Uncle John

74, Male

Ogden, IA

United States

Profile Information:

How did you learn about Cigar Box Nation?
I found a message in a bottle along the Nishnabottna River.
How many instruments have you built so far?
around 100
What do you find most interesting about cigar box guitars? (If you do not enter something meaningful here (at least one sentence long), your membership may be rejected as a spam/bot fake account).
Love to build, love to play.

Comment Wall:

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  • Dave Lynas

    I did manage 20 in the shop and made a bridge. Too cold to refret the guit though. I have to pull five frets and saw deeper slots. I did the job in the dark first time around. :*).. I hear Spring comes early in Iowa. 

  • Delvero

    Thanks Uncle John! the Rev. Peyton owns that guitar! Keep doing what you do! I have been inspired by you from the very beginning! Love your style of just being U.J. Happy New Year!

  • Scott Schoepf

    Thanks for taking my friend request Uncle John. I appreciate all your comments and likes. You were the first to like my first build.

  • Kevin Patrick

    I'll be goin' to California in my mind.

  • A.D.EKER

    HHaHa i whoed love to,and think me there ,traveling in the Back of the bus guys! but NO!  cant leave my Kids!! my dogs and Chickens!! somebody must take care of them ,and takeing them all whit me is to much a thing at the USA Border Costums ,besides my new neighbour is building a new exstention  to his house and he  is trespassing on my land all the time so somebody has to stay here ,so he does not go on a rampage over my propety, cose the guy is a bit of a Jack Ass! From what i hear on the collabs there is a Nations Band Growing maybee there is a Manager Role there for you somewhere, you are verry trustwhorthy, so they will not get ripped,as allway's happens whit these

    bands that get big overnight! it growing in to a great story John maybee your first bestseller who goes Global? now and then i get the ideer you guys are all living in the same town, but then again you do not, but it is a bit from the outsite looking in !!But again maybee some day? thanks for the invite! if it was One? will be reading and hearing you ! Greeeeeettssszz A.D.

  • Kevin Patrick

    Wow! Look at that! I’m famous.

  • JB

    Thanks again uncle John :) I like your sense of humor on the nachos!! Lol thanks for the friending as well!! I'm truly addicted to cigar box guitars now they are so fun to play!!! 

  • T-Gripped

    UJ--Gotta tell you that I truly enjoy your comments. Thanks for your part in nurturing the lifestyle... Or addiction.

  • Richard Sundberg

    Thank you Uncle for your kind words! You were the center piece, the catalyst, the storyline that got everybody involved to participate in this one of a kind festival of virtuality. Your a man of imagination and creativity, but mostly your big heart and humor made this a huge success. Glad you all made it back safely! Proud to be a franchise owner of Uncle John’s Pawn Shop West Coast Branch!

  • Bob Bowman

    Hey Uncle John!  I am a retired USN Master Chief (did 22 years and retired 16 years ago) and finally found a "Hobby" that is more like an obsession.  Ha!  The Chamber Pot Orchestra sounds like a Great Name for a band.  :-)  Just started my 2nd box and am working on the neck now.  Will post when I'm finished.  - Bob

  • Bob Bowman

    The playing is not coming along as fast as I would like it to however, my wood shop is producing sawdust again and that is a plus.  Ha!  I am fascinated by the Mississippi Blues sound on the CBG and look forward to picking up some skill with that soon.  I only recently started to learn the guitar (this past November) so it may be awhile.  - Bob

  • Bob Bowman

    Great!  I will check it out now.  This thing is addictive for sure.  :-)  - Bob

  • Bob Bowman

    Love this guy!  I will definitely spend some time on YouTube with Knotlenny.  Thanks for the guidance and have a Great Day!  Time to get back out into my shop.  - Bob

  • Nancy kat

    Meeeowwwww..Happy Valentines Day to you and Linda......

  • AGP #

    Mr Google informs me that AGP (AG Processing Inc.) is an agribusiness located in Nebraska, and is engaged in the procuring, processing, and marketing of agricultural products., unfortunately not owned by me :-(

    BUT !!, this AGP (A Good Person) is also in the processing business, I'm currently perfecting the process of turning large quantities of Beer into Urine  :-D 

  • Downtown Vinnie

    Thanks so much ,my friend.Yer too kind. I sure appreciate you..

