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.