Three new tab sheets have been added to the knowledgebase library in the last couple of days, ranging from classic Americana to feel-good classic rock to a popular modern song. All are tabbed for 3-string cigar box guitars tuned to Open G “GDG”. Use the links below to view the posts about each:
Camptown Races by Stephen Foster
Build Me Up Buttercup as Performed by The Foundations
In general, the action isn’t as important and can be higher if you are building a slide-only instrument (no frets). It’s when an instrument is fretted that you want the action to be nice and low. This can be an advanced topic, but generally you adjust the height of the nut and the bridge to bring the string height down until at the first fret the strings are about the thickness of a medium guitar pick off the fret. Using a separate glued-on fretboard with a zero fret (see the article about zero frets in the knowledgebase) can help immensely.
About to make (or break) my first CBG, and a klutz at woodworking and playing strings, but it seems to me that the height of the strings above the fretboard is important. Yet, I’ve found no information on what height is proper, or how to juggle the installation of neck, nut, and bridge to achieve it. Any advice would be very welcome.