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I discover CBG's Saturday just gone while looking for easy to play uke songs.

I can't play guitar, I can't play the uke and now I am thinking I can't play a 3 stringer!.

Anyway I decided to use a few days of my holiday to build one and what a learning curve that was.

I have never attempted anything like this before and I am real proud of myself for completing it.

It plays fines ( guitarist son played with it) all be it a little bit too tinny for my ears.

For a first build I am amazed that I got it 99% playable.

I should add that it's not strictly a CBG, it's more of a cutlery box guitar.

 It was the best I could get at such short notice!

Anyway here are few pictures......enjoy, I did.

Happy 5th! Here's a set of free plans. It's called a Rocky Mountain Dulcimer, a cardboard topped 3-stringed instrument. Sounds great! 

Here's a young lass playing one.

I had a ball at this years Bluesfest. The lineup was incredible!

Here is some of the action.

http://www.bluesfest.com.au/schedule/announcements.aspx?DayID=57

Here you go folks...I got my NEW sticker design back from the printers today and I'm givin' 'em away for FREE.

Just send me a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope, and I'll send you a sticker that will let the world know how you feel about your Cigar Box Guitar.

Soundbox Guitars

92 Nightingale Dr.

Aliso Viejo, CA. 92656

enjoy,

Jason.

   I just finished this little guy for the good people at Collishaw farms in Cloverdale, BC. Patrick Harrison, who owns the farm, saw a little spot on cigar box guitars on the TV and tracked me down. He spent some time looking for a local artisan to build one for him. lucky for me, I am the only one in the Vancouver region. So far!.

   Here is a pick of how it turned out.

    If you would like to see more about it and learn a little about the build process, check out this link to my website.

http://wsbluesbox.wordpress.com/2012/11/27/ws-016-collishaw-farm/

Here's the tub, its 18" in diameter

Here's the tub with the sound board anchors in place

Sound board ready for mounting and paint

The neck glueing, it will be red oak with maple

....stay tuned!

Sound board base coated, penciled in design...ready for 3D paint

Now the sound board is ready for paint.....

Almost where I want it too be

Neck Brace

Making my own 3-stringed instrument has been such a joyous revelation!

It began for me when I met an ex-fourth grade teacher from Montana, named Ray Jacobs. We were in California, where he was helping people turn cardboard and scrap wood into something that looked like a 3-string banjo — it sounded just amazing! And it looked so simple! I thought “shoot, I could play that!” (I’ve been guitar and music challenged for years).

Here's Ray and Shirley playing: 

Ray taught fourth grade for 20 years; many of his kids learned to make and play these simple, 3-stringed instruments. He also gave them an old V-8 engine and challenged them to take it apart and put it together; he took them to a local pond to squelch and splash and take buckets of pond water back to class, where they put it in split 55-gallon drums so they could play and learn when their “other work” was done; he shepherded 20 generations of kids into 5th grade, many of them with dulcimers they had made themselves, on which they could all play melody and chords — extraordinary gifts!

I thought, “someone should put this into a book so every 4th grade teacher can do what Ray did!” (I’ve been a “teaching artist” in the Oregon schools, and know how hard is for kids to get good, hands-on activities. Teachers are so bound by schedules, test requirements, and policy that they can’t afford to engage kids in anything not specified in the curriculum. So it takes an outsider to do the creative projects.)

I tried to find someone else to write up Ray's story (he also makes a whole range of beautiful instruments from cardboard, gourds, wood, you name it), but noone was as excited as I was, so when I took the family back east last October, we stopped for a few days with Ray and his wife Shirley (here's a nice little video about them from Western Folklife). He and I put a dulcimer together, and I took notes and pictures. It turned into a book – you can download it (free) here. (It’s also available as a (full color!) $10 paperback at the same site, or on Amazon and createspace.) If you like it, please share!

I am always blown away and inspired by the players that come through my stall at The Bluesfest.

From seasoned players to absolute beginners.

Always a thrill to get someone who has never played a cbg (or guitar) before up and running.

Here is some footage. All shot on my phone. Next time i'll do it all sideways.

Fun Fun Fun!

It's a long video so maybe grab a beer or a cup of Tea

or a cbg and jam along!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PAaRh84AZgg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ok, we can become obligated to much to quickly.

