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Anyone like making lo fi or fuzzed out delta blues racket here? Not blues lawyer blooz, but stuff like JSBX, RL Burnside, Hollowbelly. Esp if you use home made instruments like cigar box guitars... Just built a one string bass and a three string guitar, and they are just a blast to build and play. And awesome with fuzz.

Wondering what fuzz you like, pickups you've used, etc... Pretty sure I'm going to use up all my spare parts building these things. Have an acoustic three string guitar, two string electric bass, and a mini-Mosrite/ Hi Flyer in the works...

I've intended to make a cigar box guitar for a long time, but I've always been more preoccupied with modding my other instruments and all that to really get around to it.

I do love that low fi, broken down minimalist blues tho. I always liked the sounds that guys like that could make by just strumming a guitar, stomping their foot on the floor and shouting their hearts out. It's some of the most powerful music I've ever heard. Even with stuff like Swans, Nick Cave & TBS, Leonard Cohen (ie, anything that's emotionally and/or sonically powerful), nothing will ever hit me harder than something like Son House doing John the Revelator with only hand claps to accompany his singing.

With that out of the way, the best swampy, low fi blues tone I've ever had was Tele going straight into the second channel of my Yamaha SS with dirt cranked (the dirt on the amp doesn't really destroy your ability to do open/barred chords like most distortion seems to do) and a bit of chorus (also from the amp). I ended up playing the single note bit to "I Just Can't Win" by Them + some other noodling in open position and it sounded like it belonged on a Junior Kimbrough album or something.

Also, even tho it's been three years or so since I found out about Seasick Steve, I still wanna get a Rowland Cube + put a cigar box/hubcap guitar together so I can get some of that mojo.

Swordfishtrombone wrote:I've intended to make a cigar box guitar for a long time, but I've always been more preoccupied with modding my other instruments and all that to really get around to it.

I do love that low fi, broken down minimalist blues tho. I always liked the sounds that guys like that could make by just strumming a guitar, stomping their foot on the floor and shouting their hearts out. It's some of the most powerful music I've ever heard. Even with stuff like Swans, Nick Cave & TBS, Leonard Cohen (ie, anything that's emotionally and/or sonically powerful), nothing will ever hit me harder than something like Son House doing John the Revelator with only hand claps to accompany his singing.

With that out of the way, the best swampy, low fi blues tone I've ever had was Tele going straight into the second channel of my Yamaha SS with dirt cranked (the dirt on the amp doesn't really destroy your ability to do open/barred chords like most distortion seems to do) and a bit of chorus (also from the amp). I ended up playing the single note bit to "I Just Can't Win" by Them + some other noodling in open position and it sounded like it belonged on a Junior Kimbrough album or something.

...And thats when you founded the Black Keys?

D.o.S. wrote:

Swordfishtrombone wrote:I've intended to make a cigar box guitar for a long time, but I've always been more preoccupied with modding my other instruments and all that to really get around to it.

I do love that low fi, broken down minimalist blues tho. I always liked the sounds that guys like that could make by just strumming a guitar, stomping their foot on the floor and shouting their hearts out. It's some of the most powerful music I've ever heard. Even with stuff like Swans, Nick Cave & TBS, Leonard Cohen (ie, anything that's emotionally and/or sonically powerful), nothing will ever hit me harder than something like Son House doing John the Revelator with only hand claps to accompany his singing.

With that out of the way, the best swampy, low fi blues tone I've ever had was Tele going straight into the second channel of my Yamaha SS with dirt cranked (the dirt on the amp doesn't really destroy your ability to do open/barred chords like most distortion seems to do) and a bit of chorus (also from the amp). I ended up playing the single note bit to "I Just Can't Win" by Them + some other noodling in open position and it sounded like it belonged on a Junior Kimbrough album or something.

...And thats when you founded the Black Keys?

Who are the Black Keys?

I thought that was a Jonas Brothers record.

Cigar Box Fuzz! The Fuzz in this unit is a copy of the built in fuzz in my Thomas Organ made Vox Viscount amp but with Germanium trannys instead of silicon. This one is fuzz and tremolo.

mmm, delta punk rack units...

All I can think of is Bob Log III
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUsCWMYQ_5Y[/youtube]

Bob Log is fucking awesome, although, tbh, I liked him better when he was in Doo Rag.

Chankgeez wrote:Bob Log is fucking awesome, although, tbh, I liked him better when he was in Doo Rag.

Yea, I remember him from years ago (right around when he toured with Causey Way), but it is kinda getting Samey...surprised he is still doing stuff though. I will have to check out Doo Rag (but it does ring a bell).

Doo Rag was pretty much the same thing, but with a drummer.

Swordfishtrombone wrote:I've intended to make a cigar box guitar for a long time, but I've always been more preoccupied with modding my other instruments and all that to really get around to it.

I do love that low fi, broken down minimalist blues tho. I always liked the sounds that guys like that could make by just strumming a guitar, stomping their foot on the floor and shouting their hearts out. It's some of the most powerful music I've ever heard. Even with stuff like Swans, Nick Cave & TBS, Leonard Cohen (ie, anything that's emotionally and/or sonically powerful), nothing will ever hit me harder than something like Son House doing John the Revelator with only hand claps to accompany his singing.

