Pleasant Dreams

The latest Guitar out of the Workshop is this cute little 1 string CBG. Available from my Website

Although it's probably more decorative than a use able guitar it does have a Piezo installed and it sounds as good as you would expect. I have strung it with a flat wound string I happened to have. A conventional string would be better but I'll leave that up to the new owner.

This ShonKybox is a simple very primitive 1 string cigar box guitar. Built to emulate an early cigar box guitar.

It's been constructed from an antique Pleasant Dreams Cigar box.

The box has been re-enforced and braced.

The neck is made from some exotic hard wood that I don't recognise.

It has been hand carved with primitive style scrolls.

It has a scarfe jointed headstock.

The neck is attached to the body with a dowel that goes right through the body leaving the box to resonate freely.

The nut, bridge and tuning peg are hand carved from Ebony.

All the wood used is re-claimed.

It is strung with a flat wound D guitar string.

Due to the label being where it was It's kind of oriented left handed but it can be played either.

It has a disc piezo installed.

The Box is pretty much as found. the neck has been stained to look old and the whole instrument has been bee waxed.

Sound wise it plays as well as you would expect a very small box 1 string instrument to play.

It is designed for playing with a slide.

Length: 68cm

Box Dimensions: 20cm x 11.5cm x 3cm

 

Any how after a fairly quiet couple of months due to the doldrums of Winter I'm back on form and the guitars are coming thick and fast.

A four string Slider will be unveiled shortly. I also have another 6 stringer on the way and also some a conventional electric Using the Beatnik body shape. I am using some old table tops for the wood.

I really want to find some old Tiesco type thin pick-ups for it but they seem to be few and far between and when they do come up they are not cheap.

 

 

Spiderman Guitar

One of 2 commissions recently completed. The other one was a Dulcimer that I forgot to take pictures of! This one was for the son of a friend of mine.
It's a Brand new Tanglewood Acoustic Classical. Even though Tanglewood have a reasonably good reputation I felt the action was still way too high so I changed the strings for some D,addarios and lowered the action to make it as playable as possible for a beginner.. The stock action was pretty bad It had a QC sticker with the action height signed off 4.6mm at the 12th fret make it more 6.4. Maybe the QC guy was having a lazy day!. It's now 3mm.
The Artwork was created using alcohol pens and white enamel. few coats of  Acrylic Clear coat to seal and protect. I nearly used Poly by mistake which would have dissolved the pen!

New ShonKybox 6 string cigar box guitar

Happy new year
Just completed the latest ShonKybox guitar
This one has the obligatory Cohiba cigar box. A little different is the neck from a First Act Sheena CE 220. This is a 25" scale length. very nice and well made neck. I've also used the pickup from the same guitar which is a single coil and has that old school blues sound.
I've kept things simple with a single volume control.
The neck is attached to a central block of mahogany which runs the length of the box.
The  added bouts are also from reclaimed mahogany and hand carved.
It has re-used tom bridge and tailpiece.
It has been given my signature aged "oil stain" finish created using wood stains.
It has new Wilkinson ez lock tuning machines.