Mistakes

This video is an overview of the most notorious "Mistakes" I've made while building Cigar Box Guitars. While some mistakes are "happy accidents", all mistakes are "learning opportunities". If we can learn from our mistakes then mistakes are nothing to fear but rather something we welcome.
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[@jamesbeauregard8710]

I been watching your videos for awhile now. Others give some good information but you on the other hand give the best and explain things better and why the details are important. I just picked up a half dozen cigar boxes and now I'm going to start my hans on learning to build. I just want to say thank you.

[@fnersch3367]

I've made all of these mistakes over the 58 years that I have been making instruments. It comes with the territory. Don't be afraid to push on. I am presently building a violin: now, that's a challenge!

[@dalgguitars]

No truer words, "mistakes are inevitable."

[@_BigLife_]

I really enjoy your channel. I'm not even a musician, but I can't stop watching.

[@G.S.W.SewmesomeMusic]

Tuners to close , yep did that too but I did learn to make dowels with a file and rasp with a drill press

[@davefoster6156]

Mistakes are hard and valuable. If it comes too easy it will not help me learn and grow. Mistakes make me who I am. Some are just stupid, but then learning how to correct mistakes is very very valuable. Triumph is easy and it.

[@tracymcdougal6381]

You would have made a interesting shop class teacher. Thanks, I always learn something from your videos. 👍 😎

[@CMRWoodworks]

All good tips. Thanks!

[@EndingTimes0]

I had to file off part of two tuners on my first build lol. Shouldve watched this!

[@mountys_photoadventure]

Thank you Del, for your helpfull Video. Spezial for me as Beginner to build my first CBG. Greatings from Bavaria. Mounty

[@kurtretort7496]

I love this. It's refreshing to see someone being so free with their hard-gained experience. It's also great to see some familiar truths coming from other people - I used to spend a lot of time with my late Dad at his workshop and one of my favourites was his assurance that "A pox is not a pox until it can't be put right".

[@freddyjholst60]

Well stated 🙏🏻😎

[@goodear1540]

Thanks so much for this vid, Del. This is gold, pure gold to us beginner CBG enthusiasts!

[@damondpark2261]

Awesome info Del!!!

[@andylane8815]

Thanks to real people like you, I hope my mistakes end up being awesome too. Really needed this encouragement rn. Happy new year's!

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

HAPPY NEW YEAR ANDY!!!!

[@damondpark2261]

Thanks for giving us this!

[@DaveGatton]

Wow! A wardrobe change for each tip. ;-) Great job Del. I always learn something from your videos.

[@k55comet]

I very much enjoyed your videos. Mistakes, was a great one. By sharing with us beginners makes you one of the greats.

[@skylark4901]

4:38, crack me up!, Thanks, this is a fantastic video, nothing like learning from other people's mistakes, thanks for being humble enough to show us them.

[@mickmel1000]

Really great to see total honesty. Yah I made mistakes and learned from them. Thanks!

[@InterWebGuy99]

We know you've never made a mistake and just trying to make us feel better! Thank you for all the tips and for being so considerate of your fellow cigar box guitar enthusiasts! Hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving, Del.

[@lwill53951]

Thank you so much i just started doing this and your tips will save me money and time

[@JoePalumbo221]

Great information. Thank you.

[@bhs8732]

Just get my CigarBox, now planning my first CBG build. Thanks for your great channel

[@barrycarol2]

You have been awesome. Thank you so much for your help. Tips. Talent. Humor. I am totally addicted. And in the middle of build 4 and 5

[@gratefulgreyman]

Thanks so much for sharing this with us. Valuable information indeed.

[@stephaneroy5511]

Sometimes a mistake can be benefit trial and error. I did one on my cigar box guitar relate to a new finish product and it creates a bad reaction at the end I used the situation to antique the back of my instrument you can see my instrument on my channel. When, you built custom instruments with different box sometimes you have to trick things around.The good new is that you are there to help us with your passion.Thank!

