Making a Cigar Box Guitar - Part 4 - the bridge

There are different materials/items used for the bridge but it needs to be a hard material. Some people use a threaded eye hook. I tried it but wasn't happy. I make my own simple bridge using some hard wood like oak or mahogany - a small piece left from the neck will do. I make it about 5 cms long and shape the cross section into an upside down T shape. The saddle part where the strings cross is only about 3 or 4 mm wide. I make it using a small router bit mounted in a drill stand. I cut very shallow grooves (1 mm) about 1 cm apart for the strings to sit in.

I string it up temporary but not full tension and place the bridge in it's approx position. Pass the string through the bottom of the holes you drilled at the base of the neck. You need to find the exact spot for correct intonation. I use a tuner and play one string open and tune it to an exact note (e.g. A) The twelve fret should be exactly one octave higher. I use a screwdriver shaft as a slide for this process as the narrowness makes it more accurate. Place it over the 12th fret and move the bridge either further up or down the box until the octave is bang over the twelth. You can mark it's position if you intend glueing the bridge to the box. I don't usually bother as it gives me the option of fine tuning the intonation whenever I want.

The design of my necks means that there isn't quite enough backwards offset on the neck (like a Fender) to provide enough tension of the strings over the nut. Like Fender I get round this by fitting "string trees" which pull the strings down onto the nut. I sometimes use small screw eyes and thread the string through the eye. Sometimes I make a small metal bar with a hole at each end and two small screws through them into the headstock. The bar presses down on all three strings simultaneously. Once you have these fixed you can string it up and tune it.

These small refinements are something you can experiment with. Once you have the basic box, you'll find little ways of improving them. All part of the creative fun.

More refinement tips to come ......

A new cigar box guitar in the pipeline

I'm coming out of the creative darkness, the job still sucks but I need to feed my soul. Haven't even played my CBG's for a while. I picked one up last night to play and the bug struck me again. I'm "cheering myself up" by making a new one.

It's going to be pretty cool. The box is a nice yellow Cuesto Rey cigar box. The neck is light oak and I've stained the fretboard very dark. The headstock will be painted yellow on the face to match the box. The fret markers and dots will probably be done by cutting shallow grooves and drilling shallow holes to expose the light colour underneath. It will have the usual 3 string set-up and a piezo pick-up.

I'm taking my time and savouring the project. The body and electrics are made, the neck half made. I'll post a photo when I have something to show.

update Aug 25th :- Just finished it and it's one of my best so far. Just a couple of minor tweaks and then I'll photograph it and put it on here.

When work gets in the way of cigar box guitars

My apologies to any regular visitors - I just haven't had time or energy to make any CBG's lately. My company got bought out by another bigger one and life has been hell ever since. I've had six months of stress and anxiety and no energy left to make any new CBG's and so the content of this blog has been a bit thin on the ground. I'm still here though, playing, and thinking about them. Hell, it's what keeps me sane. Anyway there's plenty in here for newcomers and re-visitors to whet your appetite for cigar box guitars.

So the point is this. What are we here for? Working for some big corporate fat cats or exploring our creative natures. Hmmm let me think. Well, I know what I like best but it doesn't pay the bills. Most of us have to put up with crappy jobs/bosses in order to feed and clothe ourselves but what we really want is FUN. So that's why we take up such weird activities isn't it? Keep on indulging your passions that's what I say. As long as you have something to be passionate about, you can hold it together in this world.

If you haven't made one yet, go ahead. You'll get a real buzz out of creating something of your own and a helluver lot of fun playing it.

making a cigar box guitar part 3 - the box

So it's time for the box. It needs to be a wooden one not cardboard. I mainly use the paper covered ply boxes with hinged lids. I cut about a 1 inch (25mm) soundhole in the lid using a Forstner bit. The neck will fit just under the lid when closed so you need to cut notches in the ends for it to drop into. I open the lid and mark the centres of the two ends. Measure the section of the neck and mark this at these centres, allow a bit more depth for the thickness of the lid which usually sits inside the sides.

