Seasick Steve is a force of nature... a blues superstar who has been dominating stages in Europe.
He burst forth with a performance that went viral. In it, he flogged a 3-string beat-up guitar. Since then, he has been adding homemade instruments
Read more…Article compiled by Shane Speal
A sketch of Eddie "One String" Jones instrument. A 2x4, broom wire, medicine bottle for a bridge (covered by a paint can, which Jones called his "broadcaster"). Played with a bottle slide and a stick.
Song #1: Eddi
Read more…Did you know there is a fast-growing collection of FREE tablature for 3-string cigar box guitars over at CBN's sister site www.CigarBoxGuitar.com? It's true!
For those of you who aren't sure what tablature is, it is a way of writing out songs that sh
Read more…Les Claypool's one-string Whamola is the mutated and high voltage bastard-son of the washtub bass. Using a lever tuning/playing system, the instrument delivers globular, freak-out sounds. Just watch this video to get an idea...
We've seen many
Read more…Cigar Box Nation founder, Shane Speal interviews George Benson at NAMM 2015. Speal incorrectly thought Benson started out on a cigar box guitar. When asked about it, the guitar legend gave an even more compelling story.
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Be sure to check out the ever-growing collection of Cigar Box Guitar How-to articles over at www.CigarBoxGuitar.com. C. B. Gitty is building this library of carefully moderated and curated information, distilled from his own experience, the experienc
Read more…It's Autumn Building Season... and what better time than now to cut into a dried gourd to make a musical instrument!
The gourd banjo dates back to Africa and was one of the first instruments brought to America by slaves. The construction has a lot
Read more…Handmade Copper Pipe Guitars and Scrap Iron Guitars
by Shane Speal
Two of the most freakish guitars in my extremely weird guitar collection are by Tone-A-Cane Copper Pipe Guitars and Pete Regan’s Metal Guitars. Both are crafted using metal for body
At Cigar Box Nation, we tend to profile the blues players who are wielding cigar box guitars in concert such as Seasick Steve and Samantha Fish. However, one of the most prolific cigar box guitarists in the world today isn't blues, but a soulful alt
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to write a few words to talk honestly about the health and longevity of Cigar Box Nation. As usual, the post ended up being longer than I intended. So, here’s a summary:
We don’t know why there have been so many recent downt
I couldn't believe these ads when I first found them. Mussehl & Westphal first ran these ads around 1924 in Popular Mechanics Magazine. In doing more research, I learned that cigar box uke player, Shelley Rickey wrote a whole blog about them. Rea
Read more…The plans feature a solid 5-string (!) mandolin made from a wooden cigar box. From the lost files of cigar box guitar history, we present these plans which were rediscovered by John "Reddog" McNair of Reddog Guitars. (Thanks again, Reddog!)
These
Read more…It was bound to happen... first a Beatle (Paul McCartney) was seen with a cigar box guitar. Now a Rolling Stone has one, too.
Legendary guitarist, Ronnie Wood has been filmed using a Daddy Mojo (www.daddy-mojo.com) 4-string acoustic cigar box guita
Read more…Cigar Box Nation News - Videos, Cool Stuff, Concerts, Building Tips
Today's featured instrument is What'a Gal by OneSixTwoCBGs. This five-string gas is a beauty and sports the traditional 5 string banjo neck. Commissioned build for a local musicia
Classrooms to be filled with music as C. B. Gitty introduces new Cigar Box Guitars in Schools program.
Aug 18, 2015 [Rochester NH]
C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply has just launched a new Cigar Box Guitars in School program and named Shane Speal as Direc
Read more…This video has amassed more than 10 Million hits. You've probably seen it. Now hear Shane Speal's interesting backstory to the entire project.
Shane Speal says:
In early 2012, I received a panicked call from a advertising company in England. The
Read more…The Best Damn Concerts In Memphis Are From a One Man Band:
Richard Johnston, Rockin' the Lowebow
He studied under R. L. Burnside and Jesse Mae Hemphill. He was a regular at Junior Kimbrough's juke joint for two years before it burned down. Since
Read more…If you've ever wanted more info on the guitars Seasick Steve is playing, including some of the homemade instruments he uses, check out this video.
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