How To Make A Cigar Box Guitar

You want to know how to make a cigar box guitar. It can be a very enjoyable thing to make one's own instruments, even if they are small and simple. In this article, we will show you how to make your own small stringed cigar box guitar.

What you will need to make a cigar box guitar:

• Sturdy cigar box
• 3' poplar 1" x 2"
• Wood Glue
• 3 Tuning keys
• Eye bolt
• Long bolt
• Finishing nails
• Fine sandpaper
• Drill with various bits
• Thin file
• Wood file
• Jigsaw or band saw
• 2 thin bars of wood or metal

1. Preparing the neck. You will want to sand the neck until it is smooth to the touch, because you don't want splinters in your left hand! Take your tuning keys and, holding one against the side of the board, mark how much you will need to cut away from the top of the board (headstock) so that they fully emerge and fit snugly, Use the band saw to cut the excess wood away. Sand the area smooth. You will need then to drill 3/8" holes at the headstock for the tuning keys; make the holes offset so that the strings don't get tangled or too stressed out.  Install the tuning keys; make tiny pilot holes at the back of the headstock for the tuner screws. Finally, find something to use as a nut to hold the strings in place; a bar of half-moon shaped wood or metal will do. File notches, even distance from each other, into the nut and glue it into place at the top of the headstock about 1" below the lowest key. Set the neck aside.
2. Preparing the body of the cigar box guitar. Open the cigar box, take the neck and lay it straight across the cigar box lengthwise. Make marks on the box and cut notches with file or saw. The neck should fit snugly. Place the neck into the slot with about 1 1/2" of the neck sticking out of the opposite end of the box. Close the lid, and use the nails to nail it closed; place the nails evenly so there are no weak spots.
3. Final touches. Drill a few large sound holes in the lid of the box; these can also be cut with a wood file. Be careful not to crack the lid. Screw the eye bolt into the end of the neck, at the front, centered; this will hold your strings in place. Glue the second bar onto the end of the neck just before the box begins. This will be your bridge. Take your strings and tie the end with the metal ball around the eye hook, making sure not to get them tangled for easy replacement. Tune your cigar box guitar up and try to play it! If your strings are too low and clank against the cigar box, you may need a higher bridge. Enjoy your homemade cigar box guitar!