The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!
How to Build and Play Cigar Box Guitars and other Homemade Instruments
In the first installment of a four part series, Ben “Gitty” Baker broaches the subject of Canjos. Their historical origins, how they are built and what makes them so unique.
Click here to find out more about this unique and easy-to-play instrument!
After some head scratching and brain storming, Ben “Gitty” Baker found a use for those larger, thinner cigar boxes that are normally too thin to make an instrument: A Tambourine!
In this guide, Gitty walks you through the steps he took to create this modern, Cigar Box powered take on the ancient instrument.
Cigar Box Guitars have certainly become an art form in their own right. Builders from all over the world are finding new and exciting ways to decorate and customize their builds.
This article aims to give you some ideas on how you can use some interesting items, gathered from pretty much anywhere, to add a bit of flair to your next build!
Click here to read the full article
Need ideas or inspiration for your next build, or just want to see what other awesome creations others have come up with?
Check out the Customer Gallery over at C. B. Gitty. You can even submit your own project!
First published in February 1850 and written by Stephen Foster, Camptown Races is an easy and fun song to play on your dulcimer or one-string Canjo.
Adding in your own spin on a well-recognized Blues riff can certainly help take your Cigar Box Guitars to a new level and may even present more compelling evidence that whomever is hearing it NEEDS that cigar box guitar in their life.
Shane Speal presents a series of 5 how-to play videos designed to teach you some of the most common blues riffs for your Open G (GDG) Cigar Box Guitar.
The following album is a collection of photos dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. Most of them were taken in Europe around World War 1.
It is certainly a great example of how “Tough Times Make Great Music”.
Open A (AEA) tuning is not as commonly used as other 1-5-1 tunings, but it still has it’s place as an option for those that want to try something different with their Cigar Box Guitars.
This article will give you a good grounding on the type and size of strings you will need for this tuning, as well as some sound bites on what you can expect from each string.
Click Here to learn more about choosing strings for this tuning!
A classic Rock Anthem written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1969, “Honky Tonk Women” was a smash hit by the Rolling Stones that translates very well to an Open G (GDG) Cigar Box Guitar.
Tuning machines are an important part of a cigar box guitar. They help keep the string at the right tension, so that it stays in tune while playing.
In this article, Glenn lays out three key points in an effort to help educate builders on how a tuner works:
Fret markers can add a bit of functional aesthetics to a Cigar Box Guitar and can really stand out.
In this video, Glenn Watt gives you step-by-step instructions on how to install fret markers on your next Fretboard!
Cigar Box Guitars are very versatile instruments and can be utilized to play a wide variety of music styles. Below you will find a link to a tab for one of 2013’s smash hits, “Royals” from New Zealand artist Lorde.
This truly showcases the incredible adaptability of these magnificent instruments.
The process of fretting has long been somewhat of an intimidating prospect. Recently the topic has gained a lot more attention and fretted Cigar Box Guitars are being created in workshops all around the world.
This article by Ben “Gitty” Baker shares some of the basics concepts of fretting and presents some compelling points on what fretting can do for your instruments.
