Goodfeets Guitars

The Second Remedy

2008-11-30T10:45:00.005-08:00

The Second Remedy

This is the second in a series of four Remedy guitars. Like the first Remedy this guitar features an all wood Remedios 92 cigar box with a 35 inch maple neck. It has three strings tuned DAd. Unlike the first version, this one has an added sound hole and the box has been distress for a vintage, well played appearance.

The Remedy

2008-11-27T13:38:00.002-08:00

The Remedy

MP3 Sample
Sold

The Remedy is an all wood Remedios 92 cigar box with a maple neck aproximately 35 inches long. It has three strings tuned AEa, a bolt for a nut and a standard banjo bridge.

Partagas Two

2008-10-11T22:28:00.006-07:00

The Partagas Two

MP3 Sample
Sold

This is a yellow, paper-coverd Partagas cigar box with a cherry neck marked along the top with 24 frets and a maple fingerboard marked with 6 key positions. This one stringed diddley bow is around 32 inches tall.

The Partagas

2007-12-18T22:12:00.004-08:00

The Partagas

Sold

This is a red, paper-coverd Partagas cigar box with a cherry neck marked along the top at 13 fret positions. This one stringed diddley bow is only around 24 inches tall, so it is the perfect travel instrument

The Black Dulcimer

2007-04-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Black Dulcimer

sold

The Black Dulcimer is a primitive hybrid instrument made from a painted metal tin with a long scale neck, fretted dulcimer style. It has four stings, two bass drone strings and two high strings tuned to the same note which are fretted together to create the melody. The fingerboard is made from a piece of maple with steel wire threaded through it to make primitive, but effective frets, a technique I'd like to experiment with more in the future. When played, The Black Dulcimer sounds like a banjo played through bagpipes in a bathroom.

The Wawel

2007-01-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

The Wawel

sold

Etsy Featured Item
12-23-06

This "Finest Quality Wawel Chocolates" box came from the Goodwill Store. The neck is shaped from red oak and stained to match the color of the box. I shaped the headstock in an attempt the reflect the little gold decorations on the corners of the chocolate box. The fingerboard, tailpiece, bridge and nut are all made from a natural color oak. The fingerboard was notched out at fret positions and the notches were filled with a contrasting color of wood filler. Brass screws not only hold the fingerboard in place, but also mark the key fret locations. The bridge is mounted on a pair of bolts and its height is adjustable. As it is, the action is low enough that it can be played with a slide or as fretless guitar. Several coats of lacquer were applied to the box and neck, and it looks pretty good,

The Scaloped Maduro

2007-01-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

The Scalloped Maduro

sold

This is a collection of experiments that came together into one little guitar that is very different from any of the others I've made so far. Two of the strings run through holes in the headstock into reversed tuning machines. I also used bridge pins to secure the strings rather than a tailpiece. The biggest departure though, is the scalloping of the neck in between the first 4 frets. This is an ancient method of creating a fingerboard. Because of this primitive fingerboard, the guitar is tuned EAD, like the first three strings of a standard guitar, rather than the open slide tuning I normally use. I decided to use nylon strings so the neck will not get chewed up when fretting. Although they have a good sound, these strings have the unfortunate side effect of lowering the volume output. There are also some issues with stray glue marring the finish, but overall it is an interesting piece.

The Romeo

2007-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Romeo

sold

The Romeo is a one string fretless diddley bow made from a Cedro Deluxe Romeo Y Julieta cigar box. It is about 32 inches tall with a 25 inch scale length. The neck is carved from a reclaimed piece of mystery lumber taken from an old coffee table. I think is a hard fruit wood. A few key fret positions are marked along the top of the neck with tiny filled holes. The wood has a nice amount of small worming running across it. I like the look of the bare wood so I finished it simply with some hand rubbing and a very light coat of car polish. I like the way it sounds played fretless while plucking with the thumb or fingers like a bass.

The Julieta

2007-01-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Julieta

sold

The Julita is a two string fretless diddley bow made from a Cedro Deluxe Romeo Y Julieta cigar box. It is about 30 inches tall with a 22.5 inch scale length. The neck is carved from a reclaimed piece of mystery lumber taken from an old coffee table. I think is a hard fruit wood. A few key fret positions are marked along the top of the neck with tiny filled holes. The wood has a nice amount of small worming running across it. I like the look of the bare wood so I finished it simply with some hand rubbing and a very light coat of car polish. It was meant to be a companion piece to The Romeo which played like more of a bass instrument. I currently have the 2 strings tuned a fifth apart (C,G) but it also sounds nice when they are tuned a full octave apart (Aa.)

