Cigar Box Guitars
This page contains Cigar Box Guitars currently available for sale.
The page will be updated as products are sold and added. Please check back often to see the updates as new guitars are always being created.
Torpedo
“Torpedo” is the name for this hybrid creation!
I wanted to figure out a way to utilize the smaller, thinner cigar boxes that I have in my collection. They are typically not deep enough to use as a traditional cigar box guitar body so I think this idea is the perfect solution.
The thinner box has had two corners cut off and mounted to the much larger cigar box body. The result is a “V” shape body that is a bit reminiscent of the Flying V style of guitar that we all know and love.
I decided to leave the natural finish and colouration on both boxes which gives Torpedo its rich wood tone look. The neck is made from locally grown Big Leaf Maple and the fretboard is made from locally grown English Walnut.
Torpedo features all chrome accents including a “Snake Oil” style of pickup. The bridge is a homemade design and is fully adjustable for perfect intonation and action. This is a fully fretted, electric guitar set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length. Torpedo is tuned to an open G and sounds really cool with that unique pickup.
Deep, rich tone with a deep rich finish!!
$500
JOYA
“Joya” is an another fine example of a great playing cigar box guitar.
She is made from a beautifully patterned cigar box featuring black and silver colours. I decided the guitar should also have black and silver colours on all the electrics, the tuners, and even the carrying handle made from an old drawer handle. A Maple neck with Black Walnut headstock wings and a very nicely figured Big Leaf Maple fretboard make this guitar look amazing!
“Joya” has a bright sounding single coil pickup with separate volume and tone controls. She is set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length and is tuned to the ever popular Open G tuning. She is fully fretted to 24 frets, has low action, and excellent intonation.
This beauty is really a great option for someone looking for an easy playing guitar!
$500
Ride or Die
“Ride or Die” is one of the most popular cigar box guitars that I have made! The Indian Motorcycle cigar boxes are getting more difficult to find and whenever I make one, they don’t last long before they are snapped up! Motorcycle people love their bikes and anything related.
“Ride or Die” features a “Snake Oil” style humbucker which gives this guitar a certain growl (just like the bike). Volume and tone controls are in easy reach and the vintage chrome/red carrying handle matches perfectly. The guitar is fully fretted and is set up on a 25-1/2″ scale. She is tuned to Open G and sounds great.
The neck is Maple and the fretboard is Walnut with Birch fret dots. The headstock features an additional Indian Motorcycle logo and a American Indian head nickel. (Don’t worry….my signature 1961 Canadian nickel is still hidden on the guitar somewhere).
This is the perfect guitar for the Indian Motorcycle collector.
$500
Plasencia II
“Plasencia II” is a fantastic 3 string fretless slide guitar.
The heavy sided wood box has a convenient recessed area on the top which worked perfectly for installing a magnetic wound pickup and the volume/tone controls. These pickups have a nice warm tone and the Martin brand strings add quality to the overall sound. Fret location marks are burned into the top edge of the neck for player reference and ease of play. “Plasencia II” is tuned to an open G tuning and features a 25-1/2″ scale length.
The guitar features a neck made from locally sourced Big Leaf Maple and the fretboard is a figured slice of local Spalted Maple. These are excellent hardwoods for building guitars and certainly beautiful to look at. The handmade floating bridge is cut from the same board as the neck for colour consistency. The design is simple but the results are fantastic.
This is a great guitar to get someone started in the world of slide style play.
$275
Armistice
“Armistice” has been created using another unique cigar box from the Armistice brand. The wooden cigar box body has been outfitted with three sound holes giving this guitar some nice acoustic qualities.
The neck is made from Red Oak and the fretboard is made from a piece of local Big Leaf Maple with a really interesting grain pattern…..almost a ribbon effect. The fret dots have been hand painted black to contrast the lighter wood colour of the fretboard.
Black accents are used for the rest of the guitar as well. From the tuners to the jack plate, the black colour is the perfect match for the bold “Armistice” logo on the cigar box.
“Armistice” is a 3 string, fully fretted electric guitar. It is currently tuned to the ever popular open G tuning and is set up on my favourite scale length of 25-1/2″. The sound produced from the single coil pickup is warm and full. With low action and great intonation, “Armistice” is a really great guitar to play.
