Tuning the Cigar Box Guitar Strings

The final post in creating your first cigar box guitar is finally here. Hopefully the guitar sitting before you is something you take pride in, as any craftsman should take pride in his work. You've done a great job of following the steps up to this point. If you'd like to later, send in your finished guitars and I'll feature them in their own exclusive posts on the blog!

Once again, thank you for taking time to learn about the wonders of the cigar box guitar. I hope it was a truly eye opening experience, to be able to take part in the creation of a musical instrument, and I hope this first guitar of yours is one of many to come.

I've taken the liberty of preparing this final step in podcast form, mainly because it will make the process easier to understand for those who have never tuned a guitar before, or even tuned an instrument in general. In this podcast I take one of my own cigar box guitars, detune it, and walk you through bringing yours and mine up to an Open G tuning, the standard tuning of a cigar box guitar. Listen below:

Stringing the Guitar Up (Finally!)

We're nearing the end of our journey on the creation of your first cigar box guitar! Needless to say it will be bittersweet, but I have a plan for this blog upon finishing. I would love to showcase my viewers' guitars, if any have finished building theirs.

Stringing up a guitar is a useful skill that any musician should be able to do. Get used to it too, as you'll have to do it quite often. I recommend changing strings on your instrument once every two months.

To simplify this process, I've prepared a photo sequence that will walk you through the steps on how to apply strings. Good luck!

Slideshow via Flickr, graphics by Mark Feuerborn.

Making Your Mark

Here's a guitar I crafted for a televised auction by PBS. My brand is clearly visible from the headstock, like on most traditional guitars. I utilize that same stylized "F" on all of my cigar box guitars. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

Design is a key element in making a guitar. Any musician asked will say they want to play an instrument that not only sounds good, but also looks good to them. This is why the design and physical appeal of an instrument is important. What is also important in design is making the mark of the creator of the instrument. A common place that many leave their signature mark, or brand, is above the tuning pegs on the headstock.

This is a rather self-explanatory step, as your design for your brand is entirely up to you to create. Keep in mind that this is the part of the guitar that really exemplifies your personal flair. This post is aimed at merely explaining the best method for applying the design.

I typically use acrylic paint when I'm painting on my headstock, as this seems to apply well and dry quickly on the wood we have already spray-painted. Use delicate strokes with your paint brush, and keep a cutip nearby to use to rub out mistakes. Be careful, as it is very difficult to fully erase acrylic paint from this surface.

Other than taking appropriate steps to ensure proper application, the rest is up to the designer. Let your creativity show in your brand.

Sealing the Cigar Box (Optional)

Utilizing flat-head screws and a clamp can make sealing the cigar box a simple task, and also add a little design flair. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

Sealing the cigar box on your guitar is a step some like to take, and others avoid. This is more a matter of personal preference, while it can make playing the instrument easier and potentially make for a better sound chamber.

This is a step that is mostly dependent on the cigar box, some boxes already have a latch of some sort that functions well enough that sealing is not needed. In some cases though, sealing the box may help to take care of any loose fit between the lid and the box. Also, before beginning, ensure that there is nothing else to take care of inside the box, such as installing the piezo pickup.

Small finishing nails or even screws (preferably flat-head) can be utilized. If using nails, space them out appropriately where the lid meets the side of the box and hammer away. If using screws, drilling pilot holes helps in guiding the screws into their places initially.

Make sure not to drive the nails or screws in too tight, to where they are pulling the lid inward on the box, as this can break the box over time. A slight curve outward is acceptable, however, and in some cases beneficial.

Preparing the Nut and Bridge for Strings

This is a fairly simple step, and one that won't take very long. It is still important to be careful during this process, however, as a mistake could ruin your nut or bridge.

We will only need a knife and a ruler, preferably a long one. There are a few ways of approaching this step, depending on how far apart you want your strings to rest from each other going across the fretboard. You can choose to line your notches in the bridge up with the string holes in the backside of the fretboard, or measure out your own equidistant notches on the bridge and nut. The key is just to remember to line the notches on the bridge and nut up in the end.

