Hey,

Has anyone here ever built a CBG?

If you have post any pics or tips you might have.

I'm just starting my first.

I'm thinking it will be a 4 string resonator.

Looking these up on the web, looks like this is really cool hobby for some folks.

Cool website: http://www.cigarboxguitars.com/

From: http://www.cigarboxguitar...istory.php



"None of the major musical instrument encyclopedias have an entry for cigar box guitar or banjo. Yet most people have at least some familiarity with this facet of American folk history." - Bart Hopkin, Experimental Musical Instruments

Sigh. The quote above was how the article started in the cover story about my cigar box guitars (March 1999 issue of EMI magazine). Sure, I was thrilled to death to see my instrument grace the front of this sacred publication, but that opening line of the article irked me..."None of the major musical instrument encyclopedias have an entry for cigar box guitar or banjo."

I just didn't understand why nobody has noticed this beautifully simple instrument. Hell, I still don't! We've all heard the stories and legends about sharecropper's sons building their own cigar box guitars. Guitar snobs frequently refer to the lowly cigar box guitar as a measuring stick for bad sounding acoustics. And a few of us have actually wrapped a couple rubber bands around dad's empty box of Swisher Sweets and added a cardboard tube "neck" just to make it fancy.

The cigar box guitar has such an awesome pedigree. Blind Willie Johnson made a one-string when he was five and learned how to play melodies up and down that lonely string. Later, he would record the monumental Dark Was The Night (Cold Was The Ground) on standard guitar. The song is a instrumental classic that has droning chords laying the background for a haunting melody played up and down on the high E string...a technique he learned on his original one-string.

Not only does the cigar box guitar have a great history, but these little suckers are so much fun to play. I've made a bunch in my life (over 200 so far) and each one has it's own unique sound. Mine are played with a slide and have a great whining blues sound...one that just cannot be emulated from another guitar. They're small, portable and almost indestructable. And let's face it...they're weird looking and attract major attention.

So maybe none of the major music encyclopedias have an entry for the cigar box guitars. Screw them. With this site and a constantly increasing word-of-mouth campaign, this instrument is finally having her well deserved day in the sun.

-Shane W. Speal


This link shows you how to make one: http://www.cigarboxguitar..._A_CBG.php

Check this one out!


Great topic!

There's even a festival devoted to this: http://www.cigarboxguitar...poster.jpg

Check out the tag line "We're gonna party like it's 1929" Somone should record that playing one of those.

This was Jimi Hendrix' first instrument?

mp3 file: http://www.geocities.com/...sample.mp3

Yeah, I have checked out a lot of the web content.

That was what sparked my interest. I ordered some boxes off e-bay and I am going to start on one this weekend.

Check these out.

www.daddy-mojo.com

They got some video samples as well.

Amazing little instruments.

yamomma said:

I saw that poster but I missed the tagline.

That is hilarious. Good eye.

yamomma said:

Thenks fah dayat...

and the additional info...

Love the sound....

groovyiau said:

Listen to this one,

http://www.daddy-mojo.com...plices.mp3

There is a lot more free CBG tunes on the web if you look around.

This stuff is addictive.

Here's another.

http://www.soundclick.com...ID=1142578

Just a stick, a box and some strings.

roanmairin said:

I can see that! Thanks for the sound links. Those are awesome. I still have some really old cigar boxes from the 40's and 50's that belonged to my grandfather still sitting in my old room in Tennessee. I was just looking at them two weeks ago when I was up there. I used them to keep old love letters and junk I found in caves and in the woods. I think I'll have my brother mail them down to me!

I'd really like to make one of these. My studio partner: http://frankaxtell.com would probably know how to put the electric do-dads on that thing when I'm done.

yamomma said:

They actually look pretty easy to build.

I'll post a pic when I get one finished.

roanmairin said:

I loved loved loved this one....
all that squeak'n n buzzfly twang'n just ROCKS..




the other one below it was a bit to on the ummm... bland side...


Dont know if I'll ever make one... but they do intreague...
so thanks for bringing it in... very