$500
Brilliante
“Brilliante” is Spanish for “shiny” and this guitar is nothing, if not shiny!
“Brilliante” is truly a gorgeous cigar box guitar!! This white Vegafina cigar box has a silver border and a red brand name. A very clean and simple design.
I wanted this guitar to have all chrome accents with just a splash of red to really contrast against the white and chrome. The red is only found on the hand made bridge, the hanging strap, and of course the Vegafina name.
The neck is made from Canadian Maple and the fretboard is beautiful Black Walnut.
“Brilliante” is a 3 string, fully fretted electric guitar. The scale length is 25-1/2″ and the tuning is the most popular open G tuning. The mini humbecker style of pickup gives Brilliante a really great tone from warm and full to bright and clear.
This guitar is turning heads!!
Sold to Sim
Pepe
“Pepe” is another really fun cigar box guitar. These wooden boxes offer such great sound and the tone is so different from box to box!!
“Pepe” is 3 string, fully fretted electric cigar box guitar. The scale length is my favourite at 25-1/2″ and the tuning is the most common open G tuning. The “zero fret” nut system allows for low action and great intonation. The single coil pickup is a model that I use a lot for these types of guitars and the sound is always great. Separate tone and volume controls make it easy to adjust on the fly.
The neck is Canadian Maple with Big Leaf Maple headstock wings. The fretboard is Black Walnut and the fret dots are Maple. The hand shaped bridge and tailstock cover are a blend of the Maple and Walnut and nicely transition the through neck design to the tailstock.
“Pepe” is just awesome!
$475
The Edge
“The Edge” is made from a very unique cigar box. The box is thicker than most and has very different lid. The texture feels like it had just recently been milled. The gold lettering stands out nicely when the light hits it.
“The Edge” features a magnetic wound pickup with volume and tone controls. This guitar is tuned to Open G tuning and boasts Martin guitar strings for great tone. The scale length is 25-1/2″ and there are fret markers wood burned into the top edge of the guitar neck for easy reference when playing.
The neck is locally sourced Big Leaf Maple and the fretboard is highly figured Black Walnut with Birch fret dots. This fretless slide guitar has low action which makes fingerboard style of play possible as well.
Great tone and a rich look make “The Edge” a perfect 3 string slide guitar!
$275
Black Lotus
The Black Lotus is easily one of the most beautiful cigar boxes I have found. The colour is so unique and the label is just perfect. The beveled edges on the cigar box top created a small challenge but nothing was going to stop me from making this guitar!
“Black Lotus” is a fully fretted, fully electric 3 string guitar. The scale length is a comfortable 25-1/2″ (same as a Fender Strat) and the tuning is the ever popular Open G tuning. She has low action, great intonation, and easy playability. She is outfitted with a “Snake Oil” style humbucker pickup and the sound can go from clean to dirty or anywhere in between. In addition, the tone and volume controls are conveniently located on the front of the guitar.
The silver colour on the cigar box label is enhanced with all the chrome accents used on this guitar. The pickup, tuners, knobs, strap pins, etc are all matching chrome. The gold colour on the label is picked up in the wood tones used on the Flame Maple fretboard and Red Oak neck. The beauty of the fretboard is incredible and catches the light just like gold!
The “Black Lotus” is one truly beautiful guitar!!
Sold to Sim
Project 40
“Project 40” is a really fun guitar to play. The “40” on the cigar box lid was the inspiration for this build. The antique brass accents that I used were chosen to match that number.
“Project 40″ is fully fretted and fully electric. This 3 string guitar is tuned to Open G and is set up on a 25-1/2” scale length. The flat wound pickup nestled under the antiqued brass pickup cover gives this guitar a really bright tone. On board volume and tone controls provide easy access for adjusting while on the fly. Low action and great intonation make this guitar a dream to play,
The neck is solid Maple with some Black Walnut wings on the headstock. The fretboard is Black Walnut and the bridge is Maple. The tailpiece is also Maple with a Walnut top to match the neck and fretboard.
This is a great sounding 3 string cigar box guitar!
