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.