Swordfishtrombone wrote:Also, even tho it's been three years or so since I found out about Seasick Steve, I still wanna get a Rowland Cube + put a cigar box/hubcap guitar together so I can get some of that mojo.

Same here. Just modded a guitar for three string slide and decided to make some dedicated limited scale instruments! Replace Son House w/ Lightning Hopkins and we're 100% on the power o' good blues too. Same thing w/ the Roland Cube and Seasick Steve. Those seem really popular in the CBG scene.

SoaringTortoise, those are amazing. Could get you some small wooden cigar boxes, total pedal size ones. I've love to hear the Vox fuzz with slide guitar.

Love some Doo Rag / Bob Log too.

I use my Fuzz Master (Ibanez Standard Fuzz). Don't sound much like the Black Keys beyond both being blues and fuzzy. Mine is crazy octavey and noisey. Meathead Dark (fuzzface) sounds killer too, rolling off the volume gives some great lo fi AM radio sounds. Found a Hanna Montana guitar amp - boombox at goodwill for $8. The echo on the vocal channel is totally crappy lo fi amazingness with an old mono microphone, and it sounds like it's going to blow up with the fuzz at full tilt.

grindonomicon wrote:Same here. Just modded a guitar for three string slide and decided to make some dedicated limited scale instruments! Replace Son House w/ Lightning Hopkins and we're 100% on the power o' good blues too. Same thing w/ the Roland Cube and Seasick Steve. Those seem really popular in the CBG scene.

Found a Hanna Montana guitar amp - boombox at goodwill for $8. The echo on the vocal channel is totally crappy lo fi amazingness with an old mono microphone, and it sounds like it's going to blow up with the fuzz at full tilt.

I think I might dig out a 2x4 and make myself a 2-3 string diddly bow this weekend now. Could be fun for some cheapy blues awesomeness. Yeah, Lightning Hopkins is incredible too . I actually almost bought a Cube a few years ago because there was one going for like $60ish at one of the local pawn shops, but I ended up going to another one and getting my Yamaha for $150 instead. That thing is incredible, and makes the walls shake + things fall off of shelves without being turned up past 1 and sounds great, so I'm glad I went with that, but I still need to get my hands on a Cube for that Tweed setting goodness that Seasick Steve has. I don't really pay attention to people strictly talking about the whole CBG thing (even tho I used to be subscribed to the CBG subreddit forever ago), so I didn't know they were a big deal for those guys. Definitely is a good choice tho from what I can tell.

I've been scouring the resale shop by where I live for a telephone to make a mic out of, and I kinda look at the area where toys are kept sometimes for interesting things that could be used. I still have a keyboard that I wanna attach a 1/4" to so I can plug it into an amp + effects since it's monophonic and sounds glitchy as fuck when I play chords. Gonna have to keep my eye out for one of those toy amp/boombox things now tho.

grindonomicon wrote:

Swordfishtrombone wrote:I've intended to make a cigar box guitar for a long time, but I've always been more preoccupied with modding my other instruments and all that to really get around to it.

I do love that low fi, broken down minimalist blues tho. I always liked the sounds that guys like that could make by just strumming a guitar, stomping their foot on the floor and shouting their hearts out. It's some of the most powerful music I've ever heard. Even with stuff like Swans, Nick Cave & TBS, Leonard Cohen (ie, anything that's emotionally and/or sonically powerful), nothing will ever hit me harder than something like Son House doing John the Revelator with only hand claps to accompany his singing.

Swordfishtrombone wrote:Also, even tho it's been three years or so since I found out about Seasick Steve, I still wanna get a Rowland Cube + put a cigar box/hubcap guitar together so I can get some of that mojo.

Same here. Just modded a guitar for three string slide and decided to make some dedicated limited scale instruments! Replace Son House w/ Lightning Hopkins and we're 100% on the power o' good blues too. Same thing w/ the Roland Cube and Seasick Steve. Those seem really popular in the CBG scene.

SoaringTortoise, those are amazing. Could get you some small wooden cigar boxes, total pedal size ones. I've love to hear the Vox fuzz with slide guitar.

Love some Doo Rag / Bob Log too.

I use my Fuzz Master (Ibanez Standard Fuzz). Don't sound much like the Black Keys beyond both being blues and fuzzy. Mine is crazy octavey and noisey. Meathead Dark (fuzzface) sounds killer too, rolling off the volume gives some great lo fi AM radio sounds. Found a Hanna Montana guitar amp - boombox at goodwill for $8. The echo on the vocal channel is totally crappy lo fi amazingness with an old mono microphone, and it sounds like it's going to blow up with the fuzz at full tilt.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiBI4Ps9LXQ[/youtube]
Here is a video of the Vox based Cigar box fuzz. The slide playing starts about halfway through.

As to the smaller cigar boxes, I am always looking for cool boxes to re-purpose as enclosures. PM me if you want to get rid of them.