Learn how to play Honky Tonk Moon on your 3-string cigar box guitar with the free-to-download tablature in this post. Continue reading “Honky Tonk Moon By Randy Travis 3-String Cigar Box Guitar Tablature”
knowledge-base
Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones – 3-string Open G GDG – Tablature for Cigar Box Guitars
The tablature in the PDF link below will show you exactly how to play the melody and chords for the song Honky Tonk Women, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded by The Rolling Stones. This is a classic rock and roll anthem through and through – from the starting cowbell solo to the unforgettable lyrics to every one of the instantly recognizable guitar licks throughout. Continue reading “Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones – 3-string Open G GDG – Tablature for Cigar Box Guitars”
How a Cigar Box Guitar Tuner Works
Improve your cigar box guitars by getting to know the anatomy and orientation of open gear tuners
By Glenn Watt
Ever wonder which way is up on a cigar box guitar tuner?
Would you like to learn how a cigar box guitar tuner works, how you should orient them, and why it matters?
Well, you’re in luck, my friend.
In this article you’ll learn:
- the anatomy of a tuner
- how you identify which direction a tuner is oriented
- and why the orientation of a tuner is important
Plus, you’re going to get a bonus tip on how to flip an open gear tuner for a mistakenly drilled hole.
Let’s start with… Continue reading “How a Cigar Box Guitar Tuner Works”
How to “Break In” Tight Volume Pots in Cigar Box Guitars
Cigar box guitarist & builder, Shane Speal demonstrates an easy technique for loosening the shafts on tight volume pots, making them more playable. This is an easy step that can be done before wiring the instrument.
Cigar box guitarist & builder, Shane Speal (ShaneSpeal.com) demonstrates an easy technique for loosening the shafts on new volume pots, making them more playable. Using an older electric cigar box guitar that he recently overhauled, Speal shows exactly where to spray the shaft of the 500k pot with Radio Shack contact cleaner. See video and photo below. Continue reading “How to “Break In” Tight Volume Pots in Cigar Box Guitars”
How to Build a 3-string Cigar Box Guitar – Free Plans
This free 8-page guide will show you all of the steps needed to build your first 3-string slide Cigar Box Guitar. The guide makes it easy, outlining all of the parts and tools you will need (along with helpful hints on where to get them), and with clear, photo-illustrated instructions on how to assemble your instrument.
This free 8-page guide will show you all of the steps needed to build your first 3-string slide Cigar Box Guitar. The guide makes it easy, outlining all of the parts and tools you will need (along with helpful hints on where to get them), and with clear, photo-illustrated instructions on how to assemble your instrument. Continue reading “How to Build a 3-string Cigar Box Guitar – Free Plans”
How to Build a Cigar Box Guitar – Video by Glenn Watt
This is the perfect introductory video for anyone wanting to build their first cigar box guitar from scratch. Continue reading “How to Build a Cigar Box Guitar – Video by Glenn Watt”
How to Cut a Rod Piezo
Rod piezos can give you great improvements in overall tone and sound on your instrument builds, compared to a standard disc piezo. However, the standard rod piezo is made for a 6-string guitar, and at 2 ¾” in length, is often longer than a cigar box guitar builder needs or wants for embedding in a bridge. Fortunately, it is a fairly simple process to cut the rod piezos to a shorter length, for 3 or 4-string setups. However, it is important to cut it them in a certain way so you don’t ruin them, which is what this article will show you.
You can get Rod & Disk Piezos and all sorts of other great guitar and cigar box guitar gear over at our C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply Web Store. Browse on over and check it out!
How to Eliminate Hum and Buzz on your electric Cigar Box Guitar
Electrifying your cigar box guitar or other homemade instrument build can be a very rewarding experience. Being able to plug into an amp not only gives you more volume, but it opens the door to a huge range of effects that would not otherwise be available. And it is a proven fact that having a pickup in a guitar makes it easier to sell – being able to plug in and rock out evokes images of Eddie Van Halen and Slash and is sure to get any would-be rocker’s blood pumping.
In an ideal situation, electrifying your build is as simple as gluing in a piezo (or mounting in a magnetic pickup), wiring it to a jack, and bingo. Continue reading “How to Eliminate Hum and Buzz on your electric Cigar Box Guitar”
How to Ground Cigar Box Guitar Pickups Without a Metal Bridge
Cigar Box Guitar craftsman Glenn Watt shows you how to ground your pickup to reduce humming, even if you’re not using a metal bridge!
By Glenn Watt
The simplest solution to your most maddening problem
For the love of all that’s good, why is my magnetic pickup humming?
You’ve installed a magnetic pickup in your cigar box guitar, and the darn thing is making noise.
“Oh, just ground it to the bridge.”
That’s the advice you read in every online forum.
“I can’t ground to the bridge, ‘cause the bridge is wooden.” you think to yourself, fuming behind your computer, and wondering what your next move is.
Well, you’re in luck. There’s more than one way to roast this chicken.
The solution: Ground to a metal tailpiece.
The point in grounding to the bridge is to connect the strings to the ground loop. Continue reading “How to Ground Cigar Box Guitar Pickups Without a Metal Bridge”
How to Install a Mini Humbucker in a Cigar Box Guitar
Glenn walks you through how he installs the mini humbucker pickup in the “Mi Amor” cigar box guitar he designed for C. B. Gitty.
How I Took This Cigar Box Guitar to a Whole New Level
The Mi Amor meets the Snake Oil Humbucker: A Killer Combo
It sounds raw and dirty.
