In 2017, we challenged you to create new and exciting resonator instruments using paint can lids!  Whether its sinking a lid into your favorite cigar box guitar design or coming up with some new and wild musical invention, you built to impress!  

The comments below represent the submissions by Cigar Box Nation members.  Dig through 'em and get some inspiration for your own next project.

sponsor:  C. B. Gitty Tin Pan Alley Kit

The winners were...

The contest was judged by Damian Fanelli, online editor of Guitar World Magazine based on the photos you provided. 

The paint lid reso concept was the idea of North Hollywood, CA luthier, Matty Baratto.  He’s been building these ResoFiddles (the resonator version of his CigFiddles) since 1995 and has made them for Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl, Johnny Depp and others.  Not only was it amazing to see Baratto actually enter his #250 guitar in the contest, it was even more mind blowing that he was edged out of the #1 slot.  Here’s the top three winners:

Crowdaddy gets first prize, a $100 C. B. Gitty Gift Certificate and bragging rights.  Guitar World comments, “(this is) the one I’d most like to own.  I love the controls being on top… it’s nice and traditional with some extras.”

Matty Baratto comes in second place with his ResoFiddle #250.  He will receive a $50 gift certificate from C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply.

Third place goes to Alberto Magotti.  Guitar World comments, “(this is) a very attractive box…cool looking.”  Magotti receives a $25 gift certificate from C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply.

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3 String ,Hickory Neck,walnut fretboard, classic tuners, hardware handle tail.,vol. tone controls,single coil. 1 gallon paint lid, wood cigar box..

Guitar made by Camille Stahl.  This is my first build. I started with a cut out neck, cigar box, and a paint can lid I got for free from a paint store. I had an old paint bush and cut it for both the bridge and tail. I also used a sponge paint brush for the nut. The tuners, strings and electronics came from CB-Gitty. Painted everything white with drips of paint. 

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This is my #10:THE HOT ROD. Just like a hot rod, it's stripped down and simple.It has an oak pole for a neck finished with Danish Oil. Piezo goes straight to the output jack. Paint lid resonator was free from my local paint store. Nut and bolt for a bridge. Old threaded tube for a nut. C.B,Gitty machines and strings. Two sound ports and a 25" scale length. Box is an Olivet painted red.

Ted Stahl: Ted Guitars tstahl1633@gmail.com

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This is my first four string and first fretted neck build. I have done a few ukuleles before with pre made necks and can say I enjoyed making the neck and the whole project. This is a 22in scale with Hickory neck and red oak fretboard. Triple piezo pickups in seated application and sounds clear. It is a Jabak box.

Thanks for reading- Dennis

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Black Walnut neck with a Poplar headstock, yardstick fingerboard, zero fret,Fuente box, a hand hammered paint can lid. 23" scale, walnut bridge saddle.

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I forgot to mention this is a complete Rat-Rod , just a quick down and dirty build, and it sounds great.,.,a poor mans Dobro and nice "pluck and cluck" like a banjo....and it cost me $6 to build...

F

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I call this one "Frankenbox" and yes there is a paint can lid below that aluminum diamond plate. Instead of mounting the lid directly into the body with a floating bridge, I chose to shorten an entire paint can to about 3/4 inch tall with the can bottom intact effectively doubling the surface area of the resonator on account of the air trapped between the bottom and top of the can. (See attached pic.) The bridge is a modified cabinet pull screwed to the lid which pokes through the top. The whole can/bridge assembly is suspended from the aluminum top via a plywood ring, t-nuts, stainless machine screws, and springs which provides fully adjustable string height and added resonance. the modified 6 string neck was salvaged from a cheap "kiddy" guitar (due to build time constraints) with a scale length of 19 3/4".  I removed the zero fret and replaced it with a custom Pionite nut then added matching diamond plate to the headstock. Hand made mahogany body painted gloss black. Single coil pickup with volume and tone control. Knobs are from a 60s era console stereo. It has a surprisingly sweet sound acoustically but ferociously comes to life when amped and chrunched with no feedback.

Additional pictures for clarification.

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This was my first attempt at a resonator. My very supportive wife gave me the lid and challengedme to build something out of it.

Once this build was complete she told me it looks like a sock monkey.

As a custom saddlemaker and leather worker I fell in love with the sounds the cigar box has, I had to build one, then another, then more, now I find I get to enter a contest , a big step for me. This paint can lid creation has a African Paduak neck with a 14 1/2 degree headstock, maple fret board, sealed gear tuners, old salvaged pickup, a handmade and hand engraved ( another hobby of mine ) tailpiece along with a Purple Heart bridge and braided leather set into the rim of the lid. The 12 gauge shotgun shell case head tops off the volume control and custom designed and cut sound holes hopefully adds. Thank you for looking

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This is my third coffee can diddly bow. The body is the top 2 1/2" of a metal coffee can with an autumn theme paint job original to the can. The top "sound board" is old paneling cut and sanded to fit inside the rim of the can with a 1 Qt paint can lid resonator fit into it. It has a 25" scale length on a hardwood mop handle, the nut is a hose clamp while the bridge is piece of black walnut on an oak base. The "fret markers are burned lines and  green sparkle tape "diamonds". Tuner is from a parts guitar and is offset to keep the string straight down the middle. The back is 1/4" plywood held in with three wood screws and has another 1/2 pint paint can lid for the sound hole cover. It has a wound G string and plays like a diddly bow should. Total cost $1.25 with approx 12 hour build time.

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