Cigar Box Guitars

Susie
Susie
@susie
5 years ago
500 posts

Phroedrick:


Okay, I admit I have a love affair with making cigar box guitars and, especially, cigar box ukuleles. I make them and usually give them away to kids in the family or someone with an interest in learning music and not enough coin for a basic instrument. I’m including a picture of a recent uke. It’s my favorite so far, and is concert length.


6030640575AB475F81D99AA682DFC6C3.jpeg


That is really neat!


updated by @susie: 07/05/19 01:41:46PM
Robin Thompson
Robin Thompson
@robin-thompson
5 years ago
1,415 posts

@Phroedrick That is a cool c'box uke! 

kjb
@kjb
5 years ago
12 posts

Pondoro:


I've always seen CBG's and CBU's tuned in fourths. You  can tune ukes and guitars in fifths but it is rare. Tenor guitars are probably tuned in fifths most of the time. 



I’ve been looking at three string cigar box guitars and most seem to be tuned as GDG, or similar tuning.  Often played with a slide.  Check out  https://www.cigarboxguitar.com/knowledge-base/5565/


 

Kevin R.
Kevin R.
@kevin-r
5 years ago
16 posts

That's some mighty fine playing, Randy. It not only sounds great, it's just plain fun to watch too!

Randy Adams
Randy Adams
@randy-adams
5 years ago
113 posts
Ken Longfield:

Nice, Randy. I could sit and listen to you play all day. Might need a break for pizza though.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Stop over again then Ken we'll head for Old Chicago!
Ken Longfield
Ken Longfield
@ken-longfield
5 years ago
1,073 posts

Nice, Randy. I could sit and listen to you play all day. Might need a break for pizza though.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

kjb
@kjb
5 years ago
12 posts

Love it.  Thanks for posting.

Pondoro
Pondoro
@pondoro
5 years ago
34 posts

That looks and sounds great!

Randy Adams
Randy Adams
@randy-adams
5 years ago
113 posts

I made this cig box dulcimer a few years back still like to play it.
Pondoro
Pondoro
@pondoro
5 years ago
34 posts

I've always seen CBG's and CBU's tuned in fourths. You can tune ukes and guitars in fifths but it is rare. Tenor guitars are probably tuned in fifths most of the time. 

kjb
@kjb
5 years ago
12 posts

I need a cigar box uke or guitar.  Since they are often tuned in 5ths like mountain dulcimers, do you find it helps playing them?

Robin Thompson
Robin Thompson
@robin-thompson
6 years ago
1,415 posts

@pondoro You've made some great-looking ukuleles!  

Pondoro
Pondoro
@pondoro
6 years ago
34 posts

So these are cigar box ukuleles. Both boxes are more than 40 years old. All wood was cut in America (I cannot vouch for the boxes). The larger one has homemade maple tuning pegs, the smaller one has professionally made tuners. 

 

The walnut on the smaller one was harvested by my father. The maple for the tuning pegs on the larger one came from the flooring of a 1900-ish house. Trying to reproduce what a kid in the 1920's might have made, if he had time, tools and skill but no money. 

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updated by @pondoro: 10/31/18 08:14:12PM
Terry Wilson
Terry Wilson
@terry-wilson
6 years ago
297 posts
Cool. Real cool.
MollieNeuman
MollieNeuman
@mollieneuman
6 years ago
0 posts

This is really nice.

jp
@jp
6 years ago
42 posts

here is a better one.... the headstock would be pointing down...

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jp
@jp
6 years ago
42 posts

like this...

Robin Thompson
Robin Thompson
@robin-thompson
6 years ago
1,415 posts

Nice work, jp. 

jp
@jp
6 years ago
42 posts

they fret less ..... but with wood burned markers on the side of the neck. fretted Chromatically like a guitar

Noah Coy Barfield
Noah Coy Barfield
@noah-coy-barfield
6 years ago
6 posts

Beautiful work!  Did you fret them more like a dulcimer or like a guitar?

jp
@jp
6 years ago
42 posts

i mentioned i built some Cigar box guitars... here are a couple.....the black (Punch) one i built for

my grandson.... funny thing is when he received it he had punched a wall screwed up his

picking hand.....

the red one (American) i built for my son.... they are all slide guitars tuned GDG

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updated by @jp: 01/17/20 09:47:54PM