How to build a 3 string Cigar Box Guitar - Grounding your Strings.

How to build a 3 string Cigar Box Guitar - Grounding your Strings.
I show an easy way to ground your strings when using a though the body neck design on your Cigar Box Guitar.
Michael Bianconi~
Here is a link to the Humbucker pickup I used in this build amzn.to/2VneoGB
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[@SouthernFireGuitars]

I show one way that I use to ground my strings on a Cigar Box Guitar with a magnetic pickup.

[@tonypistilli7111]

I like that little jam at the end.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Tony. M~

[@CBGuitars]

Great sounding guitar. Same principle as my builds, only my necks finish inside the box, I use a hinge for the string bridge, and solder the ground/earth onto it.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks CB, very cool. M~

[@7884golfguru]

Thanks mate like the way you ground 👍😎

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Mike, and thanks for checking it out. M~

[@sting82ray54]

Nice build Michael! I just picked up my 1st Camacho box and I think I’ll follow your plan for the build. No worries and no hurry. This one will be mine! I want it to be perfect ! Thanks friend! (Joe - Mountain Man Primitive Instruments).

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Joe, good luck with the Camacho build. M~

[@johnmitchelljr]

Very good. Now I know what I can do with broken drill bits. Thanks for sharing.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome. Hey, that's a great idea. Ive used those before, for bridges lol Thanks John. M~

[@Jtrisna]

Best Camacho CBG. I got one and best sound.Thank you Mike.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you Jonathan. M~

[@Jtrisna]

I just bought your Camacho box guitar my friend. I love the way your make it.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you very much, Jonathan. You're going to love it. I shipped it out this morning and its on the way. M~

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

I'm glad you liked the CAMACHO CBG. That thing played and sounds awesome. Thank you also for the great review on my Etsy store. I really appreciate that. M~

[@luctorfs4723]

i am going to build my first cgb very soon , thans for the advice , grtz from Belgium!👍

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

good luck on your cbg build, thanks for checking out the video. M~

[@samuelhalliday5694]

This man is a legend

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, samuel. 😎

[@davefoster6156]

Wow. I am blown away by the sound. Awesome! Great job! Might be one of your best.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you Dave, I appreciate that. Stay safe. M~

[@dougc314]

Thank you for the tip. I was wondering how to do this very thing. I thought to make a metallic bottom plate with three holes, instead of individual ferrules, then I could ground the plate.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Doug. That will work also. M~ 😎

[@bobhunt1253]

Thank you I have the parts right in front of me. Now I know how to use them and if I could only play 1/4 as good as you!!!!!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your very welcome Bob, Thanks for checking it out. Good luck on your build. M~

[@Jtrisna]

Amazing sound.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Jonathan. I appreciate it. M~

[@KM-ws8qs]

Good to be well grounded. Sorry, I just had to. Thanks Michael

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Yes, Tennesee, it sure is, thanks for checking it out my friend. M~

[@DarrellSMoore]

Cool guitar, and thanks for the advice! I've seen other ways to ground the strings, but this is much more simple. Thanks again!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome Darrell, Thanks for checking it out. Yes, its simple, and there are other ways also, depending on your design. M~

[@timschultz1139]

Mr. Southern Fried as usual you make it look so easy. love your guitar playing man!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey Tim, Thanks a bunch.

[@p-mlin.1117]

Sounds very perfect.. Michael.. so very great ;-) " Dog Spirit " P-M Denmark.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank a lot man. M~

[@Heather22056]

Good job 👍

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Doodles. 😎

[@Heather22056]

Good looking one 😎

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Doodles

[@Crosshatch1212]

​@SouthernFireGuitars woagh ,what length and width was this box ,I'm looking at three but can't get the full measurements of sight and all three are dffrnt , thnks ,lovley builds learned a lot iv uou n dell.chicken,b,j,cheers

[@eugenthemain3509]

Great video, i always wondered what that grounding stuff is all about🤔🤣

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Eugen, Yeah.. if you don't ground your strings with those magnetic pickups, you can get a lot of humming or buzzing through your amp while playing. :) M~

[@kewlbns69]

took me a bit to get to this one. another great build mike! glad you're keeping your spirits up with all the crazy going around...i'm gonna have camacho macho man stuck in my head all night now haha!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Kewl Beans, Yes, there is a lot of crazy going around, for sure. Sorry about the Camacho Macho man tune stuck in your head. It goes away in a few days. lol M~

[@kewlbns69]

@@SouthernFireGuitars that's good to know...guess i'll see you in a couple days for my next dose. :D

