Howdy, y'all. My name is Jeff and I'm sitting in the Missouri sticks about an hour drive from Kansas City, east and a little north. The post office thinks I live in Richmond, MO, but they're wrong. I don't live in any blasted city and I'm not fixin to.
Got into this whole Cigar Box Guitar thing entirely by accident. I'm in the middle of learning to play an electric harp (no, harmonica players, I mean a harp. 33 strings. Harp. You can keep your noun and I'll keep mine. ) and I was looking for some info on making a stomp box drum, and googling around, y'know, and wandered into the Handmade Music Clubhouse, and here were all these loonies talking about cigar box guitars.
Well. As it happens, I played a regular guitar for about 27 years. Quit about 18 years ago for personal reasons too painful and too private to go into. Started trying to learn this harp because I wanted something I could play and sing with, and yeah, you can play the blues on a harp. Ain'cha ever heard of a blues harp? It's not all "Welcome to heaven." Go listen to Deborah Henson-Conant. But where was I?
Oh, yeah. Stomp boxes. Cigar box guitars. Good Godamighty, here's a guitar thing that I can play and avoid the heartbreak hangover of a 6 string, standard tuned guitar, and probably learn in two weeks, least well enough to play the three or four chords I need to sing those same old 200 songs with, and continue to practice the harp in the meantime. Deborah has between a 35 and 45 year head start on me at harp blues. In 35 years I'll be three weeks shy of 101.
So today I went down to the friendly neighborhood cigar shop (well, ok, it's fifty miles away, there ain't no such animal in this hick town) and picked up 8 cigar boxes, four suitable for guitars, one I'm gonna try to do a mini stomp box drum in, and one for an amplifier. The wifey is excited too. When I got'em home two of'em had clear plexiglas windows on one face, so I gave those to her for some of her joolery. And promised to make her one of the guitars.
Bought a couple poplar 1x2's. Bought a red oak 2x2, fixin' to make contrasting fret board on'em just for giggles.
This could definitely get outta hand.
Got started tonight.
Replies
Welcome aboard Jeff, it's a fun hobby/obsession/addiction, whatever you want to call it. Been at it for a little over 16 months and having a ball building these crazy things.
Thanks. Yeah, I can see for sure that I'm gonna have fun building some! I'm really anxious to get to playing one, too.
Welcome Jeff, it is truly an addiction but a fun one. I have built about 25 CBG's and have probably over a hundred boxes in waiting. Yes it can get out of control but I can see so many awesome guitars sitting there waiting for me to start on em. There's the addiction, one will sound crappy then one will be in your own collection because it is just too good to let go of, now you have a new problem, where in the hell am I going to keep them and it goes on and on. Way too much fun for one person to endure so you start sharing with friends and family. Have fun and enjoy the simple life..............3 strings.