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| newbie building a cigar box ukulele - Instrument Repair and Luthiery - General - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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Molleren Approved
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I just began playing the ukulele a couple of months ago, and now my interest for this instrument is truly going crazy. I usually play acoustic guitar and bass, but there’s just something special about the ukulele. At the moment I have a cheap Tenson soprano ukulele I got when my friend replaced it for a better one, but now I really want to upgrade too. So when I was looking for what should be my new ukulele, I stumbled over the so-called cigar box ukuleles, and I thought it could be fun as hell building your own uke. So since I live in Denmark, which has no tradition for cigar boxes, I decided to look some up on eBay, and found this mahogany box: http://cgi.ebay.com/Mahogany-wood-cigar-cirarette-Trinket-box_W0QQitemZ370028246520QQihZ024QQcategoryZ37943QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem To bad it doesn’t have any nice labels, but the tree and the size seems to fit a ukulele fairly well. So I’m thinking of making a uke out of this box. I got an uncle who has a workshop and can do miracles with his hands, so he’ll be the perfect guy to ask for help. But after all, I am only a simple ukulele newbie, so tell me guys, what can go wrong, and what will go wrong if I try this? And as a beginner, should I stick to the soprano, or go with the concert or tenor? (the box is more suited for concert or tenor with it’s 27 centimeters as far as I can tell) A couple of other candidates for the cigar box to be used: http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-WOOD-HOTEL-CARBON-SPECIAL-CIGAR-BOX-L-K_W0QQitemZ160213547439QQihZ006QQcategoryZ11673QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arturo-Fuente-Wooden-Cigar-Box-Dominican-Republic_W0QQitemZ230228169587QQihZ013QQcategoryZ11673QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem both seem to have a suitable size.
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RSteve Approved
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Molleren wrote: I am only a simple ukulele newbie, so tell me guys, what can go wrong, and what will go wrong if I try this? And as a beginner, should I stick to the soprano, or go with the concert or tenor? (the box is more suited for concert or tenor with it’s 27 centimeters as far as I can tell) I don't want to deter you from creating an instrument, but I think it is imperative that you learn to play on a uke that is properly engineered, even if the tonal quality isn't outstanding. Find a modest quality uke in a size with which you are comfortable and begin to play it. When you've achieved a comfortable level of competence with your playing, then think about building a uke. There are a few builders who craft extraordinary cigarbox ukuleles. Usually, they also build quality custom ukes, as well. I've had the misfortune of handling several "newbie" cigarbox instruments and from errors in toneboard thickness to fretboard layout to bridge placement and construction, they are impossible to play. Today, there is a certain romance in building cigarbox instruments. Some sound absolutely fabulous, but many are only a few short steps from the shoebox and rubber band guitar I built fifty years ago. Don't mistake for a moment...I have tremendous respect for those who build quality instruments of any stripe; I love the sound of slide cigarbox resonator guitar...but for your first learning instrument, buy a decent uke from a reputable music shop.
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Molleren Approved
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sounds pretty wise when you put it that way  But i'm going to go ahead and try anyway, and if it does'nt work out, i'm just gonna hang it on the wall and brag about the nice-looking cigar box ukulele i made myself.
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RSteve Approved
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Molleren wrote:But i'm going to go ahead and try anyway, and if it doesn't work out, i'm just gonna hang it on the wall and brag about the nice-looking cigar box ukulele i made myself.Then, I have a suggestion. Buy the Grizzly Kit. see: http://www.ezfolk.com/forums/forum18/1543.html It's cheaper, for a first effort, to use all the parts from the kit, except the body, and substitute a cedar cigar box. I'm told that the fretboard is awful, but there are suppliers where you can reasonably purchase a better one. I'm currently in the process of building a cigar box bass. I was able to acquire a blemished unfinished Martin acoustic bass neck and fretboard (both needed trimming) and am using aged spruce for the toneboard, zebra and myrtle for the back, and 1/4" maple for the box's sides.(the wood was all stuff I had on-hand from other "projects." Yes, I confess, I couldn't find a cigar box big enough for a bass 34.10" scale, so I'm fabricating one. I have a Barcus-Berry piezo transducer that has gone unused for some time. It may just get planted in this bass. 
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| ezFolk Forums > General > Instrument Repair and Luthiery > newbie building a cigar box ukulele | |
