This book presents the authentic stories of american diy music with stepbystep projects, photo studies of antique instruments, interviews with music legends, and historical accounts. Despite its low cost, this guitar plays real music and will hold its tuning for a couple of days. Shane speal, an avid cigar smoker, guitar player, woodworker, and author, is not only building some of the best cigar box guitars, hes also servingup a lesson in american history. Complete blues method for 3 string cigar box guitar english edition ebook. Watch and listen as we sit with shane speal, king of the cigar box guitar. This is a basic overview of how i construct my resonator guitars. Cigar box guitar instructors guide buildingtoteach. So he decided to design one that they could inexpensively build themselves, based on the traditional cigar box guitar. Using over 200 color photos, this book walks you through two cigar box guitar builds. Just have fun with it, but be careful once youve built one, youll want to build another. Cigar box guitar for sale on etsy s guitar box guitar plans see wide video below 2 cigar box guitar videos. Disney convinced me to teach another class in how to build cigar box guitars. Gitty standard cigar box guitar necks select wood, headstock and fretting options. The photos, videos, and mp3s posted by these happy strummers and pluckers were inspiring, and the variety.
Thus, an american tradition was born, and today, the cigar box guitar is enjoying a folk revival. Jammin some blues on my latest build the wild west cigar box guitar. Want to build a cigar box guitar, but dont know where to start. This sweetsounding, threestringed mini guitar revives an american musical tradition. Cigar box guitar plans rare corojo cigar box guitar build. Cigar box guitars the book is the perfect source for. How to build and play cigar box guitars and other homemade instruments.
Standard cigar box guitar necks select wood, headstock and fretting options. More granular details regarding fretting, intonation, bridge placement etc. Aug 14, 2009 build your own 3string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. These cigar box guitar plans and subsequent build was inspired by a blues duo i saw at the dream cafe in penticton, bc several years ago. The fret scale is also a great way to demonstrate the usefulness. This build refers duplicate steps back to the electric and focuses on the differences in the build. Working out of his modest backyard shed in york, pa shane takes pride in recreating the poor mans guitar, which dates back to the turn of the 20th century. So i decided to design one that they could inexpensively build themselves, based on the traditional cigar box guitar. The howto repository for the cigar box guitar movement.
Guitar diy pyrography patterns cigar box guitar diy bow crafty projects school. You would be supprised what some folks can do with these little collections of junk. This is the first one ive ever made so it was a bit of a learning experience. Cigar box guitars, the pan banjo, and other diy instruments. All the required tools are listed and the parts are described in detail. Shop our selection of microcontrollers, 3d printers. Cigar box guitar cigar box guitar, cigar box guitar plans. This page has plans for most of the standard guitar scale lengths and also has headstock layout plans too. Cigar box guitar pdf now at, brought to you by make magazine. For those feeling a bit intimidated by the plans above, the cigar box guitar should be a great place to start. Quality cigar box guitar kits to build and play best of 2019. Diy furniture book homemade musical instruments music instruments instrument craft make mine music kalimba guitar for beginners piano sheet music folded up. Mar 22, 2018 built yourself a cigar box guitar, eh. The photos, videos, and mp3s posted by these happy strummers and pluckers were inspiring, and the variety of guitars in the photo galleries was.
Our 26page assembly instructions book which is also linked above as a free download. This project really engages students and helps them learn basic math and geometry skills. One cigar box styles vary one set of strings 3string cigar box guitar pack, acoustic medium three tuners with bushings and screws. Cigar box guitar instructors guide developed by building to teach 11817 building the cigar box guitar c building to teach 2014. These plans are based on the cigar box guitar that rockabilly legend, carl perkins played as a child. Cigar box guitar cigar box guitar tablature building cigar box guitars building cigar box gu8itars the guitar handbook. Standard cigar box guitar necks select wood, headstock. How to build a cigar box guitar free plans download. The plans are in pdf format so make sure you have a copy of adobe reader on your computer. Cigar box guitar page john anthony guitars, luthiers plans. Follow the instructions in this guide to turn a cigar box. Quick start how to build a cigar box 3 members like this john red dog mcnairs unique take on cigar box. Dec 18, 2012 last year, i decided id like to make a more traditional cigar box guitar. Stepbystep instructions and over 300 photos, including the history of cigar box guitars and the golden age of blues and jazz.
