Cigar-Box-Guitar-O-Rama

There are generally two types of people: those who know what a cigar box guitar (CBG) is---at least conceptually--and those who have never seen or heard of them. Most folks who grew up here in Appalachia have seen a washboard or jug used as accompanying instruments, and some might even know what a "washtub bass" is. But our culture nationwide is so familiar with guitars, banjos and mandolins as "the norm" that we don't really think too much about how folks who might not have had access to those types of stringed instruments might have made their own music outside of homemade drums, whistles and primal clanging of household items. Truth is though, some scrap wood, a cigar box, a few nails, screws and other random bits and pieces, some wire and a few handtools, and boom . Let's make some racket.  Obviously in the last century, building cigar box instruments has shifted to more of a hobby with a specific group of enthusiasts, instead of being a necessity . Manu...

What inspired me to start trying to cobble together these kinds of instruments? Simple... Sometimes you (I) just go sorting through your guitar parts bin from years of playing and working on guitars, and you end up finding all these extra parts. Then you think to yourself how much of a shame it is they aren't being used. Well, that's not happening here anymore. I dug up several bridges, pickups, guitar necks pulled from thrift-store buys and random bits and pieces, stumbled upon some real wood cigar boxes and some scrap lumber, and decided to challenge myself. In the spirit of our forefathers, I grabbed a bunch of hand tools and started working. I began to make several of these at once, and they all had their own character. Some were very basic, while others are fancier. Some were straight-to-the-point, while others had more versatility and unique features one normally doesn't find on a CBG. What sets these apart from what most people build out of cigar boxes is that for on...

As a musician myself, I am shocked how many other guitarists---even those older than myself---have never heard of a "cigar box guitar". When I started wanting to experiment with my strange "hybrid" cigar box guitar builds about a year ago, I was somewhat familiar with what a cigar box guitar ("CBG") was, but in its more raw "OG" forms, like the "stick-through-a-box" 3/4-string short-scale rustic homemade instruments meant to be tuned to a chord and played with a slide. Also I recalled about 10 years ago having seen some cat on eBay listing a "kit" which was basically a plank of wood for a center-block, a pre-cut craft box as a substitute for a cigar box, some OEM hardware, pickups/electronics and a neck like you'd find on a "DIY" electric guitar kit (in all likelihood actually bogarted from one of said kits), and instructions to make your own fully-functional 6-string, more-refined rendition of a CBG. It was a co...

Introduction... Let's start out by acknowledging that I am not a "luthier". Those guys are trained, experienced and skilled at doing fine finish-work, building instruments from raw materials, and creating premium/boutique instruments for the most discerning players. Don't insult them by referring to me as a "luthier". I am more of a mad-scientist who takes a mix of raw materials, aftermarket parts, "pull-offs" (parts/components removed from decommissioned pre-existing instruments) and my "just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous" woodworking/finishing skills to take "upcycling" to the next level. I've been a "guitar tech" for almost as long as I've been a musician, and I implement some of my resourcefulness and know-how to make playable art. Cigar Box Guitars have been around in the USA since the 1800's, inspired by Celtic, African and other cultures' ingenuity to create instruments from a myriad of ma...