Given the “no rules” mantra in the cigar box guitar community, the term scale length looks an awful lot like a rule, doesn’t it?
And if there are no rules to building cigar box guitars– a big reason why they’re so much fun –then why do you need to learn about scale length?
Well, rather than bog you down with confusing terminology and the science of it all, what you’ll find here is the simple definition of scale length and the two big reasons why it should matter to you.
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Instead, this article gives you the knowledge necessary to dial-in your builds to sound and feel the way you want when played.
Let’s look at two cigar box guitars (CBGs) using the same gauge strings, both tuned G-D-G, but that have different scale lengths, say 25 (635mm) and 23-inches (584mm).
Strings on the 25-inch scale CBG are under higher tension (discussed later in this article) and will likely have rich, robust tones that ring loud and bright with a big low-end.
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If you lightly touch the string up and down the fretboard and pluck it, you’ll hear harmonics of different pitches in other locations.
That spacing contributes to the loud chime of longer scale CBGs and the thicker sound of tightly packed harmonics on a short scale CBG.
To compensate for string-stretching, bridges are often set at an angle (as opposed to perpendicular to the strings) with a little more length added to the heavier than the lighter strings.
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However, if the fretted note sounds a little sharper (higher-pitched) than the open note, you can increase the string length to compensate for that stretch.
For a single bridge, such as a bolt or length of wood, simply set the bridge at an angle to increase the string length between the bridge and 12th fret.
So, on a 25-inch (635mm) scale CBG, some foundational chord shapes, other than one-finger chords, may be difficult to finger, especially for smaller hands.
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However, on a 23-inch (584mm) scale CBG, for example, since the frets are closer together, those same chord shapes become much more comfortable to finger.
Plus, the longer the scale, the more difficult it becomes to move from one chord to another, especially if you’re required to jump a few frets up or down to finger the shape.
Tension, or string tension, is how tight the strings are strung and how it affects the overall instrument in terms of playability, or feel.
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Just as before, the following examples use the same gauge strings tuned to the same notes, only on different scale length CBGs.
To fully understand string tension, it's helpful to know that longer scales have higher tension. This results in tighter strings for crisp strumming and rhythm play, and also aids in faster picking.
Shorter scales, on the other hand, have lower string tension, giving the CBG a more relaxed feel to perform string bends and vibrato, all while decreasing the chance of breaking a string.
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String tension doesn't just affect how your CBG feels. It also has a direct effect on another important feature of CBGs built for fretted play.
That higher tension results in tighter strings that don’t “flop around” as much as on a 23-inch scale CBG using the same string gauges.
So, given that your frets are level and your neck is straight, those tighter strings allow you to have low string action without fret buzz.
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The shorter scale length has lower tension for warm, thick tones, as well as excellent feel and playability to more easily move between chords and notes.
In fact, the “no rules” cigar box guitar mantra is a welcome respite from a structured world with so many daily expectations of you.
However, a little knowledge is always good to keep in your back pocket, always in-the-ready to help you build your next CBG.
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With a handful of flashcards and a short amount of time devoted each day to use them, you can master 3-string cigar box guitar chords.Well, now I have a block of wood about 5.5 long by 2.25 wide by 0.75 deep with which to build my headstock. It also has a 22 degree angle cut for where the head piece will mate with the neck. The headstock diagram I drew will soon be used to shape the headstock and to drill out the 3 holes for the tuning machines (tuners). Before starting this work, let's look and talk about the headstock diagram in more detail.
From the diagram above, you can see that I have centered the three strings with the mid-line of the neck and headstock. The two outer strings are spaced 1/2 on either side of the center string, which is a fairly common string spacing for a cigar box guitar (CBG). With a 1.25 wide neck, minus 1 for the strings, this will leave 0.25, or about 1/8 between the outer strings and the edge of the neck. If you are planning to use fret wire for frets (or some other fretting scheme that crosses the entire width of the neck), then this spacing should work fine. I am planning to use industrial sized staples ( click here for that article) which are 1.125 wide, and I want a bit more room between the string and the edge of the staple-frets, so I have decided on a 3/8 spacing between stings. This will leave about 3/16 between each outer string and the edge of the neck.
With the string spacing decided, I extended the lines for the strings up my headstock so I'd know at least one side of the two angles for placing the tuners on the headstock. The other angle is formed by a line through the three tuner posts that will extend through the 3 holes we'll need to drill in the headstock. You can see this gray line on my diagram which passes through the three tuner holes highlighted in yellow. Notice that the line of tuner holes must parallel the edge of the headstock so the tuners can be mounted on that edge of the headstock. So, this angle pretty much dictates what angle I should use when cutting the left-hand side of the headstock. If you want a narrower string placement, then you'll need to increase the slope of this angle, and if you want a wider string placement, you'll need to decrease the slope of this angle.
Distance Between The Bridge And The Nut?
The right side of the headstock (as viewed in the diagram) is not important, so I left it straight. The same is true of the top edge of the headstock. On my diagram, I show an artistic angle sloped upward at about 30 degrees. In practice, I left out this cut and just rounded off the corners. The other main differences in the piece I cut compared to the diagram above are the two angle cuts on the bottom sloping edge of the headstock. Instead of doing the artistic 2-cuts per angle shown on the diagram in black, I made a single cut as shown by the two gray lines, taking the shortest / easiest route.
The tuner holes should be about 1.25 to 1.5 apart. I split the distance and placed then 1 & 3/8 apart. This dimension, was in fact dictated to me, since the tuners I originally planed to use were the 3-in-1 kind where their is a single plate to be mounted that includes 3 geared tuners (as you'd find on a 3 x 3 six stringed guitar).In fact, my tuners are for a 3 x 3 six stringed guitar. The other 3-in-1 set of tuners I'll probably use, but will likely have to flip the headstock design around so the knobs of the tuner are on the right (or if holding it guitar style, the lower edge) of the headstock. I have heard (and seen) that the proper orientation of a geared tuner must be so that the round toothed gear sits below the worm gear (and post of the tuner) and closer to the neck. I'm not sure it this is an actual must, or if it is just another old luthier's tale.
Okay, so why did I decide on a different set of tuners for my headstock? Well after building the headstock and drilling the holes for the tuners, I placed the 3-in-1 tuner in place and found that the holes on the tuning post (that the strings go come through to attach to the tuner) were not visible. My headstock was 3/4 thick and the Chinese made 3-in-1 tuners assumed the headstock would be about 1/2 thick. Well, luckily I had gone to a guitar shop a few days earlier and bought several sets of individual geared tuners. These tuners have two holes, one set higher on the tuner post than the other. These fit my headstock just fine, so now I plan to use them instead of the Chinese made 3-in-1 tuners. The lesson learned is to measure the height of the hole in the tuner posts relative it the mounting bracket to see if it will fit given the thickness of your headstock.
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Well, I'm getting ahead of myself here. One
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