The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!
How to Build and Play Cigar Box Guitars and other Homemade Instruments
The third entry in our series of foundational How-To articles by Ben “Gitty” Baker is now available!
This article covers how and why to use hard-tail bridges on your electric cigar box guitars. Ben covers the different styles available, how to properly mount them and the benefits of using them.
Be sure to check out the line of 3, 4 and 6-string hard-tail bridges available on CBGitty.com!
Here’s another new how-to article by Ben “Gitty” Baker: how and why to use strap buttons on your cigar box guitar! Strap buttons (along with a guitar strap) are a great addition that help an instrument appeal to performing musicians. If you aren’t using them, read this article to find out why you should!
To pick up some quality strap buttons on the cheap, head over to C. B. Gitty and check out their selection!
We just published a new how-to article in our knowledgebase here on CigarBoxGuitar.com! This article, written by Ben “Gitty” Baker, walks you through the basics of using sealed-gear tuners.
Ben covers some of the different styles and varieties, as well as how to mount them correctly. This is one of our “foundation” series of articles that cover some of the basic building blocks of cigar box guitar building, and we hope that it helps you in your own building!
For great deals on sealed-gear tuners, be sure to check out the selection over at CBGitty.com!
In this episode of Cigar Box Nation TV (originally aired 8/19/2016), Shane Speal shows off some of his collection of weird and interesting musical instruments!
In this Cigar Box Nation TV episode (originally broadcast August 18, 2016) Glenn Watt and Ben Gitty talk about the importance (and value) of failure as a necessary part of the journey towards success, and Farley shows off some of her favorite failures (successes-to-be).
Cigar Box Nation TV – The BOWING Episode!In this episode of Cigar Box Nation TV, Ben Gitty attacks pretty much everything he can find with violin bows… from a dulcimer (it’s still Dulcimer Week here on CBN TV!) to a one-string Vaudeville fiddle, a one-string gutbucket bass to a banjo… and then it gets weird: metal trash can lid, steel dust pan, and even a 21″ brass cymbal!
Other highlights include a cover of A. J. Gaither’s song “Last Free Exit” (complete with kazoo solo), a replay of Shane and Ben discovering the HORSE FIDDLE in a museum in York, PA and more!
Posted by Cigar Box Nation on Thursday, July 21, 2016
Check out this recent Cigar Box Nation TV broadcast, featuring A. J. Gaither live from the C. B. Gitty Juke Shack Stage!
Cigar Box Nation TV broadcasts on FaceBook daily during the week at 12 Noon, plus extra special broadcasts like this concert. Be sure to like the Cigar Box Nation Facebook Page and subscribe to live broadcast notifications to make sure you never miss our live events!
In this photo-packed article, cigar box guitar guru Glenn Watt walks you through the simplest method for building your own cigar box guitar. No frills, no fluff, just the basic, easy-to-understand steps that you need to follow.
So read this article, gather your tools and materials, and you’ll be building cigar box guitars in no time!
Glenn Watt has been busy cranking out fantastic new cigar box guitar how-to articles for us lately. This latest one goes in-depth on open-gear tuners (machine heads) commonly used on cigar box guitars. Their parts, how they are best installed, and pitfalls to avoid. Glenn even shows you a great trick on how to switch the alignment of one of these little babies.
We just added a new video entry to the knowledgebase here on CigarBoxGuitar.com – a video excerpt from a Cigar Box Nation TV episode in which A. J. Gaither and Ben “Gitty” Baker discuss two great tenor guitar tunings for 4-string cigar box guitars: “Arkansas Tenor” (low E, A, D, G) and “Chicago Tenor” (D, G, B, E).
Both tunings allow you to use partial 6-string guitar chords – Ben even shows you how to use 6-string chord forms with them.
Ever wondered what to do with those wide, flat and thin cigar boxes? Well wonder no more! In this article, Ben “Gitty” Baker shows you how he turned just such a box into a playable cigar box tambourine!
It only took him about 30 minutes to whip this tambourine together, and there is a lot of room for experimentation and improvement, and even possibility of using all reclaimed items! Check it out and post pictures of your creations over at CigarBoxNation.com!
In this new knowledgebase entry, Glenn walks you through installing a C. B. Gitty Snake Oil Mini Humbucker in a cigar box guitar. As his example guitar he uses one of the popular “Mi Amor” 3-string CBGs that he designed. Color photos illustrate each step of the process with explanatory text.
If you have been wondering about how to dive into using mini humbuckers on your special builds, this is for you!