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Interesting thought here... CBN as an historic influence

Nation,

I'm currently reading Bill Jehle's One Man's Trash and it came to me in a startling epiphany -- we are making history in the sense of [modern] Cigar Box and homemade instruments. Do you guys realize that? Most all the references Bill cites in the book could very well end up 25, 50, 100, 200 years out of what we do/did in someone else's book. What we are building and playing is very important to music in as much as the Ukulele was back in the late 1800s/early 1900s.

That's impressive to say the very least.

What We need to do is to keep these images, posts, comments, etc as archive in as much for posterity and history or it will be lost forever. There are a few pics I wish I had saved that are now gone. We, tho not pioneers, are though based on the resurgence of information and interest.

Wow.

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Dave Cochran on September 9, 2011 at 4:02am

Wes,

Well put! So good in fact that I wish I'd said it first. I agree wholeheartedly.

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on September 9, 2011 at 7:09am

Thanks Dave. I do encourage you to read Bill's book too! Quite enlightening.

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw on September 9, 2011 at 8:09am

Hi Wes.

Funnily enough I was thinking about something along these lines only the other day (shows what fun days I have). Last weekend I was in conversation with someone who said that in his view a cigar box guitar should be a fairly basic stick through a box or it sin't a proper CBG. I didn't agree with that but wasn't sure exactly why at the time, but since then I have been giving this more thought.

To start with, cigar box guitars weren't made the way they were because it was the best way to make them. It was all that was available. It they had had better materials available to them they certainly would have used them. We have. Music itself doesn't stagnate, but evolves over time.

Moving on a bit from that point though, what also struck me is the almost unique position that we as makers are in. Not only can we make musical instruments, but we can add an extra level of visual expression. The many themed instruments that appear in photos on this site is proof of that. I'm sure there are other examples, but where else do you find instruments that are not only tools for making music, but also working sculptures.

Most musical instruments are made to quite set patterns. As an example, if you wanted to set up as a violin maker (particularly a professional one) you would have to make all your instruments to a model that was set many generations ago. You would most likely adopt a Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri or Maggini pattern or you would find it very difficult to sell them. Where else can instrument makers make viable tools for music making that have as much potential for visual expression (the wonderful casework on harpsichords perhaps, but that only goes as far as painting if the case). It all boils down to one phrase. "No rules".

Thanks Wes for making such an interesting observation.

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on September 9, 2011 at 8:26am

Precisely John, and to that end, our work shouldn't be lost once cigarboxnation.com ceases.

Cheers!

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Cigar Box Nation on September 9, 2011 at 8:34am

Nation member, David Sutton is about to publish that EXACT book, Wes!!! He's been working on it for a couple years now. It will come out in 2012 by Fox Chapel Publishing (one of the biggest woodworking publishers in the world). The book will give a several plans for building your own, but it will also have interviews with people in the movement, history of what we're doing now and more. He interviewed me last year at the PA CBG Fest and attended one of my pub shows. He also photographed many of my cigar box guitars. In addition, he invited me to write a small one-page sidebar chapter on Donald "Boz" Bostwick, the Godfather of the Cigar Box Guitar.

Yes, Bill Jehle's book is all about the history of the cigar box guitar prior to the modern revolution. It's the perfect "Vol 1" for the history.

We also have another book coming out this Fall thru Fox Chapel Publishing. It's called "Handmade Music Factory" with plans by Nation member, Mike Orr. I wrote the historical information for the book and the intro was written by the Robert Johnson Memorial Society in Mississippi!!!

Shane

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on September 9, 2011 at 8:47am

Right! Cool. Yeah, I had pinged David earlier and he mentioned the same. We have a LOT here that (God forbid) might be lost tho. Just a thought.

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Richard G Caudill on September 9, 2011 at 3:23pm

Just got through reading the book myself ,, son bought it for me ,,,, didn t spin it the way u just did ,,, but can definately see what u say .. Libarery of Congress maybe someone outghta ask em