History of the Cigar Box
A cigar box guitar is stringed instrument that uses an empty guitar as its resonator. Most cigar box guitars only use 1-3 strings and don't use frets on the neck. Cigar box guitars were made mostly by people in poverty tracing all the way back to the 1800s during the Civil War. They were first made by black Americans living in poverty during the Depression who couldn't afford real instruments and would make instruments out of any materials they could find. Once cigars started to be sold in smaller boxes that held 20 cigars instead of 100, guitars fiddles, banjos and violins started being made by jug bands and used to make blues music.
How To: Make a Cigar Box Guitar
To make a Cigar Box Guitar you will first need the following materials:
-Wooden Cigar Box, Guitar Strings, screws and 12 1" finishing nails, a Piezo electric device, amp, tuning pegs, and a piece of 3 foot long 1x2 (preferably poplar)
-Tools: Drill, saw, wood glue, sandpaper
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| Cigar Box |
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Strings, Tuning Pegs, Piezo Device, Strings
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Steps to Making a Cigar Box Guitar:
1. Make noches on the wood and the cigar box where you would like the neck of the guitar to be placed. Line it up so that there is about 3 inches for the bottom of the neck to the box (this is where the strings will be coming up from). Cut the box as deep as the wood is thick so that the wood can fit snuggly and line up perfectly with the lid of the cigar box. You can use sandpaper and a wood file to smooth out the wood.
2. When the neck fits snuggly and evenly with the cigar box drill sound holes into the box (guitar body) so that the sound can resonate. Caution: do not drill holes where the neck will be, try one on each side of the neck. Be careful not to crack the wood of the box while you do this.
3. The Neck. To make the top of the neck look as nice as possible start by marking the neck 4 inches down from the top. this will be were the headstock (where the tuning pegs are attached) ends and the fretboard begins. Drill 3 holes for the tuning pegs then shape the headstock. When drilling the holes make 2 on the left side and one on the right. The two on the left should not match up with each other exactly, other wise the strings will interfere. Offset them slightly.
4. Next on the neck, string 3 holes at the bottom of the neck. These should be the same distance and look as the 3 at the top of the neck. Go back to the top of the neck, under the headstock and make a grove in the wood, this is where you will put a bolt to be your bridge so that the strings will rest slightly away from the wood.
5. To attach the neck to the body use the wood glue to fuse the the neck of the guitar to the lid. Once it dries and you can use nails to secure it, as long as you make sure not to crack the box.
6. Now it is time to string the guitar! It is recommended to use acoustic guitar strings. One of the most generic types of tuning you can use are A (A,E,A') or G (G,D,G').
