Brand New FREE Cigar Box Guitar CD Download

Just in time for the holiday season! A Cigar Box Christmas 2011. You will hear some of the old time holiday favorites played by some of the best Cigar Box Guitar performers of today.

To get you FREE copy just click on A Cigar Box Christmas 2011

Be sure and send your holiday music loving friends here for their own FREE copy!

Happy Holidays!

FREE DOWNLOAD: SHANE SPEAL "THE JUG FUSION SESSIONS"

In the past few months, we've given away cigar box guitar album downloads. Now we're gonna give away the cigar box guitar album that started the modern Cigar Box Guitar Revolution:  Shane Speal's landmark "Jug Fusion" album! DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY NOW - CLICK HERE. 


Notice the new cover art for the cd.  We've repackaged the album and added several tracks that were originally omitted from the final release...including Speal's banjo driven version of "Fishin' Blues."


We're calling this download "The Great 9 Day Giveaway".  It will only be available as a freebie from August 11-20.  Get yours now and PLEASE TELL EVERYONE ELSE ABOUT IT.  We're trying to get the word out about the festival and hope to see extra traffic from this download.  Post it to blogs, Facebook and Myspace, send emails...just spread the word.  The PA Cigar Box Guitar Fest is gonna be the biggest CBG fest yet!

How to Make a Cigar Box Guitar knows you'll love this one! Did we mention it's FREE!!

Please leave comments... we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

First Annual Pennsylvanial Cigar Box Guitar Festival

Event Description:

Get yourself a cigar box, jam a stick into it and nail a wire for a string... This is the legendary instrument of blues and folk legends, and now it’s in resurgence.


The First Annual Pennsylvania Cigar Box Guitar Festival will take place on Saturday, August 28th from 10am-5pm at the grounds of the York Emporium bookstore in downtown York, PA.


The event features five performing acts, including Purgatory Hill, a gothic blues duo featuring pAt mAcdonald, former lead singer of Timbuk 3.


Vendors will be selling handmade instruments, accessories and other musical items and a second stage will feature a revolving open-mic for other cigar box guitar performers. The concert takes place on the same weekend as the YorkFest art walk and is located just two blocks away from the art festival.


The PA Cigar Box Guitar Festival presents rock, folk and blues music in a MacGyver setting with artists who have built their own instruments from cigar boxes, sticks, hack-wired electronics and a deep do-it-yourself philosophy. “We’ve built our own guitars from things people have discarded,” says festival organizer, Shane Speal, “and we’ve found a deeper music in the process.” The music, sometimes called PrimRock (or primitive rock) is a mixture of folk, rock, blues and even jug band music. “There are no rules in building a cigar box guitar,” says Speal, “and there’s no rules to this music. We’re creating something fresh and exciting.”


The headliner of the event is Sturgeon Bay, WI duo, Purgatory Hill, an act that features pAt mAcdonald, former lead singer of Timbuk 3, the 80’s act that scored the hit, “The Future’s So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades).” Purgatory Hill performs dark, swampy blues rock with a double-neck cigar box guitar. This is Purgatory Hill’s second visit to York after first performing at the First Capital Dispensing Co. on St. Patrick’s Day this year.


Other artists include:

• New Jersey singer/songwriter, Gerry Thompson (featured on several White Rose Community Access TV specials).

• Telford, PA musician, One String Willie, the master of the one-string diddley bow.

• New Jersey roots/blues band, April Mae and the June Bugs

• Chicago blues and folk singer, Stacy Puckett.

• Cincinnati punk blues duo, 7 Hills Stomp (featuring The Joker)


In addition to the Saturday concert, a pre-fest concert with Shane Speal and 7 Hills Stomp will be held at the First Capital Dispensing Co. in downtown York on Friday, August 27 at 10pm.


