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My First Cigar Box Guitar

So my introduction to the cigar box guitar was quite by accident. Talking on a forum about the topic of guitar enthusiasm, I ran across a YouTube video regarding CBG's while researching the subject of guitar history. I was intrigued. The history and the simplicity of the instrument was compelling. The more I learned, the more I wanted one of my own. Eventually I ran into an instructional video that showed me how to build one. And so I was off to the stores to buy the things necessary for the project. Below are the steps I took in the process.

It should be noted that I have a work bench in my garage, a table saw, a drill press, and an assortment of other tools. Nonetheless, I'm confident that I could have built a cigar box guitar with nothing more than a coping saw, hand drill, a screw driver, sand paper, a file, and a couple drill bits...plus some wood glue.

The BASIC DESIGN of my first was built on a 23” scale.  Many people opt for a 25” scale, but this being my first, I went with the scale offered in the video. The needed materials are a cigar box, a length of hardwood, tuning keys, guitar strings, an eye bolt, and wood screws. There are other possible materials that can be used, which I will discuss later.

Finding a CIGAR BOX was easy. There are two cigar shops near my home. Most cigar shops will save their cigar boxes and sell them to the general public. You'll most likely find them stacked on a shelf somewhere in the shop. Their prices generally vary depending on the quality of the box—anywhere from 99 cents to 5 dollars. So finding a box should be simple.

A length of hardwood for the NECK should be relatively easy to find. Beware, however, hardwood can be expensive. When I went to the store I found a 10 foot length of maple, and I misread the price, thinking it was less than 3 dollars, When I arrived at the counter, I learned that the price was per linear foot, so I found myself paying nearly 20 dollars for an excessive length of neck material. Fortunately I had planned on building several CBG's in the future for family and friend, so I was able to use the extra material. I should note that Lowes has a good selection of precut hardwoods, and that is where I now go for my neck material. Though I chose maple, any hardwood should work fine for the neck. If you're on a tight budget, poplar is economical. What you're looking for is a 1”x2”x4' piece of neck material. Keep in mind that a 1'x2” is actually 3/4”x1-1/2”.

TUNING KEYS can be expensive. I first called the local guitar shops, and they were asking 4 dollars and up each. Flabbergasted, I turned to Amazon, where I purchased 6 for a little more than 8 dollars total. They actually turned out to be quality tuning machines and worked out great on my CBG.

A package of guitar STRINGS can be had for less than 4 dollars at Amazon or your local guitar shop. I used D'Addario acoustic string. You will only need the A, D, and G strings from the package.

OTHER TOOLS: a 3/8” drill bit and a 3/32” drill bit. The larger bit is for drilling the holes for the tuning keys, and the smaller bit is for drilling the string holes on the tail of the neck. Do double check the diameter of the casing on your tuning keys before drilling the holes. I found that mine were a hair larger than 3/8” and had to ream the holes with the drill bit before the tuning key would fit correctly.

So, in a nut shell, you are building a neck that is fitted within a cigar box. The neck is used to hold the strings and take the tension of those strings. The box is the resonator—it vibrates when you pluck the strings. The idea is incredibly simple and efficient.

First we want to CUT THE NECK TO LENGTH. Since I was working with a 23” scale, a 30” neck was adequate for my needs. This allowed for a 3-1/2” notch at the head and 1-1/2” for the tail. Notching the head for the tuning machines was easy on my table saw, but you can accomplish the same results with a coping saw. It just takes more effort and more time. The tail is where your strings are anchored through three holes.

NOTCH THE HEAD AND DRILL THE TUNING KEY HOLES AND THE STRING HOLES. You want to notch the head of the neck, only enough so that your tuning machines fit correctly. Check them for the correct dimensions. Most come with sleeves that tighten down after the mechanism has been inserted into the hole. The string hole are drilled on the tail end of the neck, about 1/2” from the very end.

