New guy here, GRIZZ from Rochester, UK.

[Rian Kemp]

Hi all,

Been lurking here a few days, just popped on to see how and what (well the basics) of building a CBG.

I have a few things people on the sites on the web know me for, one is recycling/re-purposing for my own benefit, more than the environment.

I am also from the "Monkey See, Monkey Do" school of thought.

Between my wife Nicola and I we have a few interests, she collects smoking pipes and associated "stuff" and has a 1956 Ford Anglia, known as Myrtle, which she chose over an engagement ring when we decided to get married (She does have a thing for diamonds though and got her ring in the end) She is also a great partner in crime, because she both encourages some of my hobbies and interests and allows me to come into the house late from the shed without putting my dinner in the bin.

I have a 1963 Ford Taunus Transit, which I imported from Germany in very late 2007. It was a former village fire engine. Last year we built a Grumann style Teardrop trailer, known as the "Grizz-Pod" as she was named by the members on www.retrorides.proboards.com which is where a lot of what I do gets posted in the Readers other Modifications section. Here is a LINK:

http://www.retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othrmod&act...

One of the guys I have become great friends with on www.mikenchell.com which is a USA based Teardrop site sent me a small parcel at the end of last year with various items, including Catnip for our cats, some handmade silver jewelery, and a few CBG starter bits, including a cigar box.

I DO NOT PLAY A NOTE OF MUSIC....... But absolutely love music, so was up for the challenge.

I will copy and paste my build progress here for you guys to give input and advice on.

This was the first entry:

Tonight on the way home from London, my wife Nicola texted me to ask if she could open a parcel that had been addressed to Mr & Mrs "Grizz"  Of course I said, who is it from ? She texted back Gary in Oklahoma, and then refused to tell me what was in it, except that she loved the contents.

When I got home she gave me a cuppa tea, let me greet the cats etc, then presented me with the box in the photo below.

I will not explain it all, but will say that there was a challenge in the total package..... now the trick is for you guys to figure it out and let us know if you can see what the challenge is that Gary put to me. It is not too cryptic, just look at the contents and think a bit latteraly.

Thanks Gary. .... there goes my holiday break  8)

[IMG]http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/niknakpix/morepix/P1030861.jpg[/IMG]

All three the cats went mad for the catnip, a super charged variety grown for Garys cats.

[IMG]http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/niknakpix/morepix/P1030850.jpg[/IMG]

If you want to see more, let me know..... I do take progress pics a lot.

For those with an interest in old cars etc.... here are the cars.

[img]http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/niknakpix/P1080880.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/niknakpix/P1090065.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm90/niknakpix/P1090358.jpg[/img]

The teardrop on honeymoon in August last year after completing the build.

[img]http://i37.tinypic.com/2jadflh.jpg[/img]

[Rian Kemp]

At this point I glued and clamped the neck and head, followed by the Diddley Bow build above.

[Rian Kemp]

Amazing how time flies.

Bought some stuff from Maplins, total cost at that point £22.25

Also found a nice potential bridge for the final build of the electric Diddley Bow.

[Keni Lee Burgess]

Welcome Grizz,

Here is a video for you.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Enjoy your build. Happy New Year, Keni Lee

[Rian Kemp]

Hi Keni Lee,

Thanks for the welcome. I just showed Nicola part of your video on here, and we both chuckled as we realise just how foreign the whole guitar and music thing is to us.

Still, I will complete this build and do the DB, and get a small amp, then play round and just enjoy the CBG.

Thanks also for the offer of assiance, I am sure you will hear from me if I get stuck.

I wil be having the strings strung and first demo played by someone who actually can play.

Keni Lee Burgess said:

Welcome Grizz,

Here is a video for you.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Enjoy your build. Happy New Year, Keni Lee

[Rian Kemp]

Read somewhere that placing the piezo between neck and lid brought good results, so sanded it down a bit more, even after this pic.

Started to prep the tuning bits.

Drilled more holes.....

