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Permalink Reply by Ben on November 23, 2009 at 11:42am

Could you make me one in the shape of an acoustic guitar with a spruce top and rosewood back and sides? Alright...maybe not...I've considered making my own box but I seem to have a never ending supply of cigar boxes. Would it still be a CBG otherwise? Or just a BG?

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Permalink Reply by Todd Plummer on November 23, 2009 at 12:03pm

My whole point in making CBG's is to try and answer my own questions for becoming a luthier... I already know the woodworking; I now need to know the guitar part of it. CBGs' are a good way to figure out all those measurements, but as long as I am making CBGs' I might as well make the inferior product I am using, better... At the same time expanding a small portion of my already vast woodworking business. I know half the fun of CBGs' are the found objects and the labels and such, but there are plenty of people out there making CBGs' into some very beautiful instruments. As well as some people looking for box sizes and shapes that are not easily findable. Or people that are not able to find boxes at all. And, for those people I would love to make well made boxes for their projects. You could still decorate them as much or as little as you prefer.

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Permalink Reply by HOGS GRUNT on November 23, 2009 at 12:16pm

The motto of the nation is 'anything goes'.

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Permalink Reply by Todd Plummer on November 23, 2009 at 12:24pm

Yes, anything goes... But my question is: Is there enough interest from the Nation, for me to start making boxes...? If I make them, or if I offer the possibility, are there people who will buy them? That's where I need your feedback. Are there people interested in buying custom made boxes?

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Permalink Reply by Ben on November 23, 2009 at 12:46pm

Sorry if I came off as a bit snarky. That wasn't my intention. I big fan of the "no rules" thing. I may be inclined to buy a box depending on the price. My reso cone is a bit big for all of the boxes I've found.

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Permalink Reply by Todd Plummer on November 23, 2009 at 12:59pm

No worries Ben! You caught my true intention though... I can and will one day make a full acoustic electric guitar. I even hang out from time to time with some pretty great luthiers'. They tell me to just make one already, but I don't play guitar, and I don't know the dimensions or the ins and outs of just what is needed and/ or expected in guitar making. So until then I am fine with all the other woodworking I already do... CBGs' seem like a lot of fun, and will give me a learn by doing aproach to guitar making, without pestering my luthier friends to no end...
I love making fancy little boxes though, and I really enjoy making things to an extreme level of craftsmanship and detail. So I hope to be able to make some really cool and really fun box designs for people that may be interested in that sort of thing. My pricing isn't outrageous. It would depend greatly though on how intricate you would want a box to be... Materials, hardware, finish, and construction details. How finished of a product would you want and what size would you need...? If you have a few ideas and would like to speak further I can make up a quote whenever you need.
Or can anyone think up a box design that would be needed by a large audience that I could make a small production line for? Then I could make a dozen or more at a time for those special builds...

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Permalink Reply by Todd Plummer on November 23, 2009 at 1:12pm

Right on Randy. What a great idea with the branch neck and the relief carved frets....
Randy S. Bretz said:

I make most of my own boxes out of natural and milled wood. This one has thin slabwood front and back, thin cherry wood sides and thin ash top and bottom.

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Permalink Reply by Nathan King on November 23, 2009 at 1:14pm

I can see making a really sweet instrument out of a really cool box... totally one of a kind, ya know? I really like the idea of what you've got, putting a lot of detail into something as "simple" as a box.

You're right though, there's sorta two schools of thought... the "find what I need" school, and the "over the top" way of thinking. Both of 'em are great, but I think you'd have more success with the over the top builders. Maybe just throwing this offer out there is good, see if anybody responds.

Personally, I'd love to have a really bitchin box with all sorts of cool grain patterns and detail in it... but when I can find a cigar box for a buck, it kinda puts things in perspective, ya know? :-)

Heh, plus I'd be worried about botching it up... I have done that to boxes before, on more than one occurrence.

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Permalink Reply by Todd Plummer on November 23, 2009 at 1:33pm

That's exactly my thought. The people that would be interested in a nice box to start out with would either be seasoned CBG makers or would be someone that wants all the guess work taken out of modifying the box... It could be as simple as a DIY kit... I do the more complex woodworking and you assemble it making it "Your" instrument, with all the hardware and extras of your own. I could even make laminated neck blanks as well to fit into the boxes.

Nathan King said:

br/>Heh, plus I'd be worried about botching it up... I have done that to boxes before, on more than one occurrence.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on November 23, 2009 at 2:51pm

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Own-Acoustic-Guitar/dp/0953104923

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Permalink Reply by Ben on November 23, 2009 at 3:33pm

Todd, if you're looking to make a small production line of boxes, you may want to consider a length that would work well for builders using prefab electric necks. Usually people have to build an extension to bolt the neck onto to make the scale long enough. I haven't taken the measurements but I think that would probably be the most commonly requested box.

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Permalink Reply by Jkevn on November 23, 2009 at 3:57pm

looks like you've got a knack for building really nice boxes. If you enjoy building boxes like most of us do CBG's, then build a few and post em in the classifieds group or here for that matter. some of us get fond of a certain size/style box and bit*h when we cant find em. Might be nice to get a nice wood box in a certain size that we could put our own labels/art work on. Plenty of folks here have found a buyer for their wares....

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