Jehle

Okay, here's a scan of the pickguard... Full size, this pic is 8.5" x 11" http://home.hiwaay.net/~jehle/temp/teisco-fugly.jpg Don't say I didn't warn you.

You young whipper snappers... I'm an old codger as member 47! I'm in the double digits. My post rate comes and goes, mostly depending on how long the honey-do list is. Funny how that list gets longer and longer the more I work on it. Hmmm...

I've found tons of Teisco Tulips and parts on eBay. I have a search set up for them and I bid on them often. It's the pickups that I love on those things. They suck, but they suck so bad in a good way. They have the most authentic vintage sound I've ever heard. Hendrix, no problem. Les Paul (the player not the guitar), again, no problem. I can trace the original pickgaurd that's on mine. It's FUGLY looking though. I gotta warn you. The shape is cool and all, just those flowers on it are really bad. I can't believe that thought that was a good idea. Anyway, I'm rebuilding mine as well. I want to recreate the first electric guitar that I ever owned. It'll be lightyears better than the real one, but it'll look like the old gal. Anyway, PM me and I'll get a trace, a scan, and all that ready to drop in the mail to you. Just need your mailing addy. Shoot, I'm not going to use the original pickguard anyway. Once you see a picture of it, you may want to buy it off me... cheap like.

I would think about doing that, but I plan on refinishing it and putting a logo that says Custom or something like that on it. And I don't wanna have to do that the sanding that comes with that if it's possible for me to buy one. Thanks for the reply though. I used an Epiphone neck for the Cigar Box Guitar Jr. (doomed to loose the GOTM, but Meh). Sanding off the headstock finish on top is EASY. In my case, I used Titebond II and cigar box art to dress up the headstock. After that it was just a few simple coats of lacquer just like any other finish. The results can be seen here. http://home.hiwaay.net/~jehle/photos/CBG-JR-HEAD.jpg On second thought. Man that was REALLY REALLY HARD to do that. Months of work. And it's probably a really bad idea to do that. Whew, glad I was able to WARN you about using those necks like that. Psssst, how much did you want for that Epiphone neck?

True, all true. I'm a physicist and I should know better. I will probably go with the curved inset, like you suggested, when it's all said and done. I suppose I can only blame my work with the cigar box guitars for making me do something the wrong way (knowingly) just to see if I can make something suitable when I know that there's a better and more proper way to do this. BTW, congratulations on being featured on GuitarTree. Now I know what the "rg" means.

And, that's exactly what I wound up doing. The route was straight, and I used some pieces to support the ends from the backside, and another piece in the center from above. I'm not sure that this is going to be the work of brilliance that I thought it was going to be. But hey, I'm back on the board. That's gotta be worth something.

Well, so far so good. I routed the neck last night. With the nuts and washers on either end, there's actually room to nudge the center of the rod down about 1/8" with a fillet. In my quest to make the dumbest truss rod ever, it actually curved anyway. I'll take a few pictures and post the experiement. If it works, perhaps others can benefit from it because it's so mind numbingly simple and cheap. If it doesn't, we'll all be the wiser from it. Sometimes you learn more from failure than from success. Fingers crossed,

Interesting. Like I said before, I knew that it had been done. I also considered the unpredictable warp factor. It actually is starting to look like more trouble than it's worth to experiment with. Truss rods are cheap, about $8 through Grizzly, and even less for the traditional threaded rod type. I'm just in the mood to futz with the design and see what else will work. I'm also trying to find that magic point between minimal work and minimal cost. A straight route and a dumb rod from home depot is about as cheap as it gets. Meh, I may just do it and see what happens.

I've never actually installed a traditional truss rod, I've always used the double acting type. As an experiment I was going to try one AND put it in a straight channel down the neck. Before I do this (even though I'm just using cheap wood) I wanted to know if any of y'all have tried this. I expect it will work, but not be very sensitive at all. If you have seen the banjo building stuff at the back of the Earl Scruggs book, he installs an adjustable truss rod this way. So it's been done. Thoughts?

A fish.

Awesome, this is what i was referring to in my first post. Its often the unknowns who shout the loudest, trying to gain respect they havent yet earned. I see way too many definate opinions on this forum (and others) from people only half way through their first ever build. Warmoth Warriors perhaps, or people with extensive background knowledge we dont yet know about? Who knows when they dont reveal their experience. There's a Zen saying that goes "He who claims to be a master, knows nothing." The Zen Luthier,

+1 I was thinking the same thing +2 I'm actually making something just like that right now. 2 slabs of some really ugly Poplar that will be routed then glued to make a Jelly-Thinline.

G&L also does this with their necks. They claim that it makes them more stable. I suppose that's because the glue joint is stronger than the wood. It could be true, it could be snake oil. As for the multipiece body blanks, if they are good or not, I can add a few words of wisdom. From my own guitars and the ones that I've bought, some of the best sounding guitars of mine are 3 and 4 piece bodies. Perhaps THE best guitar I own is a factory second, again, a 3 or 4 piece body. I've been researching the history of the cigar box guitar, so this might come out of left field here. Part of that research has been reviewing the history of packaging. Cigar boxes are, after all, a package first before they are made into a guitar or violin or whatever. The main point that I need to make here is that it's the perception of how good something is, rather than the product itself that people believe. For all I know, you probably think that a cigar box guitar is just a toy and that it sucks. That's fine if you do, but I think differently. So, even looking at some of the posts here in this thread, if you already think that 3/4/5/etc piece bodies suck, they suck because you already believe that. No matter how good it sounds, you'll still think it's sucky, end of story. But, take that same guitar made from exotic woods that you think are cool, and it will be the coolest sounding guitar in the world. Your senses will lie to you and reinforce what you already think, feel, and believe. It's a deep topic and I could (and have) write several pages on this. I've got sources and about 34 pages of notes on this stuff so far. If you are interested in this sort of thing get a copy of The Total Package by Thomas Hine. It does a great job of disecting this topic of perception of the product versus the product alone.

