Here’s one of the better known Christmas songs for children, which tells the story of Santa Claus’ nighttime arrival. We have included both the melody line and some strumming accompaniment, but you can skip that extra stuff by just focusing on the topmost line/number for each note.
All of the cigar box guitar tablature here on CigarBoxGuitar.com is presented by The Southbound String Company, the only strings specifically chosen and voiced for cigar box guitars. Be sure to check out our line of Open G GDG cigar box guitar string sets here!
A lot of new Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) builders (and more than a few veterans) tend to get a bit uneasy when the topic of piezo pickups comes up. Everyone seems to have a different idea of how to use them. Some folks say that they should be built into the bridge, others attach them to the exterior of the bridge; some mount them inside the box lid, others attach them to the outside of the lid. Add in concepts such as insulation methods, multiple piezos, volume potentiometers and wiring schematics, and the waters tend to get pretty muddy pretty fast.
This two-part article is meant to be a basic “here’s what you need to get started” approach to helping people install a piezo pickup into their Cigar Box Guitar build. We will cover the basics of what piezo to use, where you can put it, how to mount it, and how to wire it to a jack. We will also briefly discuss the topic of wiring in a otentiometer.
This article is a continuation of the Piezo 101 Introduction to Piezo Basics. In this article we move from theory and general information to how-to info you can put to direct use in your builds. There are two main themes to this section: WHERE you should mount your piezo, and HOW you should mount it. Both of these are very important to consider when your goal is to get the best possible sound out of your cigar box guitar.
In this video, Glenn Watt walks you through installing a pre-wired magnetic pickup harness, in this case the “Florentine Screamer” sold by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply. While the video only shows that specific harness, the methods could easily be used to install other such harnesses that include a pickguard/cover plate. If you have been wanting to take the plunge into using a magnetic harness in a cigar box guitar build, take a look!
One-Hand Dan Russell shows you how to play the good ole R. L. Burnside tune, Coal Black Mattie. This is a nice easy one to get down on the 3-string Open G GDG cigar box guitar, so have a go at it and you’ll be rocking out the blues in no time!
When it comes to learning to play the cigar box guitar, you can’d do better than going to the King of the Cigar Box Guitar, Shane Speal. Here is the first of Shane’s series of how-to-play videos.
When it comes to learning to play the cigar box guitar, you can’d do better than going to the King of the Cigar Box Guitar, Shane Speal. Here is the second of Shane’s series of how-to-play videos.
When it comes to learning to play the cigar box guitar, you can’d do better than going to the King of the Cigar Box Guitar, Shane Speal. Here is the third of Shane’s series of how-to-play videos.
When it comes to learning to play the cigar box guitar, you can’d do better than going to the King of the Cigar Box Guitar, Shane Speal. Here is the first of Shane’s series of how-to-play videos.
For more info about Shane Speal, visit his site: <a href=”http://www.shanespeal.com” target=”_blank”>www.ShaneSpeal.com</a>.
If you have ever wanted to learn how to easily play some of the most famous and recognizable blues riffs and turnarounds on your cigar box guitar, this video series is for you! Shane Speal sits down with his video camera and a 3-string cigar box guitar (tuned to Open G GDG), and walks you through five of the best-known blues riffs that we’ve all heard hundreds of times. Each lesson is just a few minutes long – you’ll be belting out the blues in no time!
In this 10-minute video, Glenn Watt walks you through every step of installing a P90-style soap bar pickup in your neck-through cigar box guitar. P90’s have an almost mythic reputation and a cult-like following for their tone and sound, and they sound absolutely awesome in cigar box guitars.
In this video, CBG craftsman Glenn Watt shows us how to install a basic pre-wired piezo & jack harness (such as C. B. Gitty’s product #50-014-01) in your cigar box guitar. It really is that easy to electrify your homemade instrument!
In this video how-to, Glenn Watt walks you through a great way to add fret position markers your cigar box guitar fretboard using wooden dowels. While a lot of folks are happy with just using a Sharpie or woodburning fret marks into their fretboard, using inset fret markers looks really good and definitely can give a build a more professional look. If you’ve consider it but thought it too hard or too much effort, think again! Glenn shows you just how quickly you can add this great feature to your next build.
In this video, CBG craftsman Glenn Watt walks you through installing basic open-gear tuners on a cigar box guitar, such as C. B. Gitty’s economy tuners.
In this video, CBG craftsman Glenn Watt walks you through installing open-gear economy tuners such as C. B. Gitty’s Chrome Open-gear Economy Tuners on your cigar box guitar.
This article is a continuation of the Piezo 101 Introduction to Piezo Basics. In this article we move from theory and general information to how-to info you can put to direct use in your builds. There are two main themes to this section: WHERE you should mount your piezo, and HOW you should mount it. Both of these are very important to consider when your goal is to get the best possible sound out of your cigar box guitar.