That friend I way underpriced that build for is waiting his guitar. He told me today he knew he was getting a real bargan. He ain't no fool. So tonight I started cutting sound holes and the drill bit snagged, tore out a hole. Have to find all the little pieces and glue then back in, and tomorrow when all is dry cut it out by hand. However, I soldered in the Double Piezo pickups, one under the bass strings and one under the high string, with volume control for each pickup. Never did a double before and never a wired in volumn control. Halleleau it worked after a lot of frustration with the soldering iron.

I an putting in a lot more time in the build than I should be for the return - but sating myself with pride, learning experience, advertisement, all that stuff we bolster our selves with when we bit off more than we aim to chew.

I go up stair to eat between frustrations and the dear wife who has fixed a marvelous dinner looks at me and says, "Christmas is comming up". She pauses, "You could build a guitar for your daughter". We have a daughter Glenwood Springs Colorado who runs Sunshine Mtn. Inn with her husband. I can hook you up, it is on a ski resort. Also they have a lot of hunters and in the summer weddings and rafters, bikers, and groups. Anyway, the daughter sings and plays anything she sets her mind to.

"And Clayton", daughter's husband, "a banjo". He wants to learn, Daughter bought him a banjo he has not worked with, he is a busy busy man - never slows down. But if he had a CBG type banjo, maybe?

Then there is our son, he is learning to play guitar. He sings, is in a band and all that, has set in with some of the big boys and gals. He throws names around all the time. Could make him a guitar for Christmas also.

See how it snow balls? We have not mentioned my brother-in-law, etc, etc, etc, Wonder if she'll get around to them?

You do not want to get to a point the better half can brag on you! That is the danger zone! Ever let them think they have bragging rights and it is over, your goose is cooked, you are officially a commodity they can use for leverage within the family, among friends, and co-workers- even chirch groups.

You replace that streight "A" child, the Athelete Child, the Child with the College Degree, that child with the job that lets them drive around in a Mercades. They need a new angle, a new handle, a new advantage, a new one upper, and you have laid that weapon squarely in their lap.

Now it ain;t all bad. This allows you to spend whatever you need within reason on your "hobby", so long as you produce results once in a while. It means you get your man cave [interpeted shop]. You get to make all kind of noise - yes noise, real noise, mechanical and musical! You can track sawdust all over the house - again within reason. You can buy new tools !!!!!!!

I just cannot list all the perks, and should not, the ladies of the house may read this and get wise to us.

All I can say is make those gifts in between making your toys and one or two to sale to make it seem like you are actually making money with your hobby.  

Do not be afraid to seen marvelously talented to the Better Half. Brag, Wax eloquent, earn those perks - just be aware of the danger zone involved.

Doyle Guitars will be on display at Iron Stone Winery which is in the gold country of Northern California, just a few hours east of the Bay Area.

The guitars will be on exhibit at the Iron Stone Museum, as noted in their blog, starting today & through out the concert season and summer.

Iron Stone is a really interesting place with some very interesting things to see, like a wine cavern and one of the World's largest gold leaf nuggets.

Come on by, say hello to my dad Mike Doyle and check out some custom cigar box guitars (and a Elvis ukulele!)

I am starting my own CBG company; Insolitus Guitars. I chose the name because cigar box guitars are unusual, uncommon and that is what I enjoy most. I love unusual things and music from these instruments is beautiful to me. Even on youtube from the least skilled player the music rings in my ears something sweet. I found out about cigar box guitars in college my sophomore year. I didn't have money for a guitar so I 'googled' DIY (Do It Yourself) guitars online and there they were. They were minimalist (which I love) and simple to make. The various tuning styles that people have developed for them allows them to be uniquely diverse and can play any style. They are socially and economically relevant today as they were back in their humble begining.

Today's recession has called upon inovative and resourceful thinking. Recycling cigar boxes to create musical instruments and amplifiers is one great way. Using discarded or simple sustainable wood for the necks and other parts is great as well. They cost a fraction of the cost of a normal guitar to make but can produce sounds that are just as good; if not better. So for me to not look into making my own to sell and play then i would be making a mistake.

