I went down another half step from Open D to Open Db on my Blues Box Guitar I bought from Guitar Center, and I'm using Ball End Nylon Strings to keep the tension down. I'm planning on converting it into a 6 String, if I do that I'll need to use KF110 Flatwound Classical Guitar Strings, and have it tuned down a half step to Eb Standard to keep the tension down.
Actually, I think they all sound fine for instruments made at home in your garage or home workshop. I've built a few CBG's and they all have their distinctive sounds, some better than other's. All Cigar Box Guitars are imperfectly, perfect. Cheers.
You're right about embracing their quirkiness. I still find slide more difficult than fretted. I will try to make a lower action fretted that has better intonation and I'll just have to keep practicing slide.
I've only built 8 CBG's and a few canjo's, so I'm certainly no expert. Every one that I've built has cosmetic flaws, but they sound great (at least to me). These are folk instruments made with hardware store parts. They will buzz, rattle and creak from time to time. I rather like the imperfections and the challenge of making music with something that is riddled with flaws. The joy is in the creating, both the build and playing.
Let's go up a notch to the 4 String Cigar Box Guitars (Get a Capo too) cause we have more tunings we can use and JN makes them. Wait a minute there's a Gap Between the 4 and 6 String CBG Guitars. The Tuning I use on my JN Cigar Box Tenor Guitar is Half step Down tuning from GDAE so G flat, D flat, A flat, E flat. Double strung Cigar Box Guitars would also rock.
@@beginnercbg Yes the 4 String Cigar Box Guitars are "a good 1 more string upgrade" from the 3 String cause it's a bit bigger in versatility with more tunings you can use. Speaking of 4 String Cigar Box Guitars JN Guitars makes them in their Cask Series in Various Types complete with a Truss rod for easy action adjustments. Their Scale Length is the same as a Tenor Guitar making them essentially Rectangular Tenor Guitars. The Tenor Guitar is a Hybrid instrument basically a Tenor Banjo Neck on a Guitar body. The JN Cask Cigar Box Tenor Guitars come out of the Factory tuned DGBE, but with Daddario EJ66 Strings you can tune it CGDA, or with John Pearse 450 Strings GDAE (as well as various Open Tunings, down a half step, down a whole step, etc). So in CGDA Tuning it's great for covering songs played famously by alot of Tenor Guitar artists, most notably the Kingston Trio and Elvis Presley. You can even play Dixieland Jazz on it from any Tenor Banjo method. In GDAE you can play Irish Music, you could play Violin pieces down an Octave, and also Jazz because it's much mellower in sound.
@@beginnercbg The Tenor Guitar was invented around the 1920s during that "Transition Period from Banjo to Guitar" so that Banjoists could double on the Guitar with ease.
@@beginnercbg Before we get too carried away on making the transition from a 4 String Cigar Box Guitar to a 6 (and more) String Cigar Box Guitar that you can use in even more tunings (like Raised B Tuning, full Fifths with High B via Octave4Plus 5ths Tuning Strings in lightest gauges, Nashville Tuning, etc) we need to fill that gap with a 5 String Cigar Box Guitar that you can use in Open G Keith Style Tuning, or you can change that Low G to a High G from a 12 String set and play it like a Banjo, a bonus advantage is that you can use a standard Guitar capo and not have to get 5th String Banjo capos. 5 String Tenor Banjo tuning of FCGDA, 5 String Cello tuning of CGDAE, etc.
Let me know if you prefer to play a guitar you have built or bought
I went down another half step from Open D to Open Db on my Blues Box Guitar I bought from Guitar Center, and I'm using Ball End Nylon Strings to keep the tension down. I'm planning on converting it into a 6 String, if I do that I'll need to use KF110 Flatwound Classical Guitar Strings, and have it tuned down a half step to Eb Standard to keep the tension down.
They all sound great.
That's kind of you to say so. I guess they all have a unique sound. I really enjoyed the challenge of making them
Actually, I think they all sound fine for instruments made at home in your garage or home workshop. I've built a few CBG's and they all have their distinctive sounds, some better than other's. All Cigar Box Guitars are imperfectly, perfect. Cheers.
You're right about embracing their quirkiness. I still find slide more difficult than fretted. I will try to make a lower action fretted that has better intonation and I'll just have to keep practicing slide.
I've only built 8 CBG's and a few canjo's, so I'm certainly no expert. Every one that I've built has cosmetic flaws, but they sound great (at least to me). These are folk instruments made with hardware store parts. They will buzz, rattle and creak from time to time. I rather like the imperfections and the challenge of making music with something that is riddled with flaws. The joy is in the creating, both the build and playing.
Let's go up a notch to the 4 String Cigar Box Guitars (Get a Capo too) cause we have more tunings we can use and JN makes them. Wait a minute there's a Gap Between the 4 and 6 String CBG Guitars. The Tuning I use on my JN Cigar Box Tenor Guitar is Half step Down tuning from GDAE so G flat, D flat, A flat, E flat. Double strung Cigar Box Guitars would also rock.
Thursday's video is an intro to 4 string
@@beginnercbg Yes the 4 String Cigar Box Guitars are "a good 1 more string upgrade" from the 3 String cause it's a bit bigger in versatility with more tunings you can use. Speaking of 4 String Cigar Box Guitars JN Guitars makes them in their Cask Series in Various Types complete with a Truss rod for easy action adjustments. Their Scale Length is the same as a Tenor Guitar making them essentially Rectangular Tenor Guitars. The Tenor Guitar is a Hybrid instrument basically a Tenor Banjo Neck on a Guitar body. The JN Cask Cigar Box Tenor Guitars come out of the Factory tuned DGBE, but with Daddario EJ66 Strings you can tune it CGDA, or with John Pearse 450 Strings GDAE (as well as various Open Tunings, down a half step, down a whole step, etc). So in CGDA Tuning it's great for covering songs played famously by alot of Tenor Guitar artists, most notably the Kingston Trio and Elvis Presley. You can even play Dixieland Jazz on it from any Tenor Banjo method. In GDAE you can play Irish Music, you could play Violin pieces down an Octave, and also Jazz because it's much mellower in sound.
@@beginnercbg The Tenor Guitar was invented around the 1920s during that "Transition Period from Banjo to Guitar" so that Banjoists could double on the Guitar with ease.
@@beginnercbg Before we get too carried away on making the transition from a 4 String Cigar Box Guitar to a 6 (and more) String Cigar Box Guitar that you can use in even more tunings (like Raised B Tuning, full Fifths with High B via Octave4Plus 5ths Tuning Strings in lightest gauges, Nashville Tuning, etc) we need to fill that gap with a 5 String Cigar Box Guitar that you can use in Open G Keith Style Tuning, or you can change that Low G to a High G from a 12 String set and play it like a Banjo, a bonus advantage is that you can use a standard Guitar capo and not have to get 5th String Banjo capos. 5 String Tenor Banjo tuning of FCGDA, 5 String Cello tuning of CGDAE, etc.
The Electric Guitar has easier action and is smaller so easiest to play along with thinner strings.