The Supremita

2007-01-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Supremita

sold

The Supremita is a short guitar only 25 inches long with a 17 inch scale. The sound box is made from a small Calidad Suprema cigar box. I've discovered that these smallish boxes yield the best results with light strings tuned fairly high. These strings are .022, .015, and .011 tuned AEa. The neck was carved out of a square piece of reclaimed pine. This is the first guitar I've made with a neck and heel carved from one piece of wood. It is also the first with an angled back headstock.

The Suprema Mark V

2007-01-01T00:21:00.000-08:00

The Suprema Mark V

sold

The fifth in a series of similar guitars using Calidad Suprema cigar boxes. This one has a maple neck and bridge, a 20 inch scale length, and relatively light strings tuned DAd. The finish has been buffed until some of the wood shows through, giving the box a glowing color.

The Cricket

2006-12-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

The Cricket

sold

The Cricket is a primitive one string fiddle with a 16 inch scale. There is a metal rod inside of the neck to ensure straightness. A small tin is installed in the front of the soundbox as a resonator to increase volume and a pair of piezo transducers are located inside the box so the fiddle can be amplified for even more volume. I found a vintage violin chin rest and attached it for the sake of comfortable playing. I've also bent a piece of wood and strung it up with some thin nylon thread. When given a liberally coat of rosin, it acts as a pretty good bow.

The Suprema Mark IV

2006-12-26T18:21:00.000-08:00

The Suprema Mark IV

sold

The fourth in a series of similar guitars using Calidad Suprema cigar boxes. This one has a maple neck and bridge, a 20 inch scale length, and relatively light strings tuned DAd.

La Columbia

2006-12-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

La Columbia

sold

Etsy Featured Item 12-23-06

This is a 21 inch scale, three string guitar made from a very vintage Columbia Superiores cigar box. This is a box produced sometime in the 1940's and it really shows it's age. I've kept the finsh of the maple neck simple (just a light stain and a good rubdown with some steel wool) in order to reflect the worn nature of the box. The sound is surprisingly loud for such a small box.

The Handyman

2006-12-05T03:52:00.000-08:00

The Handyman

sold

This is a 24.5 inch scale, three string guitar made from a Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is maple, with interior bracing made from cedar and pine. The box has been covered with the torn pages of a 1950's handyman project manual. All the metal hardware has been painted black and then distressed to suggest age. Parts from an army surplus bag and a set of eyebolts serve as a shoulder strap.

The Holes

2006-12-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

The Holes

sold

This is a 24.5 inch scale, three string guitar made from a Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is maple, with interior bracing made from cedar and pine. The box and neck have both been stained, painted and distressed to suggest age. I cut a few small soundholes in the box and a matching hole near the head of the neck. A pair of brass hinges make the tailpiece and bridge.

The Bunkhouse

2006-11-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

The Bunkhouse

sold

This is a 24.5 inch scale, three string guitar made from a Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is maple, with interior bracing made from cedar and pine. The box and neck have both been stained, painted and distressed to suggest age. I cut a star shaped soundhole and then painted on a few other stars to continue the motif.

The Grubby

2006-11-29T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Grubby

sold

This is a 24.5 inch scale, three string guitar made from a Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is maple, with interior bracing made from cedar and pine. The entire thing has been distressed and then stained to make it look like it was just unearthed from the estate of some old Mississippi bluesman.

The Cookie Tin

2006-11-19T09:49:00.001-08:00

The Cookie Tin

sold

Etsy Featured Item 12-14-06

This one is a 21.5 inch scale guitar/banjo using a large cookie tin as a resonating body. Maple neck and fingerboard with a hand cut nut and a stove bolt bridge. The first 12 frets are marked with a contrasting wood filler, and key frets are indicated by the screws which also serve to hold the fingerboard down. A large bent spoon acts as the tailpiece. The sound is very reverby with a loud attack and short sustain similar to a banjo. This is my second attempt at using a tin for a body (the first was a disaster) and it came out better than I had hoped.