I am still a beginner in playing guitar, I have been tinkering and playing around with guitars and basses since I was fifteen years old. I never really had the time nor the patience to sit down and learn how to play them. Until i found out about cigar box guitars. These wonderful instruments inspire me. So my blog at wordpress is called: http://insolitusguitars.wordpress.com/ and here at Cigar Box Nation. You can follow my adventure in learning how to play and build these soulful and simple instruments.

Blues Guitars France is an attypical shop in France 17 rue Duperré Paris 75009 in the well known quarter of Pigalle. we only sell instruments handmade with differents luthier through the world , Indonesia, Usa ...We get our own brand Stlouis..We Make differents  electric guitars, Custom, Relic, Art.. the ART model are paint by a famous French painter named Julius Baltazar

Musicians love to come visit our shop to try out guitars to jam out on!

so give the shop anf the website a visit!!!

joel Poupeau

http://www.blues-guitares.fr

After getting some nice maple from my buddy Rob the week before Christmas, visions of cigar boxes began to dance in my head. Reality intruded, however, when I realized that I had no place to actually build my CBG. All of the surface space in the Wig Shop (my basement lair) was cluttered with the typical rockstar detrius: guitars, pedals, recording gear, and cocaine. After hastily cobbling together a workbench out of an old palette, wine crates, and a few cinder blocks, I commenced to sawin' and sandin'.

When I regained consciousness, I was coated in sawdust. I discovered that I needed a shave, and that my family had started calling local hospitals and taverns, attempting to locate my body. But upon looking down at my sad little workbench, I saw that a CBG-shaped mass was beginning to take shape among the wood shavings and empty PBR silos. Joy.

After taking sustenance and reuniting with my wife and children, I began to ponder the next steps. I would soon have to drill my pristine headstock, and figure out what type of bridge to use. What pickup should I deploy? And will I really have the nerve to fret this musical stogie?

Stay tuned, my friends.

    This is a cool one i built for a friend who is a well respected melodian musician here in Vancouver. His name is John Krieger. He wanted me to tweak it a bit and put a double octave string for the high strings and have a strum stick fretting on it. It turned out nice and sounded really beautiful. I used a nice Punch box i found in San Diego on a business trip and piece of Mahogany for the neck. The sound holes are decorated with some cool antique napkin holders i found at a flea market. I don't have any video of how it sounded unfortunatly but i was pleased with its volume and tone.

www.wsbluesbox.wordpress.com

    Here is another angle of it. The cool stand was made by my father who makes guitar stands, hardwood guitar picks, dulcimers, Psaltery's and other cool folk instruments.  

Hi peeps,

                Thought you might be interested in having a butchers at my 'tour bus'-I didnt want to clog up the nation with pics of a motor so I've placed them here.You can follow developments as the work on her continues throughout Spring 2011.

            Its a 2003 VW T4-they are used as surf buses around these parts and campervans too.It has only 45k on its 2.5 turbodiesel engine and believe me I was lucky to get it-they are like gold dust, especially in this condition.Being a family man, the Bellybus will be dual purpose-a rock roll seat/bed will be installed in the rear so the kids can travel when the old rusty Rover car eventually falls to pieces.

Pic 1-heres the Bellybus as was when bought-a regular panel van..

and heres a pic with the side windows installed-I had them limo tinted so peeps cant see any gear I might be carrying in the back-

On this third pic you can see the other side window also.With the tailgate open you can see I've not done anything to the inside yet-the wood panels and blue carpet were the previous owners work.I've just cheered it up a bit for now by sticking a few set lists from recent gigs up and chucking a few cushions in to sit on..I carry a sleeping bag under the drivers seat just in case..so far the Bellybus has taken me to gigs in Birmingham,Kent,London and across the sea to Belgium-at the wheel it feels like a family car-nice n smooth and not noisy at all..it drives with all the efficiency one would expect from a German vehicle..dubtastic ;o)  

So what next? well I need to remove the wood panels and insulate, remove the carpet (come on- carpet just aint rock n roll!) I'd like to have it wood everywhere,with gig posters and the like-kinda like a Bluesmans' wood cabin on wheels! I toyed with the idea of having a pic of Eric Clapton on the floor..heh heh..wipe your converse here.Anyway, this next pic is from some dudes T4 I found on the interweb-he's removed the ceiling panels and put wood in- like I want it-the ceiling is very cool but the rest of its a bit 'neat' for my taste-plus is that carpet I see on the walls..Noooo! still, you get the idea..well, seeing as I'm pants at woodwork I reckon Juju will be getting a call!

