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Box style - acoustic or electric

I've recently finished my first build, a CB Gitty kit. It appears to have ignited a spark inside and I'm already planning a second build.

I've managed to come across this Camacho box. The colours and high gloss finish are, to my eye, simply stunning. The lid & sides are quite thick, about 9.5mm or 3/8" while the base is 3mm or 1/8" and is covered in felt on the outside.

My question is whether it would it be better as acoustic or electric. Does it make any difference at all? Any advice on style of build suitable for this box would be most gratefully received!

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by MadGomer on August 6, 2020 at 4:31pm

Warren, first off, welcome to the addiction!!! I would expect that box to be best utilized for an electric guitar. That's not to say you couldn't make it acoustic, but it will take quite a bit more effort in all likelihood. To get a decent acoustic response and still show off that glossy top, you'd have to remove quite a bit of material from the bottom face of the lid, and even then depending on the material in the lid it may not yield a good acoustic result. I'd suggest a 3, 4, or 6 string with a nice mag pickup.

Permalink Reply by Warren McLennan on August 7, 2020 at 7:57am

That's exactly what I needed to know. Looks like my next build will be electric, so I'm off to the drawing board to work out what I'm going to do with it. Thank you for your help.

Permalink Reply by Tim Pannabecker on August 7, 2020 at 2:28pm

Warren, Brian is the big dog around here. I love the flat pups, I use them almost exclusively. It will make a great electric, but please paint tape the areas you are working on cause those tops are very easy to scratch.

MadGomer, is a big dog too

Permalink Reply by Tim Pannabecker on August 6, 2020 at 4:53pm

Welcome Warren,

MadGomer is a 100% correct. Thick tops (sound boards) are best used as electric guitar. The great acousticals Have a much thinner sound board, think a standard Dreadlock acousti, the sound board is very thin. Padron is a great example of a great sound board.

Permalink Reply by Warren McLennan on August 7, 2020 at 7:58am

Thank you Tim!

Permalink Reply by BrianQ. on August 6, 2020 at 5:26pm

Warren, like Madgomer said, you could thin out the underside of the lid. However, if you have done this, then you know it can be a pain, especially if it’s MDF? Another option is to use the bottom of the box, which is always the thinnest part of the box, but I get that you’re trying to showcase the top, so you might not want to? Most of the builds I have seen using that box have been electric, with that said, there’s nothing keeping you from trying. I would throw a Flatpup on it & move on to the next. Good luck on this one :)

P.S. another idea is to look through the Pics section for builds that have used this box, or simply use the “Search” box at the top right of the page for other members Camacho builds?

Permalink Reply by Warren McLennan on August 7, 2020 at 8:02am

Thank you. Yeah, I definitely want the top on show. I'm not too au fait with parts as yet, can you tell me what a Flatpup is? I assume it's a pickup of some sort?

Thanks for the tip on searching for others with the same box. I'll have a good look.

Permalink Reply by MadGomer on August 7, 2020 at 12:21pm

Warren, here's an example of a flatpup, many other options to choose from. CB Gitty is a good source.

https://www.flatpup.com/

These are nice because they simply mount on the surface, just as long as your fretboard and bridge design provides sufficient string height. Other mag pickups would require that you carve out the top and potentially the neck to get the right clearance.

Permalink Reply by Tim Pannabecker on August 6, 2020 at 5:30pm

Permalink Reply by Christopher G Daniels on August 6, 2020 at 10:06pm