The 'Epic'

I got this really cool Montecristo 'Epic' cigar box from my buddy Ed Paxton, owner of Woodland Cigars, but I didn't have a clue how I'd put it to use.

The box itself is quite heavy in the manner in which it is constructed.  The top is 1/2" thick and the reinforced inside lends to the weight.  And, to complicate things a bit, the overall design is really different, in that it is straight at the hinged side, concave on either ends of the box, and convex at the front. And, to make matters even more interesting, the front is rounded as well as convex.  Because, the original finish is factory sprayed bright red enamel with silver accent, I had to be very careful to not screw it up in the design/production process.

I chose a real nice stick of walnut for the neck, which like all my guitars, has an eight- degree scarf joint at the headstock.  Twenty handseated frets finish off the Ziricote wood fretboard (check out the magnificent grain in this wood).  The scale is 25.4" like all of my rigs.  Open geared tuners draw the strings over Corian nut and saddle, which is recessed in the Ziricote bridge.  I chose to use the same stick of Ziricote to design the stylistic pup bobbin top, volume control knob, bridge, and string retainer (they each conform to the curved design of the body).

I couldn't bring myself to carve openings in the top for sound distribution, so the 'Epic' is electric only driven by a TotalRojo magnetic pickup.  I wound the pup to produce a very warm and mellow sound, and it worked out exactly like I wanted.

I think this is one that will remain in my personal stable.  

Let me know what you think.