How to make a 3 string Cigar Box Bass Guitar

I made a Base Bass for Tim Sway.
williamlutes.com

[@brevs8387]

Holy cow... chucking a round file in a drill!? Why have I never thought of this, or seen anyone else doing this?! Genius!

[@timsway]

you are an incredibly sweet and hard working (NOT 'talented' :-) man. That looks fantastic and I can't wait to play it.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

tim sway I learned SOOOOO much with this build. Way fun :-)

[@BillyMcCord]

Just make sure you share it with us all Tim (when you get to play it!)

[@evildevil364]

I came here trying to figure out if I could just throw bass strings on my CBG with an ebass pickup, definitely was not expecting this level of craftsmanship for a CB instrument... This is basically just a firebird that happens to be in a box. Incredible work!

[@BradDudenhoffer]

What an awesome project! The sound is beautifully warm. I just started to learn to play bass a couple months ago and love seeing what other makers come up with to turn into a bass guitar.Thanks for the share.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Brad Dudenhoffer Thank you for the kind words Brad :-)

[@simoncollier9687]

Another beautiful guitar and I really liked the pace of the video too. Thanks for sharing.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Simon Collier Thank you so much for the kind words Simon :-)

[@leapinglemurcraftworks6426]

Fantastic build - looks great and a little smoke on the water to end it perfectly. Scott

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Leaping Lemur Craftworks Thanks for the kind words Scott :-)

[@ScottTurnerformeindustrious]

What a great build, it's a work of art. Love your creation and it's awesome that you gifted it to Tim. (Sorry for being way behind on catching up with the video). Thank you Bill and have a Merry Christmas!!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Awwww :-) Thanks Scott !!! All the best of these upcoming Holidays to you and the fam as well !!!

[@phil.pinsky]

You are a very skilled maker, my friend. So many tips and tricks in this video. It will take multiple viewings to catch them all!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Phil Pinsky Productions Thank you My Brother 💕❤️💕

[@Dudeonrails]

Awesome video. I remember when you first started talking on your podcast about these guitars. I find it incredibly inspiring to follow your genesis from the very beginnings to now where you're a full fledged instrument craftsman. Thank you for sharing this and for the podcast as well. Now I'm gonna go watch this again because it really is THAT good.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

josh owen Wow !!! Thank you for the kind words Josh 👊🏼❤️👊🏼

[@bearshield7138]

very nice work what would a 3 string long scale cigar box bass guitar be tuned to?

[@jeremiahstevens3319]

great job man. I have been building for about 8 years and I mess up every build. keep doing what your doing because your builds get better every time I see them. love watching your videos one day I will make one of my own

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

JEREMIAH STEVENS Thank you Jeremiah for the kind words :-) I still have a few ideas left to go !

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

That was nice to watch with your bass playing in the background. That worked out well.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thank You Brother 👍🏼👊🏼❤️👊🏼👍🏼

[@ragtie6177]

A most excellent video. That sounds incredible

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Rag Tie 💕👊🏼💕

[@ajsiemers]

Good move adding the music instead of the building sounds. Now I can't wait till mine is finished so I can play it! Love the tone you got from yours

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Albert Siemers Thank you Albert !!!

[@loulamanna567]

Wow! You've come a long way from that first build! Very nice!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Lou Lamanna Thank you Lou :-)

[@davebauerart]

Bill, another cool build. It really looks and sounds great.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

bluebarnworkshop Thanks Brother, it came out really nice :-)

[@funkysod]

Awesome, as always Bill! Thanks for sharing.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

funkysod Thank you Brother :-)

[@philpatrick4519]

Love the video! The trick with the pin nails is clever, I’m stealing it!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Phil Patrick Pin nails are great for tricky glue ups :-) Thanks for the kind words Phil !