The PA Cigar Box Guitar Festival is the brainchild of York native (and self-proclaimed “King of the Cigar Box Guitar”), Shane Speal. Speal runs the top website for cigar box guitars, www.CigarBoxNation.com and is the central figure in the upcoming PBS documentary, Songs Inside the Box. The cigar box guitar is currently making resurgence with articles in Premier Guitar Magazine, Make Magazine, myriads of websites and the upcoming PBS documentary. Speal’s CigarBoxNation.com website currently has over 3,000 members worldwide.


If you want to know How to Make a Cigar Box Guitar this is the event!

We value your comments! Please post them below!!

FREE Digital Cigar Box Guitar Album Download!

The more I get into How to Make a Cigar Box Guitar the more really cool cigar box guitar artist I come across!

This bluesy rootsy artist from Lancaster, Pa. goes by Olds Sleeper and plays some really great music!

You can download his album called June for FREE! Just click on this link and enjoy some down to earth music http://oldssleeper.bandcamp.com/album/june

I especially enjoyed "put down your bad" and "blues slag"

Big Sound Cigar Box Guitar youtube

I thought you would enjoy this rendition of the classic song John Henry produced and performed by Moreland and Arbuckle.

These 3 fellas put out a whole lot of sound with some microphones, a set of drums, a harmonica and a 4 string cigar box guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyTrbH16LZg

Enjoy the great vocals and root style music offered here. Pay particular attention to the great playing and sound of the cigar box guitar. After listening to a promo posted on http://www.cigarboxnation.com/ I found out this CBG has one bass string which is plugged into a bass amp along with three guitar strings plugged into a regular guitar amp. You can clearly hear the bass notes!

New Tail Vise

As I started my first cuts on the new Cigar Box Lap Steel Guitar build I quickly realized I was working with the wrong vise.

As I was using the Japanese Ryoba handsaw I noticed it was dancing off my marked lines a bit due to vibration. Not wanting to spoil my work I stopped right there and started shopping online for the correct vise to be using.

I finally took the advice of a tool shop I use in Hartville, Ohio named Hartville Tools. They pointed me to Lee Valley Tools in Canada for good quality inexpensive wood vices.

I ended up ordering and receiving, complete with assembly plans, their tail vise screw set with plates and turn handle. I will end up drilling a couple of large holes and adding some wood for the jaws.

All in all this should give me the space and clamping power I need to cut out any vibration so there will be no more dancing off my cutting guidelines.

Cigar Box Lap Steel Guitar - Beginning

I must apologize for not posting to Wood Finery for the past 6 weeks. I had my left knee replaced and it took a real toll on me physically and mentally! I am doing much better now and attending physical therapy twice weekly. Still some swelling but certainly moving forward!

I have decided it is high time to build my first ever Cigar Box Lap Steel Guitar! The picture in the upper right corner shows my humble beginnings. You have to start somewhere, right?

I'm using a red oak blank cut to 32 inches long x 4 inches wide x 1-9/16 inches thick, a piece of leopardwood for the fret board and beautifully lacquered cigar box that I ended up paying a pretty penny for (but I think it will really be worth it).

At this point I have the lines laid out to make the peg head cuts and will start cutting this weekend. I'm taking this project it bit slowly as my knee allows.

Stay tuned as I post more pictures of my progress. I think this one will be a real sweet sounding beauty!

FREE Christmas Music - Cigar Box Guitar Music

Free Cigar Box Guitar Christmas Music CD download. Yes I said FREE! Share this one with your family and friends! http://www.cigarboxnation.com/

Ybor City - Cigar Capital of the World!

Three weeks ago my wife and I were in Tampa, Florida and hopped on the trolley to Ybor City, Florida. I had heard much about the cigar capital of the world and really wanted to visit this historic spot!

Ybor City was founded in the 1880's and was home to a diverse population of immigrants from all over the world who co-existed by making cigars. They were the forerunners of the HMO.

Each worker paid about 25 cents a month for health care. They had rich cultural and social opportunities from their diverse population and standard of living. For more information on this amazing cultural visit http://www.ybormuseum.org/

My main interest, being a Cigar Box Guitar builder, was cigar boxes. I had always wondered how that beautiful artwork made its way on to the cigar boxes. Well here is the answer! It is very much a process of layering. I had no idea there was so much work involved! I am even more impressed than before.

