How to Build a 4-String Cigar Box Guitar
Here's a simple cigar box guitar design I came up with using a shovel handle from Lowes. It's presented here in 'builder's diary' form,...
CigarBoxGuitars.com - How to Build a Cigar Box Guitar
Shane Speal
- May 26
- 1 min
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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Shane Speal
- Sep 25, 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....
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Shane Speal
- Sep 18, 2020
- 2 min
How to Tie Fret Knots (Fretting Instruments with String)
How to Tie Fret Knots Parts needed: monofilament nylon fishing line (10 to 15lb test). Tools needed: Scissors Small file Fret Calculator....
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Shane Speal
- Sep 18, 2020
- 1 min
Dangerous Electric Cigar Box Guitar Plans from 1919
Don't try this at home! These plans were discovered by cigar box guitar builder and researcher, John "Reddog" McNair. I'm not sure...
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Shane Speal
- Sep 15, 2020
- 3 min
How to Make Musical Instruments from Cigar Boxes, 1923
Pictured: A small round box ukulele, circa 1920's. The following plans are less detailed than others in our archives, but they give some...
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Shane Speal
- Sep 10, 2020
- 5 min
How to Build a Cigar Box Banjo (Published 1884)
(Pictured: 5-string cigar box banjo, circa 2005. Unknown builder. The design is similar to the banjo plans featured here.) Shane's note:...
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Shane Speal
- Sep 4, 2020
- 3 min
How to Build a 5-String Cigar Box Mandolin (1922)
These historic plans from 1922 show how to build a five-string mandolin from a cigar box.
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Shane Speal
- Sep 4, 2020
- 2 min
How to Craft a Bottleneck Guitar Slide
This article was taken from the original CigarBoxGuitars.com archives. You’ll need Wine bottle with long neck Glass cutter Masking tape...
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