A gibson p90 would have the tone i wanted, so i started with that design and cut it in half. These are the plans that inspired shane speal to build his first cigar box guitar. Chickenbonejohn guitarss pick for the most helpful books out there on cigar box guitar. Blues delta blues guitar im test ukulele, guitar chords, music guitar, cool. Gitty free cigar box guitar plans download free plans file size. For free, easytounderstand lessons, go to, our knowledgebase of howto build and howtoplay resources. Cigar box guitars are nothing new but there has been a resurgence in the art of building and playing them. Making poor mans guitars book by shane spealmany books have been written about how to build cigar box guitars and other unique handmade instruments. Beautifully photographed and laidout, packed with interesting articles and features to build a cigar box guitar. Tablature song tablature for 6 string lap steel guitar ghost riders in the sky johnny cash building cigar box gu8itars building cigar box guitars the guitar handbook. Most of those folks play with only three strings, so i hit the drawing board to design a shrimpy pickup with a big sound. Many books have been written about how to build cigar box guitars and other unique handmade instruments. Before the 1950s, when factory guitars became less expensive, many folk.
At last years cigar box guitar festival, i gave a workshop on pickup winding. Thanks to the readily available and inexpensive materials, cigar box guitars, fiddles and banjos were instrumental in the formation of the blues as most of original performers were poverty stricken african americans without enough money to buy real instruments. Three new book releases for 3 and 4string cigar box guitar. Wooden cigar boxes, which were solidly constructed connoisseur objects, became a popular choice for the instruments bodies. I spend my days thinking about how i am going to build the next guitar better and how i am going to convert that song i used to play on a sixstring so i can play it on one my threestring guitars. The most basic, primitive cbgs have very little decoration. Learn how to build cigar box guitars and other musical instruments from found items. Thanks go to ed vogel for the original article in make, volume 04.
Essential lessons for 3 string slide cigar box guitar. Cigar box guitars have a long and colourful history dating back to the mid 19 th century. Apr 23, 2014 i spend my days thinking about how i am going to build the next guitar better and how i am going to convert that song i used to play on a sixstring so i can play it on one my threestring guitars. Josh gayou of smokehouse guitars created this 179page guide back in 2010, and decided. Cigar box guitar page john anthony guitars, luthiers. The second guitar built is an acoustic cigar box guitar. I make it in many different ways and colors, but its always the same a worn and weathered 3 string cigar box guitar with the old timer cigar box label art etched into the pickup cover. Build your own cigar box guitar books chickenbonejohn guitars. There are plenty of photos to show you what is being done. A cigar box guitar kit is a kitted set of parts that allows you to build an entire cbg cigar box guitar from scratch, diystyle, in the perfect way by following a simple set of instructions. Doug stowe does a fantastic job of bringing in a box makers perspective for acoustical body creation in cigar box guitars. Making poor mans guitars presents the authentic stories of american diy music with stepbystep projects, photo studies of antique instruments, interviews with music legends, and historical accounts.
There are two kits, or amp modules, id recommend for making your first cigar box amp. Aug 12, 2009 build your own 3string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. But today, with the rise of youtube, cigar box guitar builders and players have found a new home with a global audience. Beginners get stepbystep info on building from a kit and then are taken for a ride into radical shapes and styles. Cigar box guitar 3 string gdg aea tab notes chords. Forward this short ebook will help you play chords on your 3 string guitar. On the edge of your neck board where the neck meets the head, make a mark 14. The tool crib 11 free guitar plans, 20 guitar building jigs. Ive just added a video and chord chart to help you build chords for your four stringer. Theres stuff on the history of the instrument, tools and building tips, tuning, playing.
The tool crib 11 free guitar plans, 20 guitar building. Advanced cigar box guitar building guide by joshua gayou cigar box guitar. For someone trying to learn to play a 3 string cbg this book will. This is a guest post from luke brown, creator of cedar horse workshop. Cigar box guitar students guide developed by building to teach 11817 building the cigar box guitar c building to teach 2014.
Itll also be a chance for me to hear from you about what things work, what things still need tweaking and what things i should be. Cigar box guitars are historic, too, according to wikipedia. You will learn how to make fretboards, how to wire the jack, volume and pickup, how to make a solid guitar and how to string the guitar. Brent provides a simple, easy to grasp primer with effective exercises and good tunes to make noise with. Gitty is dedicated to the education and preservation of the cigar box guitar. How to build a cigar box violin with plans by justin c hilts. Before the 1950s, when factory guitars became less expensive, many folk musicians. A unique source book for the guitar player classical guitar methodvol 2 werner guitar edition guitar tab guitar tab pdf guitar hal guitar guitar drade guitar pieces guitar score guitar player guitar practice guitar repair. So you think its time to join the 3 string revolution. This is a fretted 3string acousticelectric cigar box guitar. Remember, the number one rule of building a cigar box guitar is. A chord has three notes in it and there are three strings on your guitar, two of them generally tuned to the same note.