 Well thats it for now peeps-I'll update as the Bellybus develops over the coming months.Cheers, HB

UPDATE-MARCH-

             Well I've been busy stripping out the Bellybus and adding insulation to make it more comfortable when I ever need to kip in the bus-unfortunately my dream of having Juju fit out the inside is not to be as he is inundated with guitar orders and has a kitchen to build, so its down to yours truly.I am taking my inspiration for the interior from the cover of my album and am using hessian to carpet the walls-its cheap too-I'll be going for a mild rat type look (and believe me, with my woodworking skills its just as well!)  hessian/distressed gig posters on walls etc..

              Anyway,heres a few pics-this really is the boring bit..insulating/cutting panels and so on..rear wheel arch is covered in flashing tape to quieten road noise..

more insulation in the roof space-silver backed bubblewrap-

I've made doorcards and panels from 3.6mm ply-heres the doorcard for the rear tailgate sitting in me garage-as you can see I got my mate Bansky to decorate it  lol   

bit more exciting/fun than the generic grey one anyroad.

Ok dudes-more updates soon..

UPDATE APRIL-

         Ok peeps the rear seat is in,and I've got all the hessian where I want it-begun to stick up posters and stuff-heres a few pics-

This heres a close up of the 'mojo hole'-a take on honesty windows from strawbale eco houses if you will-I put in a used (knackered) bluesharp, a glass slide and a used plectrum.I really like the roof cos it cost me nowt-I just reversed the original panels! It added no extra weight-I was gonna put in thin tongue and groove but it weighed  a considerable amount and you'd pay for that at the pumps, so I decided against it-plus these hardboard panels give that ratty shed look I wanted.seat down into the bed position-king size-nice!gotta dash peeps-more pics later..

UPDATE MAY-

floor getting installed today-it might look fancy but its just 12mm outdoor grade ply and I varnished it 3 times-might not last  years n years but of course I have the option to lay a harder wearing floor on top at a later date if I feel the need.I've put 2mm of neoprene rubber strip all around the edges to cut down on the possibility of squeaks where wood meets wood or metal-what with the bus moving and all that.Left a little space in case of expansion due to heat also.It fits nice, but dont zoom on this photo or you'll see how bloody awful my woodworking 'skills' are!!

ok you zoomed didnt you?! DIDNT YOU?!!!

right next,so heres the riser that goes under the rear seat and houses the rear 6x9 speakers-I found a tea chest on the local dump-as you know, they have stencils sprayed on from being shipped all over the world and I thought I'd take it apart and make panels out of them.All the stencils are genuine apart from the Hollowbelly one which I added then sanded slightly to match it with the others..

so here it is in situ just to give you an idea-I've installed the floor and the riser is just sitting there unglued for now-seems prudent to ensure the speakers work before I stick the panel in.. I sprayed the speakers covers matt brown as they were brand new, then knocked em back a bit with sandpaper-the 2 rusty metal bands in the centre of the panel are those metal strips that hold the tea chest together.I used them to hide the join between the different panels, as well as add a bit more grunge..

the opposite wall panel now looks pretty boring so Im on the lookout for a few more tea chests-alternatively I may leave it so I have more space for future gig posters as and when they arrive..

ok thats it for now peeps-I'll get back when I next do something else-the step probably..

      July/August-ok so heres the step and riser going in-I used the offcuts from the free tea chests for the riser and also the rusty metal strips from the tea chest edges to match the pattern under the rear seat.The actual step is the same 12mm marine grade ply..oh and I used the 'Hollowbelly Punkblues' stencil I used on the cd flightcase-just sprayed it with black car spray,then white over the top..and Bobs yer uncle as we say in the north.

the lights are coming on nice...

Here is a little video that Dave put together of us in the studio last week as he was recording us for our New CD that will be coming out very soon. We will giving away some CD's as well, ...details to come, stay tuned.
Visit and LIKE The Budrows on Facebook for your chance to win.

http://youtu.be/DNuBizaa6do

the first 100 downloads are free. this is my first all-cigarbox guitar album, featuring builds from Darren Brown, Christian Beshore, and Olds Sleeper.

www.jellyspinejenkins.bandcamp.com