Ok, I am getting ready to build a cigar box guitar.  Found a cool yellow cigar box, only 2 or 3 inchs thick/high, basically has an insert that holds I believe 12 cigars in one layer.  I am not sure how deep for lack of a better term a box has to be to sound good.  I would rather not buy the box if it will not be thick enough to sound good.

I am a total and complete newbie, but I am hooked on trying to build one, for Christmas, my wife is getting me a 3 string electric blues box slide guitar kit(ebb) so I can learn the basics of playing one, and I am already thinking of making my own guitar.   I would like to build one right the first time which is why I joined this site. 

I will be going thru the building  basics discussion etc sections, but I figured I should pick up this box if it will work before someone else grabs it. 

Thank for any and all comments!!!

Have a Happy, Merry, Christmas, and a safer, Happier New Year!!

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Replies

  • Hi Steve, welcome to the dust and shavings community.

    For some reason I cant see your photo, blocked as unsafe.

    But just for your info, size is not a reliable method of discerning how a certain box/sound chamber may respond to string vibration, as there are many other factors that contribute to sound quality and/or volume.

    It will take more that a few builds to work this out for yourself, but that's the fun/challenge of building with the basics. As others have said just build it, it will make music. The next one will make better music.....and the next one.....

    Enjoy Taff

  • There are lots of people who don’t like shallow boxes, but really they all make sound, so no cigar box is bad? The only thing to do is build it & find out for yourself? Good luck on your build, have you been over to cigarboxguitar.com archives link at the bottom of the page, there’s tons of build info there?

  •  Wow! Cool. That thing just reaches out and slaps ya. Not one, (normally), to give advise, I would tell you what I'd do with it. I'd put a real nasty, hot, over-wound pickup on it. I just don't think a sweet, clean pickup would be right for it. There are a few guys here that build just that kind of thing professionally here. Or you could build your own... OR add a good piezo to it....

  •  Welcome Steve. 

    I'll try to help with this batch of questions, though I don't have a lot of experience with piezos. I build my own pickups from wall-wart wire, wooden shims, machine screws and  magnets and have a few total acoustics. 

     Tom T has a lot of good info there, I'll see if I can offer a little help, as well. 

     Generally, all things being equal, the bigger box - the better. However, my loudest two boxes, acoustically, are one cohiba that has an internal height of about one inch. The other is a Padron that is slightly longer and is just as loud or louder. Both sound good. I have a Partagas that is about the same width and length, is twice as deep, but sounds like, (pardon the Okie), sounds like ass and has very little volumne. I'll be replacing the press-paper top with some thin birch laminate I have someday. Ya never know what one will sound like before it's strung up and tuned though. My favorite part of the process. 

     No rules! Seems to be the battle-cry here. Lots of cool stuff to search for here, lots of helpful folks that have a wealth of knowledge. 

     Have fun and experiment a little,

    Ray

  • Cigar boxes as sound-chambers for guitars is an iffy business. If you go electric, any box will do as it usually has little to do with sound (unless you use a Piezo pickup).

    If you want to play it acoustically, you may want to investigate the box carefully. Is is really wood or is is paste-board? Paper boxes just don't produce much acoustic sound,.

    If it is wood, then it may work out, but don't expect a lot of volume as the internal volume is pretty small. Also, you have to let the sound out of the box for acoustic play. That means a sound hold. Sound hole size is more of a mystic art than a science and the internal volume of the box plays a big role in determining optimum sound hole size.

    With all of that said, I say don't worry too much about it. Build it, learn from it and incorporate what you learn into the next one (and there will be a next one).

    Good luck. Post the results.

    • ok, so piezo in large rectangle box that is not that high is not good or it is?  If not then put in a pickup?  Yes I intend to go electric, however I would like it to maybe be acoustic to practice without bothering the rest of the household.  I guess I will try picking it up tomorrow and posting a picture of it.  Its only 12 bucks not a huge investment. 

      Like I said, I am a total newbie, and of course I'm a wack job that is going the the additional cool factor when I build myself one.

      I picked up vw hubcaps to make a hubcap guitar so yes I'm nuts.  Probably biting off more than I can do, but I built myself a upright chest of drawers from scratch so I have a tendency to reach for the stars.

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