[@mulekickhandmadeguitars8465]

On my electric CBG builds, I now use a 3-hole brass hinge to dead-end my strings, which provides me with surefire, easy way to know my strings are grounded properly.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Mike, Yes, they do a great job. M~

[@tomlittle4386]

Great videos, very informative. You are very talented and I love your guitars! FYI, you can clean your soldering iron tip by wiping it on a wet sponge. Thanks for everything!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Tom. M~

[@eml5086]

Nice video!!! Thank you.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome, thanks for checking it out. M~

[@herbertlorenzonismit]

You are great! 💪

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Herbert. M~

[@agoogleuser3787]

Lol. This made me laugh. Dig the bubbles reference with the MDF comment. ❤️

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks for checking it out. M~

[@donbruno5952]

I'm retired now and have time to do the things I love. So I would like to say you and a blacksmith Alec Steel are the most charismatic people on youtube. Besides forging knives now I'm building 3 sting CBG's. Here is my first box to workout the bugs. Hope you like it. How do you send a pic?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Don. I appreciate that. You can send me pics in email to [e-mail] or a private message on my FaceBook page. facebook.com/SouthernFireGuitars

[@paulcarter1978]

Great video and came out beautiful!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Paul. :) M~

[@pablocouvlaert4614]

Amigo que gracioso sos y que lindas guitarras construyes me encanta ver tus videos pronto gracias a tu ayuda contruire una cigar para mi me emcantaron

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Pablo. and good luck with your build, my friend. M~

[@chrispartridge2530]

Hi Micheal It's me again from the UK, how strange, I have a Camacho CBG in exactly the same colour and also a humbucker, just wish I could play as well as you Stay safe

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey Chris, That's cool. Its the first CBG I've made with a Camacho box. Its a nice and heavy box, I kinda like it, they look cool too. I'll be looking for another one :). Thanks for checking it out. You stay safe as well. M~

[@4131955]

Hey Micheal, I love your videos. Very informative and you give great advice, looking forward to building some cigar box guitars.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Jim. I appreciate that. Good luck with your builds. M~

[@CigarboxSchulzi]

Thank you so much! Now I know how to ground my strings 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome, Thanks for checking out the video. good luck with your build. M~

[@CigarboxSchulzi]

@@SouthernFireGuitars Thank you! When you have time, check out my new „Praise God CBG“ playing an old German worship song on my channel 😅

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@CigarboxSchulzi will do, my friend. M~

[@danc.5607]

Great video SFG. You stated early in the vid that a piezo would not be the best option for that box. Why is a piezo not preferred here? Great sound out of that build. Thanks

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Dan, You can try a piezo on any CBG if you like, see how it sounds. I prefer using a piezo on thinner lids, I personally think they sound better. M~

[@chrispartridge2530]

Micheal, when you get around to doing a hammer on and pull off tutorial, any chance you can use this Camacho CBG to demonstrate it? I guess you'll work out why I ask, cheers bud Stay safe

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey Chris, I used another guitar I was playing at the time for the lesson, but I'm going to be doing a video playing the Camacho box, maybe tomorrow. Be safe my friend. M~

[@chrispartridge2530]

@@SouthernFireGuitarshi Micheal, I'll look forward to watching and learning from that, I'll wait for the notification thanks a lot. Stay safe my friend

[@SasquatchGuitars]

Hello, you have gotten me completely hooked on CBGs, I've completed my first two from scratch sourcing materials from everywhere I can find them. So, thank you for your inspiration. You do amazing work and the videos are very fun to watch. I was wondering if you ground the strings on your boxes that have piezos as well? Is there any benefit from it? Again, thank you for all that you do. You have a wealth of knowledge, and tons of generosity for sharing it.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey Justin, I'm glad I helped spark an interest in CBG's for you, and congrats on your first two builds. I do not ground the strings for piezo pickups, because there's no magnets there's no real static, hum or buzzing from the pickup it self. M~

[@zodiacsnowwolf]

@@SouthernFireGuitars Thinking of all the time I wasted whilst grounding piezo pickups. I'm about two years into building cbg's and am still learning. Thanks for the inspiration/wisdom Michael!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@zodiacsnowwolf Your welcome, BC. Thanks for watching. M~

[@DaveGrigsby]

I love the sound, is the action a little high?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Dave. The action is really nice, for fretting or for using a slide. M~

[@zonnig46]

Thanks for the video, really entertaining and interesting . I have a question. I have seen gitar schematics on the internet where a 9V battery was used. Why is in this sigarbox gitar not a battery used ? Greetz from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks for checking it out. Nothing in my guitars needs battery power. M~

