Bridge and Nut Placement

The bridge is the black piece of wood seen here attached to the "Java" label on the cigar box. The nut is the piece of wood attached just before the headstock begins. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

Bridge and nut placement is a seemingly simple part of the cigar box guitar creation process, but keep in mind that accuracy is key here. The bridge and nut are two mechanisms that raise the strings to their appropriate place, and keep them locked in so to allow them to follow a straight path down the length of the fretboard before guiding the strings into the tuning pegs. Depending on how the bridge and nut are placed, the tone and playing of your cigar box guitar could be entirely different.

Two key factors are determined by the bridge and nut: Scale length, and action. Scale length is the distance between the bridge and the nut. With longer scale lengths comes longer strings, and greater string tension, which can affect sound and make bending strings while playing more difficult. Action is the height of the strings raised up from the body and fretboard of the guitar, which can also affect the ease in playing the guitar itself. Action is determined by the height of the bridge and nut, which prop the strings up to their resting height.

When crafting my bridge and nut, I generally take a 1/4" wooden dowel and cut it in half with a coping saw. Be careful doing this, as cutting objects as small as these is very difficult. The dowels cut in half give me flat surfaces to attach the bridge and nut to the guitar with, and rounded ones on top to make carving the guides for the strings somewhat easier.

If the dowel method is one you find too dangerous, or you would prefer a more rustic look, you can also use an eye-bolt and screw for your bridge and nut. Keep in mind, however, that this usually gives the cigar box guitar an extremely high action, and generally renders it good for only slide playing.

When placing either the dowels or bolts, use wood glue. Attach the nut first, at its rigid location of 1/2" below the beginning of the headstock. You will now have to determine your desired scale length. Any larger than 24" is usually too long for cigar box guitar strings to handle. I generally set my scale length at 21". Upon determining scale length, take a ruler or tape measure and measure out your determined scale length from the nut to the area on the cigar box where you will place your bridge. Make a small notch with a pencil for accuracy, and proceed to attach the bridge.

Congratulations, you have just finished one of the two most complex steps in creating the cigar box guitar! In our next post, we'll look into installing the piezo pickup system.