Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Raymond L on March 9, 2010 at 3:49pm

Patrick,
I use open E tuning for much the same reasons you mentioned.
I have my 4 string tuned from the top (thickest string) down to the bottom ( thinnest string).
E, B, E G#
This is an open E tuning.
This tuning is good for "power" cords, E,A,D, strum an open E (1), slide down to A (4), slide down to D (5).
With the 1,4,5 combination and mixing them up....you can play hundreds of songs.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Breton on March 9, 2010 at 4:33pm

Thanks Raymond !!!
i also checked the other post concerning the string subject but what i want here is not open tuning but normal tuning like using the 4 thinnest string of a set and tuning them to: (from the thickest) D-G-B-E
like a normal 6 string but only the last 4

Raymond L said:

Patrick,
I use open E tuning for much the same reasons you mentioned.
I have my 4 string tuned from the top (thickest string) down to the bottom ( thinnest string).
E, B, E G#
This is an open E tuning.
This tuning is good for "power" cords, E,A,D, strum an open E (1), slide down to A (4), slide down to D (5).
With the 1,4,5 combination and mixing them up....you can play hundreds of songs.

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Permalink Reply by HENRY LOWMAN on March 9, 2010 at 6:39pm

If you want to stretch your music a bit, try experimenting with different tunings...

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Permalink Reply by HENRY LOWMAN on March 9, 2010 at 6:43pm

...or, try this...LOL! The guitar pictured on the right is now a 4 stringer (2 stringer in this pic), but with a microtonal neck...Hmmmmmmmmm...Microtonal Reggae...hmmmmmmmmmmm...maybe I'm onto something...LOL!!!...ooops, the guitar is on TOP!!!

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Permalink Reply by Dave K. on March 10, 2010 at 1:53am

Patrick -

If that's what you want, go for it! No reason it wouldn't work. As I understand it, (and please correct me if I'm wrong), you want to string it D-G-B-E, standard guitar strings? I've done that with a tenor guitar build on a 1X2 mahogany neck, no fret board, and it's still okay 5 years later. Make it to the scale you're already used to using, and you be jahmmin', mon! If you want to go the other route (bass side, E-A-D-G), you'd probably need to glue a 1/4" fretboard to a hardwood (oak, maple, cherry, walnut) 1X2 to cover the tension. But still, quite doable.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on March 10, 2010 at 2:07am

Makes complete sense to me, if you only play the bottom 4 strings, get rid of the top 2. Reggae on a cigar box makes total sense to jam on man. And better get more than one box, you wont be stopping at just one cbg.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Breton on March 10, 2010 at 2:36am

Thanks everyone for the reply !!!
i cant wait to start this project, i have a 1 3/4 X 1 maple piece of wood for the neck and want it to be fretless,
this is one concerne also to me, should i make the neck flat with the box or should i let it go just a little over the lid,
like a 1/4 maybe to replace the fretboard spacing ???
also an other thing that i have problem with is the box choice,
i got 3 box out of ebay and all have little deformation on them and really not as thick as would love them to be,
so i guest i will have to reinforce them with wood inside to make it more stable ?
any good sugestion here on both my concerne ???
i saw the inside plank to make it more stable and feel like a real solide body guit, i might do this :D
thanks again guys, really helpfull !!!
Patrick

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 10, 2010 at 10:27am

FWIW..
the instrument you propose to build is known as a 'piccolo bass'..
or 'octave bass'
arrested development featured a piccolo bass player as a soloist in the 90s his name escapes me at the moment..

It will be great, you can at times double the bass line too, not all the time, but just for the middle 8, chorus, emphasize parts, u know..

Also, you are not so far from an open tuning anyway, just detune 4th from e to d, and 1st from g to f# and you're there anyway, so easy enough to play around with slide and open tunings later without restringing or too much messing about.

there is a guy on here, forgot his name, who has a 4 string using the bottom four from a regular set (probably a heavier set 12-50 or so), but tuned to the higher four of a guitar DGBE but an octave lower, this is also a great idea imho

depending on the orientation of the grain in your maple plank, you may want to consider finding it a brother, laminating them up and turning 90 degrees.. if its flat sawn (which it probably is) this will effectively turn it 'on the quarter' makes it much stronger, help you avoid doing a truss rod..

