I built a box guitar just for songwriting
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Hear the entire song here: manwomanchild....
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Find my FILM & INSTRUMENTAL music here: davidhilowitz....
Find my ROCK MUSIC here: manwomanchild....
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BUILD NOTES:
The neck I bought was this: www.cbgitty.co...
The fretwork was really good, and the 25" scale length was really nice, but having a neck go all the way through the guitar proved to be a *huge* hassle when it came to making room for the pickup. For this reason, I don't think I would buy it again.
The pickup I used was this: www.amazon.com...
It's great and I would happily buy it again.
This is the bridge I ended up using: www.amazon.com...
This is really interesting to me, because this isn’t how I write songs at all. I feel like if I were to build my own songwriting instrument, it would be completely different, despite still likely being a form of guitar. This is a very personal type of project, so it’s really cool to learn about!
Thanks! It is funny how everybody seems to write songs a bit differently. As I was building this, I was thinking both 'this is going to be so helpful for me' and also 'I wonder if anyone else would actually find this specific instrument useful at all'.
@@DavidHilowitzMusic Even if you don't normally write songs this way, everyone should at least try it.
Sorry for being that guy. But reapermania responding to a hilowitz video is making me so happy. 2 of my favorite channels interacting!
@@kyronnewbury Making me happy as well. :)
@@DavidHilowitzMusic the guitar has a really cool look to it but you need a strap that will match it better, I feel like an old leather belt would match it's wooden aesthetic much better than the bright colorful one you're using
Tune it into an open major balalaika tuning -- CEG, GBD, FAC, etc., and you'll be able to play all major, minor, and dom7th chords with all the three inversions, all within a 4-fret space. Easier than on ukulele.
This is a great idea!
@@DavidHilowitzMusic have you ever used the Andreev tuning?
Love this one along with all of the others. I think you prefer to write songs this way because it doesn't box you in with chords. So you'll sing an odd note that works with the root but might not have worked with a full chord. Very inspirational. Thanks.
I think that's exactly it!
"Box" you in. 🤣
A true Renaissance man. Making music, writing code, building from wood :)
"This one also looks like a face." is my favourite quote from this, haha!
Man I love your videos where you just build stuff, without fancy equipement or anything, it's just "hey I've got a piece of wood, wanna see me build a thing?"
There are entire communities built around these instruments and other improvised ways of making music! Huntsville, Alabama has a brick and mortar store that sells parts, kits, and complete 3 string cigar box guitars as well as a festival every year that draws artists from all over and supports music in schools. These instruments are versatile and great for beginners, but many advanced players love opening their creativity like you've done here!
About 20 years ago i went to a cigar shop and asked if they had any boxes they were going to throw away. They gave me a pretty deep and square one. I had a short scale guitar made of plywood someone gave me, so i cut off the heel/neck pocket area of the body and glued it to the to one side of the body. Cut some holes in the top for soundholes and a pickup. Got a Piezo buzzer from radio shack and double sided taped it to the underside of the soundboard. Took a tailpiece from yet another plywood guitar made by harmony, and a bridge from a broken nylon string guitar. Ended up being a pretty cool guitar that has a unique sound. The piezo being the "bridge" pickup and the strat pickup in the neck kind of makes it work like a really terrible telecaster. Fun to play and because it sounds so different from my "real" guitars i write differently on it. Its the same with my basses. I have a "normal" electric p/j bass but i also have a short scale hollowbody with flat wounds. I cant play as aggressively on the hollow body so i write completely different parts
Of course you sampled it! 😂 Man this is by far the most value I’ve gotten from a Patreon membership! Love your work, David! You’re too generous!
Fun project. You could have also added some bracing to the thinner top board. Different types of bracing on acoustic guitars is a whole fun rabbit hole with a rich history. But at the same time it's nice to keep the simplicity that you ended up with.
You are my favorite UA-camr, Dave, your editing style and appreciation for odd instruments had always been so entertaining to me.
I just got back from Box Con and festival for builders. I learned so much and best of all made a lot of friends who also build.
I love seeing you make your box instruments. Feels so authentic to your style and sound.
Would absolutely kill to see you live, performing on all these instruments you've built and/or modded!
I absolutely love your creative musical content. As an aspiring hobbyist musician myself, I take a lot of inspiration from your videos; keep up the amazing work!
man i wish i had your skills to build and repair such beautiful instruments
This man gained that skill by repairing junk he bought second hand. You can do it too
great sounding box guitar
As always your creativity is super infectious ❤
Good notice with instruments getting in the way of the melody in your head! Great video, and really great song 👌🏼
Thanks!