[@RichardMartin]

Possibly the best of your guitar builds yet. Really cool, especially with the music added rather than the sound. Rather fortuitous that your mic battery ran out. Cheers Bill!👍🏻

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Richard Martin Not bad for playing it wrong handed :-)

[@ScottHaun]

best 15 minutes of the day!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Scott Haun 💕🦄💗

[@opasworkshop8373]

Great job as usual Wild Bill now you're becoming the guitar King. Les Paul would be very proud of you!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Opa's Workshop Much Love Opa ❤️

[@starkravinglunatic]

That is awesome.The video and the build itself are both really well done. Thank you for sharing them with us all! I heard Tim ask you to make it something that was out of the ordinary when you were talking about it in the podcast. He wanted something that made him have to think to play it. It is a bloody good looking guitar but I am pretty sure it is just going to be a little too easy for him to play it. Maybe you could build in some sort of streamer or fire works display that is triggered when he plays a particular song? Keep up the great work Bill, I love your videos! Thank you again.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

starkravinglunatic PYROTECHNICS !!!! Dood, you are Jeenyus :-) Thanks for the kind words Brother !

[@jd59404]

A truss rod I had never thought about one for a 3 string CBG Way cool!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

John Dees Thanks John :-)

[@Chriswoodworker]

Great video. Love the trick with the round file. I will be pinching that idea.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thanks Chris 👊🏼❤️👊🏼

[@F0cu5guy]

That aluminum inlay looks awesome! Great video Bill!! Tim Sway is a lucky dude 🤣

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Reclamation Woodfab rcwoodfab Thanks Brother. I am really happy with how pretty it is :-)

[@sgsax]

You really kicked it up a notch (down a notch?) on this one. Nice to see you continue your exploration of this study. Lucky for you, I hear you can never have "too many" guitars. :)

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Seth Galitzer Thanks Seth :-) I learned a lot on this one !

[@jimanderson3549]

Awesome and sounds sweet!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thank you Jim 👊🏼❤️👊🏼

[@PaulJohnsLife]

Beautiful build!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thank you So Much !!! I am super happy about how it came out, and of course it has special meaning as its for a friend :-)

[@413DaveRN]

That is some sweet tone!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

David Beckwith Thank you Sir 👊🏼👍🏼👊🏼

[@MarkLindsayCNC]

Sweet build, Bill!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Mark Lindsay CNC Thank You Brother Mark !

[@sdworks1600]

love the file in drill great idea!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

SD Works 👍🏼👊🏼👍🏼

[@AwesomeFunThings]

Dude... love it!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Awesome Fun Things Thanks Brother Haas !

[@sixoffive]

You work fast and sound is awesome, did I see you cut aluminum on your table saw with a wood blade?

[@loulamanna567]

I wish more builders would put truss rods in. I use a steel bar 1/8" x 1/2" and route the channel in after my scarf joint headstock is done. From the nut to the pickup. Easy step that will keep your neck straight forever!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Lou Lamanna I am still learning, and like the way this one came out !

[@ManCrafting]

Very nice job Bill! I’m guessing your providing the music for the build? That Bass has a really cool sound. Funny that at the very end you have a hat, because for the first half of the video o thought you were wearing one.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

ManCraftingTM I even played it wrong handed :-) Ya, came out nice. Thanks Chad !!!

[@vsavoldi]

Dead Sexy baby! And I love the branded LUTES Clamps all lined up like good little workers!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Vince Savoldi Thanks Vince :-) I had those clamps specially made by Sharpie ;-)

[@GibClark]

sounds great 👍👍👍👍👍

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Gib Clark 😘

[@Heather22056]

Good job 👌

[@garagemonkeysan]

Cool video. Great idea about snipping off the nail heads prior to glue up. : )

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

garagemonkeysan Thanks Brother :-)

[@RedSmith]

Nice build Bill.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

The Redsmith Thank you Gerald :-)

[@peterjones9646]

Nice work!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Peter Jones Thank you Peter !!!

[@romualdjaud4890]

Magnifique ! ;-)

[@AndyBirkeyMaker]

Dude, that is the worst cutting board build video I have ever seen. I love you, that is all.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Andy Birkey I blame you. Love You Right Back ❤️

[@AndyBirkeyMaker]

William Lutes 👊👊👊

[@MarcelDiane]

Holy crow, even added a truss rod. You’re gettin’ to be a luthier.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Marcel's Workshop Thanks Marcel :-)

[@johnmitchelljr]

Really nice build combining professional techniques with around the shop parts. How many one hand clamps do you have?That's where I'm going to put my investment money. Great channel.

[@BillyMcCord]

Crazy cool !

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Billy McCord 💕👊🏼❤️👊🏼💕

[@danielnorris9224]

Where'd you get all of the measurements for this thing? Neck length, fret positions, etc? Looks great!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Daniel Norris Most of the measurements etc I figured out from watching other videos ! Thanks for the love Brother :-)

[@prestonorr2936]

That sounds amazing! how do you know where to cut in frets?