[@davefoster6156]

You got a lot of balls! Addressing your own mistakes in public. Way to go! Very impressive

[@loulamanna567]

I also have made some of those! When you have horizontal grain neck wood I've learned to cut it to about 9/16" and turn it vertical with about an 1/8" contrasting center stripe piece of wood and glue it up that way. Laminated necks are super strong and look nice.

[@IanFredrick_]

Thank you for displaying the pitfalls before I start my first build, Mark Hamill! xD

[@terrydockery3690]

Thanks for the tip learned a lot

[@74dartman13]

That's a lot of great tips! Thanks!👍😎🎸🎶

[@davidturner7040]

Man I love you videos

[@wellingtondin7230]

I did't know about the wound strings stuff!! I've done a fretless 4-string cbg putting a wound string, and did't notice huge differences in the tuning, but now I'll pay more attention for it when I'll build a fretted instrument. Thank you so much!

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Wellington Din fretless is more forgiving but still a struggle for me...

[@phillydog17]

Thank you !

[@unserhaus684]

thanks you for admitting all that mistakes and helping me do not the same

[@johnt3638]

Great video!

[@jameslyons1661]

Awesome video

[@guycormier9925]

Thank you

[@SeanHaleWoodcraftsandMusic]

Hi Dale, I am going to unofficially rename this video "The Many Shirts of Dale Puckett :)" I have made some doozies myself. It sure can be heartbreaking, but now I have company. He He. Thanks for the tips.

[@stuartward1626]

Great video👍👍

[@DerekRose_aka_DJ]

I can relate to a "couple" of these ;) Great video!

[@madbam]

Great lessons buddy...Made many and will make many more but such is the life of a CBG builder....Happy turkey day Del!!

[@grateful4068]

Great video.

[@tracymcdougal6381]

Groovy video I learned a lot

[@davehoward4970]

And one time....at band camp.... lol! Very helpful videos as always, never stop!!! Best regards from SW France

[@walterkersting1362]

There’s a CNC router at the library along with some other equipment that’s really cool but I was using the CNC to make signs. I made one for the church that said “this is a tobacco free campus“. I used a 90° bed, selected a cool font, dressed out the edges with a 1” drum sander all fancy, gave it a sunburst finish with a nice polyeurathane finish, showed it to the pastor who looked at it and said, this is nice; but you left the “b” out of tobacco. It said “ this is a toacco free campus. So I flipped it over and did it right and the other side is for Tuesdays.

[@bigdennyh]

I really appreciate the hard work you do and the time you take to make these videos. Thank you Sir.

[@tuckamorecustomknives4550]

Knocked another one out of the Ball Park! Thanks DP for all insights and the sharing of your knowledge.~Blues On⚡️🤘🏻🇺🇸

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Tuckamore Custom Knives thanks David

[@remcbride2008]

My mistake on my first CBG was making the string action too high which then led to me learning how to build a heel and better measuring and coping saw practice

[@AdiHauke]

Thx!

[@johnmitchelljr]

Great video. Learn not to get frustrated or down on yourself for doing mistakes. I't's psychological and you can be better if you just accept it and move forward.

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

John Mitchell exactly!!!!

[@robknott1597]

you turned me into a monster i have like a whole shop now and my wife thinks im crazy im even ordering book match tone woods and building boxes ultra modern 3 string guitars.im hooked im even making a 3 string les Paul with a flame maple top and mahogany back im an addict now. but seriously you rock this is the most fun i have had in many years! thanks for all your help and videos this is amazing!

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Your life will never be the same... 😎

[@robknott1597]

@@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar right! and where in the hell am i gonna store all these guitars i cant stop building

[@bluesdog88]

My waif said I couldn't buy any more guitars, love it ;)

[@sparkspark833]

6:39 dig the shirt, I want one!