You are one of the best music channels on UA-cam. You inspire me a lot
That’s awesome!!! I think there’s something about a DIY instrument, its comfy sound, and its ease-of-grabbing, that really lends itself well to writing.
What a great insight! Your videos are always a pleasure, and the instrument building ones are my favourites
This is awesome. I'm most of the way through a 6 year build of a Lowe's-caster so hopefully this gives me the inspiration to finish it! (Not that it's taking 6 years to build, it's been sitting as a project for most of that time). I love the sound of your project guitar though. Just a simple and useful instrument. Perfect!
This is so inspirational !! I follow your channel since some times now. And seeing your creative process to create songs is so nice to me. It helps a bunch, getting new views on how to create music. Thank you a lot !♥
why does it sound so good! i love it!
Thanks for the simplicity videos, tools and inspiring ideas.
Love it! The Presidents is one of my favorite bands, and this sound suggest all sorts of PUSA cool. Thanks David.
Great work Dave, it looks and sounds great! I've built a handful of 3-string guitars now and I know all too well the feeling of having to keep opening and restringing a guitar you're working on 😅
Love your voice, the song, and the instrument you built.
So I've been building these for a good bit. And it's legitimately just fun process to well excuse me for saying "shitty guitars". It means you can just have fun even if you suck and that's half the fun of it. Go out and get a 2x4 and put a pickup on it you never know what you can just make.
i love how it sounds!!
Have you considered making a virtual instrument lute with Brandon Aker. He is a great player, and seems very open-minded, and he has a great collection of Renaissance instruments. I think the two of you could make “beautiful music together” and all of us would benefit from the collaboration.
i love your creative flow! and also - nice drum samples 😋
Great video. Thanks for posting!
Fun project! This thing is perfect for practicing triads and shell voicings, due to the limitation of 3 strings.
its a good day when david uploads a build journey
David Hilowitz my beloved
Oh my god... I kinda hate you for just ever so easily writing something that induced an actual feeling in me but at the same time I can't help but feel inspired by your description of what's a song-writing instrument. I'm more into the whole soundscaping thing personally but I always try and always fail to make melodies and stuff. I think the "the sound is too rich, too harmonic", too full of itself, leaving no room for imagination... that take is really resonating (haha get it) with me. I just gotta go simpler.
Holy shit, I audibly shouted when you linked the song at the end! I've independently followed both you and manwomanchild for ages and never realized that you were one and the same! New video and new single in the same day is a real treat :)
It is an electric banjo!
Jokes aside, good job on making this! I've not seen something like this in a very long time, but airtists are looking for all kinds of way to get inspired and keep a consistent workflow, so if this works for you, then it does, and that's awesome!
Good luck in your future endeavours.
David Hilowitz to the rescue! What an awesome project.
the instrument is similar to the Turkish experimental instrument çağlama, which is a modern version of the traditional Turkish instrument bağlama (also known as "saz"). I highly recommend you to have a look on it, sure you'll love it💜
The inlays are screws!!! How did I miss that? That's so awesome!
Screw pearl inlays!
You are just the coolest ❤
I feel this. I find songwriting much easier on a ukulele than guitar or piano, if only for the lack of options.
Your videos are addictive dude, when I watch them it's a like a domino effect, I can't stop!
Thanks!
Спасибо, это очень круто))
И я бы даже сказал "честно и чисто" - конкретная задача, простое решение - супер...
that was a great recording!!!!
there are so many times where i dont like the look of a guitar, and then i see someone playing it and it becomes the coolest thing ive ever seen
Love Your videos
Haven’t seen the whole video yet so…….
Just got a tip.
Screw 1 (or several?) springs to the neck inside the box.
You got yourself an acoustic with a simple reverb.
Hey, I stumbled upon your channel a few days ago and i can say that your vids are pretty good, thanks to them i have discovered new approaches to music. Ive been thinking of saving up for buying a Balalaika in the future and i wondered if you could do a video about it, im sure you will quite like the sound of it.
I’ve built four over the last year and three string and now building a four string .there great fun .
I would love to see more bands playing guitars with fewer strings like this. Like Warren Ellis playing his tenor guitars with Nick Cave. Even when I play drone/doom, I'm usually only using the bottom 3 strings ... why do I need to top 3? Fewer note choices force you to think about the guitar differently.
There’s plenty
@@Crosshatch1212 Max Cavalera only uses the bottom 4 strings ...
