CBG

[David Hajicek]

From: "AC" <philli...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: cigar box guitar bracing?
Date: Sunday, February 07, 2010 12:36 PM

On Jan 5, 2:47 am, Father Haskell <fatherhask...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Does top bracing make any worthwhile difference?

Having just completed my first CBG (using a very small Cuban box) and
being the the construction phase of three more. I've got a few
comments.... since a CBG is not being built for it's acoustic
qualities, you may not want to worry about bracing in the same way you
would a fine guitar. Given the top of the box is so thick it doesn't
really "move" like a guitar top would, so my "bracing comes from the
neck going through the body of the box and being shaped to touch the
underside of the top at the upper (neck) and lower (bridge) sides of
the top. I scalloped the neck wood in between so that the neck is not
touching in the middle, giving it at least some chance to vibrate.

I built mine with a very inexpensive Radio Shack piezo transducer
under the top and it sounds awesome through an amp. Unplugged it's
fine for playing by myself; the sounds is much more like a banjo than
a uke. Plugged in... it's very gritty and sounds much richer.

My next build has a VERY thin top and I'm using the same neck/top
technique. I have to have some underside support or the bridge will
rip through the top, from the force of the strings. Unplugged, this
one will probably sound more like a uke than the first one, given the
much thinner top wood.

Again... any CBG is NOT going to be a very "live" resonant
instrument. Don't expect them to be. But they ARE a blast. Have fun
with it!

Andy

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Do they still have cigar boxes? Where do you find them?

Dave Hajicek