I believe doing a separate fretboard also helps in this regard, but i am partial to fretting directly on the neck wood ala fender too.. and yeah, cut a little more wood out, so the fingerboard sits proud of the box rather than flush (or plane an angle in from the body join back..) lets your bridge sit higher, greater volume & easier to play..

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Breton on March 10, 2010 at 12:21pm

Microtonal Reggae :D love that, could became a new style of reggae like that DubStep going on the UK or even a reggae band name :D !!! very cool instrument by the way !!! Patrick
HENRY LOWMAN said:

...or, try this...LOL! The guitar pictured on the right is now a 4 stringer (2 stringer in this pic), but with a microtonal neck...Hmmmmmmmmm...Microtonal Reggae...hmmmmmmmmmmm...maybe I'm onto something...LOL!!!...ooops, the guitar is on TOP!!!

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Breton on March 10, 2010 at 12:28pm

Thanks Jef,
helpfull advise but i'm not making a bass though just a 4 string guitar to play reggae :D vbut your advise are good for both anyway i guest bass or guitar, i sure will rise the neck higher than the lid like a normal guitar, fretboard always seam to be higher than the body, i've checked also one video of a guys cant remember his name but was showing how to do neck angle and read about it also but i'm just not quiet sure of how much angle and everything, i guest i will realize this when building it !!!
thanks again Jeff !!!
Patrick
you guys here ROCK ON !!!

Jef Long said:

FWIW..
the instrument you propose to build is known as a 'piccolo bass'..
or 'octave bass'
arrested development featured a piccolo bass player as a soloist in the 90s his name escapes me at the moment..

It will be great, you can at times double the bass line too, not all the time, but just for the middle 8, chorus, emphasize parts, u know..

Also, you are not so far from an open tuning anyway, just detune 4th from e to d, and 1st from g to f# and you're there anyway, so easy enough to play around with slide and open tunings later without restringing or too much messing about.

there is a guy on here, forgot his name, who has a 4 string using the bottom four from a regular set (probably a heavier set 12-50 or so), but tuned to the higher four of a guitar DGBE but an octave lower, this is also a great idea imho

depending on the orientation of the grain in your maple plank, you may want to consider finding it a brother, laminating them up and turning 90 degrees.. if its flat sawn (which it probably is) this will effectively turn it 'on the quarter' makes it much stronger, help you avoid doing a truss rod..

I believe doing a separate fretboard also helps in this regard, but i am partial to fretting directly on the neck wood ala fender too.. and yeah, cut a little more wood out, so the fingerboard sits proud of the box rather than flush (or plane an angle in from the body join back..) lets your bridge sit higher, greater volume & easier to play..

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on March 10, 2010 at 12:47pm

Patrick, I made my first and second CBGs with the neck flush with the box and no angle to it. Its fretless so the action is high. It works fine this way. I am making the next 2 with the neck up about 3/16" higher than the neck to see what it does, it will use a higher bridge anyway. Check out the pictures on my page those are my first 2, keep it simple and it will work. Also, what are the box's you think are not strong enough? Most cigar box's are thin plywood and are strong enough, the thru neck design takes all the stress.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Breton on March 10, 2010 at 1:48pm

thanks Michael,
nice helpfull picture there you got and sure i want it to be simple but nicely playable, i want to play it more with finger style then slidding for my first, so i worry alot about that angle stuff, do you think i'll be able to play it finger style even with no angle, i also, somehow want to go fretless for the first one, well just burning them like yours i guest should be fine, i like fretless sound when you slide from one note to another !!!
Patrick

MichaelS said:

Patrick, I made my first and second CBGs with the neck flush with the box and no angle to it. Its fretless so the action is high. It works fine this way. I am making the next 2 with the neck up about 3/16" higher than the neck to see what it does, it will use a higher bridge anyway. Check out the pictures on my page those are my first 2, keep it simple and it will work. Also, what are the box's you think are not strong enough? Most cigar box's are thin plywood and are strong enough, the thru neck design takes all the stress.

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