The Diddley-Bow.. "...Grandfather of all blues guitars!..."

Folks, meet the Diddley-Bow, a truly ancient instrument of African origin, widespread and well-used in the southern United States a long, long time ago. Simple as they get, yet very expressive!
"...The grandfather of all blues guitars!..."
A buddy of mine assembled this CBG and sent it to me to arrange the final result to my own taste. Good cooperation, I think ..
I'm calling it: The Kicking Mule Special..

[@ScottCroom]

Wade In The Water at 5:50 was freaking brilliant. That diddly bow is literally made for that song.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks Scott!! I agree that the d-b is nice for such a song.

[@bc55wc]

I think it real great that some people our keep our history a life and tell the story that have pass down to use

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

+Bill Clifton Thanks Bill, I do feel the same. Really want to share history as well as the music!

[@BurwoodPCYC]

Amazing! This man has soul.

[@marcmayou1422]

got mine a couple weeks ago, and I Added a pick up so cool.

[@Sergei_WHY]

Oh Lord, I sure didn't expect this kind of awesomeness when I saw the first frame of the video.

[@DrAntonPhibes]

pure GENIUS !!!

[@scottconger1266]

Nice build, looks like it's a lot of fun to play, im building one and the body is going to be a battery powered cigar box amplifier, thanks for posting.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks Scott! Good luck on building yours!!

[@mcshawnboy]

Dude you get more soul out of one string than a room full of six strings. I told a buddy you sound as if hearing Robert Johnson's audition for the Devil to bid up the price of his soul! DAMN!!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Hey Shawn! Many thanks for that kind comment!!

[@leon_mnl]

THIS IS GREAT !! stomping my foot and drumming on my desk,thanks

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

+Leon Meertens Yeah!!

[@edhuey1]

Thanks John. I'm going to make one like the Kicking Mule. Your body of work is amazing!

[@pogolswood]

Thank you very much for uploading.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thank YOU very much for watching and commenting!!

[@0713mas]

Awesome!!! Building one for a friend now...Wade in the water gave me goosebumps! Crazy good!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Nice! Thanks a lot for diggin' my blues here! This is simple yet expressive stuff.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Just one string but a lotta fun!!

[@didleyduo7728]

+BottleneckJohn AWESOME!!!!!!!

[@chuckHart70]

Once again record this. Amazing.

[@MrMdevaney]

great playing great voice ,im gettin me a diddley bow

[@chuckHart70]

Just saw this! Me inspire you? Come now. It just kind of blew me away. Thanks to you for sharing. And you are a very talented musician. When is the new CD available?

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@dedicateddad Thanks for the comment!! Good luck with your own Diddley-bow, bro!

[@truelokos]

What an outstanding inspiration on Creation, craft & musical. Thanks!

[@KeniLeeBurgess]

@BottleneckJohn Yes loads of fun! What I have discovered having less strings is that it really makes you reach out for "doing more with less". Additionally, using a 3 string CBG tuned 151 (DAd) has increased my undertanding and usage of the full 6 string 151351 (DADf#ad). I view it as a bass instrument (DAD)f#ad or a monotonic bass and treble instrument DA(D)f#(ad). Exploring doublestops and harmonizing scales on those first two strings makes this humble instrument a great music learning tool

[@phill903]

Can't get more unique than that...

[@snayke1973]

Dude, this has got to be one of the coolest video's ever!! I would love to have one of those. I just can't get enough of the sound. Great job. Much respect. Thanks for sharing.

[@heavystarch100]

Make one!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@BaddMuzic Thanks for watching! Always good to hear that you can find inspiration here!

[@briand.peterson2988]

Great video! Appreciate the demonstration of different techniques! Thank you! Very well done!! :)

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thank you, Brian!!

[@bearshield7138]

sweet job

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@kickingmule You know it is, brother!!!! YOU made it happen, Mr Kicking Mule!!!!

[@waltripcrew]

The Kazoo put it over the top. I loved it.

[@alanimoikan]

Man you are awesome that was dope

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Hey Evan!! Thanks so much for the comment!!

[@paulpeoples8931]

I build these great instruments and you sir sound amazing.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Paul Peoples THANKS!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@boxblues1 I think it's a 0.58 nickel string. I like to keep it bassy! Thanks!

[@manjake]

omg!! dude you have what has got to be the best blues voice I have EVER heard! You should totally record an album and sell it on iTunes and what not.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

A late thanks, Jacob! I'm glad that you dig it!!

[@kitthevideoman]

As a music lover with some industrial safety background, I hope you had the broken edges of the bottle neck melted down, to prevent cuts. Fascinating HOME and FOLK instrument. Love that you have kazoo and bottle neck stored in the cigar box. Good music making, keeping it basic.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

+kitthevideoman Thanks!

