German avant-garde composer, Hans Reichel created the Daxophone using hardwoods, contact mics and a violin bow for some otherworldly sounds. Shane Speal recreates the concept using a few simple objects including a yardstick, wood clamps and a clip on pickup.
This is how Shane Speal turns his shop into a guitar FACTORY!
Shane Speal doesn’t just build one cigar box guitar at a time. He makes entire batches of instruments…usually 6 or 12 at a time! In this video, he talks about how it increases quality and even saves money.
Mentioned in this article: Shane Speal’s Essential List of Bulk Guitar Parts: https://www.cbgitty.com/news/shane-speals-essential-list-of-bulk-parts-maximize-your-cigar-box-guitar-production/
The Baritone Cigar Box Guitar – Stay weird, people!
Stay weird. Build weird guitars. Dream up fantastic inventions! Here’s Shane’s freakish baritone 3-string cigar box guitar.
Shane Speal: “3 Songs & a Story” – the songwriter series
CBGitty.com asked musicians what three songs are they most proud to have written and why. The first in the series features Shane Speal, King of the Cigar Box Guitar. He selected three songs for their lyrical content and explains why.
The songs are:
- Mother Leeds – from the album Shane Speal: 12 Stones
- These Frustrating Blues – from the album Jug Fusion: The Complete Sessions
- Tattoo of You – from the album Shane Speal: 12 Stones
You can buy downloads of each song at http://shanespeal.com/shop-music
How to Be a Hobo Musician – Some tips on traveling and playing
AJ Gaither, Ronn Benway and Ben Gitty discuss some of the finer points of being a traveling musician…and they play a little cigar box guitar music, too. From finding your own circuit of bars to song choices and even busking tips, these men talk from experience.
One Man Band Playing Secrets – Think Like a Drummer
Shane Speal shows how he approaches his guitar playing like a drummer in order to keep the rhythm going. Also tips on using slapback delay and palm muted washboard rhythm.
The Electric Diddley Bow – aka DEADLY Bow
Stay weird. Build weird guitars. Play them for others. Have fun. That’s the lesson Shane delivers in today’s video. Check out his wild diddley bow.
Gittyband Perform “Bad Moon Rising” on Cigar Box Guitars & Cajon
The members of C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply have come together as musicians, calling themselves The Gitty Band, or “Gittyband” for short. Today, they tuned up their cigar box guitars, ukes and rocked out the classic Creedence Clearwater Revival song, Bad Moon Rising. Office manager, Kim Starling delivers some hellfire vocals on this one.
Exporing AJ Gaither’s “Arkansas Tuning” [EADG] on a 4-string
AJ Gaither is a singer/songwriter from the American MidWest who came up with a unique 4-string cigar box guitar. The instrument utilizes EADG strings from an acoustic guitar set. Shane Speal puts the tuning, and the signature AJ Gaither guitar through its paces.
Shred Playing on 3-string Cigar Box Guitar – Shane’s insane lesson
Shane Speal shows how to play AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and other shred guitar licks using his 1-string lead technique.
Insane one-string guitar made from a 2×4
Known as the diddley bow, the one-string guitar is the oldest of the blues instruments. Bluesmen such as Robert Johnson, Albert King and many others have started out on these primitive instruments. However, this example is an over-the-top electrified version.
Built and played by Shane Speal, the guitar is backed by a drum beat. Speal performs licks by Jimi Hendrix, Dick Dale, Ted Nugent and others in this wild performance.
Cigar Box Nation TV: Uketoberfest and the debut of the Gitty Band
CigarBoxNation.com has declared October the month of Uketoberfest, a celebration of all things ukulele. Today’s broadcast (originally aired on http://facebook.com/cigarboxnation) features a demonstration of various homemade ukes along with a lesson on Elizabeth Cotton’s “Freight Train.” The show ends with a jam featuring the all new Gitty Band!