Cigar Box Bass Project...Need some advice

[Isher]

I was thinking of building a Cigar Box Bass, with a twist.

I love 8-string and 12 string basses. I thought about making a 4-string tuned to an octaved 2-string...

I guess tablature would explain better

E|----------|
e|----------|
B|----------|
b|----------|

Only low notes with octaves.

Only, I'd want the string spacing close enough to play like an octave bass, so my big problem is what to do about a neck. It would have to be pretty narrow. Not sure what to do about that...already considered cutting a custom nut and what bridge to use. It would probably have to be a 4-string bass bridge with threaded saddles to get the placement right. Or maybe those individual bridge saddles, with the octave strings set further forward. So, I'm here to ask you guys that have experience in the CBG department and luthiery department to bounce ideas at me.

[Achtane]

The two times I've made 3-string cigar box basses, I used a 2x2 from the hardware store as a neck and big machine screws as the nut and bridge. Easy peasy. The screw bridge works wonderfully in keeping the tremolo-equipped one in tune too.
A homemade nut or bridge out of pieces of wood or somethin' would probably look really nice though.

[MEC]

Maybe a piece of aluminum tubing with a fretboard attached:



The aluminum comes in different sizes. Something like 1" X .5" would probably be about right.
It'd be small enough that the squared edges probably wouldn't matter.

You can get the fretboard blanks here: http://www.bellforestproducts.com/fretboard-blanks/

Just sand it to fit and radius and add the frets.



I'm way too lazy to do what I suggested, but it'd be cool if you did it!

[metalmariachi]

Found a big blue gourd at a shop here the other day and was thinking about making a Gourd body bass.
Still haven’t figured out how to attach the neck or any hardware for that matter.
MM

[Isher]

Maybe I'd be better off and just using a 4-string bridge, and using a B and E string with B and E guitar strings tuned 1 octave higher and just use it like that.

Or maybe tune it B and F#, or A and E. That'd be kinda neat. I'd still have the octave, but it wouldn't be close together like an octave bass.

[Isher]

It would be a total bastard creation.