Picking Tuning Pegs and Strings

A company called NEEWER makes very good silver tuning pegs like these. (Photo courtesy of NEEWER.)

It's time for us to make use of that wonderful tool called the internet. Thanks to this, you'll be able to get the best strings and tuning pegs possible for your cigar box guitar.

First, head to Amazon.com, a site I love thanks to the advantage it brings non-credit card holders. If you don't have a debit or credit card, you can buy a gift card for Amazon that functions the same to order products online with. We'll need to pick out tuning pegs first, and in my experience a company called NEEWER makes the best ones for cigar box guitars. The price fluctuates somewhat, but they should cost around $5.50. You can find the NEEWER tuning pegs here.

Southbound String Company makes great cigar box guitar strings. My personal favorite is their "Acoustic Extra-Light" set. (Photo courtesy of Southbound String Company.)

Next, we'll pick out some strings. A company called C.B. Gitty, who is actually an entire business dedicated specifically to cigar box guitars, has its own brand of strings called Southbound String Company. I have ordered many strings from C.B. Gitty, and I've always had great luck with their "Acoustic Extra-Light Open G" strings. These strings are very thin, almost like a banjo's, so if you're looking for something a little thicker, feel free to try out some of the other strings Southbound String Co. offers. A set of three strings should cost $3.19 plus shipping. You can find the "Extra-Light" strings here.

Note that if you're interested in making your cigar box guitar an electric model, it is still possible to use acoustic strings and make the guitar electric if you use piezo pickups on the guitar. We'll deal more with making the guitar electric in later posts.

Now that you've selected your strings and tuning pegs, go ahead and place your order and it should ship out relatively quickly. You're one step closer to having everything you need.

In our next post, we'll get into sizing up and making some cuts on the our cigar boxes.