The Vintage Series
The Cigar Box Guitar has a long and colourful history with roots going all the way back to the 1840’s. These often crude and primitive instruments were created through necessity as the poor people who built them couldn’t afford “real” instruments.
The “Vintage Series” is my personal tribute to those early makers of Cigar Box Guitars. These limited edition guitars, although outfitted with electric components and modern tuners, are specially created to look old and worn as if from many years of playing music on a front porch, around a campfire, or while riding the rails across the country.
NOTE: This series of guitar sells quickly!!! This page will be updated often. Guitars that have sold will be removed and new guitars added as they become available.
Nikki
“Nikki” is SO COOL!
I love copper accents but I love vintage copper accents even more! Nikki has them! The aged copper along with the custom vintage paint job make Nikki worthy of the Vintage Series. The unique f-holes that have been “repaired” with square copper nails is so random. Copper knobs and a copper humbucker pickup provide great sound. Copper box corners, jack plate, and a hinge tailpiece finish it off. There’s even a fancy copper accent piece on the headstock!
The neck is hand carved from Big Leaf Maple and features Black Walnut headstock wings. The fretboard is Maple and has copper rivets installed as fret markers. The cigar box paper label adds a bit of authenticity to the whole creation. So cool!
Fully fretted, fully electric and boasting a 25-1/2″ scale length, Nikki is tuned to an Open G tuning and sounds awesome. Definitely a huge favourite of mine!! Can you tell?
$650
Aaralyn
The name “Aaralyn” can mean beautiful song or melody and is the perfect name for this guitar.
“Aaralyn” is a hand crafted cigar box style guitar constructed of B.C. Spruce sides and Spalted Red Alder top and back. She is finished in a clear Varathane to showcase her beautiful woodgrain. The neck is made from rich, dark Black Walnut with Curly Maple headstock wings. The fretboard is also Curly Maple and contrasts nicely with the dark colour of the Walnut.
Chrome and black accents give “Aaralyn” just the right amount of shine. The tone and volume controls are outfitted with traditional “chicken head” style knobs. The bridge is hand shaped from Walnut which mimics the shape of the string retainer tailpiece made from an old drawer pull. Some chrome corner protectors and a carrying handle finish it all off.
“Aaralyn” is a fully fretted and fully electric 3 string guitar. She is tuned to open G and features a 25-1/2″ scale length (same as a Fender Strat). Her action is low and her intonation is fantastic. She is easy to play and has a comfortable, fast neck. The humbucker pickup has a nice warm tone and would make this guitar a great addition to any guitar collection!
$600
AB55
“AB55” is simply my code for Alberta 1955.
This guitar features a vintage license plate from the great province of Alberta. The plate is in exceptional condition and the bright yellow is so vibrant against the dark background. I chose to make the body from a solid piece of Yellow Cedar to help balance out the weight of the Bloodwood neck. Bloodwood is a very heavy, dense hardwood and has such a beautiful reddish hue. The neck is hand carved and very fast to play while the Maple fretboard provides a nice light colour contrast. The solid body design makes this guitar balanced and comfortable.
The humbucker style pickup has a warm tone that suits this guitar. The separate volume and tone controls are within easy reach and the hardtail bridge offers adjustments for intonation and action. The 25-1/2″ scale length is familiar to most guitar players and open tuning to G is the most common tuning among 3 string guitars.
“AB55” is a really exceptional sounding guitar with great balance and tone. Very fun to play!
$600
Bria
“Bria”…..beautiful “Bria”…..
This guitar style is one of my favourite guitars to build! The handmade wooden guitar body made from BC Pine and Sitka Spruce has been distressed and hand painted with special effects to make it appear worn and aged. The “rotted” sound holes with rusty steel patches are very unique and really add to the distressed theme.
The hand carved neck is made from locally sourced Big Leaf Maple and the fretboard, bridge, and headstock wings are made from Black Walnut. The neck receives a special paint job that gives it a dirty appearance which truly matches the instrument’s style.
The electrical components and the other chrome pieces have all been artificially aged in a solution of Liver of Sulpher which gives them a patina that looks like the guitar has been laying in a barn for decades.
“Bria” is a fully fretted and fully electric 3 string guitar. She has a humbucker pickup that produces a really warm tone. On board volume and tone controls are close by for the player’s convenience and have the always vintage looking “chicken head” knobs installed. This guitar is set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length and has low action and great intonation.
Truly an amazing art statement!!
