Thank you for your comment. Soon, I will be posting a series of lectures I wrote about understanding chords. I am hoping to present them as a interactive study, so I can recieve questions and feedback from studunts, who are interested in taking the time to learn the material. This way I will be able to improve the lectures by editing the originals. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy.

Your welcome man, thank you for creating such beauties for us to enjoy!!!!!!!

Thanks for the kind words brother! I had a look at some of your builds and WOW! Beautiful work bro!!!!!!!!!

Nathan,

Glad we're friends,

Sam

Fantastic Work!

Thanks for the compliment.That was my first build and it was very interesting to do. but it turned out pretty good I guess. Nothing like what you have built for sure. but I will keep trying untill I might accidently catch up with some you most excellent builders.I don't have all the tools I need really to build what I want . But I keep finding ways to make my ideas work lol. it sounds absolutely amazing and it really sustains well too. so now I am on to the nexy project. I want to build one out of a real cigar box this time lol. I made this box out of oak. I seen one of my friends and went from there lol. so everything I did was from scratch. never layed out a fret board in my life but it is dead on. so that is good. I want keep you any longer.thanks again !!!
Randy Beach

Samster up stages me all the time. and i love it

There are a few of us in Colorado that know our cbgs!
Sometimes on a sunny afternoon Ill go down to Larimer street and play an old hobo song or two on the cbg...and the revolution then spreads....

lol... Thanks Nathan... and being an oak stake, I'm ready for any vampire hecklers, too... :^)

Wiser?? uh oh, something went wrong....
Thanks for your birthday wishes man :o)

it came like that, real thin 3 ply. it is a nice grain but i still have the urge to spray it matt black :0)

A 3-piece, quartersawn, laminated neck would be plenty strong!

I get big quartersawn oak boards at Rockler, out of which I can cut maybe 6, 8 necks. They're usually 3/4", so I add a 1/4" walnut fingerboard, which they also carry at Rockler, or at Thompson's art & hobby store on Wadsworth just north of Colfax Ave. But for a one-piece cherry, walnut, maple, or oak neck, I go to Paxton's near I-70 & Steele St. (Google it). They have the turning squares from which you can select really straight-grained ones and cut them perfectly quartersawn for 2 necks. Prices have nearly doubled in the past few years, to $25-$30 per square... bummer.

Nathan, Thanks for the info on the Artec pickup; I may try one out in the near future. Doug

I've made 60 or so instruments without truss rods and no problems, even on 6-stringers. For those, I use a 23" scale and .009's. On the banjos I put ball-end guitar strings with standard, medium-ish gauges (10-12-14-23-10). The key, I think, is quartersawn wood (usually cherry, oak, or walnut "turning squares"), and letting the natural bend of a board counteract string tension. I still have some of my 4-year-old banjos and guitars and none show signs of neck issues.

I've concluded that truss rods are overrated. And in a cigar box instrument, a truss rod would almost certainly make it neck-heavy and unbalanced.

Just looked at all your pics... Sheesh, Nathan! I'm a little embarrassed! I got nuthin' to teach you about making these things. Beautiful stuff!

Thanks for the comments, Nathan! Let's see... What can I tell ya about that banjo? It's a neck-through design, recessed for the box top to vibrate. For the visible part of the neck, I tried to emulate a standard banjo feel, although it's a 24" scale length. I shape necks primarily with a farrier's rasp -- goes quick! -- followed by "shoeshining" with sandpaper. Finishing is done with 5 or 6 coats of Tru-Oil Gunstock Finish (GREAT stuff). For this one, and a few other banjos I've made, I used boxwood violin pegs for tuners, which involved getting a reamer and a peg shaver. Not as easy to install or tune as geared tuners, but I like the looks and vibe. Anyway, if you have anything specific you want to know, just ask.

I'm in the process of getting high-speed internet, and as soon as I have a connection, I'll be able to look at your (and everybody else's) videos; dial-up is driving me crazy!

Hey, I have a square box and plan to turn 90 and mount the neck to the corner! I have drawn it out and scribed the neck on a piece of redwood. I plan to rough it out today. I chose redwood because i had a piece laying around and it would be easy to work and forgiving. I know where to put the nut, but setting frets and tail piece will require some assistance. My model is a sprano Uke that I own.

Hey, how do I join and get accepted into the Colorado Group? Thanks, jh

Hey Nathan. thanks for the invie. The Metro area has bee pretty mild so far this winter. I like snow, but I do not miss shoveling! I have started a ukulele and am now designing the neck. I have some wood working skills, but this is my first attempt. Do you know any uke builders or have you made one? Does the group ever have a meetup session? I coul duse a little help with the fret board and fret placement. Let me know if you get to Denver. jh