Hello CigarBoxNation!
I recently got some new tools and got to put them to use this weekend. I made a 23" scale strumbox dealio (diatonic fretted, a la strumstick, mountain dulcimer, walkabout dulcimer, etc). It was great fun. I used a router & router table for the first time and made great use of a combo belt / disc sander, chop saw and elbow grease.
The construction is very similar to the 1-day ukulele build that I did a couple of years ago. I used Home Depot lumber (alder and poplar) for the neck and and fingerboard. The body is two of the internal shelves from a large cigar box bonded together. Since the old uke is still playing strong after a couple of years, I used mostly the same construction themes including stick-through-body, architectural steel tail piece, bonded-on brass frets, circuit board bridge, and screws in addition to glue at some joints.
It came out great. It still needs some cleanup, finish sanding and oiling, and sound holes but I strung it up to see how it plays. Sounds clean and loud even without any soundholes. Here are a bunch of pics!
Tags:
Thanks for the kind comments!
The circuit board bridge was inspired by the Pete Seegar banjo bridge which used the same material. Totally different shape but I liked the notion of a very stiff yet lightweight material. Most circuit boards are made of a glass fiber reinforced epoxy. The one that I made for my uke has worked so well so I'm sticking with the idea.
Lol... the 3-piece neck was originally supposed to be a 2-piece but I messed up and made the slot in fingerboard neck segment deeper than I'd wanted to. The third piece was part of recovery, and in the end, I agree it came out pretty neat. That's the awesome thing about no-plans DIY building -- you just invent as you go.
Next step is to drill a constellation of small sound holes, though I'm tempted to skip them. Sounds really great already.
good stuff indeed .
Interesting,and a little different Shannon,some nice work in that
Started by J. D. Woods in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Southern Ray yesterday. 8 Replies 1 Like
Started by Southern Ray in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Southern Ray yesterday. 6 Replies 0 Likes
Started by J. D. Woods in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by BrianQ. on Thursday. 4 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Rich Butters in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Crazed Fandango on Tuesday. 4 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Nomad Jack in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by J. D. Woods Apr 17. 7 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Moritz Voegeli in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Apr 14. 6 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Apr 10. 14 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Tom T in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Apr 9. 9 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Southern Ray in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Apr 4. 7 Replies 1 Like
Started by Timothy Hunter in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 27. 1 Reply 2 Likes
Started by Taffy Evans in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 10. 1 Reply 3 Likes
Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by BrianQ. Mar 9. 4 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies 1 Like
Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Ken I in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Brian partington Mar 8. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Southern Ray in Cool gear discussion - that's not cigar box related. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 6. 5 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Taffy Evans in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 5. 4 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Carl Floyd Mar 1. 15 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Joe in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Carl Floyd Feb 29. 13 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Chance in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 22. 12 Replies 1 Like
Posted by Vlad on March 31, 2024 at 11:48pm 0 Comments 1 Like
Posted by Vlad on March 6, 2024 at 2:32am 5 Comments 2 Likes
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 28, 2024 at 2:09pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 17, 2024 at 11:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Posted by Vlad on February 11, 2024 at 1:06am 1 Comment 1 Like
May 11, 2024 from 11am to 8pm – Speakeasy Grill
0 Comments 0 LikesMay 30, 2024 from 6:30pm to 10pm – The Casual Pint of Huntsville
0 Comments 0 Likes© 2024 Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker. Powered by
Cigar Box Nation is presented by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, your one-stop-shop for Cigar Box Guitar parts and accessories!