A single coil pickup in a cigar box guitar has grit and a surly swagger. But for this build, the sound of a solitary single coil pickup is missing something.
When designing the Mi Amor – a recent addition to the C.B. Gitty line of guitars – I wanted it to have a big punch. Picture a cinder block-sized fist, wearing brass knuckles, being thrown into your gut. You know, really taking the air out of you.
Yeah. That’s what I wanted for this CBG.
And the Snake Oil Humbucker gave me just that.
Continue reading “How to Install a Mini Humbucker in a Cigar Box Guitar”
How to Install a Pre-wired Pickup Harness in a Neck-through Cigar Box Guitar
This illustrated guide written by Glenn Watt walks you through how to install the C. B. Gitty Part number 54-020-01, “Pre-Wired 4-String Single Coil Pickup Harness with Volume and Tone.” Cutout and drill bit sizes are given and the steps clearly shown for mounting one of these handy pre-wired pickup harnesses into cigar box guitars.
The principles in this guide can also be used for most any single-coil or humbucker pickup with a neck-through cigar box guitar, where you often have to notch down into the neck (and brace underneath it) to get the pickup into place.
How to Install a Pre-Wired Piezo Harness in a Cigar Box Guitar (C. B. Gitty Product #50-014-01)
In this article, CBG craftsman Glenn Watt walks us through how he installs one of C. B. Gitty’s Basic Pre-Wired Piezo Harnesses (Product #50-014-01).
So you want to hear that new gitty you’re building through your amplifier that’s been sitting unused behind the holiday decorations in the basement? Do you want to make certain that you can crank that little bad rabbit when everyone leaves and you’re left to your own devices in a quiet home? Or maybe you’re looking to level-up and retro-fit a pickup into a guitar you already have that’s been sorely needing a little volume. In the Pre-Wired Piezo and Jack Harness from C.B. Gitty you have the simplest way to electrify your instrument with the most basic of installation requirements.
How To Make A Simple Cigar Box Guitar (Metric Included)
The ultimate beginners guide to make your own 3-string cigar box guitar
By Glenn Watt
Do you wonder how difficult it would be to make a cigar box guitar?
Are you worried that you don’t have the tools or experience to do such a thing?
Look, not only can you make a cigar box guitar, but you will with this easy-to-follow plan.
This plan starts out by listing the tools you’ll need.
Then you’ll see the resources and hardware that you’ll use.
After that, you’ll follow a clear, step-by-step plan filled with crisp, colorful images to build a 3 string, fretless, cigar box guitar.
Enough with all the talk. Let’s do this!
Continue reading “How To Make A Simple Cigar Box Guitar (Metric Included)”
How to Make a Tambourine from a Cigar Box
Here is an easy project for you to try – making a tambourine from a cigar box!
Ben “Gitty” Baker walks you through the steps he followed to build one, along with photos of some of the steps. These are “loose” plans (more of a builder’s diary, really) with lots of room for interpretation. There is no “right way” – Ben had never built a cigar box tambourine before, and made it up as he went along, and you should too! So let’s get started…
Here is an easy project for you to try – making a tambourine from a cigar box! Continue reading “How to Make a Tambourine from a Cigar Box”
How to Notch a Fretted Cigar Box Guitar Neck for a Nut
Fretting directly onto a guitar neck is a great option to showcase the natural beauty of the wood you have chosen for your neck, rather than using a fretboard. However, this does make using a traditional nut a bit more challenging. This article shows you one way you can install a bone (or hardwood) nut blank onto your fretted cigar box guitar neck.
Fretting directly onto a guitar neck is a great option to showcase the natural beauty of the wood you have chosen for your neck, rather than using a fretboard. However, this does make using a traditional nut a bit more challenging. Continue reading “How to Notch a Fretted Cigar Box Guitar Neck for a Nut”
How to Pick the Right Strings for your Cigar Box Guitar
One of the most frequent questions we hear from new cigar box guitar builders is what strings they should use on their cigar box guitar, and how they should tune it. This can be very mysterious for a builder, especially folks without a background in music. While it is often said that there are no rules when it comes to building CBGS (and that is often true, which is one of the great things about this hobby), it can be frustrating to hear when you just want a simple answer to a question. In this article, we’ll try to demystify some of the theory behind strings and tunings, and also give some straightforward, clear answers for those who just want to know what to do.
First, we’ll give a clear answer for those of you who just want to know what to do: at C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply we consider a “standard” cigar box guitar to be a 3-stringer with medium-gauge acoustic strings tuned to either Open G (for slide playing), or G-B-E for fretted playing. The strings used are equivalent to the three highest-pitched strings on a standard six-string guitar, and the scale length of the instrument (the distance from the nut to the bridge) is around 25 inches.
This happens to be the most popular set of CBG strings we sell in our shop – our C. B. Gitty 3-String Acoustic Medium Open G/Standard Set. If you are building your first cigar box guitar and have no idea what to do or what you need, start with these strings. These strings are based on a “medium” weight set sold for a standard 6-string but include only the 3 highest-pitch strings (the smallest/lightest ones) from the pack, so you don’t have any leftovers. It can be tuned either in “Open G” for slide playing (G-B-D) or if you have a fretted neck it can be tuned like the 3 highest-pitch strings of a standard guitar (G-B-E).
This “standard” tuning will allow you to utilize partial chords that you might know from a standard guitar. Continue reading “How to Pick the Right Strings for your Cigar Box Guitar”