Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bob Holland on January 10, 2011 at 3:11pm

I'm not much of a builder but  what I see is most cbg basses have to have some kind of pickup to get any volume.  I am a bass player. Fender Bass & I used to have an Old Kay upright. It was big & had volume. So I guess what I'm saying, bigger box = more volume. Now what I saw today was an old chest of drawers. The outside was badly torn up but the drawers were in pretty good shape. Has anyone used a drawer for a box? Just make a neck & cover one side, cut some sound holes. It's too cold here for me to do anything with this idea. So anyone feel free to use this idea & show us all what you came up with.

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Permalink Reply by Roosterman on January 10, 2011 at 10:50pm

Yeah, good point that. Even the huge humidor I used was weak in the acoustic department. Ya dont hear the low frequencies so well, especially the fattest of strings.

Stick a mag pup in for a real bass sound.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Myers on January 11, 2011 at 11:36am

Yeah I always intended for a mag pickup.  Im just going to find a bass for parts.  Looks like I am going to be a pawn shop regular again.

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Permalink Reply by Dog House on March 20, 2013 at 5:29am

I made this cardboard box 3 string upright bass about a month ago and I love it!  Not a cigar box, but still sounds incredibly full.  I find the upright style to be a lot of fun for blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, pretty much any style of playing.

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Permalink Reply by Busyhands Slim on March 20, 2013 at 6:16am

What kind of strings are you using? I'm considering building a bass and thought I might try to get some Kala u-bass strings. But it looks like there are other alternatives. More info, please!

P.S. A cardboard box? Brilliant!

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Permalink Reply by jamie bark on March 20, 2013 at 3:04pm

I just finished my first 2 string bass and used an old wine box that held 3 bottles... decent acoustic sound, embedded a piezo disc in the bridge and it sounds great plugged in. Big box= big sound...

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Permalink Reply by Dog House on March 23, 2013 at 12:18pm

Slim, they're just weedwacker wire with an aluminum clamp at the bottom loops.  A lot cheaper than buying strings and seem to pretty durable once they set in with the tension.  Let me know if you want more info that I used for construction.

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Permalink Reply by Diglydog on October 22, 2013 at 7:54am

I made a 3-string with an oak neck, no truss rod.  It sounds great and is holding up well.  I may try a scavenged neck 4-stringer next time.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Revels on October 22, 2013 at 8:16am

Is that an all wood box?  I have a paper covered one about that size that I really want to use, but am worried about it's structural integrity.  I know I will have to stiffen/beef it up.  I am just trying to figure out options and way to do effectively before I start.

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Permalink Reply by Diglydog on October 22, 2013 at 8:55am

No, it's an old paper covered box from Florida, probably 1960s.  However, it's got a big chunk of solid oak in it.  The pickup mounts directly on the oak, it's through-strung and the bridge and tail piece are supported from inside. The neck is screwed/glued to the oak plank.  So, it's basically a solid-body bass that has a cigar box wrapped round it.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Revels on October 23, 2013 at 6:08am

How does she sound?  I am thinking for my build I am gonna have to pretty much do the same (fit the box around a solid piece, or have an oak plank through the middle of the box that the neck and bridge bolt to).  Thanks for the reply.

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Permalink Reply by Diglydog on October 23, 2013 at 7:05am

It sounds OK, and would be better with a decent bass player I suspect.  I did a quick vid of it here, played through a Fender Bronco 40.  Thanks for your interest :-)

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/digly-bass

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