Cigar Box Vahila by Robert Killen of Eugene, OR.
"This was a project I had my boys work on for their mother for Christmas. It's based on the valiha - an African folk instrument. The valiha is the national instrument of Madagascar. Traditional instruments are made of large bamboo, with strips of the outer fibers lifted and tuned with bridges.
I was trying to figure out what to do with long, thick boxes. The valiha came to mind.
The tuning peg layout for 16 strings has plenty of room for improvement. It's currently strung with fishing line. It sounds better than I had expected. But, I'll probably swap out for metal at some point just to check out the difference.
NEW PLANS ADDED TO THE ARCHIVE: Build a Coconut Shell Rebec Banjo.
These plans are for a traditional Middle Eastern "spike fiddle," also known as a Rebab. It is very similar to the Asian "Erhu" fiddle as well. The use of a coconut shell is what really struck me in the design, as it is more commonplace than dried gourds. Also in the text, there is a reference to a connection with African music and the blues. >>Read more...
ADDITIONAL EVENING ADDED TO THE NEW ORLEANS CIGAR BOX GUITAR FEST!!! On Thursday, Jan. 14, we will be screening the new cigar box guitar documentary, "Strung Together" + a Q&A with the film's creator, Jon Miller.
The inaugural NOLA CBG Fest will include concerts, build-off competitions, historical seminars and more. Tickets on sale now for the entire fest are on sale now at NewOrleansCBG.com
PLANS ONLY - COMPLETELY UPDATED! Last week, we announced the complete update of the 1880's Uncle Enos Banjo plans + full transcription of the Christmas short story that went along with the plans. This new link is for the just the building plans so you can build an authentic cigar box banjo.
Build an Uncle Enos Cigar Box Banjo - Plans Only
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