Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David McQueen on April 7, 2014 at 1:40am

Wow...I live in an neighbourhood of both tool berift and gun berift communter neighbours. The .410 approach would really liven up the place.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Gould on April 7, 2014 at 1:11am

Cheers Dan, I had considered using a FlatPup but I already have some single coils knocking around which I ripped out of a cheap guitar so I think I will use these as I am looking to do it on a budget! This will be great for future builds though! 

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Permalink Reply by Muddy Creek Guitars on April 6, 2014 at 4:06pm

I use half inch sound holes on my gits. I just use a half inch drill bit. I dress up the hole with a screened grommet, or just leave it rough if I want a more rustic look. For the pick up hole: you can trace the hole and cut inside the line with a razor knife. It takes a little while, but you can cut through until you can pop it out. Use a file and sandpaper to get the hole the exact size and smooth.

Just, my thoughts. You'll get LOTS of ideas here.

happy building!

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Permalink Reply by Tom Gould on April 7, 2014 at 1:15am

Brilliant thanks. This had already occurred to me as a possible idea but I didn't know how feasible it would be. Great to now it can be done as it seems like quite a simple method and less room for error! 

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Permalink Reply by Tom Gould on April 7, 2014 at 1:05am

Wow, thanks for all the great advice everyone! I can see that this forum is going to an invaluable resource!! 

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Permalink Reply by Tom Gould on April 7, 2014 at 3:26am

Probably the question I should have asked first...

Where does everyone recommend finding / purchasing decent cigar boxes and what sizes? 

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 7, 2014 at 9:18am

Get a .410 shotgun, and hold up your local tobacconist.

Or

Click on Cigar Box Deals over to the right of the page, there =>

Or

Frequent pawn shops, cigar stores, flea markets, hobby shops, friends' basements, liquor stores that have a humidor section, etc. The bigger and deeper the box, the deeper your tone.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on April 7, 2014 at 11:18am

I sense a theme.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Gould on April 8, 2014 at 12:44am

Hmm, I think coming round to the shotgun idea...

It certainly seems like a multipurpose tool! 

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Permalink Reply by Richey Kay on April 7, 2014 at 8:16pm

Hi Tom. I just realised you're a fellow UK dweller. It's quite unusual to find reasonable cigar boxes sold from the UK, and postage from the states can be horrific unless you're buying enough in bulk. Your best options would be to go to a cigar shop and ask if they have empty boxes to sell (which most do). The problem we have over here is that we don't import as much of the Nicaraguan/Honduran/Dominican cigar brands (which are common in the States due to trade restrictions with Cuba), however we do get Cuban cigars, but they can cost upwards of £300-£400 for a box of 25 over here. There just aren't as many boxes floating around :)

Another option would be to buy generic boxes on eBay etc. and decorate them (you can download cigar box designs from Google images, print them out or stick them on) - or what I like to do on my personal guitars is to rip off the top and replace it with a tone wood such as spruce or mahogany. If you have a look at my pics you'll see what I mean.

And in regards to your original question, I'll +1 Wichita Sam. I use a brad point (wood) bit both for soundholes and to rough out the pickup hole, then use chisels and sandpaper to finish it off.

Happy building!

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Permalink Reply by Andy K on April 7, 2014 at 9:39pm

Hi Tom. I'm in the UK too and have had similar problems. I did get lucky on eBay but good deals on there are few and far between with people listing decent boxes for around £15!

As Richey says if you do have a cigar shop near you try there, but might be best to try cash rather than Oily's first suggestion. :-)

http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk sell empty boxes for £4 plus postage. I've not used them yet myself but other people on here have been happy with their service. I think you can ask for a specific box size too if you go for the lucky dip option.

I've just finished my first build and well on the way with the second. Just wish I had as many boxes to use as Muddy Creek Guitars has in the pic below!

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Permalink Reply by Tom Gould on April 8, 2014 at 12:39am

Thanks for your input Andy. I have been looking through ebay and I think it must take a bit of luck as whenever I see something that looks good its either a huge price to ship it here or the dimensions are smaller than what Im after.

I will definitely have a look out for local stores though and that website also looks good!

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