Suprema 2 & 3

2006-10-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

The Suprema Versions Two & Three

Available at Re-Gifts

This a pair of sister guitars designed and built for the ReGifts Store in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each is about 27 inches in length with a 21 inch scale. The necks are made of reclaimed wood and have been finished in a rustic style with several layers of different stains.

The Flame Job

2006-09-17T19:29:00.001-07:00

The Flame Job

sold

Another thin box with a tin resonator similar to El Toro. This one doesn't have as much volume, but has considerably more sustain. The entire guitar is about 34 inches long with a 24 inch scale. Buffalo bone beads were used for both bridge and nut. Maple neck and fingerboard. I normally like to let the cigar branding take center stage, but this box had nothing printed on it, so I stained the whole deal red and painted on a set of flames for a rockabilly look.

The Tuner

2006-09-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

The Tuner

I've had some questions about how to tune one of my guitars. The actual tunings vary from guitar to guitar based on scale length and string gauges. I try to find the best setup for each guitar. Most of them are tuned to an open "D" chord (DAd), meaning, when all strings are strummed unfretted, a D major chord is produced. This is ideal for slide playing. As long as the slide is kept perpendicular to the neck a good chord will be played. My second favorite tuing is open "A" (AEa.) It lends itself well to slightly shorter scaled necks.

Getting the strings in tune is another story. I personally don't have a very good ear for tuning, so I rely on a mechanical tuner. There are loads of different tuners on the market, but the one I use is perfect for a homemade guitar. The Intellitouch PT2 clamps onto virtually any instrument and picks up the vibrations of each string and show the note being produced. A series of arrows on each side of the note let you know if you are sharp or flat. It is a different system from other tuners out there, so if you are used to a more traditional one, this might take a little getting used to. The PT2 works fine for me, but Intellitouch also makes a higher end model with a back lit screen and a storage case. It can also remember multiple tuning calibrations. Maybe you'll know how to use that, I sure don't.

Because this kind of tuner reads vibration frequencies, it can be used with even wood and brasswinds, not just stringed instruments.

El Toro de Nicaragua

2006-09-07T17:58:00.001-07:00

El Toro de Nicaragua

sold

I had doubts about the possibilities of this box, but it has turned out to be one of the best sounding guitars I've made yet, with a nice banjo-like punch. My doubts stemmed from the thinness of the cigar box. It is only about an inch thick. Usually, the volume of the finished product is affected greatly by the size of the box, so I thought I would need to install some kind of resonator to increase volume. I found this tin that looked like the perfect size and embedded it into the soundboard. The neck and nut are made of maple. The bridge and fingerboard are made from reclaimed redwood. If you look closely you can still see remnants of the image that was originally printed on the redwood. I've used alternating silver and brass screws to mark fret positions. This is a relatively short guitar, less than 29 inches long with a 21 inch scale.

The Monterrey

2006-09-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

The Monterrey

Available at Re-Gifts

This is a series of four 3-string slide guitars. Each is 30 inches long with my favorite 24 inch scale. The sound box is made from a paper covered Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is made of maple with a bridge made from reclaimed mystery wood from a broken music box. It sounds rather deep and bluesy. With this series of guitars I've achieved what I set out to do with the Leons; make a few budget guitars without a lot of frills, that still play well and sound good. This way I can let them go for a pretty low price

Slides

2006-08-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Stainless Spacer

I've messed around with a few different things to use as a slide. From bottle necks to pocketknives. Socket wrenches to antique medicine bottles. Although I'm probably not finished experimenting, the best thing I've found so far is this little stainless steel spacer. If you have a huge, corporate hardware store in your area, go there. Bypass, the refridgerators and paint department. Head straight to the hardware section. There should be a long wall of multi-colored drawers with every conceivable screw, washer or nut you'll ever need (until you really, really need something, then you won't be able to find it.) Somewhere in the middle of that wall should be a couple of drawers labeled "spacers." They come in many different lengths and diameters. The one I chose is two inches long and one inch across. It fits perfectly on my left hand ring finger. They sell a slide that looks exactly like this at the guitar store for 12 times as much.

