i'm an engineering student at ETSU and i'm trying to get my class on board to manufacture some CBG's. we're going to have to make about 50 of these (one for everyone in the class and some extra's for faculty) and i'm trying to see how doable this is. we have a budget but it's unclear exactly what it will be at the moment. we are looking an making relatively traditional 3 string jobs with piezo pickups. here are my questions/things i need to source:
1. the cigar boxes (relatively the same shape)
2. opinions as to whether this can be done for about 30 dollars a unit
3. sources for tuning machines and hardware in bulk
if anyones feeling really generous the university will provide any documents needed for a tax writeoff. again, i'd appreciate any tips or advice.
Replies
Just remember - "perfect is the enemy of good enough". Sounds like yours is good enough.
jarret lynch said:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/r1ng3l78/CBG/0913101738.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/r1ng3l78/CBG/0914102034a.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/r1ng3l78/CBG/0914102035.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/r1ng3l78/CBG/0914102036.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/r1ng3l78/CBG/0914102034.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/r1ng3l78/CBG/0914102221.jpg
- You can do it for under $20 each, including a slide. CBGitty is your friend!
- Fretting takes practice and may not be appropriate unless you build in a lot of time, materials, and additional tools.
- It helps to write a very detailed guide with illustrations that addresses your exact designs
- Most young people these days have little to no with power tools - they need supervision & instruction otherwise someone's hair will get caught in a drill-press, etc.
http://shop.ebay.com/njmikeb/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&a...
If you are interested, we can make arrangements for a bulk discounted purchase.
Thank you for your consideration, Keni Lee
Cheers Ron.
Mungo Park said:
1. Cedar cigar box: $3.00
2. Mahogany 1x2x4 4.00
3. 3 tuning machines 4.00
4. strings that I had already
5. Misc hardware 12.00
Of course you can go WAY cheaper. The box I got from a tobacco shop. You could use a less expensive wood for the neck. The tuners I got 6 for $8 on eBay. The hardware, I got stainless steel, just because that is the kind of guy I am. Essentially, as long as you have a source for boxes, and a source for neck wood, you could build these for WAY less than $30! Remember, these where invented by po' folk in the 19th century... they didn't have fancy to work with... it's just po' folk like me today like to make 'em fancier because that is how we are! :)
[IMG]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/mookie098/P1011106.jpg[/IMG]
You can make them complicated or simple, depends on you, a straight neck with a little round on the back will not take long. Look through the photos, get some ideas and draw out what you think looks good, engineer something wild and efficient to build.
I am not a engineer but maybe blueprint( for the old guys here), sketch up the thing and then find materials that fit and massage it as you go along to fit in materials you find cost/time effective. Hard to price/source a piece of wood that you do not know the dimensions of or what type of wood it is. The engineering is finding the materials that have the right properties, cost, time to assemble ..... A straight neck is less strong than the laminated neck, but less time to make, the laminated is stronger with less wood but more time..... Photos are not on order, but you get the idea.
[IMG]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/mookie098/P1011109.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/mookie098/P1011108.jpg[/IMG]
The bridge and nut is just another piece of small wood, could be a cutoff, I am not a fan of bolts for mine but does not mean they are not a good thing and work well for people. My bridge is a piece of wood with a welding rod on top of it with the flux pounded off the rod. The thickness of the wood sets the height.
I still think marking the frets is a great idea and in the spirit of the original CBG, course CNC router is old meets new, very cool. If you mark the frets in say black and mark the blues frets in red or blue then it will make it even easier to play for a beginner. Fretless can still be playde without a slide, just take a look at Shane's playing. Cheers Ron.
[IMG]http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f333/mookie098/P1011389.jpg[/IMG]
Cheers