Once you've gotten the notches measured out, and hopefully marked, grab your knife. Press the blade into the marks and perform a sawing motion. Don't go too deep into either the bridge or the nut, or the strings will not catch in them and they will be useless. In fact, make the notches very small to begin with, and wait until the next step to deepen them if needed. We will talk about stringing the cigar box guitar up in the next step.

Attaching the Fretboard to the Box

We've successfully taken care of putting frets on the guitar, so we're close to having our guitar ready. This next step takes care of one of the final preparations on the guitar. We're about to attach our fretboard and cigar box.

We will need wood glue (I use Elmer's), six finishing nails which are somewhat small, just below an inch in length, and a hammer. Apply a small amount of wood glue to the indented section of the fretboard that goes inside of the box. Close the lid, and using the two protruding sides of the fretboard as handles, gently pull the box and fretboard together. Keep reading ahead while doing this however, as you made need to open the box while the glue dries. While doing this, make sure that your bridge and nut still measure up to the exact same scale length as before.

If the cut out sections on your cigar box have provided enough wiggle room to allow you to open the box while still keeping the fretboard attached, do so and wipe off any excess wood glue that has flowed out from the box. If you don't have this kind of wiggle room, do not let the glue dry very much before opening the box and separating the fretboard and box. Wipe off any excess glue and begin attaching them again.

Once the glue has had some time to dry, grab your nails. We will put two on each end of the lid of the box in the space where the fretboard rests underneath. Space them out evenly, and take care in where you place them. Remember that the strings will also be right above them, so hammer the nails in as far as possible. I always hammer mine in to where the head of the nail is flush with the lid of the box.

If you would like a cigar box guitar that still opens in spite of the fretboard being attached, you only needed those four nails and are done! If you would like to seal the box, go ahead and put finishing nails in the side of the lid that rests on top of the side of the box.

Frets on the Fretboard

On my cigar box guitars, I prefer to paint on frets as opposed to placing fretwire. This allows for smoother slide playing. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

In this post, we will add frets to the fretboard. This is a somewhat simple process, so long as you have a ruler that has both metrics and inches on it. First, we'll need a fret calculator, as the frets on a guitar are not just placed all over. They each have very specific placement dependent on the guitar's scale length, that is, the distance between the bridge and the nut. Go to https://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator for the same fret calculator I use.

Here, you'll be prompted to input your desired number of frets (the average number is 19 to 22), and to put your guitar's scale length in. Find your scale length in inches, then convert it to millimeters and input that number for the scale length. The Fret Calculator will also ask you to input your specific instrument, though this is not relevant as we have already determined the bridge placement. It doesn't hurt to select acoustic guitar, in any case.

After putting in all requested information, the calculator will yield the positions of every fret, measured by their distance from the nut. The measurement should be given in millimeters, while most rulers have centimeters on them. To measure with the ruler, move the decimal point on the millimeters over to the left once and the results will now be in centimeters. Proceed to place your ruler's zero mark on the nut, then mark off the fret positions based on their position from the nut.

After marking out all frets, grab a paintbrush and paint up the lines that will now clearly depict your guitar's frets. If you're looking to get even more detailed, the dots seen on a common guitar's fretboard are meant to be put on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th, and 19th frets.

(Optional) Getting Electrical

The black cylindrical object on the bottom corner of the cigar box is the piezo pickup's input, seen here attached to the box by velcro. The red disc is the piezo pickup itself, still waiting to be attached to the underside of the fretboard. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

This post is for builders interested in making their cigar box guitars electric. If you have not ordered a piezo pickup by this time, it'd be best to skip this part.