The Mandolele

2006-08-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

The Mandolele

likely keeper

A work in progress. I took the neck from a broken mandolin and altered it to fit on this weird jewelry box. I reshaped the head to hold only four strings. The tailpiece is violin style and the bridge is shaped from a couple different pieces of wood. I've been playing it a lot and haven't wanted to take it apart for gluing and finishing.

The Fisherman

2006-08-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

The Fisherman

sold

This diddley bow was made using a Don Julian cigar box. The previous owner used it to store his fishing supplies, so I thought what could be better than a yard stick for a neck. You can take this beauty out on the boat with you, and if you ever do manage to catch a fish, stop playing for a minute and use the guitar as a measurement device. The bridge and nut were both hand carved out of a domino. I put a thick guitar string on him and tuned him low. This guy really growls. The action is low enough that you can play with your fingers, but I'm including a stainless steel slide so you can play in the traditional way.

The Cohiba

2006-08-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Cohiba

sold

This is a short scale 2-string guitar 25 inches tall with an 18 inch scale. The soundbox is made from a small Cohiba Robustos cigar box and the neck is a repurposed wooden yardstick. The measurements on the yardstick make convenient fret markers. For instance the third fret is at 6 3/4 inches and the 12th is at 13 inches. I've placed the soundhole at the top of the box and added a second mock-soundhole for the sake of cosmetics.

The Leon

2006-08-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Leon Jimenez

sold | sold
sold | sold

This is a series of four 3-string slide guitars. Each is 30 inches long with a 24 inch scale. The sound box is made from a Leon Jimenez cigar box. The neck, bridge, and interior bracing are all made of maple. Contrasting inlays of wood filler mark the fret positions along the top edge of the neck. These sound nice and twangy so I decided to forego adding any electrification

The Maduro

2006-08-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

The Maduro

sold

This is a medium length 3-string slide guitar about 28 inches tall with an 22 inch scale. The sound box is made from a Macanudo Maduro cigar box. The neck is made of painted poplar with a maple fingerboard. Fret positions are cut into the fingerboard and filled with contrasting wood filler. Brass flush mounted screw not only hold the fingerboard in place, they also serve as dots marking key frets. It is really not very loud so it has a piezo pickup installed for amplification.

The Monte Cristo

2006-08-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Monte Cristo

sold

This is a super tiny little 2-string slide guitar only 19 inches tall with an 18 inch scale. The sound box is made from a Monte Cristo cigar box. The neck is made of poplar with inlaid metal dots along the top edge marking fret positions. It also has an internal piezo pickup for connecting to an amplifier. Finished off with brass corners and strap buttons.

The Legends

2006-08-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Legends

sold

This is a full scale four-string slide guitar about three feet tall. The sound box is made from a Cigar International Legends cigar box. The neck is oak with metal strips inlaid at fret positions. This guitar is intended to be played with a slide so the frets are not raised. Key fret positions are marked with metal dots at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 17th frets. The nut and saddle were hand carved from dominoes. I've put in an internal piezo pickup that sounds pretty good amplified.

The Suprema

2006-08-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Suprema

sold

This is a four-string guitar about two feet tall with a 17.5 inch scale. The sound box is made from a Calidad Suprema cigar box. The neck is red oak stained to match the box color. Metal strips are inlaid at fret positions. This guitar is intended to be played with a slide so the frets are not raised. Key fret positions are marked with tiny flush mounted screws at the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th frets. I've put in an internal piezo pickup that sounds pretty good amplified. It is strung with light gauge strings and tuned to an open A for a mandolin-esque sound.

The Corina

2006-08-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Corina

sold

This is a three-string guitar three feet tall with a 29 inch scale. The sound box is made from a very old Corina cigar box. The neck and bridge are oak. Notched aluminum saddle and a machine screw nut. Bent paper clips are embedded into the neck as frets for one full octave of twelve notes. Both soundholes are covered with screen for a vintage look, although the bottom-most one is actually a mock soundhole just there for the sake of appearances. An internal piezo element pickup allows this guitar to be amplified.

The Excalibur

2006-08-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Excalibur

sold

This is a tiny little 4-string slide guitar only 2 feet tall with an 18 inch scale. The sound box is made from an Excalibur 1066 cigar box. The neck is oak with brown and orange colored pencils inlayed along the top to mark fret positions. An internal piezo element pickup allows this guitar to be amplified.