[@seadoggozo-fishingguitarsa1837]

Really like the way you've done the string mounting with rivet heads? Is that a floating bridge?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Yes it is a floating bridge. M~

[@slw268]

Hi Michael. Little late to the party. This video has helped me tremendously! Question - how do you ground to a hardtail bridge. Lovin' your stuff.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Warfield. You can see how I ground the strings with a hard tail bridge in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3rap5KOfp2qq9E

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Hi there; is that what's known as a piney woods in the background? Asking from the west coast, where all we have are desert and sea.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey there, Ive never heard the term "piney woods" but there are a lot of big pine trees. :)

[@sandyradsek2058]

Trying to build my first cbg, this is what I’m going for. Can you tell us what pickup that is? I’m new to all this!! :)

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hi Sandy, That's awesome. Building them is fun. I like this Humbucker pickup, sounds great and looks really nice on any box. Here is a link to the one I'm using, its a good price and it comes in a set, so you get two. :) Humbucker pickup --> amzn.to/2VneoGB

[@davidspencer2333]

Hey Michael, I'm getting ready to wire up my first CBG, so I'm watching your video for the third time. What gauge/type of wire are you using for the ground between the output jack and the strings?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey David, that's great. Good luck with it. I'm using this wire, for grounding and pretty much everything else. amzn.to/2VQZWtp

[@adamandharrys]

This helped me a lot, thank you so much, What the name of the song you played?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome, Adam, Thank you for watching. That little tune, is one of mine. I don't really have a name for it though. :) M~

[@adamandharrys]

@@SouthernFireGuitars i am going to have to watch this over and over again so I can teach myself that little tune, I really like it 👍

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@adamandharrys Thanks Adam.

[@howard922]

MDF is a good material for speaker cabinets...so what did this cbg sound like acoustically?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Howard, it sounded pretty good. M~

[@gerrydamour8226]

What size strings on that Micheal? working on 6 and 4 string Comachos and love the deep tone.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks Gerry, I'm using 040 030 022. M~

[@highwayhobo5758]

What’s the purpose of grounded the strings please explain it

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hi David, When using a magnetic pickup, you can sometimes get a humming or static noise from the strings if not grounded.

[@dongoldberg1986]

The build I'm working on right now uses a brass hinge as a tailpiece with the strings coming through the holes of the hinge. I'm thinking that if I drill a small hole in the back of the box where the hinge will cover it, run the ground wire through that hole, and screw the hinge in place, that will work as a good ground. Sound about right?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey Don, That does sound like it will work nice for a ground. M~

[@clintgorman8436]

You say not a good set up for piazzo is that because of the thickness of the lid?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

For me personally I prefer a thinner top for a piezo pickup. M~

[@attilasipeki1418]

Hello Michael, greetings from Hungary. I really like your videos. I would have a question, what brand and thickness of string did you use for this guitar? Sounds great! Thank you!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hi Attila, Thanks for checking out the videos. I'm using nickle wound strings 040 030 022. I get them from CBGitty.com

[@attilasipeki1418]

@@SouthernFireGuitars I see, okay. And can you tell me what kind of hardness of the string? Light, middle or heavy? Thank you!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@attilasipeki1418 I would say their mediums

[@rolandwildgruber126]

Hello! What kind of strings do you use what strength they have. Thanks and best regards from Munich.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Roland. On that guitar in the video I was using Bronze wound 040 030 022.

[@rolandwildgruber126]

@@SouthernFireGuitars Thanks 🙏

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@rolandwildgruber126 your welcome.

[@tommb]

Hey, great video. Which band is the song at the end?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks. The tune at the end is one of mine. 😎

[@tommb]

@@SouthernFireGuitars yeah!!!! It's great, where can i hear the whole piece?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@tommb I come up with these little riffs for my videos. M~

[@rstarguitar5350]

Hey Mike, yeah those Camacho boxes fooled me too I drilled into one and got some green sawdust very strange but they are nice boxes definitely strong. Anyway I wanted to ask you where you Bought your humbucker. I usually buy things from CBGitty or sometimes from Amazon just wondering if you got it from either place. Thanks

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome, Rstar. Thanks for checking it out. I have a link to the humbucker pickup I'm using here in the video description.

[@rstarguitar5350]

@@SouthernFireGuitars Thanks I’ll use that link keep up the great videos

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@rstarguitar5350 Thanks, my friend, I shall.

