Cigar Box Guitars, I Want One!

A few weeks ago I was in my basement repairing some plumbing when I came across a box of old guitar parts that must have been lost in the shuffle from when I moved.  At the time I was preoccupied with the fact that my kitchen sink’s drain pipe was broke and didn’t give it much thought.

Today I was back in the basement, under better circumstances, and felt as if the box of parts was calling out to me.  I have built several guitars already, but it has been a while since the last one and I could feel myself getting the itch.  Unfortunately, I had to shelf the project due to the fact I was a bridge and several other small parts short of a complete guitar.  I personally can’t justify spending money on building a guitar right now when I already have several functional guitars.

Despite having to postpone the project, I was still feeling inspired and decided to check out some guitar parts on the internet.  While I was surfing I came across a DIY cigar box guitar on Guitar World’s website that cost about $25 to make.  I’ve seen them before, but never gave them much thought.  I more or less shrugged them off as being toys until I saw this video of a guy making some really cool music with one.  After further research I found out that cigar box guitars have a serious following.  Some are quite beautiful and can offer a wide range of tones depending on how you set them up.   Cigar Box Nation seems to be the authoritative resource on the subject offering plans, lessons, and a large collection of cigar box guitar photos.  Now I am thinking I can satisfy my itch without breaking the bank and end up with a really unique instrument that my collection is missing.

http://aixelsyd13.wordpress.com/   was kind enough to send me a link to a post of his about a guy who made a guitar out of vinyl records.  Check it out, not only does it have a distinct sound, but it would look great hanging from the wall.

http://aixelsyd13.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/tom-bingham-vinyl-record-guitar/