The sound the guitar will give out electrically is entirely dependent on the placement of the piezo pickup. You are free to place the pickup anywhere you would like on the guitar, but the following has been where I have had the most luck:

Take your piezo pickup and lift up the fretboard out of the cigar box. Place the wire from the input to the pickup in the corner of the backside cut that you made earlier in the cigar box, specifically where the fretboard is placed. This particular placement of the pickup works best if you cut a small wedge out of the corner to place the wire in, allowing it to fit in its own spot while still letting the fretboard rest snugly in its original cut out spot. Utilizing the velcro included with the pickup, use the adhesive on the velcro to attach it to the side of the cigar box guitar. This will be where the input rests on the guitar.

Attaching the pickup itself requires more accuracy. You can either choose to remove the adhesive cover on the piezo and permanently attach it, or use tape on the red side to affix it temporarily. Take into account where you placed the bridge on the lid of the cigar box, as this will determine where to place the pickup. You will want to place the pickup in the middle of the underside of the fretboard, slightly closer to the middle of the cigar box than the bridge sits.

This placement of the piezo pickup should provide a well balanced sound plugged into any regular guitar amp. One thing to watch on the amp itself is high gain level, however, as this can produce unpleasant feedback, Always set any amps used to low gain.

Bridge and Nut Placement

The bridge is the black piece of wood seen here attached to the "Java" label on the cigar box. The nut is the piece of wood attached just before the headstock begins. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

Bridge and nut placement is a seemingly simple part of the cigar box guitar creation process, but keep in mind that accuracy is key here. The bridge and nut are two mechanisms that raise the strings to their appropriate place, and keep them locked in so to allow them to follow a straight path down the length of the fretboard before guiding the strings into the tuning pegs. Depending on how the bridge and nut are placed, the tone and playing of your cigar box guitar could be entirely different.

Two key factors are determined by the bridge and nut: Scale length, and action. Scale length is the distance between the bridge and the nut. With longer scale lengths comes longer strings, and greater string tension, which can affect sound and make bending strings while playing more difficult. Action is the height of the strings raised up from the body and fretboard of the guitar, which can also affect the ease in playing the guitar itself. Action is determined by the height of the bridge and nut, which prop the strings up to their resting height.

When crafting my bridge and nut, I generally take a 1/4" wooden dowel and cut it in half with a coping saw. Be careful doing this, as cutting objects as small as these is very difficult. The dowels cut in half give me flat surfaces to attach the bridge and nut to the guitar with, and rounded ones on top to make carving the guides for the strings somewhat easier.

If the dowel method is one you find too dangerous, or you would prefer a more rustic look, you can also use an eye-bolt and screw for your bridge and nut. Keep in mind, however, that this usually gives the cigar box guitar an extremely high action, and generally renders it good for only slide playing.

When placing either the dowels or bolts, use wood glue. Attach the nut first, at its rigid location of 1/2" below the beginning of the headstock. You will now have to determine your desired scale length. Any larger than 24" is usually too long for cigar box guitar strings to handle. I generally set my scale length at 21". Upon determining scale length, take a ruler or tape measure and measure out your determined scale length from the nut to the area on the cigar box where you will place your bridge. Make a small notch with a pencil for accuracy, and proceed to attach the bridge.

Congratulations, you have just finished one of the two most complex steps in creating the cigar box guitar! In our next post, we'll look into installing the piezo pickup system.

Making Your Own Fretboard: Part Four

Remember to make sure the bottoms of the pegs don't get in the way of each other. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

In this post, we will now proceed to affix the tuning pegs to the headstock of the fretboard. This is a fairly straightforward process, as it's just a matter of lining up the tuning pegs with their proper holes and making sure the square bottoms of the pegs don't get in the way of each other.

If you are using the NEWEER pegs, keep in mind that of the six you receive, three will be constructed a different way than the other three so to allow for the pegs to stay uniformly placed regardless of whether they face outwards on the left or right side of the headstock.

When putting the screws in that will fasten the pegs in place, you can either drill small pilot holes for the screws to go in, or just attempt to screw them into the wood.