Carefully cut these pieces out using a coping saw or sharp craft knife. Aim for a close tight fit. The neck should fit into it now so try closing the lid - you might need to make it a bit deeper yet - the neck should protrude out the back a couple of inches (about 2 cm). There will be a gap under the neck between it and the bottom of the box. I make two pieces of narrow wood to fit tightly in this gap to support the neck and glue one at each end of the box. When set I drill through the back of the box and through these blocks. Next I put a wood screw with cup washer through each hole and and screw into the neck. Obviously choose screw lengths that won't come right through the neck. This secures the neck to the box.

If adding piezo pick-up I next drill a hole for the jack socket, glue the piezo disc to the underside of the lid where the bridge will be and wire it out. When happy with it close the lid and secure it with a few panel pins (usually there's one already in it in the middle - add another at each end)

coming next - the bridge, string trees and stringing it up. Any questions feel free to mail me.

cigar box guitars for sale

Finally got around to putting some photos and details of my guitars that are available for sale onto my web site. You can check them out at

www.smojomusic.co.uk

There are presently three guitars and a portable amplifier. I have graded the guitars as either "standard" or "custom". The construction is the same but the custom guitars have a piezo pick-up, and a strap added. I am presently only intending shipping to the UK mainly due to the complications of accepting payment in other currencies but am open to the possibility.

making a cigar box guitar part 2 - the neck

This a brief description of how I make the necks. I use hardwood like oak or mahogany usually recovered from old furniture and ripped down to approx 20 x 30 mm section and about a metre long. I round off the corners slightly with a plane and rasp then sand down smooth.

I use another guitar neck to find the positions for nut, bridge and frets. I have made a template on thin MDF and use this to mark the positions in pencil allowing sufficient length for the headstock and for the neck to pass through the length of the cigar box and protrude about 50mm for attaching the ball end of the strings.

I mostly use 3 in a line tuners which means you need to remove some material from the front of the headstock to create an angle for the strings to drop down to over the nut (look at a Fender for the principle). I mark the positions of each tuner post and drill three holes for them to pass through.

I place the neck over the box so that the bridge will be about 1/3 up the length of the box and mark the neck about 10 mm inside where the box ends will be. This section which will be hidden in the box needs about 3mm removing - this is to stop the neck resting on the inside of the lid and dulling the sound.

I cut a small groove across the neck where the nut is to go and glue in a large threaded bolt for the actual nut.

I drill three small holes near the bottom end of the neck abou 10 mm apart for strings to pass through. The fret positions and dot markers are now burnt on using a woodburning tool (or old soldering iron). Also my signature "smojo" on the headstock. I "treat" the neck with a couple of thin coats of tung oil then rub smooth when dry with a cotton rag. Finally I attach the tuners.

This is just a rough guide, if you want any tips feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me.

Next part 3 - preparing the box

resonator cigar box guitar

Just because I'm really "into" resonator guitars at the moment I am thinking my next CBG might be an attempt at one. Of course it won't have the proper aluminium cone but something else that might act as a sort of loudspeaker which is what the reso does. I will have to start scouting for something suitable. Kepp you informed when I do.

New cigar box guitar photos coming

Been busy so haven't done much CBG stuff lately. Mainly because I got sidetracked looking for a resonator guitar. I found a bargain single cone Ashbury on Ebay. Sounds great played with slide but I won't let it overshadow my CBG projects.

Here's some new CBG's. The headstock close-up belongs to the Monte Christo box and is purely acoustic. The second guitar has piezo pick-up and strap as extras.

Stefan Grosman downloads

This a great site I found, not about CBGs but some radio programs Stefan did about blues, it's history and guitar playing. You can download MP3 versions for free. Each clip is about 6meg so you need broadband/ADSL but I highly recommend it for blues buffs.

http://guitarvideos.com/radio/00radio.htm

cigar box guitars through effects pedals

Just been playing with pushing my CBGs through different effects and amplifying them. I've been using a Zoom 505 and there are some amazing sounds to be found. Coupled with the unusual sound of playing slide guitar, the responses of the piezo pickups as opposed to normal wire wound coils - you can get some great results. One setting gives a sort of violin type effect. When you pluck a note, it sort of zooms in the sound (by volume). It works brilliantly with notes slid from one to another. I must try to record a sample and put it on my Mutiply site. I have some other sound clips on there if you haven't found them yet the link is:-

http://smojo.multiply.com/music/item/1