The new cigar box guitars are available in custom scale sizes and neck measurements. Currently, the necks are built from locally reclaimed maple and the cigar boxes are from the Dominican Republic. Availability of these materials may change over time.
The pickups are hand-built in my shop, and the pictures below show a guitar with a P-90 pickup; hand-built in my workshop. Of course you can select your favourite pickup when you order.

Special Feature: Reclaimed Materials

Everybody talks about sustainability and reclaiming materials – we practice it. Asides from reusing the cigar box itself, the neck is built from rock maple that was once the floor of the Manitoba Bison’s basketball court. We decided to showcase the age and history of this wood by purposefully placing nail holes and discoloured cracks in prominent areas on the neck. Sometimes the dimensions even allow to place the nail holes in the region of fret markers. The damaged areas are stabilized, and stability is not compromised.
The headstock cover is made from the paper stickers that are found inside the cigar boxes – decoration doesn’t get more authentic than that.

Pickups

The pickups are hand built in the workshop. The pictures show a P-90 pickup, but other custom pickups are available upon request. If you would like to have an old pickup reused and potentially rewound for your cigar box guitar, let me know. It would be my pleasure to apply the approach of reclaiming materials to the pickups as well.

Effects and Mobile Device Integration

Since these guitars can be built quite small and sturdy, they turn out to be the ideal travel instrument. With the help of a mobile device, a small amplification unit, and a few apps you can listen to your guitar with headphones. The apps permit you to use app-based effects or even record tracks – no matter whether you are at home or on the road. The pictures below show a setup with an iPhone and an external iRig. The guitars can be built for your preferred mobile device and amplification unit. These can be mounted externally or internally. Of course, you can also just plug into a real amp and just shred away.

 Pricing

Standard model: $ 700 plus shipping.

Excludes mobile device fixture, carved crown, iRig.
Includes custom neck and scale sizes, most pickup styles.

Deluxe model: pricing depends on desired features; please inquire.

Gallery

Why a Cigar Box Guitar?

The new cigar box guitars are a playful project I started with my student Lucas in 2013. After finishing the first prototype and display model this fall, I quickly realized how useful these guitars are as a travel instrument, especially when they are essentially built like a hybrid of an electric and a cigar box guitar. Some pictures from the building process are below: