I first learned about using copper wire frets from a video I found by Shane Speal.  Shane used them on a diddley bow.  In the video he pointed that because it was only one string the accuracy of installation of the frets wasn’t all that critical.  My plan was to use the copper wire frets for both 3 and 4 string cigar box guitars.  I had to come up with a method to install them in an accurate enough way so the instruments would be playable.  I had fun figuring it out and I certainly learned many lessons.  In the video below I share many of the lessons learned as a way to help you avoid potential mistakes and possible frustration if you plan to attempt using in one of your CBG builds.

I’m always on the hunt for cigar boxes.  I definitely have way more than I need at this point, but I can’t help myself.  I’m in search for those cool looking, rare and or unusual boxes that will make for unique guitar builds.  One day headed out Rt. 101 in Bedford NH I discovered Castros’ Back Room.  That’s where I acquired the Castro’s branded cigar box for this fun CBG build.

I went to see the Samantha Fish band play live at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH last night.  What a great way to spend Saint Patrick’s Day night!  It’s a great small place to see a show, with no bad seats in the house.  Samantha was the warm up band for headliner the Devon Allman Project.  I went to see Samantha, but Devon and his band did not disappoint.  Before Samantha a two women band called the River Kittens opened for her, they too lit up the crowd.

Interested in learning about how to build a Cigar Box Guitar? How about learning how easy it can be to play a Cigar Box Guitar? Become part of the new Cigar Box Guitar Revolution!

This guitar, actually a one-string diddley bow, is a special one to me. It’s the third one I finished. My brother in law Bob gave the unique box to me, so I decided I would use it to make him an instrument. As usual I spent some time thinking over my options for the type of guitar I would make and its design.   I decided it was rather small for a guitar, would probably look out of proportion. Then I remembered, before he passed away, Bob’s Dad had given me a whole milk crate full of assorted axe and hammer handles that were probably factory seconds. They must have already been 30 plus years old and all had great patina to them. At the time he gave them to me I wasn’t sure what I would do with them, but couldn’t pass them up. So they sat in the attic of my shop for years.

When it comes to gathering the supplies needed for building cigar box guitars there seems to be two main categories: buying them or picking for them. By picking for them I mean finding them at yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops, or just scrounging for free stuff. Of course, many cigar box guitar builders are also a hybrid of the two. That’s the kind of builder I am.