C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply Cigar Box Ukulele Kit Assembly Instructions Manual Download

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y Cra

er Supply 2

Bone ukulele saddle

Bone ukulele nut

H. (4) washer-head screws

I. (3) drywall screws (two longer, one shorter)

J. Bridge/tail bracing block

(4) Ukulele tuners

Tools Needed

The following tools are what we recommend for completing this kit—they are the same ones we used when

making this guide. You may be able to substitute other tools and methods, but please before using any tool

(hand or power) make sure you follow all safety recommendations!



Drill (hand drill or press)



Wood File or Rasp



Wood glue



Clamps (at least 2 or 3)



1/8” drill bit



A Phillips screwdriver



A ruler or measuring tape



A pencil



Small wood saw (optional)



Hole saw/Forstner bit/Spade bit for sound hole (optional)



Sandpaper (recommended)



Scratch awl (recommended)



Blue painter’s tape (recommended)



A digital chromatic tuner

The diagram below shows a completed cigar box ukulele built from this kit, with all of the key components la-

beled. Refer to this diagram throughout the rest of these instructions, if you are not sure of where we’re head-

ed.

1—A

Step 1—Install the Neck Brace

To start building your C. B. Gitty Ukulele Kit, take the neck bracing block and fit it against the inside of the box

on which you’ll be mounting the neck. The block should not extend above the rim of the box edge, but if it

does, use a file or rasp to make it flush.

Usually the shorter ends of the cigar box are chosen for the ends of the instrument (as shown above), so that

it will have a horizontal orientation and be more comfortable to hold.

Summary of Contents for Cigar Box Ukulele Kit

Page 1: ...lso known as alto cigar box ukulele sure to be the envy of friends and neighbors alike The ukulele is a very fun and easy to play instrument with a unique happy sound and your cigar box uke will provide many hours of musical enjoy ment Kit Inventory Refer to the labeled photo above to identify each of the parts in your kit Verify that everything is present and that you are familiar with what s wha...

Page 2: ...le saw Forstner bit Spade bit for sound hole optional Sandpaper recommended Scratch awl recommended Blue painter s tape recommended A digital chromatic tuner The diagram below shows a completed cigar box ukulele built from this kit with all of the key components la beled Refer to this diagram throughout the rest of these instructions if you are not sure of where we re head ed P 1 A Step 1 Install ...

Page 3: ... lid trace the heel of the neck onto the box Be careful to hold the neck firmly in place without letting it move while tracing the outline onto the box surface masking tape Figures 3 and 4 show how we did this If the neck heel extends below the bottom edge of the box mark it for cutting filing off later Step 2 Drilling the Neck Mounting Holes in the Box You can now set aside your neck On the box y...

Page 4: ...irst mounting hole into the neck and then insert a single screw to hold the neck in place and then mark the other two holes This will keep the neck from moving shifting and it is very important that all of these holes line up properly you don t want your neck to be crooked Now mark and drill the two remaining holes When fin ished your box and neck should be fully drilled with the three neck mounti...

Page 5: ...r the body makes the build a little more complicated but it does make the instrument more versatile when played This guide shows the simpler method of cutting off the excess part of the fretboard so that it does not extend out over the box Step 1 Dry Fit the Fretboard and Cut off Excess Length Line up your fretboard on top of the neck leaving about 3mm of room for the nut to be glued in place be l...

Page 6: ...it to do this until towards the end of the as sembly process The rest of these instructions assume that the fretboard has been cut short er Once you have your fretboard cut to length it is time to get it glued onto the neck Apply wood glue to both the back of the fret board and the top of the neck as shown in Figure 14 Make sure to spread the glue around over the entire surface you want to make su...

Page 7: ... to the edge of the box as possible but make sure the box lid will still close once it is in place Figure 16 Step 2 Position and Drill the Bridge Now center the bridge on the top of the box remember that the slot where the saddle will rest should be towards the front and that the front edge of this slot should be exactly 15 inches from where the back side of the nut will be see Fig ure 17 Placing ...

Page 8: ...oothing off the sharper edges and points is also a good idea at this point you don t want anything that will dig into your strumming arm when play ing Step 3 Prepare and Install the Saddle This is also a good time to smooth and round the ends of the bone saddle espe cially the end that will be towards the top of the instrument when it is held for play ing for the same reason as above a sharp edge ...

Page 9: ...ue get a better hold Now using two of the provided washer head screws the heads are a little bigger in diameter than the screws shown in the picture to the right carefully position glue and screw the bridge to the box as shown in Figure 22 If using a power driver be mindful of how much pressure you apply Driving too hard and too fast may split the tabs Overtightening may also split the thin wood o...

Page 10: ...d the plastic washer and bushing on the front The tuning shaft will join all the components with the tuner button screwed into the end At this point make certain to tight en the screws attaching each white plastic button to the corre sponding tuner shaft Tight screws will help to prevent the pegs from unwinding under the tension of being strung up Step 2 Cut Sound holes Optional If you haven t cut...

Page 11: ...ok at Figures 28 31 for a visual guide of how to get your ukulele strung up The packag ing for the strings will help you to determine which strings go where The 4th and 1st strings are the same gauge thickness The 4th string is placed above the thickest string closest to the top of the box when in the playing position The 3rd string is the thick est of the four The second string goes below the 3rd...

Page 12: ... top string when you are playing the rightmost being the bottom string and the circles tell you where to put your fingers The open circles at the top of the diagram indicates an open unfretted string Using just these chords you can play a large number of both traditional and popular songs from folk to coun try to rock and pop You should be able to follow along with any printed or online sheet musi...

Page 13: ...musical instrument kits featuring cigar boxes and other reclaimed materials from the simplest one string diddley bows to 4 string cigar box guitars www CBGitty com Kits We also have a huge variety of parts and accessories that you can use to branch out and build your own cus tom instruments www CBGitty com CigarBoxGuitarParts Figure 28 Figure 29 Figure 30 Figure 31 String 4 String 1 String 2 Strin...

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C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply Cigar Box Ukulele Kit, Assembly Instructions Manual

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