I think maybe this guitar is perfect for all of the purposes.
this guys awsome
that was one scary workshop! I cant get descent to work on protools :(
How did you learn to sing? Where did you start? I want to write songs but I can't sing and finding a singer is hard but I've been to shy to try even by myself. Your voice is wonderful and I love the songs and videos you make. You're very talented and inspiring!
I might try to make a bass version of this soon
finally a new song
i wish you'd share th specs lmao im a big ass nerd about it, the scale length, the string gauges, the tuning. Great video as always
It looks similar to "Phin" or "Electric Phin" (instrument from Thailnand, Isan)
better_ toan_ than most!
..and then there are the workhorse intruments, that do all of them.
Wow
two thumbs up!
Theese are my favourite kinds of vidios
Same!
4:26 sounds like proud mary
wow, quickest guitar build of all time 😂
Your drums always sound so good, what plug in are you using, David?
Thanks man! This video Inspired me to make my own bass, did u got any advice?
this looks really fun to play! what tuning did you use, and string gauges?
B-E-A tuning. Not sure about the string gauges, I'll have to check. :)
@@DavidHilowitzMusic How did you come up with B-E-A? I expected a 1-5-1 combo like D-A-D or a 1-5-3 like D-A-F. I'm stumped.
Dude i love your channel 🫶
your voice reminds me of toro y moi!
Is there a video for your bassitar?
i wonder why your guitars are close to the the heathing ?
People tell me not todo this.
You can make it into a 6 string version by changing the neck
wish you mentioned your tuning - a lot of box guitars tend to get tuned GDG... But initially it seems like yours isn't
I should have mentioned it in the video! It’s BEA. :)
@@DavidHilowitzMusic thanks so much. Why that tuning? Seems like an odd tuning choice. Btw, always love your videos.
What next? Drums out of empty large pickle cans and a violin out of IKEA shelves?
You can probably make even those sound good. I don't know how you do it, but here we are.
The first one is easy. Just put the lid on haha
…but how did you calculate the size of the body? Shouldn’t it be precise in order to have a proper sound (if it’s used without pickup)?
Pardon the expression, but I also find that shit instruments are amazing for creativity. Their upsides are extremely obvious, as are their flaws, so those limitations really help in funneling you toward a result. Being quiet also helps in many ways. Especially if you have neighbors with better things to do than listen to you practicing the same lines over and over again.
-Says the guy who just today finished a one weedwacker string bass with a styrofoam resonator (just a plain flat sheet of it) today. I have to say it's not actually optimal; The styrofoam makes it louder than most acoustic basses and a lot more playable because it's completely flat xD.
Love the stuff you do and especially 'build' on your channel, love it as much as Nicolas Bras who you should check and may be do a collaboration with please?
Quick question: How you attach the neck to the rest of the body?
Is that a pride flag strap for pride month or just a rainbow strap and I'm just overthinking it?
Great video by the way, the guitar looks cool
its amazing how cheap three string bridges are... and how expensive three sting necks are.
Make you’re own
@@Crosshatch1212 the wood selection in australia ain't great for that. still might require me paying through the teeth on international shipping.
i assume epiphone songmaker is for writing songs
I took the second verse personally.
Also, you’re a inspiration and thank you for sharing.
that looks like Gottan
he should have put a logo on it but instead of saying squire put square instead
You just invented post punk revival revival :-D
Great Job
What notes are the strings tuned?
He says in another comment that it is tuned BEA
Yes, BEA. I guess it's just like the lower three strings of a baritone guitar. :)
real
Hello
Waitwhat? Three-string bridges are easy to buy? I mean, that’s great, but… why? Is there some type of recent DIY 3-stringed thingie I’ve missed out on, or how has this happened?
That's just it! There was a cigar box guitar boom about ten years ago, and suddenly there's this massive influx of super cheap 3-string guitar parts. It's pretty amazing actually
@@DavidHilowitzMusic Things like that just make me so happy! Someone might claim it’s ”market forces at work”, but I’m going to pretend it’s all just about cigar box guitars changing the world one tiny tiny bit. For the better. Thanks as always for a great video, you’re awesome!
@@DavidHilowitzMusiccheck out Puckett Cuigar box guitars .some real nice sounds
wowowowowo
Why a box exactly?
For the funsies
@BassicallyKiyash Okay.
You need to take Havoc of Mobb Deep’s advice: if the drums ain’t tight, the beat ain’t right. Peace.
Thinking out of the box?
For some reason the song you wrote reminded me of Tally Hall :)
What's the tuning? EAD?
BEA
There’s all dffrnt del pucket check him out .