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Hello Guys...I'm Bob Cianci, guitarist, drummer and music journalist. I write for Premier Guitar magazine, and am going to be doing a story on CBG's for an upcoming issue, perhaps as early as July. I have spoken extensively to Shane and Ted Crocker, and will be picking their brains for stuff I can use in the article. Both of them have been very helpful. I will be heading out to Shane's place on 5/16 to do an interview, see his collection, and build a CBG with him. I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can about CBGs, the history, the music, and especially you guys-the cult of the CBG.

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Permalink Reply by Doc Oakroot on May 10, 2009 at 1:33am

Yeah, some, like that drummer, shouldn't host a blues jam, lol. I suspect his band leader agreed to host the jam without asking him.

I kind of expected Stevie Ray wannabes, but these were more B.B. King wannabes. They knew "The Thrill is Gone" (unusual for blues in that it's minor key), but had never heard of Willie Dixon.

Bob Cianci said:

You're right about that. I stopped going to blues jams, because there were too many guys trying to be the next Stevie Ray. Maybe I should give them a try again. I used to belong to a blues society here in northwest NJ that had monthly meetings that were more or less an excuse to have a blues jam in a bar. They were always hit & miss, because you never knew who was going to show up, but they were usually fun. Most of the time, I played drums, and sometimes, I was the only drummer there, so they wanted me to play with everyone! One time, the host band's drummer was very weird about anybody playing his drums. I mean, if you agree as a band to host a blues jam, you expect people to play your drums, right? This guy was a turkey.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on May 10, 2009 at 2:31am

Bob Cianci said:

Iggy...I understand what you're saying, and that's what I intend to do with the cbg for Delta stuff, but I also need something for use with my band in terms of electric slide, so a Kingston or Teisco is perfect for that application.

I still remember from high school, when my buddy had a Sears Silvertone guitar, the one that came in a case that had an amplifier built in...those were the days...LOL

http://tinyurl.com/prsxwg

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Permalink Reply by Cigar Box Nation on May 10, 2009 at 2:37am

I truly believe the current guitar community is lost. They can't see the forest for the trees because they love the gear more than the music. The whole cigar box thing asks you to abandon "perfect" tools and FORCES you to work with a primitive instrument. In doing so, you re-discover the music...NEW music.

Which is more absurd: taking the stage with only 3-strings tied to a stick and a box...or paying the Fender Custom Shop an extra $3000 to have Keith Richards' scratches in a Mary Kay Strat?

I don't want to play perfect instruments anymore. I don't even want to play perfect music. Give me something true and real and DEEP.

rant over. need more coffee

shane

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Permalink Reply by Roger Martin on May 10, 2009 at 3:53am

Yep! Shane nailed it with that last response!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Ben on May 11, 2009 at 12:47am

Crap, I forgot to write my name on mine. Oh wait...of course its mine, nobody else would have made that stupid building mistake...

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Permalink Reply by Doc Oakroot on May 11, 2009 at 3:17am

Ben, we've ALL made that stupid building mistake, lol.

Ben said:

Crap, I forgot to write my name on mine. Oh wait...of course its mine, nobody else would have made that stupid building mistake...

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Permalink Reply by One String Willie on May 11, 2009 at 3:49am

Welcome Bob!

Best regards, Willie

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Permalink Reply by Bluesdog on May 11, 2009 at 6:33am

Ted Crocker said:
Are we trying to convince the CEOs of Fender and Gibson to start making cigar box guitars? Hell no, that would remove the self expression that is the driving force here. I cringe when I think of a mass produced CBG - just imagine rows upon rows of identical, over engineered box instruments hanging in every Guitar Center and Walmart across the land.

I'd rather be the guy who smirks and endures ridicule than the lost sheep who identify themselves by the name tags on their computer manufactured gear.

Know what name impresses me when I see it on an instrument?

Yours... [end quote]

Amen to that!!!!! Part of a cbg's mojo is the blood sweat and tears from who made it! Even if you didnt build it yourself, a storebought machineproduced will never match or exeed the vibe and Mojo a handmade instrument will give you.

I own a 600+$ Republic Resolian wich is a great guitar (realy realy great, best "real" guitar i've played so far) but its not nearly as fun to play as a Cigareboxguitar i made with my own two hands. And thats the key word in making music for as far as i'm conserned..... FUN!!!

That plus the look on people's faces when they first hear a Cigarebox guitar/instrument is priceless, especialy when the laughed at you and your "box" before they heard it. There's no sight as satisfying as dropped jaws!!

Welcome to the Forum btw Bob ;) Looking forewards to reading your Cbg article.

Best wishes, Frans.

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on June 18, 2009 at 7:41am

Huzzah!

Iggy said:

If you are looking for something to play slide on, a CBG is the way to go!!

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on June 18, 2009 at 7:46am

So what shape would the pan need to be... ?

< just kidding ;-) >

-Wes

BT Cohosh said:

Hey Bob! Welcome to The Family.

I think the term "cult" works just fine. I turned 40 this spring, and my wife made me a CBG-shaped birthday cake, which I found not at all ironic.
...

Apparently I talk about Cigar Box Guitars pretty frequently.