Wire it up!
I decided to make my Cigar Box Guitar electric! You can also play it acoustically, but I can plug it into my amp this way too. It only costs about $6 to make it electric.
This does not use a traditional Magnetic Pickup like you would find in an electric guitar. It uses a Piezo Transducer. These are the things that make your smoke alarm beep! But if you tear them apart and just get the transducer out- it also can pick up vibrations.
Here is what I started with, I needed a Piezo and a 1/4″ jack.
Next up, I had to take the Piezo apart to get to the part I needed. You can order just the part you need, but I went to my local Radio Shack- they did not stock that part.
I cut out the circuit board and wired it to my jack:
Then I mounted it inside by Cigar Box Guitar- for now I just have it taped in place. I will eventually hot glue it, which gives you a little better sound. It works by picking up the vibrations the strings make when you play them.
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