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HNCBGD - now with sound & full motion video!


brianh

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(Happy New Cigar Box Guitar Day)

 

Made this in about 8 hours today with an old hand rail, spare parts, table saw and drill press:

 

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Deluxe appointments include:

 

Teak body & ebony bridge

 

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Schaller tuners & 15 degree headstock angle:

 

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Solid poplar neck-through construction with string through tailpiece:

 

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It actually doesn't sound half bad as a slide guitar - holds tune fairly well with F#/B/E/A/C#/F# tuning.

 

Soon to have a single coil PUP, vol control and 1/4" output....

 

[YOUTUBE][YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU6_pr--zgI[/YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

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Thanks everyone, it was a fun way to spend the day, and it was a nearly zero cash outlay. I got the Schallers off Craiglist last month for $15, and the ebony bridge was a scrap from the 6832 rebuild I'm working on. Same with the nut. Even the strings are recycled from the parts bin. The PUP will be coming from the parts removed from my MIM tele upgrade to GFS. The box is an old Bruel & Kjaer vibration tranducer (lab microphone) case from the 70's when everything from Denmark came encased in teak.

 

But if you want to see some really amazing GBGs go here: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/

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Great Job Brian so what made you go for the 6 string option those 3 string slide boxes are real "dust bowl" blues material any plans for one of those...

I know, but I had all the parts to make it a 6. I can always remove some strings if I find they get in the way. They also use bolts or threaded rod for the nut and bridge, and Peizo PUPs on a lot of them. The idea was to use available parts that might be found laying around the barn. In my case, the "barn" happens to have a stockpile of used guitar parts.

 

I have a cool idea for the next one, and I have a couple more of those boxes. But I may hit up my local smoke shop to see if I can find anything more authentic. I have a set of Sperzals I got off CL, and 3-strings only require 3 tuners....so I can make at least two more.

 

Nice vid by the way, thanks for posting...

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Made some mods over the weekend - added a tele pickup and went "uptown" with some brass corners. Now it can rightfully be in the Electrics forum. It's tuned for G minor now (G/D/G/Bb/G/D) and it sounds great, but a little too much like a standard slide guitar. I will have to add a Peizo to get that classic "Cigar Box" sound. Not sure if I should (or can) mix the two pickups or it has to be an A/B switch - the peizo requires a 9V battery to work:

 

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I will post a vid soon...

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Hey Joe, is that 5 guitars I see in your sig? Looks like you've reached your limit and will need to sell one of those tobacky Sheratons to me....

 

PS, it just sounds like slide on a tele neck PUP, capoed on fret 3 and tuned to minor. Gotta get that Peizo installed...

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Noticed I didn't own a solid body guitar......saw on Swedish e-bay.....this Samick SG $138 (1000 swedish krona) I have a pair of SD Jazz/JB coming out of the JP that might spice it up....... cos I am putting Mean 90's in in the JP......I will finally have a guitar with my alter egos name on it.......I might write Joe above the Samick on the headstock.....](*,)

 

and yes strictly one in one out from now on......mind you do Cigar Box guitars count......[cool]

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Nice job BrianH!

[biggrin]

 

Did you smoke the cigars ?

You should get it it look "worn" tobacco sunburst [biggrin]

 

Peter

 

Yes...much heated discussion in another thread about finishes are you going nitro or poly on this one.....yes get that baccy burst on there first and put "Epiphone by Brian" on the headstock that would be cool (probably get banned for that suggestion)

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Thanks guys...not going poly or nitro, just au naturale, although I did use a little Formby's finish restorer on it last night to make the scratches less noticable. Maybe I'll use some tung oil next time I have it apart. I should also post close-ups of the sound hole cutouts so we can debate the origin of the teak - Eastern Burmese or Lower Myanmar, inquiring minds want to know!

 

In any case, it's actually not a cigar box - it was a container for B&K transducers I saved from the dumpster about 10 years ago. They were from the 70's when Bruel & Kjaer shipped all their stuff in wooden boxes with velveteen inserts. Now it all comes in plastic. High quality plastic mind you.

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johnnydeppcbg.jpg

What can I say, I do try to keep with all the elitist trends. Today I put together a song, will post a video in the next few days. Also added strap pegs and a grounding strap from the PUP to the strings.

 

PS: Awesome blog Joe, thanks for posting. Must find...Harmony Bobkat pickup....must find....must find....

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