- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,011
- 1
- 31,720
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
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Laguna burger build
- Thread starter RichterScale
- Start date
It'll probably be more work to extract the truss rod than it would be to just buy a new one for $10-ish. Good times if you want to get practice at removing fretboards though.
I've already removed one fingerboard, so,...I'm basically an expert now.
Honestly, there's a good chance I won't bother doing anything with or to this bass.
If I actually build some type of cigar box instrument, the theme will be to not spend any money and have it be made from scavenged and homemade parts. It won't be a true cigar box guitar in the sense that it will literally be a cigar box,... and a broom handle and piece of wire for that matter, but it will represent the spirit.
I want to do a 4 string, but the bass bridge is too big. If I modify the saddles to make them narrower, I'll lose height adjustment. I don't like the P pups either. They would work if I angle them, but they'd look silly and take up too much room. I think the only thing I might use is the vol and tone pots.
I used to have an epiphone strat that a buddy found in the trash. It had a fracture in the neck, so I took the guts out of a distortion pedal, made a new pick guard and made onboard distortion. I think I put a different pup in it too. I can't really remember the details. I remember it sounded like crap and wouldn't stay in tune. But I didn't care because I didn't play guitar and I was just having fun. I also had a pink no-name 6 string that a different son won at a different fair and gave to my daughter. both guitars got thrown out when I moved 6 years ago. I had no idea I'd be getting into building basses (or CBGs, for cryin out loud). The parts from those 2 guitars would have been awesome to have right now.
I just went down in the basement and dug through a little plastic container that was full of misc electronics doodads from ancient history and whataya know, there were 2 of the old single pups from the epi strat.
Maybe I can make that work with the bass pots and jack.
Honestly, there's a good chance I won't bother doing anything with or to this bass.
If I actually build some type of cigar box instrument, the theme will be to not spend any money and have it be made from scavenged and homemade parts. It won't be a true cigar box guitar in the sense that it will literally be a cigar box,... and a broom handle and piece of wire for that matter, but it will represent the spirit.
I want to do a 4 string, but the bass bridge is too big. If I modify the saddles to make them narrower, I'll lose height adjustment. I don't like the P pups either. They would work if I angle them, but they'd look silly and take up too much room. I think the only thing I might use is the vol and tone pots.
I used to have an epiphone strat that a buddy found in the trash. It had a fracture in the neck, so I took the guts out of a distortion pedal, made a new pick guard and made onboard distortion. I think I put a different pup in it too. I can't really remember the details. I remember it sounded like crap and wouldn't stay in tune. But I didn't care because I didn't play guitar and I was just having fun. I also had a pink no-name 6 string that a different son won at a different fair and gave to my daughter. both guitars got thrown out when I moved 6 years ago. I had no idea I'd be getting into building basses (or CBGs, for cryin out loud). The parts from those 2 guitars would have been awesome to have right now.
I just went down in the basement and dug through a little plastic container that was full of misc electronics doodads from ancient history and whataya know, there were 2 of the old single pups from the epi strat.
Maybe I can make that work with the bass pots and jack.
Hey, @dwizum , you know about pups,.....
the P style pups on this bass,....there's 4 magnet poles per 2 strings.
does that have to be that way in order to work well? Or could I use a narrow string width and have a guitar string over each pole? (I don't know what they're called).
Like so,...
the P style pups on this bass,....there's 4 magnet poles per 2 strings.
does that have to be that way in order to work well? Or could I use a narrow string width and have a guitar string over each pole? (I don't know what they're called).
Like so,...
Last edited:
Your second diagram will work great. My first several solid body electric ukes were built with half a P pickup and the strings oriented over the poles like you're showing there. It makes for an almost P90-ish tone since you've basically got a nice fat single coil pickup by doing that.
You'll get a slightly different tone and output compared to a normal P orientation where the strings are between the poles, but tone and output are both well within the range of what's expected or typical and most people probably wouldn't even notice.
You'll get a slightly different tone and output compared to a normal P orientation where the strings are between the poles, but tone and output are both well within the range of what's expected or typical and most people probably wouldn't even notice.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,011
- 1
- 31,720
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Awesome. One of the items on my "eventually" list is a solid-body electric mandolin, using two halves of a P pickup in exactly that format. I just can't decide whether to make it a Flying V or an Explorer....
@ctmullins - my first ever electric uke was a flying V with a half of a P pickup wired directly to the jack! That was more than 20 years ago. I just heard from the friend I built it for that he thinks he still has it but he's in the middle of moving and isn't sure where it's packed.
String spacing on this bass at the nut is roughly 10mm (OC) and the pole spacing on the pups is roughly 9mm.
I'll call it 10mm and have no taper.
I typed in "4 string cigar box guitar with single p bass pickup" and first google image-
the universe has made my destiny abundantly clear
I'll call it 10mm and have no taper.
I typed in "4 string cigar box guitar with single p bass pickup" and first google image-
the universe has made my destiny abundantly clear
Just goofin off. The stainless upside down dog bowl (resonator) is 6". 25" scale, roughly 18" fingerboard.
