After I’d started down the cigar box guitar-building path a couple of mates and I were talking about how cool it would be to create a swampy back porch blues set. And given one of them was approaching a “special” birthday I decided I would add a third model to the mix as a birthday present for him. Bass player with a stomp box or single kick drum to tap away at, a violin and a cigar box guitar sounded like a nice setup – all I needed to do was build stuff!
Background As detailed in the three-string cigar box guitar post, making a custom body shape was the key point of difference. Aaron wanted a Les Paul like look that did make it a little challenging given that it is quite a wide body and the pine plank I use for the “frame” didn’t allow for a large version. Still, how it has ended up looks proportionally okay. I also decided to go with a four-string model partly because I the second home made pickup I made wasn’t working (!) and I had a spare P-Bass four-pole pickup at hand, and partly because it was nice to try something different.
Construction Again, refer to the three-string cigar box guitar post for details. The only thing that’s really any different with this one is the nut construction. While it works well it doesn’t allow for a quick change of nuts to adjust the action as the others do.
Performance This one sounds really good! I do like the way the four string version sounds and will probably end up building one for myself. It’s not quite as raw and there are a lot more fretting options (a la Keith Richards).
What’s Next Again, I’d like to add a ribbon piezo under the threaded rod to see how that sounds.
I don’t actually have that one anymore as I gave it away as a gift. All the ones in this series were just scaled down to the point where the body was about 30cm from the back to where the neck joined. There was no real science to it!
Pingback: Three-string Custom Box Guitar - The Cavan Project
plz where can i get this 4 string box guitar in Nigeria?……………………or what are the procedure for me to order for it from where ever it is plz?
I’m afraid you’ll have to make it yourself just as I did. It’s not that hard!
ace !!!
Hello! Could you share dimensions and the size of the body? I mean which scale did you consider related to original LP body?
I don’t actually have that one anymore as I gave it away as a gift. All the ones in this series were just scaled down to the point where the body was about 30cm from the back to where the neck joined. There was no real science to it!