Here’s the latest version of my 4-string cigar box piccolo bass guitar. What a mouthful. Tuned EADG in the same octave as the donor guitar.

The single straight pickup and neck I salvaged from a trash-find Behringer Metalien 6-string guitar. The cigars were robustos from the Dominican Republic.

Every iteration of the CG box piccolo bass (what I’m calling it) had intonation issues from using this ‘vintage’ compromise 2-saddle bridge.

And from me having problems locating and screwing down the bridge both fore and aft: and over the center of the fretboard and pickup side to side. Uncalibrated eyeball.

Luckily wood is very plastic and I’ve added wood bits here and there to make it long enough for proper intonation at 25.5 inches from the nut. Mas o menos.

And to make it strong enough to handle string tension.

I’ve sanded it off in places too, but it’s not nearly smooth enough on the sharp box top edge, where my arm has to rest. Can’t play it for long.

Otherwise I’m happy with it. It’s heavy compared to a normal 3-string cigar box guitar with piezo pickup but light compared to an electric bass guitar.

I play bass lines on it and primitive melodies. Because I beefed up the box so much it lacks acoustic volume from the box being chocked full of bracing.

So I run it through my Fender and Roland bass amps using chorus effect. Sounds nice. Outdoors I use a miniature Blackstar AC/DC amp that weighs nothing.

There are a few things I can do to improve the sound and playability. I could buy a better nut, the one on it was from a cheap ukulele.

The action is too high so I could put in a thinner plank to hold the bridge, or sand down the one on there.

I could get better intonation by dumping the dumb 2-saddle bridge in favor of a normal bridge with four saddles.

Except it actually works fine and I’m pretty Scots frugal (tight wad). So if something works I’m reluctant to change it out if it costs me a dollar.

I cannot complain about the flatwound D’Addario guitar strings, they are smooth and easy to play with little string zinging.

Hides my poor muting and fingering while still giving good high end.

Homebuilt projects like this are never really finished. I’ll do what I noted above, starting with grinding the top edge and corner smooth so I can play it longer.

When I find a gig bag for it I’ll be set for the road.

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