[@mcshawnboy]

I was fascinated by the utility of the resonator too! Sadly, industrial safety has failed me in my working life both having been buried alive twice while working with concrete pipe. The first time horizontally and recovered quickly as well as vertically with less coverage and more time in place. That job site was horrible! I was told to retrieve the pump head from a holding pond that was de-watered and the head was trapped in the mud. I had on wading boots like fisherman up to my waist, but like so many fossils I except for calling out to a college student parking near me and them summoning help I almost collapsed completely. I was not much better off when they got a track-hoe to me and wanted to try to pull me up with a nylon climbing saddle! I told him that he would pull my legs off! I was able to get him to dig a bucket of mud next to me and I stepped into the bucket safely. I finally had to walk off the job as I was standing on top of a pipe culvert of concrete that I & one other person were standing on top of and when our long bull point would break through we were pulled off our footings by a 100+ pounds of jackhammer in freefall.

[@hollisreed3583]

awesome I love it great enjoyed iot so much

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

+Hollis Reed Thanks a lot, Hollis!! Good to have you here diggin' it!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@sbitard LoL, thanks a lot for the great comment!! Happy you like it!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks!! I apply a bit of pressure on the string but it never touches the neck stick. Enough downward pressure will lessen string noise and rattles, not enough pressure and the string/slide will make unwanted sounds..

[@piercedarrow57]

Hell YEAH!!!!! AWESOME tones out of that ONE string! I've built afew 3 string Cigar Box Guitars....my NEXT one is a one string Didley Bow!!!!! Electric and LOUD!!!!! Very well done!!!!!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks!!

[@MyMoppet52]

part 2...builder, Urban?, did a super job. I remember my great-grandpa playing a comb and cigarette paper as a kazoo since he didn't have a kazoo. Us mountain people made do with what we had! :) I moved away at 18 months old, but still remember going back to visit. LOVE your video!!! It takes much talent to play a one string! Thanks for the video.

[@BaddMuzic]

Fantastic! I've just built a few myself, You are an inspiration.

[@GuitarGuy0008]

I don't know if you were going for this but the reason it is so quiet is because you don't have any sort of resonating surface because the neck is mounted to the top of the box which stiffens it and stops it from vibrating. Traditionally they would mount the neck through the box with the top floating above neck so as to let it vibrate. Also the bridge would be mounted as close to the middle of the soundboard as possible! Again, pointers unless this is what you were going for:) great playing:)

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@KeniLeeBurgess Thanks buddy, I'll keep on playing it and get the feel for this, very fun to play!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@CubeableGame Oh man, thanks a lot! My voice is my main instrument so I'm really happy to hear that you like it! Never tried to learn to sing, I'm just singing a whole lot, been doing that since I was 3 years old.. Thanks again!

[@marcospenalosa]

Amazing instrument. Andalucian people must play that, why not? LET'S GO!!! thank's for the video, man ;)

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@MyMoppet52 Thank you!! I always loved the simple stuff in music.. This is as simple as it get's, haha!!!

[@Lukiel666]

Awesome! A true blues man may get low down and blue, but he puts it into music, he (pun alert) doesn't fret.

[@axilleas171]

o.o jesus ......one of the best blue vocalist !!!!....good job dude

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Awesome, thanks for that comment!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@shipyardbob Many thanks, more to come for sure!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@Aerozine50 THANKS! Yeah, gonna play it with some rhythm machine later on.. :-)

[@MyMoppet52]

@BottleneckJohn Yes. This is "so simple" that it makes it very difficult! Good job!

[@StewFairweather]

Good job. Liked your Wade In The Water. Top man

[@stephenwillis444]

Nice bow.. Great video...

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks!! Just keep playing, bro!!

[@pedsc]

Man, you can play that thing or what????? Very nice. I wanna build one like your

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks!!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks for that comment!! I actually have released a new album recently, find it on eBay, Amazon, Ginza, CDon etc..

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Hey there!! Thanks a lot!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@dmoore714 It's a piezo stuck to the box top. Soundhole might be functional, in theory it should be but I never thought about it, just drilled the holes for the look of it.. :-)

[@dannyd1224]

Amazing

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks, I love the kazoo too! Great instrument!

[@KeniLeeBurgess]

Ya, now ain't that slick as $#@%!!! You should put that Kazoo on a Harmonica holder. That way you could add some of that Golden Fog too. I especially like the parts were you were singing and playing. I bet with some experimenting and experience you will come up with some real tasty ways to harmonize with it. Glad to see you are part of the Nation. Always a pleasure. Wade in the Water was tops. Enjoy.

[@UwUnium]

Very amazing

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

+Ace Claw Coyata Thanks Ace!!

[@winkles2314]

Really want to know how you built it. Brilliant

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thank you very much! These are truly awesome instruments, so simple and yet so versatile. Build one yourself and make some clips!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

I will!!! Next weekend I'll record this Diddley-Bow for my coming album, haha! It'll be the part of "wade in the water" and some jammin'.. Foot stompin' and a choir will do the trick.. Thanks for giving me the idea to put it on vinyl(and CD..)

