cigar box guitar
Homemade stringed instrument
A cigar box guitar is a simple stringed instrument made from a cigar box as the resonating body, with a wooden neck and typically one to four strings.
Originally built by poor musicians from discarded materials, these homemade instruments became associated with early American blues and folk music.
Modern versions range from rough DIY projects to refined craft instruments: He learned slide guitar on a three-string cigar box guitar his grandfather built.
Alluvial formation at mouth
- MississippiSouthern state or major river
- slideSmooth continuous movement
- juke jointInformal Southern music bar
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
bottleneck · roots · front porch · Americana · busking · raw · gritty · soulful
Created manually, not mechanically
- upcycledCreatively remade from waste
- repurposedConverted to new use
- homemadePrepared at one's residence
- salvagedRescued from destruction
found objects · recycled · tin can · broomstick · bolts · screws · license plate · cookie tin
Stringed instrument's neck face
- stringsThin flexible lines
- neckHead-body junction
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- nutHard-shelled seed
tuning · frets · slide · pickup · soundhole · tuners · capo · action
Regular common people
- AmericanaHeritage artifacts or music
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- historicalOf documented times
- roots musicTraditional folk-based genres
poverty · resourcefulness · Southern · rural · Appalachian · sharecropper · railroad · hobo
Stringed instrument craftsperson
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
- fretworkInterlocking ornamental design
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
- artisanalMade by skilled craftspeople
custom · finishing · sanding · inlay · joinery · workshop · tools · varnishing
Delta
Alluvial formation at mouth
- MississippiSouthern state or major river
- slideSmooth continuous movement
- juke jointInformal Southern music bar
fingerpicking · bottleneck · roots · front porch · Americana · busking · raw · gritty · soulful · mournful
handmade
Created manually, not mechanically
- upcycledCreatively remade from waste
- repurposedConverted to new use
- homemadePrepared at one's residence
salvaged · found objects · recycled · tin can · broomstick · bolts · screws · license plate · cookie tin · oil can
fretboard
Stringed instrument's neck face
nut · tuning · frets · slide · pickup · soundhole · tuners · capo · action · intonation
folk
Regular common people
- AmericanaHeritage artifacts or music
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- historicalOf documented times
roots music · poverty · resourcefulness · Southern · rural · Appalachian · sharecropper · railroad · hobo · itinerant
luthier
Stringed instrument craftsperson
- woodworkingCraft of shaping lumber
- fretworkInterlocking ornamental design
- handcraftedMade manually, not machined
artisanal · custom · finishing · sanding · inlay · joinery · workshop · tools · varnishing · tonewood