The film about cigar box guitars „Low End Instruments” just qualified for the short films competition, Sundance Shorts. So, if anyone would like to help and vote for this film, that can be done at the link below.

You can vote everyday – just sign up. By voting for this film you give you support for its author, who spent a several months to make it done totally for the idea and no profits. Przemek has a chance for very nice awards, like…

Pre-order now. Percolator 1x8 combo kits ship on Friday, ready-to-play units shortly thereafter.

A new video of Glenn Kaiser playing an ol' Leadbelly tune on one of his cigar box guitars. He's using a Percolator Stack by Zeppelin Design Labs, a 2W tube amp and 1x8 cabinet. The COMBO is ON…

Installing Piezo Pickup in Acoustic Guitar

https://youtu.be/ZHSEeu5BXX0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aOJuCYgmPPE

We always look at the top-trending photos on The Nation to choose our featured instrument and it seems like license plate guitars always rocket to the top.  This one is amazing and a true standout...

This Nebraska plate guitar comes from Blair, NE…

I'm a scientist.  I understand that correlation does not equal causation, but the mind does like to see patterns, even if it is with only three examples.

My first open mic was an unmitigated disaster.  I didn't practice, was a little arrogant about how I would perform and had expectations that could not be met.  I felt bad about my result, but challenged myself to do better a second time.

Second open mic was exactly the opposite.  There was a fellow cigar box…

My mate just had a go at making his first guitar....not a CGB but the same backyard style knocked up with some unusual bits, and sounds good too.....

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A quick making of: The Neck Pickup,

After building a new neck and glueing the fretboard I had to cut of some inches and thought about using the scrap piece as a neck pickup housing for my current three string project.

Unfortunately the space is really limited for placing a hand wound…

I have been sitting here for over two months not building anything.  The closest I got was after the snow finally melted away two weekends ago, I moved most all of the tools from my winter shop in the basement back out into the barn where I work the other three seasons.  

I have a…

Learning music needn't be hard. It may sometimes appear that way but that's more to do with how it's presented than anything else. I'm proposing a series of blogs to help demystify the study of music using methods that I've found effective over many years. The learning can be summed up in two essential premises

Premise no 1 -  Words are only useful when they can describe what you are hearing.

All the blabbering on in the world won't make a scrap of difference…

I've been meaning to have a go at this for a while. I have seen it done a couple of times before. As always, I don't consider this to be entirely my own work or research, but rather a collaborative effort with others in the community. Let me share with you how I did it:

The…

Download Full Album "Das Wohltemperirte Cigar Box Guitar" HERE: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/captainnemoff2

I spent a marathon day yesterday chaperoning a field trip to Cleveland to visit the zoo and a quick stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We only had about an hour, so I didn't get to spend nearly as much time as I would have liked, but it was still pretty cool.  My group consisted of seven 7th grade girls and needless to say, they were less than impressed with my vast knowledge of all things Rock and/or Roll. You try explaining The Wall to a bunch of 13 year olds!

First impression…

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Ammo Box Resonator

Built by Marko Natri of Ontolla, Finland

It has been…

Hey look! We incorporated our popular Percolator 2W cigar box guitar tube amplifier into a handy combo. It features a Jensen C8R speaker and the same solid wood cabinet as our other products. We sell it as a kit or pre-built and ready-to-play.

The Combo ships May 1 but is ON SALE through April 30. 

Combo Kit: $299…

The most confident build I've done. I went real slow and careful; considered all my previous mistakes and avoided them. I went fretless because it's the most enjoyable to play for me. It feels like skinny dipping to me. Three strings tuned to Open low G, with "WHAT A GUY" carved into the board. It has a three string Ted Crocker pickup I bought in 2011. It's made from a deep Jaime Garcia box, because my nickname is Jamie. Maple neck, no staining or sealing but I…