Comment

Comment by Matthew Borczon on November 18, 2009 at 4:17am

WOW, THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION. First off I have to say that I do not listen to as much of the blues as some of you all do. I like burnside and king both but for different reasons. I agree that the cbg is adaptable to ANY music. Currently I am clawhammer playing a 3 stringed cookie tin banjo playing old bluegrass songs mostly. Really it is the player rather than the instrument. As far as price, I completly agree that, for me cbgs are about making a guitar on the cheap. I can not aford the kind of money some folks ask for one. That being said I am also sure a red dog cbg or daddy mojo build sounds and plays up to its price tag. ( If you want to gift me one I will try out this theory for you) so in the end the true price of anything is what you can get people to pay for something. Fortunately for the rest of us the thing is a pretty easy instrument to build with minimum tools and not much time. Sue, if you have not built one yet, do not let it intimidate you it is not near as hard to make as you might think. I have no work room or power tools. I build mine with a coping saw a file and a sharp knife. They are not allways pretty but they play well. You will have a ball if you choose to give it a try. Last I have to say, I have been blessed by a couple of wonderful gifts of cbgs over the years. Willard gave ma a kick assed diddly bow that I play in my live shows and Kirk Withrow has built me 2 that I absolutely treasure. There is a wonderful feeling in giving one to someone. I recently started to do this myself. It is incredibly satisfying to see someone find joy in an instrument you made for them. Worth way more than money. I will have to look for the documentaries you all mention they sound cool. The new film Drifters by Kevin here on the site is the coolest filn I have seen in awhile. If you have not seen it yet you should check it out. Really great storytelling. Anyway thanks for letting me get my 2 cents in

Comment by Nathan King on November 18, 2009 at 4:11am

I will agree his show these days is very polished. Very polished... And way too damned expensive!! When you can't afford to go to a BB King show because the tickets are over a hundred bucks, you got the blues!

Heh, I don't care for Elton John either... now there's two of us!

Comment by Susan Hunt on November 17, 2009 at 1:27pm

Kevin -- I found "Deep Blues: A Pilgrimage to the Crossroads," (a film by Robert Palmer) on Amazon.com. They have some great documentaries, including The Howlin' Wolf Story, available new or used. And by the way, I loved "Drifters," and as a former teenage girl who loved guitars, I could completely relate to the kid.

Nathan -- with all due respect to B.B. King, I saw his performance at the San Francisco Blues Festival, and it was more Las Vegas than Mississippi. I'm sure Mr. King has paid his dues, and he has a secure place in America's musical history -- and rightly so. But, I don't like Elton John either, and I'm the only person I know who doesn't.

Also, thank you for the film recommendation. I look forward to seeing it.

And finally, to AKA Willard: that's exactly my point. If you're going to pay $800.00 for a cigar box guitar, why not just go to Musician's Friend and buy an Epiphone? Personally, I think paying more than $100.00 for a box with strings is somehow missing the point of the cigar box guitar history. It's that history that drew me to them in the first place, and resulted in my wanting to play.

Thanks for all of your comments -- and for those of you who derive pleasure from giving away your builds to appreciative souls, feel free to send them my way! I have never seen a CBG I didn't love.

Comment by Nathan King on November 17, 2009 at 12:30pm

I do not see BB King as "watered down" blues. Not in any way. He sure has a different style that RL Burnside. And I love them both for who they are, and what they do.

I'm not gonna get into the whole "suffer for art" thing, but as good as BB may have it now, I promise it wasn't always like that. That's not to say I don't appreciate the fact he doesn't "do it" for you. Lots of great musicians don't "do it" for me, too.

One of the coolest things, to me, about CBG building and playing, is that every single one is different. Different people can follow the same "path" but arrive at totally different places. The CBGs I make do not look/feel/sound/play anything like Wichita Sam's, or Kevin's, or Shane's, etc. They are as individual as the person playing it.

