December 2010 Blog Posts (17)

To everyone who has been a friend and to all who have been customers of mine at Back Porch Mojo I want to thank you all for a great 2010!! it was a great year for making guitars and new friends!! it had its ups and down as any year will, I had a number of health issues and the tendonitis problem (from building too much!!) and the new year will begin with a corrective surgery to get me back on the building path, but pain free!! Wooo Hooo!! I am excited to begin a new year and see what the CBG…

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I just purchased a late 60s tube am radio it is an h200t5 from Westinghouse that i would like to make an amp from. I have not been able to get any help online. I only have a limited knowledge of electronics so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

You seem to be having problems with too much sensitivity and possibly too little gain.

 

TO DECREASE SENSITIVITY AND NOISE, you could switch from three 1M resistors to just one. If the change helps, then you're ahead. If you still have too much sensitivity, you can drop the resistor value down even more, say to 470K or 220K. With magnetic pickups, the concern with dropping the input impedance is loss of high frequencies. With a piezo pickup, we have more highs. Maybe reducing…

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Headed off to Home Depot to check out materials and supplies. Of the wood available there was the 3x1 and 2x1 poplar, 3x1 and 2x1 red oak. I will be using the poplar for my first build and red oak on my second 'proper' build. I then headed through the isles just looking at what was around and what I could incorporate into my build. I found some interesting things that I believe is what others might use, and if not I hope it is a working cheaper alternative.…

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Went on ebay to find a nice body. Although I think a box 2" x 11" x 8" this Arturo Fuente will fit the bill. Perhaps I can source one from the local shop.

I also came across…

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Well, although the weather has been awful, it's been a good week.

The fiddle has been finished with a new bridge and several minor adjustments. I'm slowly getting used to the instrument as it is a bit different from a 'traditional' acoustic violin and it balances a bit strangely when compared to my factory built electric fiddle.

I have also been delighted to see that my cigar box Christmas tune 'Silent Night' was included in the Christmas download for 2010 and I received…

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Note: I realized after posting that the links will take you away from this page.

 

Hey there! This is the first post in a blog I will be keeping to document my first CBG build. As many of you reading this from Cigar Box Nation have been through this process many years ago I thought it would be fun to include you in my account of earning my 'strings'. (hahah.. strings, wings,that was good right?) Hopefully I can show other new comers that anybody can indeed build something that…

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So it has been a couple of days since I have fallen into the wonderful rabbit hole that is Cigar Box Nation and 3-string guitars and it's been a pleasure. In my past I have picked up a couple of instruments only to lose interest and move on to the next best thing. I began my degree in the wood shop, learning the skills necessary to craft custom furniture. But like any dream my reality started to creep in and I joined the military for a better future for my family. But I never put down that…

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12024652

 

I am building my first CBG and plan on using a single lipstick pickup. When I called one of the manufactures for the pickup they suggested using one for the upper location (near fret board) and locate it in the "sweet spot", I asked where the sweet spot was and they said it is a trial and error thing. Where the heck is the sweet spot? I am using a 24.75" scale length and I am not sure where to locate the…

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Hi all could anyone send me the jug fusion album my pc messed up and now i lost my copy

Well, I finally got the 'cigar box' fiddle built. Everything looked good, the instrument tuned up well and seemed to remain in tune. The bridge was a bit out but as easily adjusted although a new one would have been better as the one used was a reclaimed item from a 3/4 violin.

So, new bridge and some fine tuners were ordered and ,when they arrived, were…

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a friend told me about a flea market that had some cigar boxes....stopped in and scored a couple of nice ones, but the lagniappe box I picked up i think is vintage, but I'm not really sure. It has a 'Jockey Club' logo embossed on the top and front side. There is also a logo with a horse in it that says 'The Winner'. Anyone know anything about this particular box? It's not all that big, but I think it would make a fine ukulele. I'll try to get a picture of it and post it up so that may help.… Continue

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Hi all does anyone have a chord chart for three string tuned either gdg or dad Ime shure its on here somwhere but search engine dont want to know so any help would be cool thanks

hi guys and gals. i am now at the stage of my tin box guitar build were i have to make the choice to fret or not to fret?i just realy dont have a clue what would be best. should i string it up and see if the notes ring fretless or just go for it ? and make myself alot more work.im planing to play slide and a few chords .i would love to hear what works best.ps this is only my 2nd build ,the 1st i used a neck from a broken guitar so all the fretting was already done. thanks dan