The How-To Repository for the Cigar Box Guitar Movement!
How to Build and Play Cigar Box Guitars and other Homemade Instruments
Here is our library of How-To information specific to building cigar box guitars. Browse all articles below, or choose a subcategory:
· Design and Decoration
· Electronics, Pickups and Wiring
· Fretting
· Necks & Headstocks
· Other Hardware How-To
· Tuners
· Tunings and Strings
Everything you need to know about using the “Open A” A-E-A tuning on your 3-string cigar box guitar.
This article gives you the exact strings to use to achieve this tuning on a cigar box guitar (or other instrument) that has a scale length in the range of 24.5 to 25.5 inches.
Everything you need to know about using the “Open D” D-A-D tuning on your 3-string cigar box guitar.
After the GDG “Open G” tuning, the next most popular on 3-string cigar box guitars is probably DAD “Open D”. This tuning actually shows up, in part, on standard 6-string guitars, in the alternate “DADGAD” tuning. The lower-pitch versions of this tuning really have a low, bassy feel because of that big low D string, so it can be a very interesting option for cigar box guitar builders. Continue reading ““Open D” DAD Tuning on your Cigar Box Guitar: 4 Methods, with String Sizes & Sound Clips”
The Open E tuning is not seen as often as the more popular GDG and DAD tunings, but it is a great alternative for cigar box guitar players, especially if you are playing a lot of blues. Shane Speal used this tuning on his recent album Holler!, on the track Big Leg Woman/Swing the Hammer.
Of all of the three-string cigar box guitar tunings, the most popular is probably the G D G open G tuning. Featured on many how-to-play videos on YouTube and CigarBoxNation.com, this tuning has become the de facto standard for 3-string slide blues.
No fancy tools required to make this awesome headstock for your cigar box guitar
By Glenn Watt
Thanks to craftswoman Farley Andresen for the demonstrating the work 
Cigar box is in the name, but the neck is what turns the box into a cigar box guitar.
And the headstock – the part of the neck that anchors your tuning pegs – is a critical component to getting, and keeping, your CBG fully functional. Continue reading “A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Make a Straight Headstock”
In this video, Ben “Gitty” Baker and Glenn Watt illustrate how easy it is to increase the versatility of the 2.5 watt amplifier boards that are the heart of their Cigar Box Amplifiers.
Continue reading “Add a Panel-Mount Gain to a C. B. Gitty Amp Board”
Josh Gayou of Smokehouse Guitars created this 179-page guide back in 2010, and decided to give it away for free to the cigar box guitar community. In it, he covers some of the more advanced techniques involved in building a high-end solid-body 6-string electric guitar using a cigar box body.
Continue reading “Advanced Cigar Box Guitar Building guide by Joshua Gayou”
A Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) can range widely when it comes to decoration. The most basic, primitive CBGs have very little decoration; reduced to its most basic form, a CBG is a stick, a box and a couple of strings, without any need for show adornment. While there is definitely nothing wrong with that austere simplicity, many builders enjoy adding some decorative touches to their builds. Many cigar boxes start off as pretty decorative pieces anyway, so it is natural to try to build upon that when creating a handmade instrument from one.
A Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) can range widely when it comes to decoration. The most basic, primitive CBGs have very little decoration; reduced to its most basic form, a CBG is a stick, a box and a couple of strings, without any need for show adornment.
While there is definitely nothing wrong with that austere simplicity, many builders enjoy adding some decorative touches to their builds. Many cigar boxes start off as pretty decorative pieces anyway, so it is natural to try to build upon that when creating a handmade instrument from one.
The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the methods you can use to decorate your builds, and wherever possible to use hardware that is both decorative AND useful – using a decorative Continue reading “CBG Bling: Decorating Ideas for your Cigar Box Guitar”
In the video below, Shane Speal shows his technique of reinforcing internal bracing on neck-through cigar box guitars with extra wood. He also shows how to use a Forstner bit to route out the cavity for a mini humbucker pickup. (Note: the pickup used is a C. B. Gitty Toaster Bucker mini humbucker.) Continue reading “Cigar Box Guitar Building Tip: Neck Reinforcement with Humbuckers”
This is the full how-to guide from C. B. Gitty’s Cigar Box Ukulele kit. While written with a focus on assembling the kit C. B. Gitty sells (which includes all of the parts and hardware you need in one easy package), this how-to guide is a good general introduction to building a cigar box ukulele, and could be useful if you want to try it on your own from scratch.
Click Here or on the image to the left to view the full guide document.
The questions come up often among Cigar Box Guitar builders: Is fretting worth it? Why would I want to fret my build? What do I need to know and what tools do I need to get started? Fretting can be a complex topic, but it doesn’t need to be a murky mystery to builders.
The questions come up often among Cigar Box Guitar builders: Is fretting worth it? Why would I want to fret my build? What do I need to know and what tools do I need to get started? Fretting can be a complex topic, but it doesn’t need to be a murky mystery to builders. This article will attempt to cover some of the basic concepts to help you decide whether you are ready to take the plunge, as well as point you to other resources to help you get started.
One of the best resources you can find to help you get started fretting is our C. B. Gitty’s Fretting Guide, a 39-page electronic book packed with photos and great do-it-yourself how-to information Continue reading “Deciding whether to fret your cigar box guitar”
Most folks are familiar, at least by sight, with the six-string guitar – whether an acoustic guitar like a Martin or an electric guitar like a Fender Stratocaster™. So it is natural that when people think of frets, or a fretboard, they think of a guitar fretboard – an evenly distributed collection of frets that get closer together the further you go up the neck towards the guitar body.
Continue reading “Diatonic (Dulcimer-Style) Fretting – What it is, How and Why to Use It”
When it comes to electrifying a cigar box guitar (or really any stringed instrument, for that matter), there are two basic options: either a piezo pickup (sometimes called a contact pickup), or a magnetic pickup. Well, really there is a third option – a microphone – but we’ll not cover that here. So, what are the main differences between a piezo element pickup and a magnetic pickup?
A piezoelectric element is a very simple, yet remarkable device. In its most simple form, it consists of a disk of brass or other conductive metal, on which a very thin disk of ceramic is adhered. Continue reading “Differences between Piezos and Magnetic Pickups”
Have you ever tried to build a cigar box guitar with a fantastically thin box (great tone) but discover that the box needs extra bracing? In this video, Shane Speal shows how to use common corner moulding from a hardware store to secure corners and sides together. Note the tip on using a disposable sponge brush to apply glue. Continue reading “EASY BUILDING TIP: Bracing a Box with Corner Moulding”
Don’t forget that C. B. Gitty has a nice range of fretting tools and supplies to help you get going on your fretting jobs!
Shane Speal dives into some of the differences between fretted & fretless Cigar Box Guitars and the benefits of each. Continue reading “Fretted vs. Fretless Cigar Box Guitars by Shane Speal”
