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Hi, Bob Hall.
The best cigar boxes (IMHO) have the following characteristics:
1.) They should have a larger internal spacial volume; so the longer, wider and deeper, the better.
2.) They should be made out of wood (not cardboard)
3.) The top lid of the cigar box should be about 3/4" tall, so it will be easier to mount the neck-thur
neck and head assembly to the top of the cigar box, with minimal notching to the bottom side
of the box to accommodate the neck. This is as opposed to a flat board style lid. Just my
preference.
4.) The plywood board that will form your sound board should be as thin as you can find with
1/4" or 3/8" preferred over the thicker ones. Sometimes the bottom of the box will be thinner
than the top, so making the CBG with the box "upside down" is perfectly acceptable and may
make for a better sounding box. Some builders prefer removing the original tops and replace
them with thin ply veneer (I use 2mm thick ply veneer with good results), while others even
have tried expensive tone wood. With cigar box guitars, anything goes - there are no rules!
5.) I also prefer boxes with minimal paper applied as decoration on the inside and outside.
This paper tends to dampen the vibrations, making the box project less audio volume. Some
times I have to remove the paper if every thing else makes the box a good choice.
6.) The better built a box is, the more I'm likely to choose it. One that uses glued box joints instead
of stapled miter joints, for instance.
7.) The boxes I prefer also aren't too banged up or otherwise damaged.
As far as the neck goes, the poplar wood will not be as strong as oak, but the poplar will be a lot easier
to work with if you don't have machine tools. I use hand tools with the only exception of my electric hand
drill, so wood hardness is a consideration. If using a softer wood like poplar, you can use two pieces and
glue them (laminate them) together, being sure to flip one board over so it's grain curvature is the opposite
of the other. This will produce a much stronger neck. In China, where good quality wood is hard to find,
I build my necks up by laminating together 6 or 7 pieces of cherry trim wood which they sell in 2.2m
lengths are are 3cm wide by 0.5ch thick. The resulting neck is very strong and cherry is relatively easy to
work with. For bridges and nuts, a very hard wood like oak is preferable to softer woods. However, I
usually use cut bolts for my nut and a bolt and nut for my bridge.
Well seasoned wood like what you might find from a wood salvage company (from torn down homes,
recycling the flooring) can also make good neck material. It will likely need more machining to get it into
shape, but if you have all the tools, go for it. Other builders like to look at old wooden furniture for their
supply of stable hard wood. If you can recognize and find quarter sawn wood, all the better. I usually
don't have that luxury.
Hopefully my answers are helpful to you.
-Rand.
Thanks for the input. I am new to the CBG and need some help, I ordered a couple boxes and a box for an amp from Cigar box deals, I want to amplify my cbg And think it would be nice to have a matching amp instead of playing through my regular amp. I have the tools that I need, I have done some guitar repair in the past. I understand the neck wood and soundboard theory. I do have the oak for the neck, the tuners, fret wire and some bone nuts left from other projects. I need to buy a fret scale, I did a dulcimer by hand and it was a real pain., I found a downloadable scale online but Stewart Mc. has always had good stuff for a fair price.So I will get one from them.
Again thanks much, I like neck notching idea,( I don't like folding guitars) your idea seems better than internal bracing, I would think a lot of bracong would ruin the tone in such a small soundbox.
Rand Moore said:
Hi, Bob Hall.
The best cigar boxes (IMHO) have the following characteristics:
1.) They should have a larger internal spacial volume; so the longer, wider and deeper, the better.
2.) They should be made out of wood (not cardboard)
3.) The top lid of the cigar box should be about 3/4" tall, so it will be easier to mount the neck-thur
neck and head assembly to the top of the cigar box, with minimal notching to the bottom side
of the box to accommodate the neck. This is as opposed to a flat board style lid. Just my
preference.
4.) The plywood board that will form your sound board should be as thin as you can find with
1/4" or 3/8" preferred over the thicker ones. Sometimes the bottom of the box will be thinner
than the top, so making the CBG with the box "upside down" is perfectly acceptable and may
make for a better sounding box. Some builders prefer removing the original tops and replace
them with thin ply veneer (I use 2mm thick ply veneer with good results), while others even
have tried expensive tone wood. With cigar box guitars, anything goes - there are no rules!
5.) I also prefer boxes with minimal paper applied as decoration on the inside and outside.
This paper tends to dampen the vibrations, making the box project less audio volume. Some
times I have to remove the paper if every thing else makes the box a good choice.
6.) The better built a box is, the more I'm likely to choose it. One that uses glued box joints instead
of stapled miter joints, for instance.
7.) The boxes I prefer also aren't too banged up or otherwise damaged.
As far as the neck goes, the poplar wood will not be as strong as oak, but the poplar will be a lot easier
to work with if you don't have machine tools. I use hand tools with the only exception of my electric hand
drill, so wood hardness is a consideration. If using a softer wood like poplar, you can use two pieces and
glue them (laminate them) together, being sure to flip one board over so it's grain curvature is the opposite
of the other. This will produce a much stronger neck. In China, where good quality wood is hard to find,
I build my necks up by laminating together 6 or 7 pieces of cherry trim wood which they sell in 2.2m
lengths are are 3cm wide by 0.5ch thick. The resulting neck is very strong and cherry is relatively easy to
work with. For bridges and nuts, a very hard wood like oak is preferable to softer woods. However, I
usually use cut bolts for my nut and a bolt and nut for my bridge.