The cigar rollers spent many hours in the factories producing the fine cigars. They needed to be comfortable and used these chairs at the rolling tables. These are actually handmade reproductions and in the Ybor City museum on display.
Many of the processes of cigar rolling have gone to the machine these days. We did, however, come across Wallace Reyes. A member of the Gonzalez Habano Cigar Co. He is going for the Guinness World Book Record for the longest hand rolled cigar. It will be 185 feet. Guinness will witness the event at the annual Ybor City festival on Nov. 21, 2009.

Hand Crafted Bone Guitar Slides by MojoBone

Custom engraved bone guitar slide made by MojoBone Works.

I have been checking out Randy's slides for awhile now and have heard great things about them from players and builders alike that have been fortunate enough to order one.

Randy is a true artist; utilizing his impressive carving skills to create some of the most attractive, comfortable, and functional bone slides I’ve ever seen in my life.

One player/builder of Cigar Box Guitars said, "After hearing so many players say such great things about these slides, I decided that I wanted to try one for myself. I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different sounds lately and actively working to improve my guitar playing and as part of this, I wanted to check out the sounds that I could get from different slides (all I ever used was brass). I’ve been interested in bone for a while now as it had been explained to me that there is really no substitute if you’re trying to achieve a roots-era 20’s to 30’s sound."


You will never see another slide shaped like this one unless you order one from Randy yourself. Top to bottom, it is absolutely incredible. The slide itself is good and meaty with plenty of weight behind it but the part that wraps your knuckle is carved quite thin and you barely notice that it’s there when you’re playing. The whole thing is polished as smooth as glass. Those notches along the side make a perfect resting place for your other fingers, and he even goes so far as to texture the inside of the slide with grooves in order to give your slide finger extra tactile grip.

On top of all this, every slide that he sends out comes with some adhesive moleskin that you can wrap around the inside to ensure the right fit.

Randy also includes a custom made bone pick – something he could probably get as much as $10 for. He just likes to throw them in.

This will give you an idea of MojoBone Works artful slides. For more information on MojoBone Works slides you can email Randy at farmish@comcast.net

Finished Cuesta Rey Cigar Box Guitar

Alright after a little “fine tuning” so to speak I finally have my latest build the Red Cuesta Rey Cigar Box Guitar to where I like it!

I ended up completely redoing the fret nut and replacing it with of all things a brass toilet bolt. Why you may ask? Simply because it was large enough in diameter to fill my needs. I used a hacksaw blade to deepen some notches in the threads to hold the strings in place.

Completely remaking the bridge was another piece I wanted to change. I ended up using a nice piece of scrap wood called padauk. Padauk has a reddish or orange color to it. I chose padauk because of the overall red background in this particular Cuesta Rey cigar box.

Using my fret saw I placed a cut diagonally across the wood and glued a piece of fret wire in place. From there I sanded off any excess wood so that a slope was created from the edges up to the crown of the fret. This allows the strings to come in contact with the metal fret wire and not the wood.

A bonus I wanted to share with you in having to go find parts for the retrofit. I ended up at my local family owned “non-big box” hardware store. I made new friends, found a potential source from one of the clerks for antique cigar boxes and found the store sells old brass cabinet pull knobs and handles. These knobs and handles look great on CBG’s!

In this particular build I purchased a larger Cuesta Rey cigar box for the main guitar body and a smaller Cuesta Rey cigar box of the same style for parts. I used parts of the smaller box lid to dress up the guitars headstock. I also used a piece of the bottom of the smaller box to dress up the tailpiece.

I did not add a fret board this time around but relied on the natural beauty of red oak that the neck is made out of. The neck was shaped by hand. Since I intended this CBG for all slide work I did not include frets. I did, however, inlay multi-colored wood veneer strips in the correct fret positions.

All in all I am very pleased the way my little red Cuesta Rey cigar box guitar turned out. She sounds great when plugged into an amp!

