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making a few 3 strings with kids?

Hi i am looking for some guidance. I just built a 3 string CBG, and in showing it to a few coworkers and kids I work with, we are thinking of making several together as an activity. I work for a county agency that helps keep kids in their family home instead of foster/group homes. I have access to some budget, some woodworking skills/tools, and very limited playing ability! and enthusiasm to learn. Any recommendations on supplies, instructions, on line or purchase lessons would be greatly appreciated. I am doing a lot of searching, but why re invent the wheel. Looking at @ 6 or so to build.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by James Kirkpatrick on March 28, 2012 at 6:29pm

What country do you live in? For materials you quite possibly could get them donated for the cause, as you know the materials are not that expensive. I would sell it just the way you did here .... it is about and for the kids.

Permalink Reply by Matt Gallagher on March 28, 2012 at 7:42pm

If you're doing a group project then it seems to me you'll want to cut as many corners as you can without cutting the quality.

Box choice is important. Some are made of nice, thick hardwoods but are difficult to cut. To make everything fit together well you have to cut out a long, shallow section of the neck so it can lay flat with the lid, but if you find a box that still has good acoustic properties, but is pretty thin, then you can forego the cut and just run the neck under the box lid. It saves a lot of time and headache.

You can buy lengths of poplar wood at Lowes or Home Depot. They make good necks, don't require much adjustment, and are cheap.

Boxes that I've used have all tended to splinter when I drill sound holes. The wood generally isn't good for that purpose. Grommets are useful to cover up rough edges, but if you haven't got any, cut off the bottom front corner of the lid. It's not as pretty, but stylish in its own way, and gets the job done.

Have some sort of design specs in mind when you set it up. While fret marks aren't necessary, they're certainly nice, and it speeds things up if you've got a neck length in mind. Then print out a fret guide so you can sketch out the marks quickly.

Finally, because the strings really have to cut off at the nut, people go to all sorts of lengths to angle the head or cut it down, which is all well and good, but really all you need to do to keep the strings hard down on the nut is to screw them down lower between the nut and the tuner peg with a simple, flat-bottomed screw.

Permalink Reply by Tom Caneschi aka cbg tom on March 28, 2012 at 10:40pm

A member of Cigar Box Nation David Sutton has a newly released book out called The Ultimate DIY Guide for makers and players of the handmade music revolution that would be a great start for your group. There are also many videos here and on youtube that I'm sure would be a big help.

Good luck and have fun, tom aka tc

Permalink Reply by Charlotte Henry on March 29, 2012 at 2:04am

Aim higher on your first builds. A lot of people assume their first builds are going to be bad and as a result they aim low. Then when they get done they realize they did much better than they expected and wish they had attempted something nicer. Just one step at a time and be patient with each step. Ask questions at each step. It's much easier to help you on a specific task rather than in general terms.

C B Gitty is a no brainer place to shop for parts. You can also do very well on ebay for parts.

My wood of choice for necks is maple, but red oak is very good too. Stay away from poplar. Home depot is a great wood source, but look for your local lumber yard, you'll get a better selection and prices. If you have any cabinet shops in your area, call and ask where they buy their wood.

Don't be afraid of making the necks. The worst thing that can happen is you ruin a piece of wood and then you learn something.

Permalink Reply by Moon on March 29, 2012 at 4:27am

Hi,Brian you have some great replies on this.Charlotte is right,dont under do it.Youll will be much happier with you cbg's if you build them simple ,but not cutting back on the over all out come!Ex. My first bulid i used paper clips glued down for thefrets.The guitar sounds good,but then the frets started falling off.So after the first one i have used real fret wire there after.Just my 2 cents worth! Happy building. Ps ive been getting 2+ cbg's out of a small pack of fret wire from C.B Gitty on a 25.5 inch scale. Hope this helps a little!

Permalink Reply by Brian S. Abbott on March 31, 2012 at 7:09am

Thank you for the comments. I am hoping to build a couple of "prototypes" this weekend, maple necks from Home Depot, plain cigar boxes from Michael's( I am hoping the kids will do art work to personalize their new ax!), tuners and strings from the local shop, threaded rod for the nut and bridge. I am looking for inexpensive slides, going to try some 3/4" copper, but it feels too thin. I am trying to stay away from glass just for the breakage problem. Thank you for the support. I am using the the ideas from plans posted on this site that are in my skill set.

Permalink Reply by Brian S. Abbott on April 2, 2012 at 2:39am

Here's the fruits of my labors.

Permalink Reply by Moon on April 2, 2012 at 3:05am

Good deal Brian.Fretless too that will keep the cost down and bulid time too.You might think about adding sound holes also.Good bulids! Moon

Permalink Reply by Brian S. Abbott on April 2, 2012 at 2:10pm

What size sound holes have you found to work? is there an optimum placement or just looks good? The single string was a hit too! Brian

Permalink Reply by Moon on April 4, 2012 at 8:02am

Brian,On my last four builds I have been using 4 hole 3/4 inch with grommet in them.3/4 inch in from the sides of the box and placed 1 1/2in and 2 1/2 in from the front of the box.As far as the best placement,I dont know but this set up has worked well for me.

Permalink Reply by Moon on April 4, 2012 at 8:08am

Dont know if you cut a step under the box top on your neck,but this really helps bring out the sound.Happy building!Moon

Permalink Reply by Brian S. Abbott on April 4, 2012 at 8:43am

Hi Moon,

Thanks for the hole placement guidance. I will try that out. I did do the cut out of the neck, but my technique is a bit dodgy. I used a handheld router which is pretty exciting but not so safe or accurate. How do you make your cuts? They look great and repeatable. My challenge is trying to use tools with kids and working for a county agency. So I may need to make up the pieces and have the kids put them together, maybe drill the holes and screw them together. Hopefully we can still sand and paint! I am thinking I will need to plan to be a small assembly line and have a standard. I'll tell you the single string is fun and intriguing! People are drawn to the instruments in the office!