Reso-Plate" 3-String Resonator Guitar Kit - DIY Steel Body License Plate Guitar for Blues & Slide Playing - Perfect for Beginners, Travel & Street Performances
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SKU:83800319
Product Description
Designed with front (or back) porch picking in mind, this kit has an full, rich resonator sound and is great for playing all sorts of music, including Blues, Folk and Country. The "Reso-Plate" kit is easy to assemble, with a real license plate for the resonator (either your own or one of ours) and ready to be stained, painted, woodburned, decorated and customized. It can even be built left-handed! Designed and with most of the parts made right here at the C. B. Gitty workshops in Gonic, New Hampshire, this amazing-sounding guitar can be built at your dining room table with just a few basic tools. No advanced woodworking is required (no sawing, routing, etc) - just some basic clamping, light drilling and screw insertion is all it takes to build your very own three-string tenor guitar. This kit comes with a set of strings meant for tuning to Open G "GDG", which has become the de facto tuning standards for 3-string cigar box guitars. If desired, you can re-string it with a set of High Open G Strings for an even more old-timey banjo-like sound. This kit also comes with a full fretboard already attached to the neck, making assembly easy. The detailed how-to guide not only shows you how to assemble the kit, but also includes some basic how-to-play information as well, to help get you picking once the build is done. We also throw in a full-color copy of one of Ben Gitty's Essential Chords Posters with every kit, which is a wealth of information to help get you strumming along with popular songs. Assembly time on this kit is 3-4 hours, not including glue set-up time. It is recommended for ages 16 and up, though younger kids can help build it with close adult supervision. This kit comes in "blank slate" form of bare plywood that can be painted, stained or finished as desired. The decorated version(s) in the listing photo(s) are for demonstration purposes only. The township of the license may vary due to availability.
Product Features
Everything you need to build your own 3-string License Plate Guitar!
23" Scale Length
Rich Resonator sound great for Blues, Folk & Country music
Easy to Assemble - Only basic hand tools required
Includes strings for GDG Tuning, but open to so much more!
Customer Reviews
Wow, I could not be happier with this guitar! It sounds amazing, and the plate really adds so much to the sonic character of what would otherwise be a straightforward cigar box guitar. Sounds somewhat like a cross between a banjo and a cigar box guitar. I'm really in love with this thing!For the record, I am not at all a woodworker, nor especially handy with tools, but the instructions were pretty clear. I was able to get things put together nicely (as the pic would attest). I did need to do some sanding on the tongues and slots to get things to slide in just right, but as another review mentions, a little patience goes a long way.For me, the build took probably 3-4 hours across three days with allowing time for glue to set and cure. If you're looking at finishing and staining, I'd imagine it could take a few more. Because this involves gluing, be sure you have clamps on hand. Also, I would recommend a silicone glue brush.Knowing that it was unfinished, I was prepared for a lot of rough wood, but although not rounded, the neck feels and plays great, and the box is pretty smooth. Were I more of a woodworker, I might have gone all in with finishing, but I like the natural look.The kit does come with a Mississippi plate, but having lived in Memphis for many years, I had to put my own, old school TN plate on.Speaking of plate, I found that mine buzzed/rattled a bit when it was installed on the soundboard, especially when playing loudly. At first, I couldn't tell if this was just the way reso guitars should be, and it had kind of a crunchy, amp-driven vibe, but I couldn't get happy with it. I solved the problem by putting a 3/4" border of adhesive felt tape under the plate and it now works perfectly! It may deaden the resonance a fraction, but I'd rather have that than buzz while playing.Note: I installed my own adhesive piezo pickup on the neck brace under the bridge, hence the volume knob and plug on the front. To be honest, I'm not thrilled with the sound through the pickup. The plate is so resonant that it kind of blows out the piezo way too easily. Ah well, It's nice to have the set up for a pickup in case I ever want to try something else.Lastly, I must give a HUGE thumbs up to the customer service team at C.B. Gitty, especially Kim. My kit came with some wrong parts (note the 4-string neck), but I contacted C.B. Gitty and they went above and beyond in fixing the problem. They sent me replacement parts right away and really went all out to make sure I was a satisfied customer. It is sincerely appreciated!I will gladly recommend this kit and C.B. Gitty to anyone looking to get into cigar box guitars, even if you're not super handy with tools!