Kevin brought up a good point, too, is that a lot of a person's unique voice is helped made clear by a CBG. I've only been playing CBGs for 3-4 months, and already I can see a huge different in my playing style, on CBGs or six strings.

And yeah Kevin, check out "Deep Blues." You will love it. It was made in the 80s I think, so some things have changed (and unfortunately a lot of the cats featured in the movie have since passed). And Susan (and Kevin, and anyone else), if you enjoyed "Deep Blues," you owe it to yourself to check out "You See Me Laughin': The Last Of The Hill Country Bluesmen." It's a lot like Deep Blues, has a few of the same artists in it, although it focuses on Fat Possum artists.

Comment by Kevin M. Kraft on November 17, 2009 at 12:16pm

Recruiting new troops for the Revolution is always a pleasure, whether I get paid or not. I'm also raising new ones in my own kids.

Surprisingly, my new short film DRIFTERS, which features a one-string guitar prominently and a cigar box guitar soundtrack, has elicited more questions about diddley bows and cigar box guitars, which is always a good thing!

Comment by Wichita Sam on November 17, 2009 at 11:56am

On the subject of giving away CBGs.... I love the look a person gets who isn't expecting it.... from a kid, to a guy down on his luck to some old guy... if they hear it and appreciate it... it is really a blast to give'm away...

the best,

Wichita Sam

Comment by soulpatch29 on November 17, 2009 at 11:11am

Thanks Nathan I'm doing my best with the kids.
As far as a CBG being just blues instrument, that's an injustice to the instrument. The things can rock. Within 10 minutes of finishing his first build my son was playing some T-Rex and Beck on it.
I always think it is funny that people think you need to suffer for your art too.
I don't know how many people are going to be buying an $800 cigar box guitar. Yet in a free market the comsumer sets the price. I can't afford a new guitar from the store so I just made one instead from a box. Isn't how it was done in the first place.

Comment by Kevin M. Kraft on November 17, 2009 at 10:38am

Agreed, WillardJ.

Comment by Willardj on November 17, 2009 at 10:31am

kevin,,,,givivg the suckers away so others can experiencce the joy and satisfaction playing...i believe many in here feel the same...its not about de money...

Comment by Kevin M. Kraft on November 17, 2009 at 10:21am

Susan makes a good point about the price of CBGs. I charge, when I last checked, I think $55.00 total and a bit more more amplification. That being said, I haven't sold one dang guitar because I keep GIVING the suckers away BECAUSE I realize that I only spent, at most, $30 to make it (except those for which I bought a pickup from Ebay or something, which was only once. I'm a piezo man now. More cost effective with adequate results!) And I just want others to experience the satisfaction I know that comes from paying a CBG, in part because it is so primitive and inexpensive and easily accessible.

Since Jimi Hendrix was brought into the mix of the conversation, my thoughts on him is that he was more a great guitar innovator than he was an excellent guitarist. he brought sounds out of a guitar no one had before, which is what he's known for most.

I can identify with Susan's remarks about Clapton, although one would have to speak to him about what's in his heart about the music he provides. he doesn't seem to LOVE what he does, although that might just be his manner more than his attitude.

I'd like to see the "Deep Blues" documentary. Susan, can you tell me more about it and where I can see it?

Nathan is right about finding your own voice, ad that's where most of my CBG energies have gone. Not so much learning blues songs but simply playing what I want to. Cigar box guitars don't equal Blues to me. They are my tool of choice. Just as slide guitar is not a blues nod for me, it's my preferred method of playing. That said, while I play a little blues, I play whatever music I can with the thing. coming from a rock background, that's my main forte. But I can play anything I choose on my cig. Ironically, speaking about Clapton here, I'm probably just as much of a chameleon as he is, because I'm so eclectic. Does that cause me to be hated among the CBGs-are-pure-blues ralliers?

I hope not!

There are no rules, after all, yes? ;o)

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