Cigar Box Bass Guitars
This page is for all you bass guitarists out there!! These guitars are perfect for adding to your arsenal of cigar box guitars.
Although these bass guitars are 3 string, short scale versions of their big brothers, they still sound amazing and provide that integral backbone to the rhythm section of any band. They are easy to learn and even more fun to play. Sure to be a real head turning additional to your collection!!
Geddy
“Geddy” is the very first in the Bass Guitar Series honouring some of my favourite bass players. From a Canadian standpoint, how could I not name the very first bass guitar after Geddy Lee from the iconic Canadian band, RUSH.
“Geddy” is a 30″ short scale, 3 string bass guitar. He has standard E-A-D (no G string) tuning using lighter gauge strings (.080/.065/.045).
The steel reinforced neck is made from Red Oak and is outfitted with a beautiful Maple fretboard (quilted woodgrain). The bridge is hand carved in a bow tie fashion and is made from Black Walnut. Standard electrics provide the amplification and a single hand cut f-hole provides a bit of acoustic quality. A vintage drawer pull handle makes a great tailpiece for the heavy strings and the fancy black corner protectors have been painted black to match. The black accents are a great contrast to the bright yellow Montecristo box.
This guitar is well balanced and has some weight to it. Geddy is easy to play and certainly a great way to introduce yourself to cigar box bass guitars!
Sold to Leslie (A gift for Ezra)
J.P.Jones
“John Paul Jones” is one of my all time favourite bass players and Led Zeppelin would not be the same without his creative bass lines locked in with John Bonham’s drumming.
“J.P.” is the second bass guitar featured in the Bass Guitar Series and “bass-ically” follows the same format as Geddy (the first in the series). He is also a 30″, short scale, 3 string cigar box bass guitar set up with standard tuning of E-A-D.
The guitar body is a larger size Vegafina box in bright white with a silver border. The matching white pickup and control knobs keep the look very clean. A single hand cut f-hole adds some interest to the guitar top. The bridge is made from laminated Black Walnut and Maple and the nut is Black Walnut.
The neck is made from Red Oak and has been reinforced with a length of flat steel bar for added stability. The fretboard is Quilted Maple and has Red Oak fret dots inlaid in the appropriate locations. The 1/4″ jack plate is made from a piece of salvaged brass plate while the chrome corner protectors add a bit of shine to the silver border.
This bass guitar is well balanced and very easy to play. John Paul would certainly approve!
Sold to Benjamin
Vikki
So technically, Vikki is not really the name of any particular favourite bassist of mine. However, it is the name of a good friend of the person that asked me to create this unique U-Bass style of bass guitar.
This 21″ short scale bass guitar is my version of the Kala inspired U-Bass guitars manufactured in Hawaii. They utilize Polyurethane strings instead of steel strings which surprisingly sound amazing. Similar in tone to a stand up bass guitar, this instrument has a piezo rod pickup mounted under the bridge for amplification which runs through a pre-amp for adjusting the volume, tones, and presence.
The customer wanted something unique that nobody else would have so I decided to source materials that could not be duplicated or found very easily. The guitar top is actually the lid from an old Victrola gramophone from the early part of the 1900’s. The store that sold the gramophone (Hall & Nunn) had their business label affixed to the lid. The company has long since been out of business and their original location in New Westminster, British Columbia is now a modern medical building. The guitar body was made from a salvaged piece of Fir siding from a 100+ year old hotel that recently fell victim to the wrecking ball. I left most of the original white paint on the wood to provide a bit of contrast to the dark colour of the guitar top.
The neck is clear maple with a very uniquely figured slice of Black Walnut for the fretboard. The light/dark theme is carried on throughout the build including the tailpiece made from the same Maple and Walnut. Vikki has a handmade bridge crafted from rust stained English Walnut with a brass insert. There are two very elegant hand cut F-holes on the guitar top which are screened from underneath with black speaker fabric. A brass light fixture device makes a great cable jack plate and a few vintage brass corners frame the guitar top.
It was extremely challenging but very rewarding to create something so unique yet functional for someone. The plan is to use this bass guitar for future recordings and I’m pretty excited to hear the finished CD!!
Thank you Abby for pushing me beyond my comfort zone!!
Sold to Abby
