Raymond Overman
08-11-2008, 10:38 PM
A while back I was visiting with a friend and he brought out one of the oddest instruments I’ve ever seen. He sat it across his lap and started playing some of the coolest blues I’ve ever heard. Real primitive stuff with just a stick, an old cigar box, and some strings. He was playing a cigar box guitar and I immediately started thinking, I need to make one of those but use a turned bowl as the resonator box.
So last night I got started on mine and tonight I finished it up. Take a look at my first handmade instrument.
Now comes the hard part. Did I mention I have no clue how to play the silly thing. I’ve tuned it to A, E, A’ like it said on one of the CBG websites (I happen to have a guitar tuner that I bought for my wife about 6 years ago when she was interested in learning to play, God bless her). Now I guess I just have to fiddle with it until I figure it out. I’m currently using a spark plug socket for a slide but have a line on a nice ceramic one. I just hope they’re not to expensive since I broke the bank on making my guitar. I think I’ve got about $15 in the thing (and two nights worth of work).
It's rough around the edges and more of a concept piece than anything else but I kind of like the primitive look of it and it sounds real cool.
The box is cherry with a maple top and the neck is an old piece of red oak I had laying around. No finish.
Whatta ya think?
So last night I got started on mine and tonight I finished it up. Take a look at my first handmade instrument.
Now comes the hard part. Did I mention I have no clue how to play the silly thing. I’ve tuned it to A, E, A’ like it said on one of the CBG websites (I happen to have a guitar tuner that I bought for my wife about 6 years ago when she was interested in learning to play, God bless her). Now I guess I just have to fiddle with it until I figure it out. I’m currently using a spark plug socket for a slide but have a line on a nice ceramic one. I just hope they’re not to expensive since I broke the bank on making my guitar. I think I’ve got about $15 in the thing (and two nights worth of work).
It's rough around the edges and more of a concept piece than anything else but I kind of like the primitive look of it and it sounds real cool.
The box is cherry with a maple top and the neck is an old piece of red oak I had laying around. No finish.
Whatta ya think?