Cigar Box Nation member, OneSixTwoCBGs created this army of gas can guitars. Notice the variety of setups, from the dulcimer fretting of instrument #’s 1 and 5, the humbucking pickups in 2 and 4 and the poplar fretboard of #6. Other details include machine screw nuts and 23″ scale. More photos: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=26cm23iclh6p3
Category: General News
Cheese Tin Banjo
Cigar Box Nation member, Vachkirit started this slide instrument build with a Laughing Cow tin and what appears to be a piece of salvaged wood for the neck. The guitar/banjo hybrid sports simple accoutrements such as a bolt for a bridge and rusted circles for sound holes. See more of his photos at http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=2dn96ueu845sb
Cigar Box Guitar with Dog Bowl Resonator, Humbucker & Fork Tailpiece
- an upside-down dog food bowl as a resonator
- standard guitar humbucker pickup
- salad fork as a tailpiece
- carrying case as the body. It was painted with a maroon sunburst using spray paint cans.
See more at http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=1qow6opbbgnhx
Why didn’t I think of this?
Shane Speal posted this picture showing a great little technique for getting your tuners perfectly aligned during installation. The pro tip was part of his full tutorial on upgrading tuners in old guitars. He also includes info on drilling holes, the proper wrench sizes and more. See the article here:
How I Revived the Life of This Teisco Guitar with a $15 Set of Tuners
Shane Speal Debuts CBG-TV: Cigar Box Guitar Television
In the next step to advance the Cigar Box Guitar Revolution, Shane Speal has teamed up with C. B. Gitty and Facebook to develop CBG-TV: Cigar Box Guitar Television.
The concept is simple: Live video broadcasts featuring lessons, concerts, DIY tips and more. Viewers can ask questions in real time, too! Speal and C. B. Gitty plan to also include interviews and reports from cigar box guitar festivals.
See the previous broadcasts and subscribe for future ones at Facebook.com/CigarBoxGuitar
1965 Hawaiian Lap Steel Guitar – Full Size Plans PDF download
We recently received these plans from “Hubcap John” Hayward which were originally featured in Practical Wireless Magazine in London in 1965. The plans feature a lap steel guitar with full schematics. They were scanned from the original and sent in eight different parts. We did our best to match them up into one complete PDF.
Download a copy here.
Double Neck Cigar Box Guitars (Pt. 3)
Darren Dukes’ double neck is a fantastic use of a La Flor Dominicana cigar box which features a huge trapezoid shape. Dukes worked with the shape to fit one neck with a reso cone and the other neck for straight acoustic. Both necks are four strings.
This guitar is currently on display at the Cigar Box Guitar Museum at Speal’s Tavern in New Alexandria PA.
L. B. Brown Makes Cigar Box Fiddle in 1914, Gets Story in Louisville KY Newspaper
This little newspaper clipping proves that even the smallest mention of cigar box instruments can give us a glimpse into the past. Lige B. Brown (possibly “Elijah” B. Brown?), a musician who created his own cigar box fiddle, was so proud of his creation that he had to visit the local newspaper office to show off his axe. Now that’s a cool little glimpse.
For even more historical info, check out these archived plans from 1928 on how to build your own cigar box violin.
This piece of history is part of the bigger C. B. Gitty/Cigar Box Nation Historical Research and Preservation Initiative, a movement to explore and document the history of cigar box guitars and related instruments.
Archived by Shane Speal, Feb 24, 2016
James Brown Didn’t Invent Soul – 1929 Newspaper Champions Cigar Box Banjo
You never know what you’ll discover when tracing the history of cigar box guitars, banjos and other homemade instruments. This little clipping comes from a parenting advice column from 1929 and when I found it, my smile was as wide as the Mississippi.
As modern musicians, we tend to ‘poo-poo’ yesteryear’s ways of teaching. However, this little clip shows that our forefathers knew what real soul and real music was.
So here’s to the music and the passion behind it. May we never lose sight of the true soul which is speaking.
Archived on February 19, 2016 by Shane Speal
Pistol-Shaped Headstock On Lone Ranger Cigar Box Guitar
Cigar Box Nation member, “Keith” recently created a cigar box guitar using a Lone Ranger lunchbox as the body. One of the most striking details was the pistol-shaped headstock (pictured above). Not only was he able to give a realistic silhouette of the gun, but he also maintained a mostly-straight string pull from the nut.
To see the entire guitar, check out “Lone Ranger Guitar on Cigar Box Nation.”
How to Play “Big Leg Woman/Swing the Hammer” on Cigar Box Guitar – Open E
Here’s another great Open E lesson for 3-string cigar box guitar. Shane Speal demonstrates the song, “Big Leg Woman/Swing the Hammer” from his album, Holler
How to Play 5-String Guitar in Open G — good for Cigar Box Guitars
Shane Speal demonstrates his song, “How Long Will You Make Me Suffer” on a 5-string guitar in open G. Speal originally recorded this on a 5-string cigar box guitar for the album, Holler. Tuning: GDGBD (low to high)