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My 2nd build, CBG/AMP

Here's my 2nd build, it came out way better than my 1st

Arturo Fuente CBG

-4 string, (middle four electric)

-fretted oak scarf joint neck with poplar markers ebonized then finished with a walnut poly

-hammered copper nut inset into neck

-heat darkened tuners

-3/16 stainless allthread bridge

-heat darkened stainless tailpiece

-piezo pickup with jack and volume control

Arturo Fuente Amp

-"ruby" type 9 volt amp with volume, gain, and an on off switch

-two 3" speakers and a tweeter from an old home theater system

-external output jack for a speaker cabinet

-storage area for batteries and cord

-firmly attaches to guitar like putting in a window screen

need to finish

-finish and stain oak in amp to match the neck

-led in amp for "on"

-anything else ?

The guitar took me about 40 hours, you see the 1st neck looked odd when I installed it on the box. It seems when I switched from metric to inches I used a tape marked tenths of a foot, not tenths of an inch. It ended up being about 6" too short, BUMMER.

The amp took me about 35 hours it was my 1st time doing anything with electronics. The hardest part was trying to see all those tiny parts to solder.

That was a blast, although I couldn't get everything I wanted into these two projects, I guess i'll have to build again, oh darn. Here's some pics, comments / criticsms welcomed

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Permalink Reply by Sanddraggin on March 14, 2010 at 4:22am

That Freakin rocks Scott. It looks Awesome

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Permalink Reply by ken farmer on March 14, 2010 at 5:35am

I've heard that the ruby amp had a hard time driving a single speaker over about 2.5" diameter. Did you use more than one amp section? Different ohms? Also, how many batteries are you going with?

How is the 'heat darkening' working for you? Sounds like a great way to reduce the contrast between a homemade instrument and shiney & new hardware.

More pictures of the guitar would be cool.

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Permalink Reply by scott downs on March 14, 2010 at 7:24am

I took them both to our local guitar shop and he let me plug the amp into a cab with two 12" speakers. He was surprised that it could drive them, I just didn't know any better. I used the runoffgroove.com "ruby" for my design and it was easier than I thought it would be. I think for the next one I'm going to build the "noisy cricket", not for any particular reason, just to see which one I like better.

I used my oxy/acet torch to heat the hardware, it was really easy, but you've got to be carefull. When you think it's too hot you're right, it was and now it's way too hot, the knobs are chromed and one has some blisters from that.

here's more pics

ken farmer said:

I've heard that the ruby amp had a hard time driving a single speaker over about 2.5" diameter. Did you use more than one amp section? Different ohms? Also, how many batteries are you going with?

How is the 'heat darkening' working for you? Sounds like a great way to reduce the contrast between a homemade instrument and shiney & new hardware.

More pictures of the guitar would be cool.

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