Author: Shane Speal

Vintage Homemade Bass & Lap Steel [the Legacy of Our Instruments]

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I recently purchased this Beatle bass and mahogany lap steel guitar from two different sources.  I got them because I have a fascination with homemade instruments, cigar box and otherwise.  These two are prime examples of a person wanting a very specific instrument to play and then taking it upon themselves to build their own.

The tragedy of this story is that neither builder signed their work. Continue reading “Vintage Homemade Bass & Lap Steel [the Legacy of Our Instruments]”

Shane Speal Interviewed by Offbeat for NOLA Cigar Box Guitar Fest

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Shane Speal’s goal is simply stated: “I want to help make New Orleans home to the premier cigar box festival in the world.”

A musician and historian hailed as “King of the Cigar Box Guitar” and the man responsible for the instrument’s recent revival, Speal spoke with OffBeat from his backyard woodshop in York, Pennsylvania as he put final touches on a handmade cigar box guitar—he’s built more than 2,000 since 1993.  >>Read more…

Chasing Steam – Shane Speal’s documentary on the York PA Steam Whistle Concert

chasing steam

Chasing Steam, starring Cigar Box Nation’s own Shane Speal with Ben “Gitty” Baker.  Speal searches for the sound of a 100 year-old steam whistle Christmas concert and is joined in by Ben Baker, who creates his own homemade version.   Continue reading “Chasing Steam – Shane Speal’s documentary on the York PA Steam Whistle Concert”

How to Build an Uncle Enos Banjo [historic cigar box banjo / banjar plans]

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by Daniel Carter Beard  

Originally published as Christmas Eve with Uncle Enos in newspapers in the early 1800’s.  First book appearance in 1884, as printed in The Book Buyer 1884-1885.  These plans would eventually be published in Beard’s American Boys Handy Book in 1882.

Edited and expanded: December 22, 2015 by Shane Speal. Continue reading “How to Build an Uncle Enos Banjo [historic cigar box banjo / banjar plans]”

Trademarks and the Danger of Using that Branded Cigar Box

trademark

So are we legally allowed to use branded cigar boxes in our builds?  Will one of these cigar companies come after us if they see their stogie branding on the face of our latest Stradivarius?

C. B. Gitty founder, Ben Baker recently went through legal proceedings based on a cease-and-desist he received for using a Jack Daniels metal sign on a 4-string banjo.

The simple answer to the question lies in whether the objects used in the instrument are discarded containers or new products.  Read the whole rundown here:

Legal Considerations of Repurposing Branded Products (like cigar boxes) for Resale