  • A.D.EKER

  • A.D.EKER

    Thanks UJ !

  • A.D.EKER

    Thanks UJ ! some good looking new canrezzo & Vintage Box Builds!! the cold is subsiding !! workshop time !!

  • A.D.EKER

    Hi there John it is tuned open D whit out the low and high E, its fun playing it i play it treu my little fender amp, its got tremelo on it and i like it whit tremelo all the high turned down ,and volume up, done a other track today by tampa red in the same setup! afterwards i see if i redub or do a solo track over it, it gives me the old time feel to the sound, not that perfect just a bit crunchy & and low bass, Thanks for asking ! A.D. say's Greeeeettssszzz  

  • Nancy kat

    Hee Hee...Meowwww^..^

  • Michael Fred Johnson

    Hi Uncle John

    That head stock face was made by running two layers of 1/16" thick wood through the handsaw.

  • RTZGUITARS

    those little amps go for $8 at Parts Express or 15 on amazon.

  • A.D.EKER

    Just checking in to see how you are doing, no song post lately? are you well?You asked if i whoud, so here is , iowa licence plate owners greeeeetsszz you ! may the Blues bee whit you !

  • turtlehead

    Hey John, I just had a youtube comment on the video I did with the diddley you built a while back asking if you took commissions.  Thought that was nice and suggested they contact you here. Just wanted to give you a heads up and pass along a nice comment.

  • Nancy kat

    Meeeeow^..^

  • Michael Fred Johnson

    Hi John 

    Thanks for your comments on the two latest builds.

    I noticed you made  some comments a while ago  which I did not respond to,sorry for that.For some reason all my pictures reset to the "do not follow" setting so I'm not getting emails when folks comment.Being a dinosaur ain't got a clue how to fix that.

  • 3 String Blues

    Hi and thanks for your prayers!

    I erased the video, I got hate mail already ...so fast!!!

     I didn't mean to imply I wanted someone to buy me a new car!...I was trying to say I expect God to work a supernatural miracle, because that was scripture says, that he wants to work in our lives, HE will solve our problems ...that could be thru a mechanic or a friend or some kind of unbelievable story or work in a random act of kindness.

     I forget that the world was full no people who don't like the topic of God.

    anyways, I was real sad this morning but he Holy Sprint got me out of bed and filled me up with so much faith that I KNOW the problem will get solved.... I know it will somehow!

    John God Bless you!

  • A.D.EKER

    Hi John! its compiled from left over stuff ! you can assemble these open tuners allmost any way! the broken turnner  i replase whit a self made, kabel stopper you know the ones you use on a brake or clutch kabel on the Motorbike, i drill the hole out and screw it on the square end of the wormpin of the tuner, that way i saved a lot, and works well. Greeeeettssszzz A.D.

  • A.D.EKER

    Hi John! working whit what we got ! a old & crappy tuner is still sturdier then a wooden peg ,and takes longer to make on a lathe ! it gives this Japanese chineese kind a look to it and thats not what im looking for. greeeettsszzz A.D.

  • 3 String Blues

    If its a tube radio you have to gut it : (

    Not all radios can be hacked, BUT...the face of this radio is set up perfect for an amp....leave the speaker in it, then use one hole for the cable guitar plug in and the other one for the on off volume switch, these old plastic bodies are perfect for that....and try keep the speaker...it will sound great with that old speaker.....you'll just need a amp kit....get the 5 watt one, the extra power makes a difference

  • 3 String Blues

    Me too!..I love the art he has done

    as for the radios...don't sweat it, for almost 80 years every house had a radio in every room,...there are ga-zillions of them on eBay at any given time...just keep looking, usually when I miss a deal I end up finding a better or cheaper one and then I'm thankful the deal fell thru in the first place as I ended up getting something better : )

  • Hans

    Thanks for the friend request, UJ. I'm honored!