[@NorthFloridaCatfishing]

would love to hear your version of wade in the water, a whole song...

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

James Davis Hey there, thanks!! I actually recorded this song on this very diddley-bow for my latest album, turned out quite ok. Check it out on eBay or Amazon: www.ebay.com/itm/All-Around-Man-Bottleneck-John-2015-Vinyl-NEW-/131579251628?hash=item1ea2bc0bac

[@ea5yliver]

I need me one of these-dear lord.

[@trackie1957]

If you want one, just make one. So simple. You can’t screw it up. The biggest risk is you will only want to play it. No sleep, no eating.

[@KountryCuz1]

Sounds Great

[@rustyjames6971]

made me smile, thanks dude!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks Rusty!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@StewFairweather THANKS a lot, bro! This is fun, gonna build another soon..

[@matthewharvey8755]

I just made my first 3 string gan-jo lol. Now I wanna make one of these haha

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks for the comment!

[@uncleboogie69]

such a bass sound..love it..who needs a big steel bucket and a broomstick when you have this whale..:)

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@cinderellalifestyle Thanks for the comment!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

It's true, bro! Just got the word today that the records are pressed, packed and shipped on their way here! I'll make an info video clip here on YT soon!! Thanks for giving me the idea. :-)

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@MrMdevaney Thanks!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

THANKS! I sure will, on my next album I will do this tune, promise!

[@CubeableGame]

The diddley bow is awesome, but the real star of this video is your voice! Man, I'm blown away! How did you learn to sing so well? Gus

[@MyMoppet52]

Great video & great sound! You can play really well. I have a collection of string band on my channel & this is pretty much the concepts & instruments used. Anything they could find, in southeastern USA years ago. They were dirt poor & often black, so anything was used. Carolina Chocolate Drops are string band & they follow the last living man who performed in old times. They're trying to keep his songs alive. You are fantastic. You have a great voice also. Guitar is super. Almost too pretty.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@sky12066sed3 Much appreciated, thanks a lot!!

[@chuckHart70]

Dude you have to record wade in the water. Best solo version I have ever heard!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@Smrtokvitek Thanks, it's a Roland Micro-Cube.. I like it but it sure ain't no cool tube amp.. :-)

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Haha, that's a great comment!! And a good idea, I'll make it happen! Don't forget the onestring bathtub bass too.. My new CD has a track with this Diddley Bow, sounded cool in the studio!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@phill903 I agree.. Sure is a special sound from the stick-on-a-box, hehe..

[@zaubermanninc4390]

This is so genious...not especially yours the Diddley-Bo itself...Killer instrument...

[@UncleDaveSayz]

Would even work for a lefty like me.

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Now the CD is here, bro. Check out the demo video!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@DrAntonPhibes Wow, thanks for that comment!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@raveyard THANKS!!

[@hammerfistfightclub]

Cbg is cigar box guitar...

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@ihazafunny It's a 0.58 nickel string.

[@emilianopierro]

bonito instrumento

[@tiagoamado3003]

Top

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Thanks!!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

THANKS! The scale length is around 24"

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

@IJeskeI Yes!!

[@pizzalover1199]

Thanks man. ^^

[@407bug]

Inspirational, great sound, is that a piezo inside or something special?

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Sorry about the late reply! The slide here is a broken off bottleneck, not a fancy cut but just plain smashed, haha!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

It's a nickel 0.58. Adds a bit bass to the tone.

[@raveyard]

nice box! I love primitive!

[@cinderellalifestyle]

Hi there----i missed this--trying to update my subs to update me!....excellent Demo,..i caught Urbans upload and he shifted me back to you......are you on CigarBoxNation? I lose track of who is , or not...!!!too much for my puny brain, LOL..... most folks there have a window here as well...like me. I will look for you there, --way cool demo, loved the kazoo!!...you made Urban a happy slider....... Cheers, Laurie

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

This is a 0.58 nickel string. Tuned to an E or nearby..

[@cjbcjbcjbcjbcjb6083]

One sting. Infinite possibilities!

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Indeed!

[@cjbcjbcjbcjbcjb6083]

+BottleneckJohn yep! Love to see another blues player! I am making a diddley bow tonight.

[@cjbcjbcjbcjbcjb6083]

+BottleneckJohn Do you know what note your string is tuned to?

[@BottleneckJohnBlues]

Can't remember, play along and you'll hear the key.

[@cjbcjbcjbcjbcjb6083]

+BottleneckJohn ok

[@joe153D]

Just made my first diddley bow, named her Ms. Jackson! I dig you bow man that's pretty rad! What kind of slide are you using? I noticed you and Scott Ainsley have the same looking slide except his is red. I'd like to get one like that