Basic information about my cigar box guitars.
SOUNDBOX: I use both vintage and modern cigar boxes. I've also made a couple of soundboxes from plywood; they seem to work fine.
NECK: I use recycled hardwoods where I can, but failing that I buy oak. The neck is of the 'through' variety, in other words the stick passes right through the cigar box to form the tailpiece where the strings are anchored. This means that the string tension is taken by the neck and not by the cigar box.
STRINGS: Because cigar box guitars are usually played with a slide or bottleneck, steel strings are fitted. I tend to go for strings 3,4 & 5 from a set of 12 gauge acoustic guitar strings. Other choices can be made to suit particular requirements, but there are limitations. Too heavy a gauge of strings will put extra stress on the neck, too light a gauge of strings won't support the slide or bottleneck sufficiently. Ultimately, though, whatever works for the player and the guitar together is the right combination.
TUNINGS: These are usually open tunings to facilitate slide playing. On 3-string guitars that would be, for example, GDg or DAd. On 4-stringers that would become GDgB or DAdF#.
AMPLIFICATION: My guitars are fitted with a piezo pickup and a 1/4 inch jack socket so they can be plugged into an amp. The controls on the amp are used to adjust volume and tone.
NECK: I use recycled hardwoods where I can, but failing that I buy oak. The neck is of the 'through' variety, in other words the stick passes right through the cigar box to form the tailpiece where the strings are anchored. This means that the string tension is taken by the neck and not by the cigar box.
STRINGS: Because cigar box guitars are usually played with a slide or bottleneck, steel strings are fitted. I tend to go for strings 3,4 & 5 from a set of 12 gauge acoustic guitar strings. Other choices can be made to suit particular requirements, but there are limitations. Too heavy a gauge of strings will put extra stress on the neck, too light a gauge of strings won't support the slide or bottleneck sufficiently. Ultimately, though, whatever works for the player and the guitar together is the right combination.
TUNINGS: These are usually open tunings to facilitate slide playing. On 3-string guitars that would be, for example, GDg or DAd. On 4-stringers that would become GDgB or DAdF#.
AMPLIFICATION: My guitars are fitted with a piezo pickup and a 1/4 inch jack socket so they can be plugged into an amp. The controls on the amp are used to adjust volume and tone.