September 10, 2015

Back to the Woodshop: It's Autumn Building Season !
Two sets of free plans for inspiration...
The kids are back to school.  Football is on the TV.  Things start to get back into that old familiar groove.

A clean woodshop, some new CBG music on the boombox in the corner and a handful of new instrument ideas.  Let's make some new guitars!

If you're just getting back into the shop, this newsletter is for you.  We've dug up some free instrument plans and created a list of essential parts that will get you started.   There's also a few more features down below, too.  Check 'em all out. 
 
Free Plans #1 - Build a Gourd Banjo
  We spend hours scouring the internet for musical instrument ideas.  We're always looking for free plans, new inventions and tips that make us say, "why didn't we think of that!"



Here's a great one from www.DennisHavlena.com. (Yes, Dennis Havlena's musical instrument website is outdated by 10 years. It's still awesome anyway.)   Check out his Gourd Banjo idea.  He uses a dried gourd, a drum head and parts found in the Gitty catalog to make a great playing, classic banjar.

NOW PRE-WIRED WITH VOLUME KNOB!!! 
Electric Delta 3-pole pickup - no soldering
These pickups could be straight out of an inventor's barn in the 1940's.  And the tone is pure Mississippi: a snarling single coil gnashing out 4.75 kOhms of fury. No wiring. No soldering. Just shove 'em in your next masterpiece and plug it into an amp. It's as simple as that.

We have added a volume control to this version of the harness, to give you even more flexibility in your instrument building.

Essential Parts to Get You Started
Save big when you buy in bulk!  Start your shop time out right with the parts you need.  Tuners, pickups, strings...these are the essentials.  Many of our items have discounted prices when you purchase in bulk.  Stock up now and start building the instruments you've been wanting to create!

Economy Tuners $8.29/set

BULK DISCOUNT:
Buy 10 or more sets at $7.89/set!

One dozen 3-string packs.

We use these as tailpieces for 3-string cigar box guitars!
These 1" grommets make great sound hole covers and give your instrument a great finished look.
Gitty Customer Makes World's Smallest Diddleybow With Our Keychain!
If you've ordered from us lately, you may know that we've been sending out little laser-engraved cigar box guitar keychain ornaments with a lot of orders. Our customer Tom Thompson decided that he needed to take his to the next level.

He says: "Ben, Thanks for the keychain with my last order. Thought I would turn it into a real hollow body Diddley Bow CBG.

Maple neck & tailpiece, cigar box cedar-back and sides, ebony bridge and nut, dental floss string, copper tack tuning pe g, Tru-Oil finish. I'm going to post a couple on the forum and Instagram.  Might be a fun contest to see what builders could do with these great key chains."

We're staggered. Amazing work Tom!

NEW MUSIC FOR YOUR SHOP!  A. J. Gaither LIVE
A. J. Gaither is a hard-driving musician who plays a mean cigar box guitar and tours around the country in his Chevy van, playing gigs and making friends. 

A. J. Gaither Live gives you his complete live show from The Westport Saloon in Kansas City, Missouri.  
Outlaw country with a hefty dose of the blues, southern rock and more.


New Contest Underway:  Piezo Secrets
It's contest time again!  We had such a great response to the Workshop Tips contest last month.  Congratulations to Wayne Hagan and Prentice Tyndall for being selected as the contest winners. You both receive $50 Gitty gift certificates!

WHY WE DO THESE CONTESTS:  We take all your contest submissions and create free how-to's for everyone.  Have you seen all the submissions from our Fretting Tips contest?  We've posted all of 'em on Cigar Box Nation.

New contest:   Send us your favorite Piezo Pickup Tips & Tricks!   

What things make your pickups sound great?  Got a favorite setup?  Special methods that nobody has considered?  Send them to us! Two random entries will win $50 Gitty gift certificates. 
 
Contest runs now through Midnight, September 30, 2015.  All submissions will be published as part of our ongoing free building tips series. 
Free Plans #2 - Electric Travel Ukulele
Daniel Hulbert has a fantastic musical instrument website with lots of uke content.  On it, he shows how to build this simple electric uke using a piece of maple, frets, a Gitty piezo rod pickup, guitar jack, uke tuners and strings.  

Build Your Own Electric Travel Ukulele

The Greatest Gift of All is the Act of Giving:
Mike Boswell and his Breast Cancer Awareness Guitar
by Glenn Watt
With his cigar box guitar built with breast cancer awareness in mind, Mike Boswell knows well the grace of a gift.

The soulful, haunting melody of Amazing Grace hangs in the air. Mike stands back, grateful to witness the performance on a guitar he built.

Although he doesn't yet play his own instruments the way he'd like, hearing what can be done with his work is inspiring. [keep reading...]


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