After you notch the head and drilled the holes for the tuning keys on the head, and drilled string holes on the tail, you want to determine the center on the two ends of your cigar box. Most people use painter's tape so that they are not marking the cigar box itself. From those center points, draw the outline for your guitar neck, where it will fit through the ends of your cigar box. Using your coping saw, CUT OUT NOTCHES FOR THE NECK (remember, it is better to undercut than overcut.) Use your sandpaper to finish the openings, which should give you a good fit.

Okay, at this point I should mention my deviation from most other builds. Most builders will notch the neck so that when the lid of the cigar box is closed, the top of the neck (fret board) is even with the top of the cigar box. To alleviate some extra cutting, I simply used a 1/4”x2” piece of poplar that was glued to the top of the neck. I determined the length of the cigar box then cut the poplar so that there were two pieces: one for the tail and one for the fret board. I notched the cigar box deep enough to allow for the main portion of the neck—the poplar was then used to bring the top of the neck even with the top of the box.

You can use either method. The choice is yours. I simply found it easier to glue material to the top of the neck rather than having to remove material from the neck. Much of your options will be determined by the type of cigar box you are using for your build. It does pay to stop and think about how the neck will fit in your box. Creativity is your friend when building a cigar box guitar.

ALLOWING FOR RESONANCE is important. Where the neck passes through the cigar box, you should allow for a 1/16” gap between the top underside of the cigar box and your neck. This will allow the top of the cigar box to vibrate freely. Again, I used my table saw to work away the material, but a person could just as easily use a rasping file. 1/16” isn't that much material to remove.

REINFORCING THE BOX is always a good idea. When I built my first, I cut small blocks of maple and glued them in the corners of the box. I also added material between the bottom of the box and the neck, giving it some added bracing.

ATTACHING THE NECK may or may not be necessary. On my first build I found that it wasn't really needed. The neck sat snug within the box and there was no play whatsoever. Nonetheless, I decided to secure it with two wood screw from the backside. I suppose a person could glue the neck in place, but my feeling is that the neck should be removable, should anybody want to make alterations in the future.

THE NUT is a matter of preference. I chose to notch my fret board at the head and insert a thin strip of maple. It stands maybe the width of a quarter higher than the fret board. I've seen many CBG's that use a threaded bolt as a nut. I've read where people have use chop sticks. I think creativity and inspiration is key.

THE BRIDGE is also a matter of preference. On my first build I cut in half a piece of 1/2” round stock. On my second build I went with a 1/4” eye bolt. I believe the eye bolt gives better resonance (louder), and it has become my choice for future builds. Again, I think creativity and inspiration is key. Just remember that the bridge must be place the correct distance from the nut. In my build, that would be 23” plus 1/8” compensation. If you were to build around a 25” scale, then the distance between the nut and bridge would be 25” plus 1/8” compensation.

STRINGING THE GUITAR is straight forward. The strings go from top to bottom, A, D, and G. The string are tuned--again from top to bottom--G, D, G.

So once you have your guitar strung and tuned, you're ready to play. Most people will mark the fret positions with a pencil on the top of the neck. I've been using three dimensional stickers on mine. I chose to mark out both the pentatonic blues scale and the chromatic scale on my first cigar box guitar. There are several websites that offer fret position locators for whatever scale your guitar is using.

OPTIONS for you cigar box guitar are numerous. One of the joys of building you own CBG is the amount of flexibility it offers for creativity. There are a few additional features I will mention here: If you're concerned about your strings biting into the wood where they anchor at the tail, you might consider using the sleeves from pop rivets. Those that I use are labeled 1/4”x3/16” (aluminum). The downside is that they come in a box of 50. Sound holes are another possible feature, but beware that there are plenty of options surrounding the trimming of such, so it's best to research the many ornaments available before actually cutting a hole. Fretting your guitar is also a possibility; however, having the correct saw is absolutely imperative. Fret tangs are usually .023” wide, and if you don't have a fret saw that cuts exactly .023” wide, you won't succeed.

There it is. I think everybody who owns a guitar should also build one, even if it's just a cigar box guitar. They are incredibly fun to build and offer a degree of satisfaction when complete.