Making Your Own Fretboard: Part Three

I have a custom carved headstock on my fretboard, and the backside of the fretboard is sanded into a round shape. You'll find that for making a smooth, naturally glossy finished product, fine-grade sandpaper and very fine-grade steel wool are your best friends. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

In today's entry, we'll try to kill three birds with one stone. This is an optional post, as your need to follow these steps is entirely dependent on the design you are aiming for with your guitar.

If it interests you for the design for your guitar, we'll carve the headstock into a custom shape. There really aren't any guidelines for this step other than to use a good knife to carve your shape, and routinely stop carving to sand the shape up closer and closer to the desired result. For the Feuerborn Guitars signature headstock, I aim for a shape similar to a knife blade, where one side curves inward to meet the other curve in a point. Rough sandpaper is great to use to shape the wood, but to get a very smooth finish on the shape, end by using fine-grade sandpaper. Be careful when shaping the headstock so that you don't carve off all of the space between the tip and the tuning peg holes.

After the headstock has been carved and sanded down into your desired shape, we'll carve and sand the fretboard itself. You are welcome to keep the fretboard's edges if you prefer, but carving up and sanding the back will allow for smoother movement and better comfort when playing the instrument. Be sure to check both sides of the fretboard as you go to ensure you don't sand the back of the fretboard into a lopsided shape. You also only have to sand the part of the fretboard that sticks out from the cigar box guitar, as the fretboard's edges in the area beside that are necessary to attach it to the cigar box. However, it's a good idea to slightly sand the edges of both the top-side of the fretboard and the back end where the strings will be inserted, so they aren't as pointy.

Once the fretboard is shaped up, we'll move on to painting the entire fretboard and headstock, which is also optional. Generally I prefer to paint my fretboards to a color that matches the cigar box, however with some cigar boxes the natural color of the poplar wood fits well. I generally use spray paint, the Rustoleum brand specifically, for a solid color. However, you are more than welcome to crack out a brush and put mutliple colors and designs on your fretboard. With either spray paint or brush paint, put some newspapers under the fretboard, start with one side, and then let it dry. After the paint on one side dries, turn the fretboard over and repeat the same process for the other side. If using spray paint, you'll want to apply two coats on both sides.

Once your paint has been applied to both sides, let it dry for a night. Before we begin the next step, take a moment to check your paint to make sure it is oil-based. If it is water-based, do not do the next step, you are finished. If it is oil-based, we will take very fine-grade steel wool and polish the paint with it. Polishing the paint with the steel wool works just like sanding, but be slightly gentler when you press.

Afterwards, you should be left with a high quality fretboard. The only steps left in preparing it are attaching the tuning pegs and nut, and painting on frets if you would like, which we will explore in a later post.

Making Your Own Fretboard: Part Two

The holes at the top of the fretboard will be where the tuning pegs are inserted. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

It's time to take a look at the fretboard again, and make some additions to it. For the first part of the building process, we will be using a drill with a 1/4" drill bit to start, and for the second part any drill bit smaller than 1/32" can be used. Keep in mind that these instructions were based off of a fretboard built with the NEEWER tuning pegs shown in a previous post on supplies, and that different tuning pegs may need bigger or smaller drill bits.

First, place the fretboard against a hard surface, preferably one low to the ground so we can place some pressure on the side opposite where we are drilling. The most important thing to remember when drilling the tuning peg holes is the large square bottoms on the tuning pegs. If the holes are made too close together, the square bottoms on the tuning pegs will intersect with each other, and could cause some serious problems with one's build, potentially even requiring the creation of a new fretboard altogether.