Does anyone know if acoustic guitar strings are at least 28" long?
I tried looking it up and just kept getting stuff about scale length, Nothing about the actual string length.
Does anyone know if acoustic guitar strings are at least 28" long?
I tried looking it up and just kept getting stuff about scale length, Nothing about the actual string length.
I could do it with no dog bowl and separate the pups a little. But I like the sound of the resonators. They're a little louder and have a banjo-like twang.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Yup. ADD sucks.
The struggle is real.
The struggle is real.
Being a scrounger, I'm loving the dog-bowl resonator idea!
Yeah man. Type it into google. There's a good amount of CBG stuff out there and the dog bowl trick is fairly popular. Out of all the vids I've watched, so far I think the ones with a dog bowl sound the best. I saw one where a guy used a paint can lid and springs inside. Had a really cool sound and insane resonance. But I think it was one of those lucky, one-off builds. Most of the ones with paint can lids sound really thin and tinny. Plus a stainless bowl offers structural rigidity for the bridge.
I'm going with a dog bowl because,...
I can't have my CBG sounding thin and tinny.
So far, I would have to buy 3 things to make this thing.
-A stainless dog/cat bowl (I have like 3-4 extras, but they're way too big)
-Strings
-Tuners (going to see if I can find a junk acoustic at a thrift store or see if anyone has an old busted up donor)
The body wings will be 2 layers of 3/4" ply, the top/back will be 5mm luan, the bridge will be fab'd, I already have the pups and controls from the donor bass.
The only wood I have that would work for a neck is wenge. I have some old 6' tall oak cabinet doors and a couple really old oak hand cart handles from when the city used to use a metal drum and a hand cart for cleaning up the parks and streets (perfectly straight), but they have holes drilled in them for hardware. I don't want to waste the wenge and definitely don't want to purchase lumber for this. I really wanted to stick to the theme of building it out of stuff I already have. I'm already over budget with a dog bowl.
Maybe I can scavenge enough of the oak I have to do an oak/wenge/oak lam neck? Full wenge neck?
BTW, I still plan to finish the bass before a start this. I still have to set up an area to work on it but I'm procrastinating because it involves a lot of moving crap around and cleaning. So, I blew off a good chunk of my weekend watching YT vids on CBGs and playing around with sketchup.
-A stainless dog/cat bowl (I have like 3-4 extras, but they're way too big)
-Strings
-Tuners (going to see if I can find a junk acoustic at a thrift store or see if anyone has an old busted up donor)
The body wings will be 2 layers of 3/4" ply, the top/back will be 5mm luan, the bridge will be fab'd, I already have the pups and controls from the donor bass.
The only wood I have that would work for a neck is wenge. I have some old 6' tall oak cabinet doors and a couple really old oak hand cart handles from when the city used to use a metal drum and a hand cart for cleaning up the parks and streets (perfectly straight), but they have holes drilled in them for hardware. I don't want to waste the wenge and definitely don't want to purchase lumber for this. I really wanted to stick to the theme of building it out of stuff I already have. I'm already over budget with a dog bowl.
Maybe I can scavenge enough of the oak I have to do an oak/wenge/oak lam neck? Full wenge neck?
BTW, I still plan to finish the bass before a start this. I still have to set up an area to work on it but I'm procrastinating because it involves a lot of moving crap around and cleaning. So, I blew off a good chunk of my weekend watching YT vids on CBGs and playing around with sketchup.
3 min mark to the 4:45 mark in the first vid. They are exactly the same accept for the sound hole shape. They both sound really good. Well, that's a matter of taste. They are the best sounding CBGs I've heard (on YT) so far.
This is the one with the paint lid resonator and springs inside. The whole vid is only 5 min. It sounds really cool through the amp.
Most of the others I've heard sound like someone jingling a set of keys across a cheese grater.
But that could be playing style, what the audio was recorded with, etc. I don't want to use an actual cigar box, or springs, or a paint lid, so I wouldn't be able to replicate it.
This is the one with the paint lid resonator and springs inside. The whole vid is only 5 min. It sounds really cool through the amp.
Most of the others I've heard sound like someone jingling a set of keys across a cheese grater.
But that could be playing style, what the audio was recorded with, etc. I don't want to use an actual cigar box, or springs, or a paint lid, so I wouldn't be able to replicate it.
I managed to scavenge the fingerboard, tuners and the truss rod.
I might try hitting the board on the belt sander, frets and all, to take out the taper and make it a straight 1.5" board.
If I destroy it, I'll make a board or use that wenge board I screwed up.
The neck on the guitar was mahogany and really nice. Rosewood board, binding, nice tuners, nice fret job,... It seemed like it was a nice guitar at one point in it's life.
I might try hitting the board on the belt sander, frets and all, to take out the taper and make it a straight 1.5" board.
If I destroy it, I'll make a board or use that wenge board I screwed up.
The neck on the guitar was mahogany and really nice. Rosewood board, binding, nice tuners, nice fret job,... It seemed like it was a nice guitar at one point in it's life.
