Well it looks like it's about one cigarbox project every year or 6 mos. so here's the latest.... This one probably cost less than $50 in materials all told. Cigarbox from cigar nation (10 asst for $20, so $2 for this one), neck found for $20 at Dallas Gtr Show, strings about $7.99 and asst wood and hardware maybe $15 tops. Bridge pins are those little hubs used to make wooden cars hubs...bridge is a bolt with two felt bumpers superglued onto one side to minimize scratching the superb finish (haha) and slippage....And the string guides on the head? Don't ask...I have no idea. But they've been in a plastic container of assorted hardware for about 20 yrs. The motto of anyone crafting cigar box instruments is to NEVER throw anything away--whether putting up a storm door, fixing a bike, whatever. They may come in handy. I can't play guitar very well. So I limited this to 4 strings tuned an octave below mandolin. It sounds like a tenor banjo...kinda what I had in mind. May add the remaining strings later.
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Well it looks like it's about one cigarbox project every year or 6 mos. so here's the latest.... This one probably cost less than $50 in materials all told. Cigarbox from cigar nation (10 asst for $20, so $2 for this one), neck found for $20 at Dallas Gtr Show, strings about $7.99 and asst wood and hardware maybe $15 tops. Bridge pins are those little hubs used to make wooden cars hubs...bridge is a bolt with two felt bumpers superglued onto one side to minimize scratching the superb finish (haha) and slippage....And the string guides on the head? Don't ask...I have no idea. But they've been in a plastic container of assorted hardware for about 20 yrs. The motto of anyone crafting cigar box instruments is to NEVER throw anything away--whether putting up a storm door, fixing a bike, whatever. They may come in handy. I can't play guitar very well. So I limited this to 4 strings tuned an octave below mandolin. It sounds like a tenor banjo...kinda what I had in mind. May add the remaining strings later.