Next, take a pencil and mark where on the fretboard the tuning peg holes will be drilled. For a three string cigar box guitar, two of the tuning pegs will protrude outward from the same side, while one peg protrudes from the opposite side. Make sure the tuning peg holes are not too close to the sides of the fretboard. The two tuning pegs facing out on the same side should be spaced two inches apart. The two should also not be drilled parallel, as this will cause the guitar strings to intersect. For the odd tuning peg hole out, the only precaution is to make sure the hole is drilled in a spot where its bottom does not intersect with the other tuning peg bottoms. If needing better accuracy when drilling, it also helps to start drilling with a smaller drill bit to make "pilot holes" and progressively drill the same holes with bigger bits.

With the tuning peg holes complete, we can move on to create the string holes on the bottom of the fretboard.

The string holes are best spaced 1/2" apart, and parallel on the end of the fretboard. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

Any drill bit smaller than 1/32" will suffice for this part. Simply mark out three holes for which to lace guitar strings through. The holes should be 1/2" apart from each other, and preferably parallel.

Good job on drilling those holes. This is a relatively easy step in the building process, but one that takes precision. Getting sloppy with drilling can result with a small drill bit snapped in half, or an unusable fretboard.

(Optional) Ordering Parts to Make an Electric Cigar Box Guitar

This is an optional step that cigar box guitar makers can take if interested in making an electric model.

A common piezo pickup with a 1/4 inch input. I have used many of these in my cigar box guitars with great results. (Photo courtesy of niceEshop.)

Electric guitars, in their simplest form, utilize a pickup system that uses vibrations from strings that are plucked to produce sound. These pickups typically are fed through a 1/4 inch input that is standard in audio technology, or more rarely an XLR input common to microphones. The input is connected via a cable of matching input type to an amplifier that allows for the electric guitar's sound to become exponentially louder.

Thanks to Amazon.com, piezo pickup systems are easily obtainable for very reasonable prices. The type pictured above is a common generic piezo pickup with a built-in 1/4 inch input. Piezos are disc-shaped contact microphones that utilize any and all vibrations they pick up, and therefore have a variety of uses. The acoustic Southbound String Co. strings will also easily work with these piezo pickups. The model depicted above costs about five dollars here.

If interested in making an electric model cigar box guitar (Especially after seeing how easy it is) go ahead and order the piezo pickup. We will install it later as we get closer to finishing our cigar box guitars.

In our next post, we'll begin preparing to drill some holes in our fretboards to prepare them for tuning pegs and strings.

Focusing On The Cigar Box

Here's how the cigar box should look when we're done with it. The fretboard should be able to fit snugly through the rectangular hole and rest under the lid while allowing the box to close. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

Now that we have our strings and tuning pegs on their way, let's focus on taking care of preparing our cigar box for the fretboard.

The cigar box acts as the body to our guitar, wherein the resounding chamber is found. This hollow area of the guitar is what accounts for the volume of the guitar, and can be greatly affected by size and type of wood.

To make the cigar box into the body of the guitar, it needs a few holes. First, we'll need a hole saw and a coping saw, both available at your local hardware store. Once purchased, we will work towards making necessary holes to allow the fretboard to fit snugly inside of the cigar box. Using the coping saw, make a rectangular hole that matches the dimensions of the fretboard - 1 & 1/2 inches by 3/4 inches - so the fretboard can fit through on both sides of the cigar box. Do not compensate for the lid, as the indent cut that was made in the fretboard will allow it to snugly fit inside of the box. It's alright to make a cut that is slightly too large (1/32 of an inch room for error) if you are aiming to make a model that allows for the box to still be opened.

Next, we will utilize the hole saw to create our resounding chamber. This is a relatively simple task and the size of the hole for the resounding chamber is entirely up to the designer's preferences. The one rule is that the hole must not be placed in an area where the fretboard will exposed from the lid. Personally, I prefer to make as big a sound hole as possible without interfering with the fretboard. In my latest build, I am making two sound holes on opposing diagonal sides to see how it affects the sound the cigar box guitar will give. Some cigar box guitar makers even go as far as to create F-holes for their soundholes, though I have not tried this yet. Feel free to experiment on later builds.