$650
Smoke
“Smoke”
“Smoke” is a BC Pine guitar body box with Sitka Spruce top and back. Once assembled, the box was then charred with a torch and scraped with a wire brush. A weathered paint job was applied to give the guitar a well worn appearance and then finally finished in a few coats of polyurethane to protect the burnt look.
Maple and Walnut were used for the hand carved neck and the fretboard and bridge are made from the same piece of Walnut. The f-holes have been charred and burnt which matches the rest of the guitar. The f-holes are backed by some old speaker grill that was in my collection of oddities.
“Smoke” is a fully electric 3 string guitar. The scale length is 25-1/2″ and it is fully fretted. The action is nice and low and the playability is great. The intonation is spot on and this guitar sounds pretty cool with the single coil pickup.
“Smoke” is one awesome guitar!!
$650
Lyric
“Lyric”
They say that a lyric is the truest way to express a songwriter’s emotion.
This guitar has an amazing tone but also looks really vintage.
She has a special paint effect applied to make the guitar appear old and well played. The distressed guitar body and the ornate antique brass accents add so much to this creation. The brass doorknob escutcheon make a great backing plate for the volume and tone controls as well as the guitar cable jack. A fancy brass plate serves as a base for the floating bridge.
The neck is hand carved from Greenheart which is a beautiful wood from Guyana, South America. It makes wonderful guitar necks and the Black Walnut and Maple headstock wings look great together. A dark Walnut fretboard and floating bridge look good with the darker colour scheme.
Fully fretted and fully electric, “Lyric” is tuned to an Open G chord and sounds amazing with the humbucker pickup. The zero fret nut system gives the guitar excellent intonations and low action.
This is a great vintage style of cigar box guitar!
SOLD to Bunny
Red Heart
“Red Heart”
Copper accents on a “Vintage Series” style of guitar always tops my list of beautiful designs. The aged copper gives the guitar instant credibility as something old but tough enough to survive.
The guitar body is made from BC Pine and Sitka Spruce and is then carefully distressed and aged to appear well used. The “rotted” sound holes are quite unique and the hand hammered copper patches are perfect. All the accents are aged copper and blend in so well with the special effect paint job. Multiple layers of paint are applied giving the impression of years of grime and dirt being built up on the surface. A couple of coats of polyurethane provide protection and finish off the guitar.
The neck on this guitar is also very special. It is made from Lacewood and the grain is absolutely stunning! The colour of the wood goes so well with the copper accents. A truly beautiful combination. The fretboard and bridge are fashioned from Black Walnut and look perfect.
“Red Heart” sounds as good as she looks too. A warm sounding humbucker style pickup adds a great tone and low action makes her easy to play. The intonation is spot on right up to the 21st fret. The scale length is 25-1/2″ (Fender Strat length) which adds familiarity to players when they first pick her up.
Definitely one of the best looking and best sounding “Vintage Series” guitars available!
$650.
Rust Never Sleeps
“Rust Never Sleeps”
Not only is this the name of a great album by Canadian/American singer/songwriter, Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse, but it is also a great name for this guitar.
“Rust Never Sleeps” all started from and old Briggs & Stratton small engine shroud that was discovered rusting away in the Arizona desert. It was brought back to Canada and remained in another artist’s “collection” for years before I ran across it. My first thought was that the shroud loosely resembled a guitar body. I guess my instincts were right!
“Rust Never Sleeps” is a fully fretted, fully electric 3 string guitar. It has a 25-1/2″ scale length and features a humbucker style pickup with a very warm tone. The action is low and the intonation is perfect. This thing is deadly!!
The rusty finish of the shroud was left untouched which presented a problem with matching its condition. The pickup, knobs, tuners, grill, etc were all artificially aged though special paint techniques giving them the appearance of age and lots of use. You may recognize the tailpiece – it’s a fin from a vegetable steamer!
The hand carved neck is made from Big Leaf Maple and the headstock wings and bridge are Black Walnut. The fretboard is also Big Leaf Maple and has a nice lined grain pattern running from the 1st to the 22nd fret.
“Rust Never Sleeps” is probably one of the most challenging and unique guitars I have built so far and is definitely the most unique guitar available on my website!! This is one cool instrument and easily scores a 10 out of 10 for originality.
SOLD to Nigel
Lyra
“Lyra”
Vintage style at its finest!
A guitar body made from BC Pine with Sitka Spruce top and back, distressed to appear well used, and hand painted with special effects to give it a dirty, grimy patina make “Lyra” a winner.
She features all copper accents on the guitar all the way from the tuners to the tailpiece. The corners, sound hole patches, and jack plate have all been hand hammered from raw copper plate and then soaked in a solution of Liver of Sulphur to give them an aged patina.