Well, it's been a while. This is what I've been up to as of late. I call these my Hybrid Series because they are in between a cigar box guitar and a full on electric. This one is inspired by the venerable Les Paul Jr. It's a volume hot rod made from parts spaning from the 1960's up to the present day! The action is very low. Surprisingly, this is a real shredder because of that. Everything fits nice and tight. The sound is unreal, rich and creamy run through a Boogie amp. I can go from Blackmore to Buckethead on this thing. It's also mostly hollow, so you can play it acoustically as well. I guess that makes it a great travel companion too. Anyway, enjoy. There are not too many people making these sorts of guitars nowadays, so it's becoming my thing. It's a real guitar, cobbled together with recycled mojo, and people notice these things. Next stop... eBay to sell it all back (since that's where most of the parts came from). Stats for the "Cigar Box Guitar Jr." NECK: Mahagony/Rosewood Epiphone neck, striped and relaminated with cigar box art. Lacquered. Truss rod cover hand-carved from a mid 1970's Telecaster scratch plate. A bit Gretsch shaped, but it works. Open back tuners with white "plastic" ivory. They look nice, and they were cheap. BODY: Poplar filled, made in Honduras cigar box. A $2.50 purchase from my friend in Puerto Rico (Thanks Dog!). 1960's Teisco humbucker. 1970's gold TOM bridge and stop tail piece off a Yamaha (IIRC). Chrome screws in place of the thumb wheels that didn't come with the bridge. Gold volume knob, another eBay find off some other guitar. Backplate (not pictured) is from another 1960's Teisco (my FIRST electric guitar in fact)

Wow Mike. Let us know how the patent process goes. I've heard that they can be expensive. YMMV. I also appreciate the copyright notice. Lord knows how I feel about copyright infringement. Good luck with it!

Oops. I over cleaned my homepage. I was testing some CGI script and had to make some room. The files are back on the server now. I'm glad that you pointed that out. BTW, this mando CBG sounds nothing like the sound clips for the other ones. This one sounds the best out of all that I've ever made. I think that the small body lends itself well to the higher notes. Now it's time for me to experiment. 14" is short... how much longer can I get the neck before it's too long? Hmmmm....

There's an article in the latest New Yorker about Parker and the Parker Fly. A lot of his models are epoxy resin over carbon fiber. There's a little wood in the center of the body, but by in large it's all "synthetic". It weighs half as much as a "normal" electric according to the interview. Too bad Parker seemed like a jerk in the interview.

I have a 4/4 thick piece of curly maple that I've never used. I think it's at least 40 inches long, if not longer. I'll measure and photo it if you are interested. I've had it for a couple years now and it's just taking up space.

It's been a while since I've done anything worthy of posting, but this latest cigar box guitar, actually a mandolin or a uke, really came out much better than I expected. Everything went wrong and I had to rip the thing appart and rebuild it a few times. Close up images of the body and headstock follow... http://home.hiwaay.net/~jehle/cbg/bully1.jpg http://home.hiwaay.net/~jehle/cbg/bully2.jpg http://home.hiwaay.net/~jehle/cbg/bully3.jpg For what it's worth: 12-frets 14" string scale 7 degree angled headstock Paper over plywood, Romeo Y Julieta Bully cigar box body Rosewood over flatsawn Poplar (vertical grain) neck 4 used Kluson tuners (99 cent ebay bargain) Plastic hair comb (found object) cut and scraped for nut Bolt and door jamb "tune o matic" bridge (junk box items) Enjoy.

why of course!! Good on ya mate! There is none more deserving, IMHO. Now you should build a new fretless model and have Bumblefoot endorse that. His BBF guitar busted, alas, the wings no longer flap when the whammy bar is used. Come to think of it, I wonder if anyone else on the board here has tried to design his new guitar... (a topic for another thread). Anyway, glad to see that you are continuing to ride the spiral of success on up. Your good work and eye for design have really paid off. Cheers,

War Eagle!!! Hope to make it to a couple of games this season. However, I coach high school football here in town, so any games I go to I have to drive up saturday morning. BTW, you know of anywhere local to buy good wood? I've visted the Hardwood Center in Scottsboro, which is pretty cool, but I was hoping there were more options. Hardwood Center in Scottsboro is the only place I know of so far. I've been looking for cabinet shops or any other places that might have something more interesting. Gobble Fite in Decatur has a pretty extensive lumber yard 'round back. They might have something interesting, but I've never gone there looking for anything other than stuff to fix the house.

So Perry, you are getting the extra copies for those of us that asked Right? And we will see them when? MIKE No kidding. Get extra copies! I'd like to have an autographed copy. Folks, we have a star in our midst.

Well, this is sad news. We've lost at least 3 forum members since I've been here and the news always hits me the same. I've never met any of you face to face (save one over in the UK), yet to hear of a members death is always very sad. RIP Unclej.

Ba dum tish... Must resist "whammy bar" comment...

Well... duh! It is interesting to note that there are two spikes in the age groups so far. I'm guessing the older group is having a 2nd childhood.