The next post is an optional step that can be taken to make the cigar box guitar electric. If you are looking to make an entirely acoustic cigar box guitar, skip the next blog post.

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.

Making Your Own Fretboard: Part One

Your fretboard should look like this after sizing up and making proper cuts. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

This is where we begin to get crafty in the cigar box guitar process. The fretboard on a guitar is the long, thin board that has several lines on it, called frets. This part of the guitar is essential to be able to play it. Important to remember, do not attempt to paint or draw lines on the fretboard yet; This is a step that must be saved for further down the line.

Head down to your local hardware store, be it Lowe's or Home Depot, and grab a 6 foot 3/4" by 1 & 1/2" plank of poplar wood for about seven dollars (price rises and falls a little with the demand for wood). If you go to the back of the store, there should be a large saw. Ask the attendants to cut your plank into two three foot pieces, and they should gladly do it for free. You now have two fretboards in case you want to make another cigar box guitar!

Having access to a bandsaw makes this next step much easier. If you don't have one, you can get a miniature one for about one hundred dollars. I recommend the Rockwell Bladerunner model.

Your fretboard needs to have an indented cut-out in order to fit snugly with the lid of the cigar box guitar. (Ignore the holes I've drilled in my cigar box, I was experimenting.) (Photo courtesy of Mark Feuerborn.)

It is very important to exercise precision on this next step. Take your cigar box, open the lid, and line the fretboard up under it to have about two inches on the short end that will jut out one side. Take a pencil and mark the points where the lid covers the board. Next, look at your cigar box's lid and measure how thick the lid is. You need the cut you are about to make in your fretboard to be the same depth.

Using the bandsaw, start at one mark on the board and begin cutting at an angle to slowly reach the desired depth as you progress. After reaching the other mark, turn the board around and cut out any remainder from the curved cut that was just made until you reach the mark you originally started at.

Next, take the long end of your fretboard, measure out four inches from the end, and make a mark. Make a second mark after measuring a depth of 1/4 within the four inch area that was just marked out. Using the bandsaw, cut out the marked four inches at the specified depth. This cut should be much easier to make, due to not having to make a cut in the middle of the board of equal depth. You should be able to just move the end of the board into the bandsaw at the specified depth.

After making these cuts on the bandsaw, your fretboard is finished to a point where measurements and cuts can be made on your cigar box. In my next post, however, we'll take a visit to the internet to order some more supplies, so they can ship out and arrive while we work on our cigar boxes.

Be proud, you just finished one of the hardest parts!

Getting Started: Picking a Cigar Box

A few cigar boxes from my personal inventory. The "Java" brand cigar box, like the one pictured on the right, is a personal favorite of mine, not only for their sturdiness, but also for their sleek and elegant design. (Photo by Mark Feuerborn.)

The first step in building a cigar box guitar should be to pick the cigar box you would like to use. Keep in mind that whatever cigar box you should use, you are entirely free to customize it as you see fit, so long as you won't risk breaking it.

Cigar boxes come in all shapes and sizes, and are made of all kinds of different woods (Even glass sometimes) as well. While the kind of wood is somewhat difficult to tell between cigar boxes, there are a few specifications one can easily look for. Keep in mind, these are recommendations, not requirements.

In my personal experience, I have had luck with making sturdy, twang-tastic cigar box guitars with boxes that have very thick sides, typically about one centimeter in thickness. The boxes themselves are anywhere between eighteen and twenty-six centimeters long, and between sixteen and nineteen centimeters wide. In regards to height, they can be anywhere between five and seven centimeters high. My personal favorite box to use is a "Java" brand cigar box, by Drew Estate. These cigar boxes have all of the specifications listed above and are very sleek looking boxes.

Most smoke shops will sell cigar boxes without any cigars in them at a price of four or five dollars, they are very inexpensive. Avoid vape and e-cigarette shops, as they will most likely not carry cigar boxes. In Topeka, I personally buy my cigar boxes from the smoke shop Churchill's, shown below via Google Maps.