Halfway there

Did some practice runs for the coins I am adding to the neck.

The large one is a Queens Jubilee, and the small one a quarter.

In 1977 all kids at school got one of these coins, I bought mine to practice finger dexterity.

Being her latest jublee, I thought the coin appropriate, and it is pretty as well.

Had a bit of a setback, found the head to be too thin and the metal sticking out, so needed to laminate the sliver I had removed previously back onto it.... I guess so one learns.

[Rian Kemp]

Rian Kemp said:

Read somewhere that placing the piezo between neck and lid brought good results, so sanded it down a bit more, even after this pic.

Started to prep the tuning bits.

Drilled more holes.....

Halfway there

Did some practice runs for the coins I am adding to the neck.

The large one is a Queens Jubilee, and the small one a quarter.

In 1977 all kids at school got one of these coins, I bought mine to practice finger dexterity.

Being her latest jublee, I thought the coin appropriate, and it is pretty as well.

Had a bit of a setback, found the head to be too thin and the metal sticking out, so needed to laminate the sliver I had removed previously back onto it.... I guess so one learns.

[Rian Kemp]

This was the result.

[Rian Kemp]

[Rian Kemp]

When it came to mounting the neck I decided to put in supports on the sides, and sacrificed the Diddley Bow.....

Glued and clamped in place.

While at that, I drilled the recesses for the coins, used some food colouring and coloured the wood glue, set the coins in place and had to wait 24 hrs before I could work again.

Not being very good at being idle, I decided to carve a quick TIKI from a piece of building rubble I had picked up on the farm.

Drew it on a brick, then chisseled it out.

Perfect ornament for the garden.

Bloody cold out, in spite of the "sunshine"

Finished.

[Rian Kemp]

Next day the job was to cut a hole in the side to fit the jack, as I had forgotten to drill it before glue and clamping.

Outside.

My neighbour, Mickey who I do not see as much since being back in a job, popped over and was very impressed with the build and the fact that I had even taken it on.

I had been looking for a decent item to use for the bridge, could not find a dead cow to use a chunk of bone, or antler from a deer, so decided to use an old door key that was in a tin of nuts and bolts.

Filed some grooves and made a base from some of the left overs.

I also drew around the profile, cut out and recessed the key, then epoxied it into place.

Almost there.

I did not take a pic of the piezo and jack soldered together.

[Rian Kemp]

Next step was to brand the inner neck for future reference.

A few weeks ago a friend on www.UKGSER.com had offered to make me an open flame brand for the woodwork items I make on the lathe etc.

I had not tried it out, so this was the perfect scenario.

The butane "weed burner" was another item from the council tip (stolen) as one cannot remove stuff (which I would think is recycling) it seems recycling also means dumpind refuse intrenches and buldozing over everything.

Heated up to dull red turned out to be too hot.

Tried out on various bits of scrap from the CBG build, an old garden fork handle, and piece of plum tree Mickey the neighbour had cut down.

Aaaahhh, soldered wires on display and branding on inside of neck showing.

[Rian Kemp]

Today I went into Sound & Image a music shop in Chatham, Kent.

Manny, one of the guys there had said he would string and tune the CBG for me.

I also got hm to agree to play a few notes just to see if it worked and how it sounded.

Strining up the guitar, which currently has no name.

Jared and Steve also helped and it  was not long before he took me and the CBG upstairs and plugged in.....

When he struck the first few notes I filled up like a new father, chuffed to bits at the sound, which I rather liked.

I made a couple of short video clips, the first was his accoustic testing and I loved his verbal comment and opinions on there.

What you see on the clips is litteraly all the playing he did... so no long practice etc, as he has a shop to run.

ACCOUSTIC:

http://youtu.be/2xKpR2BbTAQ

[Youtube]http://youtu.be/2xKpR2BbTAQ[/Youtube]

ELECTRIC:

http://youtu.be/CKa6tlEMUqQ

[Youtube]http://youtu.be/CKa6tlEMUqQ[/Youtube]