Cigar box guitar
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Cigar Box Guitar | |
---|---|
The completed guitar | |
Information | |
Owner | critter42 |
Version | 1.0 |
Status | In Progress |
Started On | February 2010 |
Cost | $23.50 |
Overview
I wanted a fairly easy project to do to possibly display at MidSouthCon, and the current issue of Make Magazine had instructions on building a Cigar Box Guitar. While I am not really musically inclined, I thought this might be a fun first project.
Features
- Design and style
- 3-string guitar with a through neck made out of
maplered oak stock. Steel StringsBronze acoustic strings- Fretted neck (may go fretless if the fretting doesn't work out)
- Tailpiece/strings mounted on through end of neck rather than on box
- Toothpick frets and
bamboo skewer Nut/Bridgewood chip Nut and threaded bolt BridgeWalnut nut and bridge
- 3-string guitar with a through neck made out of
Status
In Progress
- Play!
To Do
- Build Cracker box amp
Completed
- Acquisition of materials
- Designing fretboard
- Fabricate head/fretboard/tail
- Fabricate cigar box sound chamber
- Assemble components
- Affix Neck assembly to cigar box sound chamber
- Install hardware
- Tuning Machines
- Frets
- Nut and Bridge
- Tailpiece
- String guitar
- Tune guitar
- Play!
Work Log
Designing fretboard
- Determined fret layout using Fretfind-2D with the following parameters (units in inches unless otherwise specified):
- Scale - 24.5
- String width at the nut - .75
- String width at the bridge - .75
- Fretboard Overhang - .375
- Calculation Method - 12 (no unit)
- Number of Frets - 21
- Number of Strings - 3
- Tuning - 1st String - D, 2nd String - G, 3rd String - D
Fabricate Head/Fretboard/Tail
- Head
- Laid out cut lines for clearing away head and body sections
- Cut away 6" long, .5" section from head end to allow tuning machine pins clearance
- Sanded sides of head to allow clearance for tuning knobs to turn
- Drilled 3 1/4" holes in center of head for tuning machine pins
- Rounded back corners of neck between head and body
- Fretboard
- Printed out fret layout and attached to neck. A piece of clear "magic" tape was placed over each fret line to prevent fret template from becoming loose when sawn through
- Fret slots cut using hand saw to a depth of about 1/16" to 1/8"
- Filled fret slots with Gorilla Glue and inserted toothpicks. Glued wood nut to top of neck and clamped all pieces securely
- After glue cured overnight, trimmed and sanded the frets and cut out a slot in neck so the cigar box lid was flush with the fretboard
- Tail
- Drilled 3 1/4" holes and put a metal grommet into each hole on each side.
- On back side of tail, put in 3 screws with large heads to anchor strings around. The strings I use have a ring-type knob at the end, so I slip the string through the hole to create a loop around the screw, then pull it tight, thread it through the hole around to the front of the guitar and string as normal
Fabricate Sound Chamber
- Drilled 4 holes in lid of cigar box with a forstner bit
- Cut a notch on lid side of box on opposites side to allow neck to fit in snugly
Assemble Components
- Tuning machine inserted into holes and secured with screws
- Neck glued to lid and lid glued to box
- Cut a 1.5" piece of hardwood for bridge. Sanded to a rounded point and glued to top of box
- Guitar strung and ready to play
Future Improvements
- Addition of pickups or piezo buzzer to electrify the guitar
- Add more strings
- Make a finger slide
- Build an amp (project log coming soon!)
Lessons Learned
- Freehand-cutting the fret grooves properly requires skill and experience with a saw - a miter box would make the job much easier next time.
- Use harder wood for Nut, or get a pre-made nut from the guitar store. I had to remove the nut and fabricate one from the same bit of scrap wood the bridge was made from
- Cut the neck top at an angle and angle tuning machines so they naturally fall over the neck in the right locations. I had to add a screw to make sure the largest string stayed in the correct location.
Bill of Materials
Item | Metric | Cost/Item | Qty | Sub Total | Distributor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cigar Box | N/A | $0.33 | 3 | $0.99 | Tobacco Corner, Ltd |
Red Oak 1" x 2" x 3' | N/A | $3.00 | 2 | $6.00 | Lowe's Home Improvement |
Tuning Machines | N/A | $1.75 | 6 | $10.50 | Yarbrough's Music |
Guitar Strings | N/A | $1.00 | 6 | $6.00 | Yarbrough's Music |
Total cost so far: $23.50 + tax
Tools Used for Construction
coping saw
hand saw
drill
belt sander
tape measure
speed square