Something important to remember is that you should always pick a cigar box that is visually appealing to you. This is your craft, your own personal creation. Start off by picking a cigar box with a design you like, as this helps foster pride in your work.

In my next post, we'll talk about more supplies to buy, such as a fretboard you can build yourself, and what else you can grab along with the fretboard. Until next time, have fun picking out a cigar box!

A Sample Sound from Your Finished Product

Before we begin crafting our cigar box guitars, let's take a listen to famous blues artist Super Chikan playing his cigar box guitar, to better give an idea of the resulting sound from the instrument we'll be making. For an example of the limitless possibilities in crafting your cigar box guitar,  look at the guitar Super Chikan is playing. He crafted that guitar with a literal broomstick as the fretboard. One of the best parts about making cigar box guitars is that there are no rules!

The History of the Cigar Box Guitar

The diddley bow, a simple version of the cigar box guitar. (Photo courtesy of the San Jose Blog.)

The cigar box guitar has a long and humble history, dating back to the 1800's. Often crafted  with broomsticks and other household items in impoverished homes, what was originally known as a "diddley bow" was used primarily by children as a chance to display talent in playing an instrument. The diddley bow was a single string cigar box guitar, usually with a glass bottle under its single string which was used as a resonator, that is, a device with which to produce sound. Other inventions of the late 1800's and early 1900's included the three-to-six stringed cigar box guitars one may be more familiar with, and also cigar box fiddles.

The first known blueprints to creating a cigar box instrument were actually published by the co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America, Daniel Carter Beard. Dubbing his instrument the "Uncle Enos Banjo", the plans to build a five string cigar box banjo were released in the pages of the "American Boy's Handy Book".

During the Great Depression, cigar box instruments saw a surge in their creation and use, especially in the performance of blues music. In modern times, there has been another resurgence of cigar box instruments, primarily thanks to the growing Do-It-Yourself building community.

A well crafted, modern cigar box guitar. This model is electric. (Photo courtesy of Guitarworld.com.)

Shane Speal, often called the king of cigar box guitars, always talks about his favorite instrument with a great reverence and fondness:

"Not only does the cigar box guitar have a great history, but these little suckers are so much fun to play. I’ve made a bunch in my life (over 200 so far) and each one has it’s own unique sound. Mine are played with a slide and have a great whining blues sound…one that just cannot be emulated from another guitar. They’re small, portable and almost indestructable. And let’s face it…they’re weird looking and attract major attention," said Speal.

And now, through this blog, we will bring one of these unique instruments to your home.

Introduction

(Photo by Rachel Kauffman of Yellow Manic Media.)

Welcome to Twangboxes, friend.

Cigar box guitars may be something unheard of to you, or you may be well acquainted with them. You might have seen Shane Speal, the king of cigar box guitars, playing one of his own masterful rectangular creations and wondering where to get one yourself. This blog may be what came up in your search on how to build one.

Look no further, my friend.

I'm Mark Feuerborn, luthier (That is, guitar craftsman) and owner of Feuerborn Guitars, a guitar crafting brand dedicated entirely to cigar box guitars. While I am certainly not at the same level as Mr. Speal, I am a well-versed craftsman of cigar box guitars, with each guitar I make an exploration of new methods, ideas, and features. I have sold three of the guitars I have made, and have gotten very positive reviews of my craft from all three customers.

My intention with this blog is to share my expertise in crafting cigar box guitars with those who would like to learn. Details ranging from a choice of a good cigar box, to good types of wood used for fretboards, to tools to use in crafting, to placement of the bridge and nut, to even how to make the cigar box guitar a fully electric one will be covered.

I look forward to sharing this craft with my audience, and hopefully to seeing more cigar box guitars in the hands of craftsmen and musicians in the world alike.