Update on Cuesta Rey Cigar Box Guitar Build

I had hoped to have pictures of my latest Cigar Box Guitar build the Cuesta Rey to post on this weeks blog, but alas two things happened that prevented that:

1) the fret nut did not turn out the way I wanted it at all, so I am retooling it
2) my wife was at a travel conference and had the “good” camera with her

Here's a picture of a bit of the Cuesta Rey art

Overall I am very pleased with the way the Cuesta Rey turned out. What first caught my eye was the amount of artwork on the box and the vivid colors. What I really like is how the colors came even more alive once I applied a protective top coat.

As I progress in my enjoyment of building CBG’s I find it is a journey of discovery. Discovering the history of the instrument, new sounds, new like minded people, new enjoyment in my own life and different techniques for building and finishing these fantastic instruments.

As an example, CBG’s started becoming popular around 1840 simply because that is when the small cigar box was first manufactured. Before that cigars were shipped in large crates. For a more detailed history visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar_box_guitar

You will discover just how versatile this fine little instrument really is, from a gutsy blues to country to mellow ballad to rock. You can play it all on a Cigar Box Guitar. Shane Speal is bringing to light some of the old one string techniques and something he calls the “stubby slide”. Very cool stuff!

I have found so many like minded people across the globe that are building and playing CBG’s. A good place to meet Cigar Box Guitar folks is at http://www.cigarboxnation.com/

One thing I have always enjoyed is music, I love it! Another is working with wood. Building CBG’s gives me great enjoyment and a feeling of accomplishment. 1) I built an instrument and 2) it makes great sounding music

I don’t know about you but I find that when I’m interested in something my creative side comes alive and questions I may have about something seemed to get answered as I work.

Since I have been building CBG’s I have discovered I like to sand the plain wooden boxes down (being careful not to disturb the lettering), use varying coats of stain rubbed into the wood and natural oil or paste to finish it. While on the papered wooden cigar boxes with the beautiful artwork I prefer to use a spray poly as a top coat to protect that artwork.

One more discovery that ties it all together for me was with the need to retool the nut. After work I dropped by our local hardware store. Mind you it is not one of the big box stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot. Family owned since tools were invented. I’m telling the guy I need a large brass bolt for the nut.

He’s showing me what they have and not coming up with anything big enough. I asked what he would suggest. He yells over to the boss and the boss says sounds like you need a brass toilet bolt. Perfect and just the right size!

As I’m checking out I see the boss sorting through a box of old brass knobs and drawer pull handles. I mention how great those would look on my Cigar Box Guitars. One thing leads to another and he tells me how he used to collect old wooden cigar boxes from garage sales. They were closing so I said I would be back.

The CBG discovery trail has opened up a whole new source for friends at the local hardware store, antique brass parts and potentially a source for some antique cigar boxes!

Official Cigar Box Guitar Fest 2

A message to all members of Cigar Box Nation
The very first Cigar Box Guitar Fest happened five years ago in the Kentucky mountains. Since then, the Cigar Box Guitar Revolution has grown worldwide and fests are popping up everywhere.

Announcement: The Official Cigar Box Guitar Fest 2 is slated for Saturday, November 7th, in Walla Walla Washington, USA. As with the first CBG Fest, this is being organized by Kurt Schoen of http://www.schoenguitars.com/ Here’s the details I’ve received so far from Kurt:

CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL II - Sat., Nov. 7 in Walla Walla, WA.
There is a warmup jam Friday night at Merchants Cafe, and then during the day Saturday, open mike performances at the Walla Walla Village Winery, Sapolil Cellars, and Morrison Lane Vineyards.

Yeah, there is a ton of incredible wine to be had in this town - one glass costs about as much as your guitar, but that’s okay. Evening performances at the wineries for a cover.

We’ll have t-shirts available here in about three weeks. Other than that, everybody can figure out how to get to Walla Walla and make travel arrangements. I will just be brokering performers amongst our winery venues this time, making the press release, and hanging posters.