[@grimreapybones2875]

15:11 I just made that mistake today! I also had to add a plate Infront of my saddle So frustrating! If only I watched this video sooner 😂

[@sitgesvillaapartmentneilsc7924]

The whole point is to learn from those mistake and try not to repeat them. Education , Education, Education! Pity politicians don't learn from theirs.

[@roywhite8504]

Mistakes are lessons and opportunity to do better.

[@robertjohnson5795]

This is a GREAT video. Lots of info people can actually USE to build better cigar box guitars and have a less frustrating time doing it. Question... Could you address grounding with the volume and tone pots? Some people don't even worry about it. What's your approach? Thanks for posting this stuff!

[@chrisboucher7848]

Here I am working on my neck just about to glue. This video was up next and first tip just so happen to be what I was doing! Haha ment to be. Love your videos! Thanks for your tips!

[@RaindropServicesNYC]

Oh, just one detail caught my ear. You said that wiring a pot wrong works out for left handed guitars. It actually does not. Those are not linear pots, they are audio taper pots. So, for lefties you would actually need a reverse taper pot. Hope this helps...

Olá sou Alexandre do Brasil Parabéns gosto muito dos seus vídeos

[@lawrencehowse8556]

You will find that the puddy knife heated with boiling water while working it between the join will soften the glue and the sweat(water beads) will help dissolve the glue

[@edt.5118]

Thank you. You started me on creating check lists. Question: Do you use the standard fretting templates to cut the zero fret? Love the the volume pot grounding advice. Does the “wife says in can’t buy...” have a ‘ukulele version?

[@RaindropServicesNYC]

Thanks. I just added another thumb's up.

[@Richc77]

thx you . i got a cigar box. when i play it it has a on and off buzzing sound.could tyhis be a ground issue or a cheap pick up.

[@ronmiller7916]

Great tips for your 1st build. But now that I'm on my 2nd build and had time to think about things, these tips are fantastic.

[@2xsurviver]

Can you go over zero fret in more detail please. I’m always worried about fret buzz and action on the neck etc, .. thank you for the time you put into your videos.

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6HYiXijfMx3j7s

[@freddyjholst60]

😎Dale. this is uhh 🙏🏻awesome¡!!

[@G.S.W.SewmesomeMusic]

Yea don,t leave a screw driver in the box doooh 👍☮️

[@johne7100]

BTW, an idea: if you use a hinge to anchor the strings you could drill & tap and extra hole in it, and fit a whammy bar.

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

John E Dude!!!!! 👍🏽

[@johne7100]

@@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar BTW again, if I may, re the wire-wound G. That implies that we should be using [electro-]acoustic steel strings rather than "pure" electric guitar strings. I've been using Fender 9s & 11s and I've mentioned before the relatively feeble treble response I get. A plain G rather than wire-wound would explain that - less moving mass in the pickup field.

[@brianq4.13.69]

I’ve done a few of those💩thanx for sharing

[@damonsmith7297]

I have a Question: Dale, I notice that the saddle is usually turned a bit on the free floating saddles. Is that something you've do in the tuning or are you just letting the chips fall where they may? If it's to find proper intonation, is better the have a floating saddle?🤔

[@stanhenderson7393]

Helpful. I think that the bolt technique is far inferior/imprecise to a hardwood nut and floating bridge. Maple or walnut is too plentiful to skimp on those details.

[@johne7100]

My best mistake so far: I cut the fret slots before gluing the fretboard onto the neck, which is fine. I then put the frets in *before* gluing the board onto the neck, so instead of being able to plane fretboard & neck down to the same width I had take it down with a file at the same time as the frets. Twice the work, at least. Others:- 1. On a self-built box*, coming to put the pots into the sides and discovering that the shanks weren't long enough to get a nut onto. 2. Putting the tuning heads too close together, as on your painted headstock. Got round it by rotating one left and one right - it even looks intentional. 3. Relying on holes bored through a sapele tail-block to hold the strings. Well, they do, for a while, but without ferrules the strings slowly cut their way through the block. 4. Not realizing that my DIY box wasn't rectangular but slightly skewed, so that the centre line of the box wasn't the same as that of the neck. 5. Cutting the back & front of the box in #4 to fit the dimensions of the box, but not to fit the skew. I think that'll do. Suggestion (see the end of #2): if you can manage it, make your mistakes look intentional. Many's the bug's become a feature. * Cigars aren't sold here the way they are in the US: we have to buy imported boxes.

[@Jenisonc]

You make amazing videos, Del! If I could make a request because I have no knowledge and could use your expertise. I have 2 old himbuckers where the wires have been cut and I'd love to reuse them but I dont know what to do with such short wires. Can they be used? They are only about 3 inches long. I appreciate any help I can get. Thanks again for inspiring us!

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

C Jenison test them with a millimeter to make sure they still work... if they are good then just solder on new leads...

[@Jenisonc]

@@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar thank you, sir. I just finished my first piezo bass today. It's a pile but it plays! All thanks to your videos.

[@cigarboxguitars]

Hi there Del. Thanks for sharing your mistakes. Makes me somehow feel a little less of an idiot 😬. One question I'd wanted to ask you for some time...what do you use as a reverb spring? Do you break open a reverb unit from an old amp or do you buy them loose from somewhere? - Fred from Norway

[@John-de5bg]

Hi there ...Hardware stores might have a variety ..you need the close compact type that also has a hook at each end . ..thickness : from about 9 mm - 12 mm diameter .

[@lofttm969]

Would it still work if you used the backside (non lid) side as the top, so that you could always get inside of it without having to take off strings and everything?

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Absolutely!! I’ve done several builds that way for various reasons

[@nealeware9163]

With the last three pickups I got the volume works but doesn't kick in until around 8 on the volume knob. How can I fix this?

[@mickyboy1955]

Mistakes are not mistakes....They are learning curves.

[@jkinsey6679]

Bob Ross of cbg's

[@davefoster6156]

Hey what do you think about making a lunch box guitar? I had a Superman lunchbox that might have made a good resonator!,,

[@danthespookyspectre3227]

Are the saddles on your CBGs glued on or anything? Or are they simply held down by the tension of the strings?

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Dan The Spooky Spectre no glue... ever!! These are called Floating Bridges. They are held down by string tension... they need to be able to move so you can set the correct Intonation... very important!!!

[@donivers9454]

ok as i am new to all this where do you buy the parts you use ?????? thanks

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Cbgitty

[@dustbunnyslayer]

Thanks. I learned some good stuff from this video. Made a few of those booboos.

[@walterkersting1362]

I’m doing this. But I screw up everything the first few times..

[@simonhopkins3867]

Cutting out the neck hole in a homemade box. I've cut down too far. Grrrrrrr.

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

Won't be the last time...hehehee

[@simonhopkins3867]

@@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar I'm sure of it. It's getting a full sized heel now rather than blocks.

[@troydismuke9823]

do you sell your cigar box guitars

[@lawrencehowse8556]

If you want an easy way to unglue is use a putty knife heated in boiling water

[@davidluck4608]

When you get a “reject” guitar, do you “do” a JIMI HENDRIX with it 🤪

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

THAT would make a GREAT video 🤔

[@jameslyons1661]

31 seconds in thank you. Happy accident 😊🎸❤️🎼🍀

[@Gichanasa]

Nice video! Do I get a prize if I made all of these mistakes?

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

I was a happy accident 😋

[@PuckettCigarBoxGuitar]

William Lutes #metoo

[@davefoster6156]

Means not worth a damn. I just made a mistake and sent the comment before I was finished

[@bozo6613]

Right my scarf is a nightmare. Ugh elevated fret board at the end lol. I'll have to prop it up how he should be w glue

[@lawrencehowse8556]

You will find that the puddy knife heated with boiling water while working it between the join will soften the glue and the sweat(water beads) will help dissolve the glue