[@standeyoe7468]

I love your videos. my question is when you buy that pair of pickups , they say one is meant for the bridge and the other is meant for the neck . do you know what the difference is ? thanks for what you do .

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome, Thank you very much, Stan. Usually when buying pair of pickups, the pickup with the taller of the two mounting bracket is for the bridge. The other, with the slightly shorter surrounding mounting bracket is for the neck. To be honest, CBG's are anything goes, and Ive used the neck pickup in the bridge position and the other way around, to me they sound pretty much the same no mater where you put them :) M

[@guitarman_3693]

if im not mistaken, the windings are different, meaning that one P'up will have more magnet wire wraps than the other P'up.... but.......... i could be incorrect....lol

[@swsanko6948]

Is this done to eliminate string buzz when your not touching the strings? I have your build #563 and i get a lot of buzz when i let go of the strings. Touching the strings or the jack input makes the hum go away. I tried a new high end instrument cable. No change. Does it sound like a ground issue I can fix? ~Thanks

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Yes, it is. The #563 guitar is grounded, with a ground wire underneath the strike plate that holds the strings, so all 3 strings are grounded. It's probably some type of interference that's on the same circuit as the amp or around the amp. 60 cycle hum. Try it on a battery powered amp that's NOT plugged in to the wall, the guitar will have no hum. Hope this helps. M~

[@swsanko6948]

@@SouthernFireGuitars MUCH better!! Thank You for the advise!! What a great Cigar Box Guitar #563 is!! I own 3 and this one is by far the best!! If anyone reading this, is interested in purchasing one SouthernFireGuitars is the place to get one!!! KEEP ROCKIN"!!!

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@swsanko6948 Thanks brother. M~

[@joelchamblin2433]

Thanks, Michael, -- question, I used a piezo and a jack only and ran a ground wire to make contact with the strings, but I'm getting a buzzing sound, I can touch the strings and it goes away. Any suggestions? Do I need a volume pot? Thanks so much.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Your welcome, Joel. Thank you for watching. I never ground my string when using a piezo pickup. That's with or without a volume pot, and Ive never had any buzzing, humming or static from it. Sounds to me like a bad wire ( piezo) or bad jack or bad guitar cord. M~

[@joelchamblin2433]

@@SouthernFireGuitars Thanks, appreciate the quick response, I guess I have some troubleshooting to do, thanks again, really appreciate all your help.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@joelchamblin2433 Your welcome. good luck with it. Let me know when you figure it out. :)

[@joelchamblin2433]

@@SouthernFireGuitars evidently the problem was in the electrical outlet, I put batteries in the amp and the buzzing went away. Who woulda thunk 🤔

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

@@joelchamblin2433 LOL Ive had that issue before. Glad you figured it out. M~

[@larrylawrence1553]

What is the scale length of this guitar? Just curious. Thanks for the video.

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thanks for watching, Larry. This guitar is on a 23'' scale length. M~

[@chrispartridge2530]

Micheal, I have a question I can't seem to be able to get any volume when I hammer on or pull off. It's the same basic setup as the Camacho you are showing on the vid, on another very re recent vid where you've given a tutorial and you use pull off and hammer on it appears you just "lift" your finger off the string. Can you explain this in greater detail for us beginners, and apologies to you more competent players for wasting your time. Greetings to all from lockdown UK STAY SAFE

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hey Chris, Its kinda hard to explain how I do it, but I will show how I do it in my next video. I think its easier to learn when you can SEE it. M~

[@zodiacsnowwolf]

Where do you find those flat jack plates?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Hi BC, I get them here amzn.to/3vWNeqo

[@zodiacsnowwolf]

@@SouthernFireGuitars Thank you!

[@Jtrisna]

Where I can get that Camacho cigar box

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

My guitars are available here --->>> www.etsy.com/shop/SouthernFireGuitars?ref=hdr_user_menu-shop

[@chrispartridge2530]

I wish there was a way I could send you a picture of my Camacho CBG

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

There is, you can send it in a message through my Facebook page (Southern Fire Guitars ) or email me at [e-mail]

[@chrispartridge2530]

@@SouthernFireGuitars I try to email some to you when I can, did you see my question about hammer on and pull off volume?

[@richarddegen6184]

why do you ground them?????

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Magnetic pickups can have a humming or buzzing sound if the strings are not grounded. M~

[@peterhaynes8258]

BLIMEY, A GUITARIST, SINGER, CARPENTER & NOW ELECTRICS, WHAT IS COMING NEXT?

[@SouthernFireGuitars]

Thank you, Peter. M~

[@misterx8592]

Long winded