Sign up for the open mikes will be at the warm-up Friday night, and at the venues
themselves on Saturday.

If you would like to be one of our evening performers, please e-mail me through this forum, or contact the Cigar Box Guitar Fest 2 friend link on Cigar Box Nation.

Help get the word out! November 7, 2009 - Walla Walla!

Kurt Schoen
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/CigarBoxGuitarFest2
http://www.blogger.com/www.schoenguitars.com

Visit Cigar Box Nation at: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/

Johnny Depp and Cigar Box Guitar

Thought you might enjoy this picture I gleaned from the Cigar Box Nation http://www.cigarboxnation.com/ of Johnny Depp and his Cigar Box Guitar!

Raw Talent on Cigar Box Guitars

I’m looking for video links to other countries of folks playing Cigar Box Guitars. Please post them in the comments section below this article, thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKJtoy0KTwI German Cigar Box Guitar crew!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WFZqFLzK7s little guy shows no fear! Not a CBG player (yet) but worth seeing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wsMZGlMuR4 David Williams gives a musical history of how One String Willie goes to Europe and what he sees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnJ6IZKLX1s Smojo from England. A builder and CBG musician

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7xCrgi2b-Y&feature=related Hollowbelly on 3-String. Maybe my British friends recognize the surrounding scenes?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBHAaoVO_oA&feature=related small box with a big sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USwytBKQCHI&NR=1 not just for slide

I hope this gives you an idea of the versatility and growing popularity of the Cigar Box Guitars…. Get one, get playin’ and get hooked!

King of Cigar Box Guitars Shane Speal to Close at York, PA Fair

Shane Speal the self proclaimed King of Cigar Box Guitars has been asked to be the closing act for the York Fair in York, PA. Headliner for the show is Kelly Clarkson from American Idol fame.

This is clip from Shane’s newsletter: “I've just been scheduled as a closing act at the massive York Fair in downtown York, PA, Sept 20 from 6-9pm. Expect total primal mayhem blues!!!”

Here are a couple little samplers of Shane on a CBG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWZiXQe4EkA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOHwHfuxps&feature=related

For directions to the York Fair grounds visit http://www.yorkfair.org/find_us.htm

For more information on cigar box guitars be sure and visit Cigar Box Nation at
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/

Enjoy,

Norm

New Toys aka Tools

A couple of things came into play with my recent tool purchases.

First off let me say I have been putting off buying these tools as I am very frugal anymore with the economy, my wife tells me I’m cheap! Whatever…

Here’s what justified the purchase in my mind:

First on my list is the upcoming Hawaiian Lap Steel Guitar I’ve been yearning to build! It calls mostly for hand tools vs. power tools. There are some angles and cuts that are simply better made by hand. From the early days of my woodworking I’ve always enjoyed working with hand tools anyway. Yes, I’m moving myself toward the sale!

I have a small shop in my basement so space is limited. In deciding which power tools to purchase size was a determining motive. So the router table, lathe, table saw, sanders, jointer/planer and band saw all needed to be bench top models in order to maximize my space.

Secondly, and this is the deciding factor, the straw that broke the camels back. After rough shaping the neck of my Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino cigar box guitar on the router table I next moved to the band saw to slice the headstock with the grain lengthwise in order to prepare it for a scalloping effect I like.

All is going well and then it happens. The band saw blade wanders of off its mark! This happens sometimes because the blade on a bench top model is narrower than a larger floor model. Not wanting to ruin my work I stopped and made a choice right then and there to rethink my budget. I had the blade wander on a couple of other occassions and had finally had enough!

I went online to Hartville Tools http://www.hartvilletool.com/ and found the tools I wanted. Having a question I called in on their 800# got my answer and ended up placing my order over the phone.

I purchased the Crown 12” Bow saw which is a traditional English bow saw style. Before the invention of band saws and jig saws this was the saw used for cutting everything from curves to furniture joints. It works on both the push and pull stroke. The blade can be turned to cut at any angle simply by rotation of the handles. The blade is tensioned by tightening a cord. Old School!



