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Permalink Reply by Diglydog on October 2, 2014 at 4:01am

You just need to build something.  Will it be perfect ? No.  Will it work ? Yes, probably.

When I bought my first big motorbike a friend said "Don't spend too much, you'll crash it".  They were right.  Similarly, don't invest too much thought into your first CBGs.  You learn the most by cobbling something together.  When you have the results of your labour in front of you, you'll see what could be done differently next time.  If you don't want to 'waste' the home-made box, use a tin can and make a canjo.

As for strings, use something steel-based if you're using a mag pickup (i.e. an electric guitar string).  If you just want acoustic or piezo, anything from weed whacker cord to the most expensive guitar string will do.

Really, just go and build it and don't worry about making mistakes.  You'll be done in a day and then you can post a vid to show us how it went !

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on October 2, 2014 at 2:00pm

Seeing it's one string going putting pickup parallel along the string, my question is does it matter if you put pickup closer to the neck or closer to the bridge! I have image on box I don't want the pickup to block it?

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Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on October 2, 2014 at 2:40pm

closer to  the    bridge  will  give  you  a higher   /  brighter tone  ..  closer to  the neck  will    give you a   warmer   lower     full  tone  .

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Permalink Reply by Muddy Creek Guitars on October 2, 2014 at 4:05pm

Mine's a bit simpler. There's a piezo in the Altoids tin.

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/my-didley-bow?context=user

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on October 3, 2014 at 2:52am

Nice! Sound good?

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Permalink Reply by Muddy Creek Guitars on October 3, 2014 at 11:17am

It sounds better than it looks, which isn't saying much. People are always surprised when they see me play it. "You mean it plays actual notes?!"

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on October 3, 2014 at 11:43am

Got first part finished today not as difficult as expected I put photo up! It's more of CBG diddley bow!

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Permalink Reply by JL on October 3, 2014 at 12:31am

Diddley Bows are wonderful things.  Any Scale length and Any string is right, and if the nut and bridge are tall enough you can mount the coil pickup to the box face without cutting a recess.  I put my first pair of Diddley Bows together in just under an hour, including piezo pickups mounted inside.

  Link-To-Blog-First-Build-diddley-Bows

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on October 3, 2014 at 2:56am

Nice build good instructions!

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on October 3, 2014 at 11:39am

Stage one complete at my first attempt of diddley bow cigar box! Decided to sink the pickup flush with the box after all was allot easier than I thought!
Guns try put the poster image on the box hopefully it comes out ok if not I'll just have to paint over it! Hoping to have it completed by Sunday!

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• image.jpg, 166 KB

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Permalink Reply by Peter Hendley on October 3, 2014 at 11:55am

G'day Scruggy, ok opening disclaimer I am not experienced but have made one diddley bo and 2 cbg's of sorts.  What I did (and this is just what I did, others would have their ways that would maybe be heaps  better than mine..so have a dekko at theirs) with the DB was to get a cigar box, get an old garden stake, measured the length of a standard guitar from nut to bridge and sized it accordingly. The bridge was a bit of timber that I shaped from an offcut of the stake. I popped a peizo pickup on one side of the neck inside the box, so the vibes from via the strings to the stake/neck get picked up. I had a spare G string (not the sort some people wear)  from a set of strings so I used that.  I tuned it in G, got an electronic tuner and then marked with a dot on the side of the neck facing me when in a playing situation the position of each note. That allows me to play melody and also "single note Chords". That was it, cheers

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Permalink Reply by Scruggy on October 3, 2014 at 12:03pm

Lol I'm barred from my wife's G string drawer! That's pretty good idea to figure out where the fret markers are! IV no fret but plan on marking along the neck not sure yet whether I just pen mark or mark with stickers!

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