As a birthday present for my brother, i decided to make him a nice cigar box guitar. I soon found cigar box nation, a fantastic online hangout for homemade stringed instrument enthusiasts. How to build a cigar box guitar diy projects for everyone. Shop our selection of microcontrollers, 3d printers, robotics hardware, crafts projects, and kits for makers and diy enthusiasts of all ages. In it, he covers some of the more advanced techniques involved in building a highend solidbody 6string electric guitar using a cigar box body. Plans cigar box guitars how to build a cigar box guitar. I thought there might be more people out there like me. My guitar is a simple, threestringed design that uses only one power tool and common hardware. For my local readers, you already know what a gem the little gypsy heart cafe is. Building a cigar box guitar from beginning to end youtube. Use your round file to etch a groove where the nut will sit.
First though, just some pictures of the first two builds. This guitar is a simple, threestringed design that uses only one power tool and common hardware. Cigar box guitars project plan cigar box john anthony guitars. The three string charts cigar box nation making musical instruments, homemade. Josh gayou of smokehouse guitars created this 179page guide back in 2010, and decided to give it away for free to the cigar box guitar community. Today, you can find plenty of affordable cigar box guitars for sale that are well built with quality materials, and there are plenty of these classic cigar box guitars for sale on ebay. The electric cigar box guitar build is provided with in depth detail and all steps are explained in simple terms.
Im tuned to g, if youre not then ill leave it you to. You will also find a few pages of commonly used chords and fingerboard charts at the back of the book. Build your own cigar box guitar books guides and tips on. One of those aficionados with six fulllength cigar box albums under his belt, shane speal, authored a newly released book on the topic. Cigar box guitars are diy instruments that are low on cost but big on sound, says author and musician shane speal in his new book, making. Last year, i decided id like to make a more traditional cigar box guitar. A cigar box guitar cbg can range widely when it comes to decoration. An uncle crow style cbg in one hour cigar box nation. Theres stuff on the history of the instrument, tools and building tips, tuning and playing. There was one site, however, that offered useful information on how to build a wooden cigar box guitar.
You will be faced with both collectors items that are so expensive you would not want to make a g out of them then you will nearly always find a few that might well meet your needs and price. It works well to make the groove half the diameter of the nut. All parts come predrilled and premarked to make assembly as easy as possible. This gives a powerful sound when amplified and over driven.
The unmistakable characteristic of this guitar is the square or rectangle cigar box body. Chances are, youll want to plug it in and annoy your neighbors. There is no one on earth better qualified than shane speal to write the book on cigar box guitars and handmade instruments. It contains all the hardware, strings and even the cigar box. The best bet is to go to eay and plug in a search for cigar box, or variations on those words. Follow these simple steps towards building your own cigarbox guitar. As a volunteer music teacher, ed vogel sometimes meets kids who cant afford instruments. Build your own 3string, electrified cigar box guitar and make some sweet sounds. Feb 18, 2019 the you can play blues box guitar is a cigar box slide guitar that comes with a bottle neck or slide and a book and cd. Introduction cigar box guitars are just like any other guitar, only much easier to make. How to build cigar box guitars books cb gitty crafter supply. This is perhaps my trademark guitar or the one that i am most fond of. Before making the guitar, i decided that it should be made from either foun. Advanced cigar box guitar building guide by joshua gayou.
Cigar box guitar chord forms for 3string open g gdg. Just a quick post to let you all know that the cigar box guitar plans page is now live. The bridge will simply sit in the small groove where the tail of the guitar meets the cigar box. Cigar box guitar by ed vogel photography by sarah whiting as a volunteer music teacher, i sometimes meet kids who cant afford instruments. Celebrate the foundations of americas democracy, with this cigar box guitar emblazoned with artistic representations of founding documents the constitution and bill of rights. From the mid 1800s until early 1900s, cigar box and home built guitars have been made by. Start by measuring and cutting the maple neck and notching for the headstock and box lid. Chickenbonejohn guitarss pick for the most helpful books out there on cigar box guitar making. If you have no idea how to start your build, this should be a good starting point so you can build your own fiddle. I had heard about cigar box guitars, so i thought, hey, why not just build her one.
1506 1044 743 557 796 655 1207 345 667 81 1224 854 116 973 1037 484 851 1022 1436 1241 1192 883 891 1060 279 462 84 724 753 277 1110 501 51 350 342 37 1423 258 1096 3 426 524 1309 1198 658 816 546 929 580