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Preston Orr Thanks Brother :-) Copied from the real deal !

[@joshuapotter7372]

Inspiring!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Joshua Potter 👊🏼👍🏼❤️👍🏼👊🏼

[@brianharris7243]

nice build-'Morphine' sounding track-cheers.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Brian Harris Thanks Brian :-)

[@lonniedyer9305]

Very nice. I would like to build a CBG bass. Will you tell me how long your neck scale is please Thank you Lonnie

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Hey Lonnie :-) I used a 30” scale, one of the shortest for a bass. I worked out really well. The music in the video is me playing this one. Sounds pretty good ! Thanks for watching Brother 👊❤️👊

[@ThePointstheif88]

Great build as always. How long till you make everything for a guitar, like no cigar boxes? Chris Salomone would have a heart attack with the amount of glue used. Haha.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

iron and wood Not sure when I will make a complete from scratch guitar, but I want to :-) . I used so much glue because not having made a bass before I had no idea how much tension the strings would have. Thanks for watching Brother !

[@antonio86fts]

Hey man, it's awesome! Can I ask you which strings did you use?... I'm looking to build my first cbg bass, advices are welcome ;)

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thanks so much for the kind words :-) I forget the brand, but I bought a set of “Light” base strings. The guages were were 110, 90, 70, and 50. I used the 3 lighter ones and skipped the 110

[@sdmcustoms]

Awesome !! That is all

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

sdmcustom woodworking Thank You I Love You That is all ❤️

[@AndiGitarre1]

Great!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thank you Andi 🤗

[@woodywoodworkerfuller9921]

Nice !!!!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

WoodyWoodworker Fuller Thanks Brother !!!

[@spud4242]

awesome... now i feel the need for a bass.... knew i shouldnt have watched this... what scale length did you use?

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thanks for the kind words Brother :-) I used a 30” scale length Strat type.

[@chriszaferes6418]

Dulcimer scale....very nice build!!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thanks Chris, I loved this build :-)

[@MarcotGarage]

Whats the point of the aluminum rib on the back of the neck? is it just to control the expansion of the wood?

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Sam, I used the aluminum to act as a truss rod to keep the neck from bowing and help keep the guitar in tune. Seems to have worked well :-)

[@MarcotGarage]

Neat, looks like it'll work well!

[@hkdl8743]

wondering what scale length you did and fret spacing

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

I used a 30” scale

[@oojagapivy]

Really? You couldn't add 1 more string? After all, don't many bass players say "4 fingers, 4 strings ... meant to be" Beautiful build Bill. Some very nice detail touches in this one. I like the Bill playing soundtrack too.

[@timsway]

honestly as a 4-string bass player (I don't like 5 and 6 string basses) I have thought about scaling down to three or two strings many times. I've done a few shows that way on purpose and because of string breakage and I quite enjoyed it!

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

oojagapivy When have I ever made things easy for Tim ? Miss you Brother :-)

[@oojagapivy]

tim sway I always been intrigued by musicians like P.O.T.U.S.A. using 2 string guit-basses. More so now since I’ve been watching Rob Scallion on the shovel guitar. I think the limitation can inspire creativity.

[@oojagapivy]

William Lutes true. Miss you too.

[@timsway]

ABSOLUTELY! Same as reclaiming vs going to the lumber yard. I started on the 6 string guitar and worked my way down to upright bass. I liked the work to be more physically challenging and less options.

[@poodlenoodlesoup1]

Absolutley beautiful woodworking. I have one in the works using a wine crate. Should be fun. will def watch a few times to get some helpful tips......but as far as the background music.....did it bother anyone else that that thing was out of tune?? !??!?!?!??!??! lol

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Thanks for the Love ❤️ Be careful, as these are extremely addicting to build and play ! And yes, it bothers my wife every day that I play out of tune 😘

[@ianupwood1400]

what are the three strings used please

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

I used medium 45/65/85 :-)

[@adrianhanson9584]

That’s awesome!! Bill “The Lutzier” 😁

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

Adrian Hanson Thank you 😊 🙏❤️

[@jamesotisjr2322]

You let your fingers get closer to the blade than I would. It's scary, man.

[@fatt-ass-pro]

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