This may be old news to some of you, but I was told something by a Cigar shop owner that surprised me. His shop almost always has 50 -100 empty boxes available but most are on the small size. A little small for a CBG but ok for amp, speaker, etc. I picked out 3 boxes and commented on not seeing some of the big names in the pile. He told me the companies with the nicer, larger boxes were buying them back from the stores or giving the store credit for them. I can see this having quite an effect on availability to people like me. Comments ?
Comment
My other hobby is Amateur (Ham) Radio. Both pursuits offer something for everybody. Do you want to talk across town or around the world. Voice or morse code. Use a computer for keyboard to keyboard over the air. Slow scan TV etc etc. Here we can use a variety of store bought or homemade items for the string(s) to vibrate. The ideas are almost endless, the creativity is amazing and the ideas shared. Personally, I like the cigar boxes. Using different brands and for the most part preserving the original look. But again, I really enjoy seeing the home-brew boxes you guys (and gals) come up with.
B-
The liquor store here in my small town (5000 above average souls) used to give me some cigar boxes. Now it seem that they are getting more cigars in individually wrapped 'humidity' controlled containers.
I think there is a lot of good in home made boxes, tins, hubcaps, bean pole women, fat women and cake pans.
I completely agree with what you guys said. Here are some random thoughts:
1. I've got a buddy who likes to make boxes (jewelry, funeral ashes, you name it). He has given me a couple to experiment with and would love to make a little cash selling his boxes instead of seeing it go to the tobacco industry.
2. A few months ago I did a Google search and found at least one company in the US that makes cigar boxes for specialty tobacco companies. I don't know what their minimum order is, but it seems like either CBGitty or one of the regional CBG "clubs" could source 'em directly from the manufacturer.
3. On one of the forums here someone was displaying the label for the "Faux Cigar Company" that they'd made up on their computer and glued onto a homemade box. At a glance, it looked like the real thing.
4. In a Popular Mechanics article from the early 20th century (See Jehle's "One Man's Trash."), we're told to get a cigar box and remove all the paper to get to the wood underneath. This fixation with labels and tax stamps relates to cigar boxes as collectables--not to their use to build musical instruments. Also, if I had a rare and valuable cigar box, I doubt that I would cut holes in it and poke a stick through it. (Sell it to buy more frets and tuners.)
TN
Hi Kid...We are in agreement.. I certainly appreciate anyone using anything to make an instrument. I am amazed on a daily basis, the ingenuity and creativity of others. At this stage in my life, I am only concerning myself with 3 string CBGs, hence the search for some in the Oklahoma City area.
I am not a smoker, at least for many years. I was floored when I saw the price on some of the cigar boxes.
Over $25 for a cigar or $525 for a box. Wow....I think the cigar shop is only getting a dollar or two for the return of the boxes but I may have misunderstood. There may be some other angles to this that didn't come out. Having a credit of some sort with the cigar company my be worth more than the actual amount. ??
Anyway. Keep on building..
When you tell yourself 'cigar box guitar' where is the emphasis ?
cigar ?
box ?
guitar ?
some guys really need that graphic of the couple voluptuous women and the grapevines. Some guys have quite a fetish for the tax stamp. Others just want a box they can jam a stick into.
i like cookie tins, Im good. While my country's government taxes the living shit out of all tobacco products, plasters em with ugly health warnings, and eventually outlaws all branding (leading to generic, ugly boxes anyway..) they do nothing about the obesity epidemic. So I'm good :) I like to build with what i can get my hands on for free. There are others who go to extreme lengths to get hold of a particular brand of cigar box, so I can see this having quite an impact on those guys eh...
The big question - if the 'cigar' part of the acronym IS important to you is this 'How much are the big companies crediting for the box ?'.. If its only a couple bucks then I guess that'll be the new going rate for em. Its difficult for me to picture the typical affluent cigar smoker happily paying a premium for his imported cigars when the packaging is suddenly recycled, but I don't know any cigar smokers really thats just a guess.
Started by Timothy Hunter in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray 16 hours ago. 1 Reply 2 Likes
Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 21. 11 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Taffy Evans in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 10. 1 Reply 3 Likes
Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by BrianQ. Mar 9. 4 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies 1 Like
Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Ken I in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Brian partington Mar 8. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Southern Ray in Cool gear discussion - that's not cigar box related. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 6. 5 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Taffy Evans in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 5. 4 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Nomad Jack in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 2. 6 Replies 1 Like
Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Carl Floyd Mar 1. 15 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Joe in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Carl Floyd Feb 29. 13 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Chance in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 22. 12 Replies 1 Like
Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies 4 Likes
Started by Brad in Cool gear discussion - that's not cigar box related. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 19. 6 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Jacob Shook in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 16. 10 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Southern Ray in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 16. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Skeesix in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Skeesix Feb 6. 2 Replies 1 Like
Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Steve M Jan 31. 9 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Mi Rankin in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Justin Stanchfield Jan 27. 5 Replies 0 Likes
Posted by Vlad on March 6, 2024 at 2:32am 5 Comments 2 Likes
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 28, 2024 at 2:09pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 17, 2024 at 11:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Posted by Vlad on February 11, 2024 at 1:06am 1 Comment 1 Like
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 8, 2024 at 4:05pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
May 11, 2024 from 11am to 8pm – Speakeasy Grill
0 Comments 0 Likes© 2024 Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker. Powered by
Cigar Box Nation is presented by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, your one-stop-shop for Cigar Box Guitar parts and accessories!
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Join Cigar Box Nation