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Shane Speal
Dec 31, 20212 min read
1930's Cigar Box Guitar with Half Moon Sound Hole
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.
389 views
2 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 30, 20212 min read
1961 Arturo Langelli Cigar Box Ukulele
Its very rare to find a fully documented, signed & dated cigar box guitar, but this cigar box ukulele is the exception.
486 views
8 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 29, 20211 min read
VIDEO: How to Make Old Time Copper Wire Frets
Create frets for cigar box guitars using copper wire from a craft store. Tools: hammer & needle nose pliers.
1,299 views
3 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 28, 20211 min read
2009 Six Banger Electric Guitar by Ted Crocker
Shane Speal commissioned this instrument to incorporate elements of Ted Crocker's Honeydripper movie guitar...
683 views
8 comments


Shane Speal
Dec 28, 20213 min read
How to Tune a Cigar Box Guitar
Standard and alternate tunings for cigar box guitar. Includes 3-string, 4-string and 6-string.
16,365 views
6 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 27, 20212 min read
A Simple Scarf Joint Glue-Up Jig for Cigar Box Guitars
This simple hinged board gets perfect glue joints on cigar box guitar headstocks. Easy design for any builder.
2,692 views
7 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 27, 20213 min read
Build This Styrofoam Beer Cooler Ukulele
Ukulele body is made from an actual styrofoam beer cooler... and it sounds great! This has got to be the most freakish-looking uke ever!
487 views
3 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 26, 20212 min read
How to Build a Found Object Electric Guitar
This strange instrument was built in an hour using an antique bellows handle and several modern cigar box guitar parts.
1,874 views
9 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 25, 20211 min read
Triple Neck Cigar Box Guitar by Rusty Taylor
The guitar is a triple neck consisting of a 4-String,1-String, and 3-String. The body of the guitar is built to the measurements of a trian
804 views
1 comment

Shane Speal
Dec 24, 20212 min read
Bob Ice's Homemade Bass - New Orleans, 1959
New Orleans musician, Bob Ice and his 2-string plywood bass fiddle. Zanco says, "It produces a very effective sound; if you would
574 views
1 comment


Shane Speal
Dec 24, 20211 min read
The World's Loudest Acoustic Concert - York PA Factory Steam Whistle Christmas: Watch live tonight
LIVE CHRISTMAS EVE: WORLD’S LOUDEST MUSIC WITHOUT AMPLIFICATION FROM A NON-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT My hometown of York PA has one of the most...
382 views
1 comment

Shane Speal
Dec 23, 20211 min read
PoorMansGuitar.com is now part of CigarBoxGuitars.com
Hi all, it's Shane Speal. The content from PoorMansGuitar.com is being brought over to CigarBoxGuitars.com in order to consolidate two...
3,518 views
2 comments


Shane Speal
Dec 23, 20212 min read
Should I Play Fretted or Slide Cigar Box Guitar?
Today, I'm answering a question from a reader: Dear Shane: Is it better to learn on a cigar box guitar that has a fretted neck or one...
1,194 views
5 comments


Shane Speal
Dec 22, 20211 min read
Printable 23" Fretting Template from the Book, "Making Poor Man's Guitars"
Download and print this page for an easy to use 23" fretting scale template, as shown on page 173 of Making Poor Man's Guitars.
5,123 views
0 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 22, 20211 min read
VIDEO: I Put an $85 Lace Pickup in the Worst Cigar Box Guitar!
I put a Lace Alumitone Matchbook pickup in a $25 cigar box guitar! This has to be the most unfair gear review ever! This was my version o
995 views
7 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 21, 20211 min read
How to Build a Lo-Fi Telephone Mic - Easy project!
The mic is perfect for blues harmonica or lo-fi vocals...and all you need is an old handset and guitar jack. Follow along with the video.
1,777 views
3 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 20, 20212 min read
Handmade Copper Pipe Guitars and Scrap Iron Guitars
Two of the most freakish guitars in the Cigar Box Guitar Museum are by Tone-A-Cane Copper Pipe Guitars and Pete Regan’s Metal Guitars.
1,576 views
5 comments

Shane Speal
Dec 18, 20211 min read
Insane Guitar/Drum Patent
John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful discovered this patent and mailed it to Shane Speal several years ago. It shows a rectangle guitar...
483 views
2 comments


Shane Speal
Jul 29, 20211 min read
Four-String Cigar Box Guitar Part of MIM Museum Collection
Photos taken from MIM.org Among the 15,000 instruments under curation at the massive Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix AZ, the...
221 views
3 comments


Shane Speal
Jul 17, 20212 min read
Flamin’ Folk Art Electric Lap Steel - Circa 1950-1960
When someone mentions folk art instruments, a screaming electric lap steel guitar made with old guitar parts on a six pound slab of mahogany
518 views
4 comments
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