Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Miku on March 22, 2011 at 2:43am

Hi Bill, my next CBG will also have 4 strings! Give some pictures

Permalink Reply by Bill on March 27, 2011 at 12:58pm

Pictures, pictures, ok, hang on. Gotta find them and remember how to post them.

 

Ok, here we go....

Permalink Reply by Bill on March 27, 2011 at 12:58pm

Permalink Reply by Bill on March 27, 2011 at 12:59pm

Permalink Reply by Bill on March 27, 2011 at 1:29pm

Since it was 3 three string turned 4 I had to relocate the machine heads. I plugged the holes with 3/8ths oak dowel and redrilled the headstock for 4. The sound board is made from the bottom of a dresser drawer. It's about 3/16ths of an inch thick and needed some support. I put one down each side but far enough out that neither one was under the bridge. The one on the treble side I trimmed down a little bit to help the high notes ring a little better. I left a small space between the neck and the sound board. The only places it touches is at the top and bottom of the box. To hold the strings down to the nut I sliced a small piece of left over board from the neck, notched it for the strings and screwed it to the headstock. The bridge is 3/8ths oak dowel and the nut is 1/4 inch threaded rod. Right now it's tuned GDgd with the 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 1st strings and it sounds great! And it's loud as a mad mother yellin at her kid in wal mart!  Compared to my 3 string it's a lions roar to a kittens meow. I think it's a combination of the thinner sound board and bigger box. I have a bigger box and am planning on rebuilding the 3 string with it. I'll probably do that sometime this week. I hope anyway.

 

Edited to add: I also decided to reinforce the neck through the box with the 4 string just to prevent any possible problems. It surprised me how much weight it added to the bottom, but oh well.

Permalink Reply by Kenneth "MC" Carl on April 4, 2011 at 2:28pm

Nice build. If you ever put some sound clips or vids up, like to hear it. I feel ya on the stir crazyness I've been out of work myself for a little over a year now due to work injury. Keep up the with addiction.

Permalink Reply by Richard G Caudill on April 16, 2011 at 5:18pm

Man i hate to hear u lost fingers ,, I thought i was bad ,,  U know that a sharp chisel will cut u   also  right ?? uh huh  it will !

A really good looking box u built    ,, bet it does sound good ,, really like the way the holes deminish as u go back  cool touch 

b cautious ,,welcome to the nation ,, we have a blast