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Hypothetical question (extra hole)

How's that for a thread title? Anyway ...

Let's say a hypothetical good-looking man was busy building a cigar box amplifier, and was so distracted that he accidentally drilled two input jack holes instead of one. (Of course, this would never happen in real life!)

But if this did happen, how should said builder go about making the best of a bad situation? Should he just add another input jack in a straightforward way, or should he add an input jack that would somehow be somewhat different from the "normal" one? Like a "hi-gain" and a "lo-gain"? Or something completely different?

Let's further suppose that the poor hypothetical dimwit had limited knowledge of wiring and circuitry in general. Is there an easy option that would pass for, say, doing something on purpose?

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Permalink Reply by Maddog on July 25, 2012 at 2:27pm

Well if I ever made a mistake (which I never do............) I would cut a cover plate big enough to cover both holes and drill a new hole in the cover plate and use that one. It has worked for me in the past if I ever made a mistake which I don't :-) Now if the holes are on 2 different sides of the box you are S.O.L. in which case I would cover the extra hole with some sort of decrative covering, I know someone recently cover a booboo with a cutout of a wooden frog. Looked pretty darn good I must say. Anyhoo, good luck with it.

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Permalink Reply by jamie howe on July 25, 2012 at 2:29pm

Just make sure you put it on the right hole otherwise your amp will squeel and never forgive you......

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on July 25, 2012 at 3:04pm

Bwahahahahaha!

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Permalink Reply by ron carlson on July 25, 2012 at 2:49pm

I might enlarge it some so you could snuggly fit a length of end capped 3/4" copper pipe to it from the inside. Before preforming your best song for friends, drop small chunks of dry ice along with a 1/4 shot of Bourbon into the hole for your impressive special effects grand finale.

Now that's a smokin amp!

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on July 25, 2012 at 2:55pm

I'd go get a $10 ic preamp kit and add a second input with an extra gain stage

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on July 25, 2012 at 4:01pm

You can buy a lot of Bourbon for $10... Ah. Gitcherself one a them smallish Jack Daniels bottles, stick the neck out through Hole Number 2, and occasionally impress your audience by upending your amp and pouring into Hole Number 3, while playing.

Gargling Jack - see, just named yer amp for ya.;-)

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Permalink Reply by Dave on July 26, 2012 at 12:35am

Great idea; I'm just not sure how to add the second input...

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Permalink Reply by Dave on July 26, 2012 at 12:00am

Now we're talkin' ... what would a daisy-chained input look like, wiring-wise? Just a positive and ground wire from the second input jack to the input and ground of the amp?

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Permalink Reply by Randy S. Bretz on July 26, 2012 at 12:09am

one input for the mag and one for the rods in the bridge, great for using 2 amps !

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Permalink Reply by Dave on July 26, 2012 at 12:34am

That is an awesome instrument! What I'm building, though, is an amplifier.

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Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on July 26, 2012 at 8:46am

Lots of great solutions. I gotta say, the dry ice trick has to top the list! Course I just love playing with dry ice anyway and everybody knows stuff stuff just sounds better with effects!

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Permalink Reply by Sharecropper on July 26, 2012 at 9:10am

I agree with Silent Jim . Make the 'extra" hole an input jack . I think you can wire one jack to the amp and wire the other jack to the jack wired to the amp .