Jehle Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 Well, I have not posted an in progress build for quite some time now. Since I build guitars out of what I have to hand, I thought I'd show this build from concept drawing to the finished product. This picture is a mash up of scans and photos and some line drawings put together in CorelDraw. It took several itterations to get everything laid out, but the key things here are the use of an ACID cigars humidor, and the complete absense of visible wood and chrome. It's a tall order, and not something I normally do. My first problem to overcome is that the humidor is not wood at all. It's chipboard with a thin veneer of cedar over it to make it look like wood. The outer shell has a fantastically thin screen print with a matte clear over it. I have to be really carefull working with this stuff. There's the start of the project. Pictures of work in progress will show up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAI6 Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 You can always take and attach the cover of the box (as you would with a regular top) to a "real" body.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted September 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2007 Well, part of the requirements for this order are to use this particular box. It's the brand that they smoke. You do make a good point though about just useing the lid. I have a stack of broken boxes, some just lids, some just the box bottoms (and no they won't go together). I think you may have just given me the idea on how to use partial boxes. Cool suggestion! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted September 25, 2007 Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 MMMMMM Kuba Kuba...My favorite Acid Cigar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2007 I need to take some pictures and update this. No surprise really, the finished work looks a lot like the corel draw version in the first post. I got the neck bolted on last night. Honestly, that was the most difficult part of the build. Not being able to route a neck pocket for a bolt on neck required some creative thinking. I had to remove the lid, drill the neck from the top down into a block of Ash, and bolt it down that way. The lid covers up this part so the neck just appears to be slid into the side of the box and held in place like a set neck. The really frustrating part was removing the fretboard and replacing it with a shorter scale fingerboard... and only have 18 frets. I owe a lot to Kevan and his early tutorials to getting that part to work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted November 9, 2007 Report Share Posted November 9, 2007 Let's see pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Well, not much to add in the way of in progress pics. The ACID cigar box guitar is done though. Here's a few pictures of the finished guitar. Top view. Rear view. Note the signature and date complete on the lower corner of the box. I'm really sad so see this guitar go. The pickup placement is somewhere between the bridge and middle pickup position of a strat. It has a really mean knarlly distortion sound. To make the bridge and string scale work out, the fretboard had to be replaced with a 23" scale. That adds a really nice slinky feel to the strings. Even though this guitar was a complete pain to build, I'd make another one just like it. By far this is the most comfortable cigar box guitar I've ever seen or played. Not wanting to boast, but this guitar is the shizzle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 I love the matte black back and neck. Gives it a very aggressive look. It turned out really cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Axe Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Now there's a cigar box that's pure rock. Love the matte finish, and that looks like a noisy little pickup. I want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibreakemineedtobuildem Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Now that's a nice cigar box guitar. The matte black and the graphic are awesome. Good Job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Thanks for the comments guys. This guitar was a total pain to make. But, it turned out really well, looks cool, and plays like a dream. Getting the neck attached as a bolt on took some serious thinking. There's a 5 degree back angle on the tenon that goes into the cigar box. The bolts are actually under the lid, screwed down into a swamp ash heel block. Very sturdy and very clean looking from the outside so I'll probably do that again on another similar guitar. The volume and tone knobs are real lug nuts that have been converted to be used as knobs. It adds to the motorcycle theme really well. The nut was cut on the bandsaw from a Corian sample taken from Home Depot. Filed smooth, sawn for the string grooves, and burnished with a torch tip cleaner, this nut is great for a number of reasons. It's hard but not brittle so there's no risk of it chipping. It's also slippery so the strings don't snag on it during heavy bending so it goes back in tune and stays in tune well. The real innovation that I found out during this build is the paints I used to finish the neck. I didn't have time to wait on lacquer. I found an Epoxy Enamel by Krylon that dried in 30 minutes. It didn't sag, run, bubble, nothing like that. I accidently touched a wet spot in the paint and let it dry figuring that I'd have to sand it back and respray later. It leveled out over night and you could barely see where I touched it. This stuff works like a dream. With the black Epoxy coat done, it was time to add the satin finish. Another wonder paint by Krylon was used for that. Satin finish clear. It cures fast, doesn't really need to be buffed out, doesn't show any sign of rings (like polyeurethane can) and tend to melt in to the existing layers a bit like lacquer. For speed and ease of use, this stuff can't be beat. I was able to complete the paint job, sand down any trouble spots, retouch, and play it within ONE WEEK! I'll never touch lacquer ever again. Another innovation here is in the box. Where to put the ground wire for the strings? Well with the posts firmly set in a block of wood, I wasn't about to remove them and risk chipping the top design. I drove a screw into the wood block below the bridge and aimed for the post. Once the tip of the screw hit the post, I checked for continuity and it worked. A quick bit of soldering to attach a ground wire and it was done. Alas, it's sold off and on it's way to it's new owner. Hey, I got paid though. Yay! I also got 2 more commission builds from people seeing and playing this one. They want them for Christmas gifts too! Now you'll know how to get a quick and sturdy paint job done if you have a short order like that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Now there's a cigar box that's pure rock. Love the matte finish, and that looks like a noisy little pickup. I want one. Just wanted to point out that it's a hot rail copy so it's a humbucker. The thing screams. It's also on the graphic right where the tail pipe is, and as the old saying goes, "Loud pipes save lives!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 Okay, last note from me on this unless y'all have any questions about it. I got a voice mail from the fellow that ordered it. He was stunned at the sight of the guitar when he opened the box. He said it turned out beautifully and that it was truly a work of art, and the I am a genuine craftsman and an artist. It's not often that I get to actually hear the enthusiasm in someones voice when they first see one of my guitars. What's really cool about this guitar is that I know where it's going and the guy collects rare guitars, ones that have been played and signed by famous guitarists. It's freaky to think that I'm going to be on that wall too! :shock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Axe Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 Congrats on the high praise from the customer, and cheers for the info on the paint. I really like the finish so I'm going to have to shamelessly imitate at some point. Not everything has to be gloss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 Yeah, I agree. I've got a tele body laying around that that matte black finish would look amazing on. This has given me inspiration. Where did you source the paint, Bill? I think I saw the clear in hobby lobby today. Can you get the epoxy color coat anywhere you normally find Krylon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Yeah, I agree. I've got a tele body laying around that that matte black finish would look amazing on. This has given me inspiration. Where did you source the paint, Bill? I think I saw the clear in hobby lobby today. Can you get the epoxy color coat anywhere you normally find Krylon? Sorry for the ultra long delay... I got the Krylon in KMart. I like KMart because nobody shops there. It's like one big flea market all to myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobiron Posted November 28, 2007 Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Very nice build there, no chance of some sound clips I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted November 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2007 Very nice build there, no chance of some sound clips I suppose. Sorry to say, but no. I had to let it go before I could record anything with it. I'm kicking myself for that now. I'll just have to make another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobiron Posted December 3, 2007 Report Share Posted December 3, 2007 Very nice build there, no chance of some sound clips I suppose. Sorry to say, but no. I had to let it go before I could record anything with it. I'm kicking myself for that now. I'll just have to make another one. Pity it would have been great to hear the result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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