The Boat Oar Two-String Guitar by Shane Speal
A two-string slide guitar made from a canoe paddle. Built by Shane Speal. How to build link included
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Shane Speal
- Apr 8
- 2 min
Make a Tin Pan Banjo - 1923
Vintage plans from 1923 showing a simple banjo made from a tin pie pan.
1,300 views2 comments
Shane Speal
- Mar 25
- 6 min
Build a Cigar Box Greek Lyre - 1927
Build an eight-string lyre with cigar box resonator. The plans call for zither pin style pegs and a wooden frame.
367 views2 comments
Shane Speal
- Mar 17
- 6 min
How to Make a Cigar Box Lute - 1927
How to build a fretless, four string cigar box instrument. Full parts list & step-by-step diagrams. From 1927
614 views2 comments
Shane Speal
- Mar 15
- 12 min
Build Your Own Hamdolin
Build an 8 string mandolin from the tin of a canned ham. Common hardware store parts used. Full instructions.
992 views6 comments
Shane Speal
- Jan 28
- 1 min
Make An Electric Echo Mic from a Toy & Piezo!
Here's an easy project that will give you a goofy electric echo microphone that you can use for cool effects in a recording or on stage.
690 views14 comments
Shane Speal
- Jan 9
- 1 min
Download This Tracing of the Little Joe Instrument to Design Your Own
Several people asked about measurements of the Little Joe banjo, so I traced it and made a PDF. Download it here
450 views4 comments
Shane Speal
- Jan 1
- 4 min
How to Build The Mailbox Guitar
A look inside the Mailbox Guitar reveals an extremely simple bracing system made from poplar scraps. The wood was leftover from some cigar
348 views7 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 29, 2021
- 1 min
VIDEO: How to Make Old Time Copper Wire Frets
Create frets for cigar box guitars using copper wire from a craft store. Tools: hammer & needle nose pliers.
479 views3 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 27, 2021
- 2 min
A Simple Scarf Joint Glue-Up Jig for Cigar Box Guitars
This simple hinged board gets perfect glue joints on cigar box guitar headstocks. Easy design for any builder.
1,299 views7 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 27, 2021
- 3 min
Build This Styrofoam Beer Cooler Ukulele
Ukulele body is made from an actual styrofoam beer cooler... and it sounds great! This has got to be the most freakish-looking uke ever!
298 views3 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 26, 2021
- 2 min
How to Build a Found Object Electric Guitar
This strange instrument was built in an hour using an antique bellows handle and several modern cigar box guitar parts.
490 views9 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 22, 2021
- 1 min
Printable 23" Fretting Template from the Book, "Making Poor Man's Guitars"
Download and print this page for an easy to use 23" fretting scale template, as shown on page 173 of Making Poor Man's Guitars.
1,326 views0 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 22, 2021
- 1 min
VIDEO: I Put an $85 Lace Pickup in the Worst Cigar Box Guitar!
I put a Lace Alumitone Matchbook pickup in a $25 cigar box guitar! This has to be the most unfair gear review ever! This was my version o
528 views7 comments
Shane Speal
- Dec 21, 2021
- 1 min
How to Build a Lo-Fi Telephone Mic - Easy project!
The mic is perfect for blues harmonica or lo-fi vocals...and all you need is an old handset and guitar jack. Follow along with the video.
516 views3 comments
Shane Speal
- Feb 16, 2021
- 1 min
How to Make Your Acoustic Cigar Box Guitar Louder with a Resonator
Have you ever noticed the wooden back piece of a conventional banjo. These are called resonators and their job is to keep the sound...
1,246 views2 comments
Shane Speal
- Oct 16, 2020
- 2 min
How to Build a One-String Vibro Fiddle - 1937
These plans for an experimental diddley bow use an electric door bell clapper as a Dick Dale-style hyper tremolo picker. Fascinating...
1,748 views3 comments
Shane Speal
- Oct 5, 2020
- 5 min
How to Make a Pre-Blues Cigar Box Violin
Before the blues showed up in the 1920's, there were minstrel shows and Vaudeville theater. Central to many of these shows was a...
1,221 views1 comment
Shane Speal
- Sep 29, 2020
- 2 min
How to Make a Simple Diddley Bow Pickup
This is probably the easiest electric diddley bow pickup/bridge combo I've ever seen. It is based on a one-string "diddley bow" guitar...
2,348 views3 comments
Shane Speal
- Sep 24, 2020
- 2 min
How to Build a Super Tub Bass (an improved upright gutbucket bass)
An old time cigar box guitar sometimes needs some accompaniment, so we offer some classic free plans for a hot-rodded washtub bass guitar....
2,962 views4 comments