Well seasoned wood like what you might find from a wood salvage company (from torn down homes,
recycling the flooring) can also make good neck material. It will likely need more machining to get it into
shape, but if you have all the tools, go for it. Other builders like to look at old wooden furniture for their
supply of stable hard wood. If you can recognize and find quarter sawn wood, all the better. I usually
don't have that luxury.
Hopefully my answers are helpful to you.
-Rand.
Rand your answers are very good. I read some of your posts and answers to other members. I am going to follow the plans from this site, and try to incorporate some ideas ( not many) from members like you. For a first build I think I should stay with the basics and stockpile the fancy stuff for later.
Again, Thanks much. Bob.
Bob Hall said:
Thanks for the input. I am new to the CBG and need some help, I ordered a couple boxes and a box for an amp from Cigar box deals, I want to amplify my cbg And think it would be nice to have a matching amp instead of playing through my regular amp. I have the tools that I need, I have done some guitar repair in the past. I understand the neck wood and soundboard theory. I do have the oak for the neck, the tuners, fret wire and some bone nuts left from other projects. I need to buy a fret scale, I did a dulcimer by hand and it was a real pain., I found a downloadable scale online but Stewart Mc. has always had good stuff for a fair price.So I will get one from them.
Again thanks much, I like neck notching idea,( I don't like folding guitars) your idea seems better than internal bracing, I would think a lot of bracong would ruin the tone in such a small soundbox.
Rand Moore said:Hi, Bob Hall.
The best cigar boxes (IMHO) have the following characteristics:
1.) They should have a larger internal spacial volume; so the longer, wider and deeper, the better.
2.) They should be made out of wood (not cardboard)
3.) The top lid of the cigar box should be about 3/4" tall, so it will be easier to mount the neck-thur
neck and head assembly to the top of the cigar box, with minimal notching to the bottom side
of the box to accommodate the neck. This is as opposed to a flat board style lid. Just my
preference.
4.) The plywood board that will form your sound board should be as thin as you can find with
1/4" or 3/8" preferred over the thicker ones. Sometimes the bottom of the box will be thinner
than the top, so making the CBG with the box "upside down" is perfectly acceptable and may
make for a better sounding box. Some builders prefer removing the original tops and replace
them with thin ply veneer (I use 2mm thick ply veneer with good results), while others even
have tried expensive tone wood. With cigar box guitars, anything goes - there are no rules!
5.) I also prefer boxes with minimal paper applied as decoration on the inside and outside.
This paper tends to dampen the vibrations, making the box project less audio volume. Some
times I have to remove the paper if every thing else makes the box a good choice.
6.) The better built a box is, the more I'm likely to choose it. One that uses glued box joints instead
of stapled miter joints, for instance.
7.) The boxes I prefer also aren't too banged up or otherwise damaged.
As far as the neck goes, the poplar wood will not be as strong as oak, but the poplar will be a lot easier
to work with if you don't have machine tools. I use hand tools with the only exception of my electric hand
drill, so wood hardness is a consideration. If using a softer wood like poplar, you can use two pieces and
glue them (laminate them) together, being sure to flip one board over so it's grain curvature is the opposite
of the other. This will produce a much stronger neck. In China, where good quality wood is hard to find,
I build my necks up by laminating together 6 or 7 pieces of cherry trim wood which they sell in 2.2m
lengths are are 3cm wide by 0.5ch thick. The resulting neck is very strong and cherry is relatively easy to
work with. For bridges and nuts, a very hard wood like oak is preferable to softer woods. However, I
usually use cut bolts for my nut and a bolt and nut for my bridge.
Well seasoned wood like what you might find from a wood salvage company (from torn down homes,
recycling the flooring) can also make good neck material. It will likely need more machining to get it into
shape, but if you have all the tools, go for it. Other builders like to look at old wooden furniture for their
supply of stable hard wood. If you can recognize and find quarter sawn wood, all the better. I usually
don't have that luxury.
Hopefully my answers are helpful to you.
-Rand.
Hi Bob.
Don't be shy about borrowing ideas, that's the purpose of this web site. You are right about starting with a fairly basic design, and then experiment on more sophisticated features on later builds. There's plenty to learn from a basic CBG build for the novice builder. And the hobby isn't so expensive as to prohibit you from doing more builds experiment with ideas and to develop your building skills and techniques. Good luck with your builds.
-Rand.
Thanks, I'll work on the sound I want, then go further in the looks department. My favorite six string is an old JC Penney's flattop. Ugly but it fits me and I get the sound I want.
Bob.
Rand Moore said:
Hi Bob.
Don't be shy about borrowing ideas, that's the purpose of this web site. You are right about starting with a fairly basic design, and then experiment on more sophisticated features on later builds. There's plenty to learn from a basic CBG build for the novice builder. And the hobby isn't so expensive as to prohibit you from doing more builds experiment with ideas and to develop your building skills and techniques. Good luck with your builds.
-Rand.
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