The hand carved neck is made from Bloodwood and is a rich reddish brown colour which matches the copper accents beautifully. The headstock wings, bridge, and fretboard are all Black Walnut and they match the Rosewood humbucker pickup beautifully.
“Lyra” is fully fretted and fully electric. She has 21 frets and is set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length. Tuned to an Open G chord, she sounds amazing with her low action and great intonation.
Truly a gorgeous guitar!!
$650
Maison Blanc
“Maison Blanc” is simply “White House”.
This style of vintage guitar is one of my favourite kinds of guitars to create. The special “crackled” paint finish is so typical of an object that has been neglected or forgotten in an attic or a barn. It gives the appearance of being old and well played, which is exactly the way I want it to look. The ‘imperfectly perfect” hand cut f-holes add some old time charm and the flat black accents really contrast nicely with the crackled white finish. Once you plug it into your favourite amplifier, watch out!! She sounds incredible!!
The neck is hand carved from rich Bloodwood which picks up the Burgundy undercoat of the guitar body while a nice piece of Maple serves as the fretboard.
“Maison Blanc” is a fully fretted and fully electric 3 string guitar. She is tuned to an Open G chord and has a comfortable 25-1/2″ scale length. A warm tone comes from the humbuckere pickup and the volume and tone controls are within easy reach. The zero fret nut system provides easy playability with great intonation and action.
True to the word “vintage”.
$650
1964
“1964”
The inspiration for this vintage style of guitar came from the interesting brass key with the number 1964 engraved on it. I have no idea where it came from or what is was used to unlock, but it seems like a unique idea for a guitar!
“1964” was created in a similar fashion to a lot of other vintage series guitars that I build. Constructed of Sitka Spruce top/back with BC Pine sides, the box is distressed to look well worn and a special effect paint job gives the appearance of years of dirt and grime build up. Only antique brass accents (to match the key) are used throughout the design. from the tuners to the tailpiece hinge, “1964” turned out great.
The neck is hand carved from Black Walnut with Flame maple headstock wings. A highly figured slice of Maple makes a perfect fretboard.
“1964” is fully fretted and fully electric and is tuned to an Open G chord. The single coil pickup has a nice bright tone and the scale length is a comfortable 25-1/2″. The zero fret nut system offers low action and great intonation.
Born in 1964? This guitar might be the one for you!!
SOLD to Greg
Dijon
“Dijon” can be more than just a great mustard! It can also be a really cool guitar!!
This vintage series guitar features a two tone paint job with a crackled finish. The areas where the mustard coloured top coat has been worn away reveal the burgundy base coat. No detail is overlooked and the end result is wonderful. An old hinge serves as a tailpiece and a vintage cabinet pull serves as a carrying handle. The ornate medallion on the centre of the guitar body was salvaged from an old Singer sewing machine. The neck is made from beautiful Greenheart and the fretboard is made from locally sourced Big Leaf Maple.
“Dijon” has a humbucker pickup for that nice warm tone and the volume and tone controls are mounted nearby for easy access. She is set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length and features a zero fret nut system that ensures low action nd great intonation. Tuned to an Open G chord, this guitar is ready to rock ‘n roll!!
$650
Reaper
“Reaper”
Although technically not a cigar box, to me, “Reaper” still falls under the heading of vintage.
After all, the main feature of this guitar is the skull shape that has been cut out of an old vintage sterling silver plated serving tray. The old tray is quite ornate and the design on the silver reminds me of the Calaveras (sugar skulls) found in the context of the “Day of the Dead” celebrations in Mexican culture. The eye and nose have been cut out and backed with an old metal speaker grill. The eyes are made from vintage silver and gemstone cuff links. The tailpiece is actually a fin from an old vegetable steamer and matches the design perfectly. And of course, no skull themed guitar would be complete without skull volume and tone controls as well as very cool skull shaped string tuners.
The skull shape continues with the semi hollow guitar body made from local BC Pine along with a removable back made from Sitka Spruce. The neck is made from gorgeous Bloodwood with highly figured Curly Maple headstock wings. The floating bridge is also made from the same Curly Maple. The Fretboard is fashioned from a piece of Big Leaf Maple.
Set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length and tuned to an Open G chord, “Reaper” sounds awesome through the humbucker pickup (that sort of looks like a mouth). The zero fret nut system ensures low action, great intonation, and easy playability.
Extremely unique and definitely a one-of-a-kind instrument!!
$700
