Thursday, January 28, 2010

My First CBG Effort

After doing a lot of research on the web, I decided mid-December to build a three-string cigar box guitar (CBG). 

So, off to Lowes for necessary lumber and hardware; to the local smoke shop for a cigar box; and to the music store for tuners and tailstock pegs.  Strings came from my six-string guitar stock.

The box is an Arturo Fuente Hemingway series attached to neck and headstock of red oak with mahogany stained fingerboard.  I designed the headstock to reflect a modern look, but instead of inlaying fret markers on the surface of the neck, I decided to leave it clean and to inlay BBs as markers in position on the leading edge. 

After cutting away a small portion of the box to accommodate the neck, it was laminated to the inside top of the box.  Then I added leading- and trailing-edge supports to the neck, which take on a nautical bent when viewed from the side.

Sound holes were cut into the surface of the top and brass drain covers added for a little charm.  The bridge is a simple idea I came up with, which resonates sound for the Radio Shack transducer to pick it up and transmit it through an output jack to my amp, and voila, a cool little guitar with a big sound.

I chose to expand on the  Hemingway name by adding a picture of Ernest on the back of the box in tribute to the guy who had a love of the sea, and who authored one of my favorite books, The Old Man and The Sea.  Thus the nautical theme and style.


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