I've been going through my stash of cigar boxes, trying to decide what my next build is going to be.

I've got a couple of boxes that are quite thin - clearly meant for just one layer of cigars.

Are these worth using for CBGs? It seems like there may not be enough room for any resonance in the box - has anyone had good experiences building with this kind of box? Perhaps it would be good for a more electric-style, without relying on any kind of acoustic sound...

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –

Replies

  • I have found that thin box soundboards are great.  One of my favorites is Kingdom VII.

     I do reinforce the top with a bead of superglue gel inside where the top meets the box.

    you may wish to glue wood corner braces and other needed reinforcement 

  • Maybe it's time to build a cbu, small boxes work great for a ukulele.

  • I have seen thin boxes stacked and glued to make a thicker body, but for my own builds I found some thin boxes sound great.,.some thinner all wood boxes I just glued the neck to the lid and the whole box becomes a resonator.,.,great for a light weight build.,,.for me there is 2 ways to build.,.,light or heavy.,.,light the whole box resonates.,.,heavy builds are more like a real guitar with a vibrating top mounted to a heavier framework.,.,cigar box size tends to produce a banjo like ring.,.,but there are no rules.,.,thin boxes can produce some nice tones.,.,.,.

  • I built one to a 17" scale and like how it turned out. Volume is certainly not loud, but passable. It has a piezo disc, but usually played acoustically.

  • depends on what you mean by thin.. giving a size would help

  • Or you can use them for stomp boxes?

This reply was deleted.