Coming Soon to a Website Near You!

I am currently working out the bugs on a great How To Make A Cigar Box Guitar eBook!

It should be pretty cool, with a lot of close up detailed photos and plenty of step-by-step detailed easy to understand information!

How To Make A Cigar Box Guitar will cover everything from the amazing history of this unique instrument, where to find quality cigar boxes, tools needed to build your own and the best darn directions ever seen by man!

Resonator Cigar Box Guitars

Not getting enough sound out of your acoustic cigar box guitar but don’t want to go electric and lug an amp around?

Install a resonator for a really big sound.

According to Wikipedia
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones (resonators) instead of the wooden soundboard (guitar top/face). Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion instruments in dance orchestras. They became prized for their distinctive sound, however, and found life with several musical styles (most notably bluegrass and also blues) well after electric amplification solved the issue of inadequate guitar sound levels.
Resonator guitars are of two styles:
Square necked guitars designed to be played in steel guitar style.
Round necked guitars, which may be played in either the conventional classical guitar style or in the lap steel guitar style.
There are three main resonator designs:
The "tricone" ("tri" in reference to the three metal cones/resonators) design of the first National resonator guitars.
The single cone "biscuit" design of other National instruments.
The single inverted-cone design of the Dobro.
Resonator’s are finding new life in CBG’s. I have taken the liberty of posting some beautiful pictures of some Cigar Box resonator Guitars.

Folks are building there own resonators out of all types of materials.

I recently purchased a lightweight all brass resonator from a fellow in the Cigar Box Guitar community that goes by the name of Old Lowe. They are nicely made and inexpensive. Below is an example of Old Lowes resonator built into a CBG.

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!

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

Royal Jamaica “RJ” CBG

I really like the way my newest cigar box guitar creation turned out! It is a 6-string CBG made from a hardwood box used to pack Royal Jamaica Maduro cigars in. I hand sanded the box and applied several finish coats to it.

The neck is handcrafted from red oak with a padauk fret board. I hand shaped the neck with my wood rasp and plenty of sandpaper. It turned out really well if I do say so myself!

I used brass grommets and brass corners to dress it up a bit even though RJ really didn’t need anymore sprucing up.

RJ can be played acoustically or electrically and sounds really nice either way.

Let’s Talk To Get Things Done

It’s not how much media coverage we have, it’s not how much the talking heads in politics go on and on and on and well you get my point.

It boils down to people communicating to one another. Communicating and sharing ideas that are important to each other.

We the everyday people make up the world we live in, yet we hand our lives over to a few individuals that “Know what’s best for us”. Their minds are no clearer than ours, their souls no more divine and their lives no more precious.

Let’s talk, let’s share our ideas with one another again. Share what’s important with each other. Ideas such as family, liberty, and freedom to worship as you choose, equal justice, the pursuit of happiness, enough food on everyone’s table, clean air and water, a safe and caring community. What are your thoughts? Talk to your friends and neighbors. Don’t be silent. Let’s talk to one another until our voices are heard again.

Remember it’s the popular voice that wins.

Spring Time in Ohio! Finally!

It is finally long last actually spring time in Ohio! What a long cold winter that was! I have the tomato plants in the ground and am holding off for another week or so to let the pepper plants get bigger or the slugs attack them and win.

I did plant some yellow wax bush beans and bush green beans last night. Next will be some spinach and a salad mix I ordered that is supposed to be heat tolerant.

On another note my son Greg’s friend, Jeri, is heading for the mountains of Tennessee for an all summer camping excursion. I have offered her one of my hand built Cigar Box Guitars to take with her to play those tunes around the campfire. I call this CBG ‘Ole Rocky Top’.

Pot Luck Dinner

Let's have a Pot Luck! Or whatever you call gathering together in your country to share a meal, where everyone brings a dish of some delicious simple food they've made with their own hand.

Pot Lucks are a time of sharing, giving and receiving. Where we are on equaled ground giving and taking. Sharing company, thoughts, love and community.

What is simpler than a Pot Luck?

Spread the word, The world needs to have more Pot Lucks!

Acoustic Six String on the Way

After much thought and research I have decided it’s time to build myself a 6-string acoustic cigar box guitar.

I found a nice all wood cigar box with brass hinges and clasp. It has some nice artwork right in the middle of the lid that I think will look good. The wood is lighter in color with a decent grain pattern on the top and bottom with a darker mocha colored wood for the sides and end.

I spent quite a bit of time just sanding it and getting it ready for the golden oak stain. I was going to use tung oil but plan on using a several coats of polyurethane and didn’t know how well it would hang onto the oil.

I found a couple of dings in the wood on the bottom and decided to try a technique I found on utube for “pulling them out”. I put a few drops of water in each one until it beaded up. Just short of the running stage so it would still hold its form. I came down the next morning and the water had done its trick. The dings were gone and the wood was perfectly level.

I got a really good start on the neck for my CBG. I used a 2 inch wide piece of red oak and beautiful piece of African padauk for the fret board. I finally got to try out my Stewart MacDonald fret miterbox and saw along with my new fret template guide. All I can say is, "Nice!"

There will be a tail piece that extends out of the opposite end of the cigar box to anchor the strings to. With 6-strings there will be a lot of tension on the neck and by having the neck extending clear through the body will cut down on any tendency to warp the neck.

Retire when the work is done; this is the way of heaven

Let Go, Let God

For several years now I have have had the thought in my mind, "Let go and Let God". I came across this information and thought I would share it.

The sage who grasps the everlasting nature of the Tao has gone beyond false identification with the ego, and instead has a living connection to the Tao. This person puts others first, asks nothing in return, and wholeheartedly serves. In this way, the sage lives the ultimate paradox of the Tao – by giving without asking, the sage attracts everything that he or she is capable of handling or needing. By putting others before themself, the sage endures just like the Tao. The sage emulates the natural philanthropy of the Tao, and all of his or her needs are fulfilled in the process.

The more you pursue desires, the more they’ll elude you. Try letting life come to you and begin to notice the clues that what you crave is on its way. You’re in a constant state of receiving because of the ceaseless generosity of the eternal Tao. The air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the sunshine that warms you, the nutrients that keep your body alive, and even the thoughts that fill your mind are all gifts from the eternal Tao. Stay appreciative of all that you receive, knowing that it flows from an all – providing Source. Stop the chase and become a witness – soothe your demanding habits by refusing to continue running after more. By letting go, you let God; and even more significantly, you become more like God and less like the ego; with its lifetime practice of edging God out.
Qouted from Dr. Wayne Dyer's Change Your Mind Change Your Life (excellent read!)

What if we were all God's favorites?

While conversing with my good friend Barbe Beaty this evening on face book I had one of those epiphany's you sometimes get while bouncing things off a really good friend.

Epiphany: A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself"

I had grown up with virtually no self esteem. At one point I realized we were all God's favorites! OMG! It changed my life! Suddenly I realized how much I enjoyed enjoying people!

I love to watch the look on someones face when you compliment them. I became a believer that something as simple as a smile or a kind word could change the course of a persons day.... or possibly their life.

It lives!

After much trial and error I finally have my first Cigar Box Guitar up and running!! I plugged it into the amp last night startled the cats, made the dog bark and woke my wife up! So I guess electrically it's a success. I felt a bit like Dr. Frankenstein when he threw the switch and exclaimed to Egore, "He's alive, he's alive!"

Pics and Utube to follow!

Profound Quote

I read this very profound quote and then had to read it again just to make sure it was so simple:

"It's all so different since everything's changed." taken from Karen Blue's Midlife Mavericks

I love simple make you think phrases!