing and this is the 1st chat room forum thing that ive ever done so...i just finished a build that ide like to show to all of you but i still havent figured out how to use the webcam.anyway i built w the help of my dad a piper harp the entire thing is made from pvc it was designed by john covack and truth to tell she(there alll she's to me) sounds very nice she has a very soft voice but ill be installing the…

             It's here! New and improved GUITAR QUADRAMULADROITECS, without which all of  your stringed

             lutelike instruments---from the cream of the crop beauties being hand-sculpted at the Tsing-Jian

             Fender Guitars Factory & Chow Mein Refinery, down to those useless cigar box "guitars" being 

             churned out by chronic malcontents and affiliated hooligans---yes, ALL of your instruments, are

             completely and…

Last week I went to the lumber yard and found a piece of cherry that was in their half off bin.  I got a board about 8" wide and over 4 feet long for a little over $4.  This is 4/4 lumber and there is some very pretty wood in it. 

I am making my own box since one of the guys I work with made a boxjoint jig and is making a guitar along with me on this one.  We are both using spruce for soundboards that formerly graced the insides of a Steinway piano for about 90 years.  

Here…

Hi All

Further to yesterdays blog i can now supply you with the following

Thermo black ash,mahogany,black walnut,american oak,maple and wenge ,

All the above exept wenge are £5.65 inc postage and the wenge is £9.25 inc postage. Sizes can be machined to suit your requirements but stock item sizes are 510mm x 45mm x 8mm 

Leave your details on my website www.justplaytheblues.co.uk or message me on my page on…

I really love that there are people here from the other side of the world from me. I think this is one of the best things about the internet and this site in particular.  I am in the southeast part of the United States and getting tips and suggestions from people in New York, Australia, UK, etc is just a treat.  It just deserves being said that I really enjoy this aspect of CBN.

Well, I had every intention of working on my 6 string, but since the box joint jig is not finished I am at an impasse on that project so I took my worst box and my worst piece of neck wood, an imperfect fretboard and embarked on m first 3 string.

The neck is poplar reinforced with two 1/4"X3/8" splines of red oak. 

The fretboard is ebonized maple with maple position dots.

The electrics will be a double piezo embedded in the bridge and wired straight to the jack with no…

I carried #5 to an open mic that my daughter was performing in tonight and the guitarist that I had in mind when I planned this instrument sat in with another performer and used it to play lead and #5 and Rob sounded fantastic.  What a rush to hear a really good picker play an instrument I made and the audience really enjoyed it as well.  To top things off I got a request for a refret on a telecaster. 

My daughter took video of Rob playing my cbg and hopefully I'll get a video up in…

I was so pleased with the size of the box on my last build that I would like to repeat it, and I will, but I'm going to start building my own box tomorrow.  I've sparked interest in at least one person I work with who is now building his own box for his first guitar and since I want to learn how to make boxes I'm going to join him in making one.  He is a really talented guy that can do ANYTHING.  His first is going to be amazing I'm sure and I'm really excited about building my own box.  My…

I won't be using Elemer's yellow glue any more. The thicker viscosity makes it a poor choice for gluing where you are using anything other than substantial clamps.  Spring clamps just don't have the force to give a good glue line using Elmers.  Titebond is a little thinner and this helps it perform better under clamping pressure. 

Well, I'm waiting for the corners to come back from being nickel plated, but the time is here for me to think about my next build.  Decisions, decisions, decisions! Several weeks ago I bought a really beautiful quartersawn oak board with really straight grain and not a hint of a knot anywhere.  There is enough in that board to make 5 or 6 necks.  Today I bought a  really nice piece of jatoba very nearly on the quarter.  Only the ends of the board give it away, Really nice color, hard as a…

How did this happen? Who cares, I'm having a really great time building these instruments and I thought I would put up a little rant about what I have in mind for some future builds, stuff I have bought related to this lovely addiction and whatever else comes to this weary old mind of mine.

My blogs will look like an exercise in loose association and can be extremely random, so there you go.

Do not buy a guitar from this guy he has my money and has not provided the product and is not answering my e-mails or taking phone calls!!!!

I've just been messing around with GarageBand on my computer...I haven't a clue what I'm doing...and an hour's fiddling about has produced about a minute's recorded stuff..I hesitate to call it music...but here it is...my first effort...Aint%20right.mp3

Vocals and guitar recorded direct to the computer using…

To all the good folks of the Nation,

Through a message from Uncle John, where he brought my attention to the marvelous Justin Townes Earle, I was moved to bore him about my love of Bloodshot Records. Whilst reminiscing and re-listening to some of the artists and music they've released over the last 15 or so years, I thought some of you guys on the Nation, if you were unfamiliar with the label, might find some interest in their stable of artists. So, if Uncle John doesn't mind, I…

Due to the fact, there is no standard for CBG construction regarding the number of strings or the tuning, I am writing this information to help builders who are new to music, and offer suggestions that will make their builds function better from a musical stand point.

Guitar Tuners

The easiest way to tune your CBG is by using a headstock "clip-on" electronic tuner. They are very inexpensive. They come in two different models. A standard model that only…

I've been suffering from a SLOW Internet connection for several days, now, but it seems to be useable for the moment. Getting back on the Nation tonight has again reinforced my appreciation the Nation and all its members. There is such a huge wealth of information and talent here it really is incomprehensible. The courtesy, etiquette, and camaraderie, are all second to none. The way newbies are treated, the tolerance of non-cigar box instruments and their owners is remarkable and…