Cigar Box Guitars
In 1800’s America, the average person could not afford musical instruments. They were expensive, and harder to attain. Unlike now, people didnt have guitars, to play, as a hobby. Unless they got creative, and built their own. Cigars were very popular, in those days. Many households, had small wooden cigar boxes, laying around, empty. They were the perfect size to make into fiddles, banjos, guitars, basses or mandolins.
During the late 1800’s, cigar box instruments started to appear in artwork, illustrations, and newspaper print. Word of mouth, began to spread, this new concept of crafting instruments. Newspapers and magazines began printing plans on how to build string instruments, from cigar boxes. crafted and played throughout America in the late 1800’s
Soldiers in The Great War, were also making cigar boxes into guitars, ukuleles and fiddles, to help pass the time, in the trenches.
These guitars have been documented, in the birth of Jazz music. The Razzy Daddy Spasm Band of New Orleans, used one. In the 1920’s, blues music started to become popular. Many of the earliest stars had first learned to play on cigar box guitars, including, gopspel legend, Blind Willie Johnson.
“Atomic Rocket” Cigar Box Guitar
He also used a pocketknife as a slide. When he was a teenager, he got a conventional acoustic guitar, and developed a slide technique, based on his cigar box guitar. He would slide the main melody on the high E string, while allowing the other five strings to resonate.
Factories around America began mass-producing acoustic guitars, making cigar box guitars a novelty. Cigar box violins, mandolins and other ‘specialty’ instruments were still being used in folk music and in old lumberjack camps.
“The Southbound Katy” Cigar Box Guitar
Hell’s Belles Cigar Box Guitar
Born Losers Cigar Box Guitar
Yankee Smoke Slide Cigar Box Guitar
During the 1990’s and 2000’s, there was a revival of these relics. There were many musicians that wanted to bring authenticity into their music. They wanted their music to be deeper and have an old time sound, with an old time instrument.
Luthiers began to design and build cigar box guitars. It quickly grew into a trend, and became inspiration for many artists. Recorded songs and CD’s began to feature music, with a cigar box guitar being played. Paul McCartney wrote a song, “Cut Me Some Slack,” with him playing one of these guitars. The song won him another Grammy Award. More artists produced music, and festivals were created, in dedication to these guitars.
Today, the cigar box guitar is experiencing a Renaissance unlike any other time in its history. The artistry in building these instruments is reaching professional luthier-level construction for some. Many others prefer to maintain a primitive authenticity, in designing their guitars.
Cigar box guitar fests can be found from New Orleans to Australia and numerous places, in between. Cigar box guitars are appearing in music, videos, and movies. They still have a huge following of hobbyists and nostalgic fans. The popularity of cigar box guitars continues to grow and are commonly seen and heard, in homes, and on back porches.
High quality solid mahogany makes up the body of this guitar, and the “wide thin” set neck is made out of quality maple with a rosewood fretboard and Pearloid PRS signature bird inlays.
The body and fingerboard are bound with a cream binding giving it a vintage aesthetic reminiscent of a golden-age single-cuts.
Hot Rod Gang Cigar Box Guitar
Route 66 Black & White Cigar Box Guitar
Back Stage Burlesk Cigar Box Guitar
What makes buying and building guitars, from cigar boxes, so appealing?
According to Shane Speal, “The King Of Cigar Box Guitars,” you can hear it. “The thing buzzes. It rattles. It’s raspy. It’s just absolutely perfectly imperfect.”
This deluxe kit includes everything you need to build am amazing-sounding heirloom quality 3-string electric cigar box guitar, including detailed instructions written by the man himself, Glenn Watt!
Here is what this premium kit includes:
(8) Chrome Box Corners, with screws
(3) Chrome Sealed-Gear Tuners with screws, 2 Right/1 Left alignment
(2) Chrome Dome Press-Fit Knobs
(1) Chrome Recessed Jack Plate, with Screws
Set of (3) Electric Guitar Strings, for tuning to low open GDG
(1) Bone Nut Blank
(1) Chrome Hard-tail 3-string Bridge with screws & wrench
(2) Chrome Strap Buttons with screws
(1) Stainless Steel Pickup Cover Plate with screws
(1) Chrome “Snake Oil” Mini Humbucker Harness with Volume & Tone Controls (includes mounting screws/springs, not shown)
(1) Premium Fully Fretted 25″ Scale Hardwood Cigar Box Guitar Neck
(1) Premium Wooden Cigar Box (Styles vary, but are chosen from the best wooden cigar boxes in our inventory)
(1) Full 28-page photo-packed How-to Guide
The “Reso-Plate” kit is easy to assemble, with a real license plate for the resonator (either your own or one of ours) and ready to be stained, painted, woodburned, decorated and customized. It can even be built left-handed!
No advanced woodworking is required (no sawing, routing, etc) – just some basic clamping, light drilling and screw insertion is all it takes to build your very own three-string tenor guitar.
This kit comes with a set of strings. Standard tuning for 3-string cigar box guitars is Open G (GDG) You can re-string it with a set of High Open G Strings, for a vintage banjo-like sound. This kit also comes with a full fretboard already attached to the neck. The detailed how-to guide will show you what to do. It also includes some basic information, on how to play. The kit comes with a full-color copy of one of Ben Gitty’s Essential Chords Posters.
| Date First Available | March 2, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Back Material | Cedar Wood |
| Body Material | Cedar |
| Color Name | Brown |
| Fretboard Material | Purpleheart Wood |
| Guitar Pickup Configuration | H |
| Scale Length | 25.5 Inches |
| String Material | Nickel |
| Top Material | Cedar Wood |
| Neck Material Type | Red Oak |
| Number of Strings | 3 |
| Guitar Bridge System | Adjustable |
| Material Type | Purpleheart, Red Oak, Cedar Wood |
“Play your licks… on Route 66!” Proudly emblazoned with the legendary Route 66 sign depicted as painted on an aged brick wall, this guitar is an essential part of your kit for the next cross-country trip!
This beautiful piece is from the Illustrated Guitars line. It has the essence of great-sound and is easy to play. It is made from a tone-rich wooden cigar box. It comes with a hardwood neck & fretboard, and solid hardware). The colorful artwork, adds beauty to the instrument, with its eye-catching design. This handcrafted guitar has a full, rich acoustic tone. It has a built-in, contact pickup, for amplification, and a high, ringing, treble voice. You will love playing this guitar, which was made in the USA. In addition to the art and sound, you will love the affordable price.
The soundboard artwork is on lacquered wood. It was designed with a special UV-cured enamel ink process, to bring out a full-color, durable finish. They are made from custom ordered, wooden cigar boxes. They have never held cigars and are not a product to the tobacco industry.
This beautiful handcrafted cigar box guitar features a vintage Cigar Box artwork depicting life on a campsite during the 1800s, making it the perfect accessory for your next camping trip!
This beautiful piece is one of our line of “illustrated” guitars, designed to capture the essence of fundamental, no-frills stringed instrument crafting. To the sturdy, no-frills frame (tone-rich wooden box, hardwood neck & fretboard, solid tried-and-true hardware), we add a beautiful, full-color piece of artwork, uniquely vivifying the instrument and drawing the eye of all who see it. This handcrafted guitar has a full, rich acoustic tone (and a built-in contact pickup, if you want to amplify it), a nice high ringing treble voice, and is simply a joy to play. Best of all is the affordable price on this hand-crafted-in-the-USA piece of musical art. The soundboard artwork is printed in full color on special weatherproof polyester film, and is adhered to the box with a permanent, weather-proof adhesive.