This next purchase was a Silky Kenzo 270 Medium 12TPI (Teeth Per Inch) will be used, in my case, for the headstock work. It is a double edged Ryoba-type saw. It has both a rip-cut edge and a cross-cut edge. It has all the advantages of a Japanese saw: fine kerfs thanks to the pull-cut teeth; precise, controlled cutting; and durability from electrical induction impulse hardened teeth.





Last but not least a set of Pax Curved Cabinet Scrapers. They can smooth wood to an unbelievably fine finish. The shapes contained in this set can take care of a wide range of flat or contoured surfaces.

Needless to say these are quality tools, will last many years and are sure to turn out some fine instruments.

I am excited about getting my hands on them and putting them to good use!

New 3-String Cigar Box Guitar Started

New 3-String Cigar Box Guitar Started

I wanted to post a couple pictures of my new build. It’s going to be a fretless 3-string cigar box guitar. Fretless in that there will not be regular frets installed. In their place will be inlayed veneer to mark the fret positions which are laid out to a Fender scale.

This layout will be perfect for slide guitar work.

I chose a wooden Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino cigar box from the Dominican Republic for the body and a nice piece of red oak for the neck. I enjoy the artwork a lot with the lovely senorita having red blossoms in her hair and palm trees to the sides. The beautiful dark reds, golds, yellows and blues really appealed to me. The thought of putting sound holes in this great looking box disturbs me somewhat. Oh well, CBG building is all about repurposing, rebuilding and remaking one thing into another.

I used to cut all the frets with a coping saw but I really like the perfection of a fret slotting saw and miter box which I show in this picture.

UK Cigar Box Guitar Festival Announced!!!

This is great! Cigar Box Guitar Festival in the UK!!!

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX – THE 1st UK CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL
[3, Oct. 2009]

Tickets are available for either the all day event, including the evening performance (£25.00), or for the evening performance only (£5.00). Ticket sales http://crossroadsbluesclub.bigcartel.com/

CONTACT: John Wormald – wormald.design@virgin.net
0121 429 9996
07957 255 846
Available for interviews, live performance broadcast sessions etc

PRESS & MEDIA RELEASE
Introducing the alternative music sensation that's the hot ticket!!!

In today's economic climate, there's pressure on everybody's finances, and for music-makers, some people have gone back to the old-timey approach of making their own entertainment, and making their own instruments from whatever is to hand…a box, a stick of wood and some strings…and you've got a cigar box guitar!

This has a venerable tradition from the plantations of the southern USA, and many famous musicians made their first instruments the very same way. Thanks to the internet, this tradition has been slingshotted into global awareness through sites like cigarboxnation.com, and now we have organized the very first get-together for these UK music pioneers.


The event is taking place in Birmingham's "Tower of Song" bar. It's a dedicated music venue after the fashion of the classic USA roadhouse…a small no-frills room, atmospheric lighting and great music of all genres, easily spotted from the roadside by the 25 foot high image of Robert Johnson adorning the façade of the building. Here you're likely to encounter people like blues and jazzman Steve Ajao and Birmingham rocker Steve Gibbons chatting to customers and the proprietor Tom Martin, a quiet spoken muso with a passion for genuine, original live music. The event is organised and hosted by Chickenbone John, who, together with bass player Ken Stratford, runs the weekly Crossroads Blues club at the venue.

The event comprises an all-day get-together with workshops for players to learn and swap techniques, and for cigar box guitar makers to `show and tell' about the way they make their instruments. Guitar makers will be bringing example of their work, for display and for sale. There will also be the opportunity for informal music sessions during the day. In the evening, the headline act is Hollowbelly, an amazing one man band performer on drums, cigar box guitar and harmonica…laying down some original tunes in a thrash punk blues style. Support will be from Chickenbone John, and the evening will also feature an open mic session for those cigar box guitar players who feel brave enough to perform in front of a paying audience, so an entertaining evening of energetic and original music is guaranteed.

http://www.towerofsong.co.uk/blues/
http://www.myspace.com/hollowbelly