  • A.D.EKER

    Eggsample for sure ! Yep BIG opera vocalist sins he got the new coop can't shut him up , but that goes whit living in the country,  im not bothered by it but i can see the nextdoor woman hate him !, but here there are all kinds of animal & sounds in my neighbourhood! greeeeeettsszz on ye John !

  • David Pfeiffer

    Uncle John, and others who commented on my pics, my apologies for not responding, I don't keep up with messages and forums and such the way I'm probably supposed to, but it's easy to get distracted, like earlier, I was opening my email program and this wood I found at the curb caught my eye. Went and picked it up and over an hour later I had it apart. It was some kind of leg I think, two pieces of beautiful hardwood over an inch thick and, yup, over two inches wide. Two necks. Woo Hoo! Long story short, just remembered email... Got to go measure those future necks. Are we having fun yet? I reckon so.  

  • A.D.EKER

    Thanks John, Not that Hard if you got the right tools, and good wood gleu!

  • A.D.EKER

    Thank you kindly John ! it was my Pleasure !!

  • A.D.EKER

    THANK YOU jOHN !sumtin differend i geush ,it was fun to do some paint work on a stringer, have not done that for a while , now im playing the thing must say i do not have the proper tuning yet for a two string, its more difficult than a one must say !im whit E& A at the moment tryed G& D but that came short, will try some more and still have to do the jack input for the piezo in the tin !  but the head was easy whit the Band saw done in minutes, the finisch whit the file was the work, but thanks for the kind words John ! glad you approve ! Greeeeettssszz A.D.

  • Matthew Borczon

    hey my friend!! I got the gitar yesterday and is it fun to play!! I love the tuning and am having a great time with it. I will post some music or a video or maybe both as soon as I figure out how to sound my best with it. I can not thank you enough for this!! You are the very best sir!!!!
  • A.D.EKER

    Thanks UJ ! Who know maybee it evolves in to a new genre climat change Blues, its got a ring ! and there are a fjew out there by now ! what journalist will pick up on it !! greeeeettssszzz A.D.

  • Dave Lynas

    Hi Uncle John. Not sure what comment I made? I haven’t seen Jenkins book. 

  • Dave Lynas

    Sounds like wonderful books Uncle. I’ll give them a gander. Have you read Steibeck’s book “Travels with Charlie”? It’s a great read. Charlie is Steinbeck’s Dog. Thanks for the good words Unc. .. Dave

  • Steebos Kalist

    No problem brother. I dig your stuff too.

  • 3 String Blues

    Yes, it was Jesus, I also quoted God in part from scripture from the story of Abram before he was called Abraham...Thanks for the kind words!

  • A.D.EKER

    Yes she was the oldest of my two, still have a little sweety left, she been walking the floor for day's looking for her sister, while she sat next to me while i buried her ! strange ,somehow she seems to understand, and somehow she does not ? its time for a animal translater divice ! sorry im rambeling again ! greeeeettsszz A.D.

  • A.D.EKER

    Thanks UJ ! i can do you a "HOW TO"video if you like  its mostly two chords ,whit two fingers! greeettsszz A.D.

  • A.D.EKER

    Hello UJ a while ago you posted this picture from all your white owl build, now i found this vintage cigar tin from the Dutch White owl in a Tin, is this maybee a tin you like in your collection! i had in mind to make a 3 string out of it,the size is 9 inch long 4,5 inch wide & 2,5 inch deep!

  • John

    Thanks for the nice comments! I need to post some neck photos...if I don’t here, I will send them to you on FB. 

    Pandora online? I haven’t tried that. I used to listen to some blues stations on 365 a year or two ago. I love custom/fan made stations. I’ve actually wanted to start a local blues station on AM/FM, but just too much money needed to be involved and I don’t have it. 

    Ill look into Pandora! Thank you for telling me about it.

  • 3 String Blues

    Thanks for the kind words on the box!...I drew that Hosanna art and added it to the box myself, it was quite a bit of work envolved, i didn't think anyone would even notice!...I am glad you did!

  • A.D.EKER

    Thanks ! But not feaseble right Now is verry disapointing! but what a you know!  Headless after all!  sometimes the bridge is to far!