Cigar Box Guitar Articles

This homemade banjo-guitar was handmade by Luther Oliver (1904-1987) of Western Watauga County, North Carolina in 1919. He was only 15.

This primitive homemade banjo was found in a barn in North Carolina. The strings and bridge are long gone and the tin can body is rusted all

Cook was inspired by three string cigar box guitars with neck-through-body design, but he wanted to make a solidbody version.

A two-string slide guitar made from a canoe paddle. Built by Shane Speal. How to build link included

Four-string cigar box guitar that was found in an old car abandoned in a field in Danville VA.

The neck and body are all one piece of wood. Leaf patterns are carved into the sides of the body and the inside was hollowed out. The butt

This three-string cigar box guitar was crafted from a discarded exit sign by Gary Desrosiers.

Musician and historian, Jim Morris restores 100 year old cigar box fiddle & creates an authentic copy.

The cigar box guitar in their collection was made by an unknown maker in North Carolina around 1875-1899. It is a four course (4x1) guitar

The photos of the Cigar Box Guitar Museum instruments have been artfully turned into shirts, cell phone covers and more. You can find the la

This curious antique banjo was made from a wooden dough bowl for a body, a carved hunk of wood for the neck and clothespin tuners

“If you can hum, whistle or carry a tune in your head, you can play the Marxolin with only a few hours practice!”

Cigar box guitarists frequently talk about one-string diddley bows as the foundation of many slide blues players. This is the real deal

The Concertone is one part harmonica, one part accordion, made in Germany in the early 1900’s. It was also known as a Pipoleon or a Hohneret

The Electric Diddley Bow is a homemade one-string slide guitar that uses an old radio headphone earpiece as a pickup.

The Little Joe is a bizarre novelty instrument by the Harp-O-Chord Company of Columbus, OH and enables players to be a one man band!

This cigar box violin is probably over 100 years old, and it's still playable! It was discovered in Toledo, OH.

Much time was spent carving and building this instrument and it truly looks like an instrument that could launch a bluesman's career.

This unassuming yellow painted cigar box guitar is literally the grandfather of modern cigar box guitar design!

This small and very primitive cigar box guitar was found in East Troy, Wisconsin and features a cigar box dating back to the 1930's.