Photos: Cigar Box Instruments from 1922 Book
Photos of cigar box fiddles, cellos and other instruments from 1922 book, Creative Music for Children by Satis N. Coleman.
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Shane Speal
Feb 2, 20221 min read
Cigar Box Guitar Museum Gift Shop is Open!
The photos of the Cigar Box Guitar Museum instruments have been artfully turned into shirts, cell phone covers and more. You can find the la
424 views4 comments
Shane Speal
Feb 1, 20223 min read
Wooden Dough Bowl Banjo, Greensboro NC
This curious antique banjo was made from a wooden dough bowl for a body, a carved hunk of wood for the neck and clothespin tuners
530 views20 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 28, 20221 min read
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.
1,295 views14 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 25, 20222 min read
1921 Marxolin One-String Slide Guitar
“If you can hum, whistle or carry a tune in your head, you can play the Marxolin with only a few hours practice!”
1,097 views12 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 24, 20222 min read
Antique One-String Cigar Box Guitar (Diddley Bow)
Cigar box guitarists frequently talk about one-string diddley bows as the foundation of many slide blues players. This is the real deal
969 views7 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 20, 20223 min read
Freak of the Week: The Concertone Button Harmonica
The Concertone is one part harmonica, one part accordion, made in Germany in the early 1900’s. It was also known as a Pipoleon or a Hohneret
614 views6 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 19, 20222 min read
Antique Trapezoid Guitar with Wood Frets & Elephant Inlay
This trapezoid shaped guitar was discovered in Maryland several years ago by an antique dealer, but not much else is known about it. I...
429 views4 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 10, 20223 min read
1940's Electric Diddley Bow from Quincy, Illinios
The Electric Diddley Bow is a homemade one-string slide guitar that uses an old radio headphone earpiece as a pickup.
952 views34 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 9, 20221 min read
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
1,052 views4 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 8, 20226 min read
Cajun Legend, Canray Fontenot & His Cigar Box Fiddle
Fontenot talking about his cigar box fiddle. Near the end, he pulls out a re-creation of his original cigar box fiddle
784 views13 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 7, 20223 min read
Freak of the Week: 1903 "Little Joe" Novelty Banjo
The Little Joe is a bizarre novelty instrument by the Harp-O-Chord Company of Columbus, OH and enables players to be a one man band!
1,489 views12 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 6, 20222 min read
One-String Teardrop Guitar, Springtown, TX
This primitive one-string guitar was a labor of love for the builder, who planned out a neck-through-body design with a bent wood...
382 views9 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 5, 20222 min read
Antique "Old Peach" Cigar Box Violin - Toledo OH (feat. new demo video!)
This cigar box violin is probably over 100 years old, and it's still playable! It was discovered in Toledo, OH.
468 views18 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 4, 20223 min read
Antique Six String Cigar Box Guitar from Illinois
Much time was spent carving and building this instrument and it truly looks like an instrument that could launch a bluesman's career.
390 views2 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 3, 20222 min read
The Yellow Cigar Box Guitar from Ohio
This unassuming yellow painted cigar box guitar is literally the grandfather of modern cigar box guitar design!
558 views6 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 2, 20222 min read
5 Tips for Inventing Your Own Open Tunings
My son, Shane Jr. (pictured above on drums) is a budding musician who is exploring as many instruments as possible. Yesterday, he came...
797 views4 comments
Shane Speal
Jan 1, 20224 min read
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
757 views7 comments
Shane Speal
Dec 31, 20212 min read
1930's Cigar Box Guitar with Half Moon Sound Hole
This small and very primitive cigar box guitar was found in East Troy, Wisconsin and features a cigar box dating back to the 1930's.
381 views2 comments
Shane Speal
Dec 30, 20212 min read
1961 Arturo Langelli Cigar Box Ukulele
Its very rare to find a fully documented, signed & dated cigar box guitar, but this cigar box ukulele is the exception.
476 views8 comments
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