A primitive 2-string cigar box guitar

This project started as an attempt to build a workable guitar using an absolute minimum of proper musical instrument components (which was a key challenge that faced the very first cigar box guitar builders). Originally the only special parts were going to be the strings, however I compromised slightly by using some fret wire and also by fitting a piezo pickup that I had lying around. Apart from some bolts, which cost a couple of pounds, I didn't have to buy anything else, so most of this guitar is genuine junk.

The decision to make it a 2-string was influenced by the length of the piece of timber available for the neck. Having decided on a scale length of 24 inches (because I felt there might be problems with anything shorter) there wasn't much wood left over for the headstock. Although I could have found a little more room by making minor design changes it still wouldn't have been enough to accommodate three tuning pegs.

The result is a simple but playable instrument that's capable of some great sounds. It can be a bit tricky to tune because of the improvised tuning pegs, but I'm hoping this can be improved by experimenting with different strings and tunings. Generally the best approach seems to be to get the strings at some appropriate interval to one another (typically a perfect fifth) and not worry too much about what the actual notes are.

Below are some pictures showing the construction. Some were taken with the low resolution camera in my mobile phone so the quality is a bit variable. Clicking on any of the images should lead you to a larger version.

The main raw materials. A length of timber (possibly from an old table or a window frame) which was given to me by a friend. A box that once held Macanudo cigars from Jamaica and which was given to me by a local shopkeeper. And a few bolts bought from a local hardware store.

The neck blank after being planed and coarse sanded to a straight rectangular section. The original piece of wood had a groove down one side, a layer of dark stain on its top and bottom faces and also had a significant bow in it, so the first step was to tidy it up and see what I actually had to work with.

I still don't know what type of timber it is, only that it's a pale hardwood with a coarse looking grain and its quite tough to work. My best guesses are either ash or white oak.

The neck after basic shaping with a spokeshave and files and then rough sanding. Two holes have been drilled for the tuning pegs. After several more stages of sanding the neck was later finished with a combination of oil and a final wax polish.

Cutting the box to fit the neck.

The box is made from a kind of low quality plywood covered in paper. In many of its properties it's not very different from tough cardboard. Because it's prone to tearing and splintering, drilling neat holes is tricky and attempting to file it might result in a mess. However, because the material is so soft, it was possible to use a craft knife to make neat cut outs for the neck.

The pickup.

I had a small piezo pickup lying around (actually part of a split pickup left over from when I used the rest in a tin banjo). This was mounted in a shallow groove filed into the neck in such a way that it would be sandwiched between the neck and soundboard underneath the bridge.

The headstock and tuning pegs.

A small hole was drilled diametrically through each of the eye-bolts. The ends of the strings are threaded into the hole before being wound around the peg. The only other modifications to the bolts were cutting them to length and fitting them with wingnuts, which serve to lock the pegs once the strings are raised to the desired pitch. The nut is a nylon bolt, which is held in place by the string tension.

The finished body, showing the bridge and tail piece.

The bridge is simply an M8 nut and bolt held in place by the string tension.

The strings are anchored by being threaded through the protruding end of the neck. A piece of thin brass bent around the tail of the neck serves to stop the strings cutting into the wood. I made one additional compromise on my "no special parts" plan by adding a strap button to the screw that secures the brass.

Another shot of the finished guitar.

It only has seven frets, with the remaining fret positions being indicated by ink lines. I decided on this arrangement because I had in mind a guitar with an action high enough for easy slide playing and I've found that the resulting intonation problems mean I tend not to finger on higher frets. Because my intention was for a crude instrument with a minimum of special parts I simply chose not to fit any more frets than were really useful.

The dot markers were painted on prior to final finishing of the neck.

(sound samples to come...)