I like my CBGs to look ike pretty much what they are - cigar box guitars. I like looking at other people's designs and artwork, including motorcycles, Harleys, beautiful women, airplanes, old time blues artists, cars, boats, etc., etc.
I am planing a series of "tall ships" ukuleles.
My topic of discussion today is the common theme of CBGs I call Death and Destruction. The skulls, skeletons, weapons, tombstones, etc., etc., even skull tuner knobs. We builders are able to personalize our instruments in any way we want and that is fine. I just think the death and destruction side is going a bit overboard. How about more happy themes? Music, dancing, children playing, the Norman Rockwell innosense of the 50's.
Does anyone out there agree with me?
Replies
Hey Jerry , I was not trying to spoil anyones fun and I'm one of the older white guys I referenced, except for the semi retired part, that will never happen. I'll be workin' till I die! Hey maybe I DO have the Blues after all!? I have some stuff going on in my life right now that should be "qualifiers" for me to consider myself a "Bluesman". I also use those motifs on my builds. I have my "Lil'Devil" amp and my "1-666-Hot-Blues" mic, Asylum bass with a skull and , 'RockBox" was a build that has a huge skull ,by request, and I just picked up a Tattoo cigar box that has 2 skulls smoking cigars on it! Let freedom of expression ring out!!!
Nice git, Bruce.
I like it. Simple. Well done
nope .. black rose/ flower = death . ;-)
lol.
Freedom of choice and artistic freedom are a part of the process of creativity. The persona of a bad guy bluesman being adopted by a bunch of old dudes perhaps is a way for some of us to at least pretend to be something we wish we were for some of our semi retired years. Don't rain on our gig.
Well said.
I am working on a new git with a winged white unicorn flying across the milky way pulling a chariot full of happy kittens. Humming birds and fireflies lead the unicorn and show him the way. A stork with a bundle of baby flies in front of the man in the moon. There is still on skull tuner. Hmm. I was BS-ing, but now like the whole concept.
Please note that I did not include any rainbows. They are over done.
And it will have one skull tuner.
Interesting. I've often used mismatched tuners with just one skull tuner. My skull tuner is about paying homage to the past and those old blues and cbg folks that came before us.
I admire a broad selection of other folk's CBG art and style. If I had the art in me I would do a Day of The Dead - Dia di los muertes style because it is so beautiful and this is the time of year for it. But I do have my own styles and they are pretty much 'relic and poor boy'.
I think there are a few things at work .CBGs sprang from very early blues and folk music. You can't wade very far into the blues without bumping into Robert Johnson and the whole "Sold His Soul to the Devil" thing. Then on top of that you have the Louisiana Voodoo and other cult or religion influences. Enter Mojo etc. Then the Blues has a baby and they call it Rock and Roll. So now I think some of us desire to try and evoke some of that history by embellishing our instruments, workshops , clothing and yes , bodies with these symbols and icons as a way to have some sense of history or "street cred" and to pretend we are bad ass. Since in the movies the "Bad Boy" often gets the girl, even though he can never make her happy in the long run. From what I see in our profile pictures, the majority of us are a bunch of older, semi-retired white guys with not much in the way of real "Bad Ass", but we can pretend! How many of you wanted to play guitar in the first place to try and get girls to notice you, like you, be impressed, go out with you?? MY hand flew up!!!
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