$500
Iroquois
“Iroquois” is an absolutely beautiful cigar box adorned with the flag from the Iroquois Confederacy. The purple flag with four connected white squares with an eastern white pine tree in the centre represents the six nations of the Haudenasaunee (meaning “People of the Longhouse”).
The light/dark colours on this box are repeated throughout the design of this guitar. Black accents and rich Black Walnut are balanced with the Red Oak and Maple.
“Iroquois” is a fully fretted, fully electric 3 string guitar set up on a 25-1/2″ scale. It has a split coil pickup that can be switched to different positions for different tones. The action is nice and low and the intonation is fantastic.
This box is quite unique with colours that I don’t often see. It’s a great looking guitar that honours an important part of our Canadian history.
$500
Macanudo Blanco
“Macdanudo Blanco” is the perfect guitar for you to get your Blues on!
Completely fretless, this 3 string electric guitar is the perfect slide guitar for playing all those old Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson tunes! “Macanudo Blanco” is a full 25-1/2″ scale and is currently tuned to an Open G. The magnetic wound pickup is wired directly to the cable jack and offers a nice, bright tone. The handmade floating bridge is fully adjustable by turning the nuts at the base which raises or lowers the action.
The guitar has a simple design. The neck is locally harvested (ethically of course) Big Leaf Maple with a slice of Flame Maple for a fretboard. The fretboard offers two full octaves of playability and that means lots of room to really show off your chops! The black fret dots have been added for player reference making it easier to slide up to your note.
A great guitar for anyone wanting to get started in the world of Cigar Box Guitars.
$275
Rocky
“Rocky” is absolutely one of the nicest looking cigar boxes I have ever worked with. The 15th anniversary box is a special one and it looks fantastic in chrome and black. All the electrics, tuners, and accessories all had to be chrome or black to really make this guitar look perfect!
“Rocky” is a fully fretted, fully electric 3 string guitar set up on a 25-1/2″ scale and tuned to an open G. The single coil pickup has a great tone and the volume and tone controls are located on the front for easy access. The chrome drawer handle used for a carrying handle is elegant in style and matches the graphics nicely. Chrome corner protectors, tuners, and sound hole rings round out the design and make this guitar shine!
A rich Black Walnut neck with a highly figured Flame Maple fretboard add class to this build. A Black Walnut floating bridge completes the woodwork on this guitar and compliments the neck perfectly.
Easily one of the classiest and nicest sounding guitars around!
$500
Belkis
“Belkis” is a female name with Spanish roots. This beautiful Arturo Fuentes cigar box guitar needed a strong female name to go with it. It just had to be “Belkis”.
“Belkis” is a fully fretted and fully electric 3 string guitar. She is a 25-1/2″ scale length and is tuned to Open G. She has low action and great intonation which makes her easy to play and easy to learn. The humbucker style pickup has a great sound and the volume and tone controls are within easy reach.
She features a neck and fretboard make from locally sourced Big Leaf Maple. A slice of Mahogany adds some interest and contrast to the headstock. The larger box size gives this guitar a bigger sound and the addition of the brushed nickel carrying handle help balance the guitar nicely and make it comfortable to play.
Bold and beautiful, “Belkis” is a stunner!
$550
Macanudo Negro
“Macanudo Negro” is a really fun guitar to play.
The scale length on this guitar is slightly shorter than usual. This one is 24″ scale instead of the 25-1/2″ scale length that I typically use on my creations. The shorter scale really doesn’t make as much of a difference on a slide guitar as it would on a fretted version but you still get a slightly higher tone. “Macanudo Negro” is fully electric with a magnetic wound pickup and on board volume and tone controls. Tuned to an Open G, this guitar sounds warm and rich with the Martin brand strings.
The neck is made from Black Walnut and the fretboard is made from a lighter coloured Black Walnut. The fret dots are Birch for a nice contrast. The cigar box graphic has a silver over black label (it looks bluish in the photos because it was reflecting the blue sky).
This instrument is another great example of a fretless slide guitar that is rich in sound and long in tradition. One of my favourites.
Sold to Doug
Santiago
“Santiago” is simply beautiful.
This cigar box is definitely one of my favourites. It has such a gorgeous graphic of a beautiful young lady in a red dress. The rest of the box is plain black which really draws your eye to the centre of the box.
“Santiago” is a fully fretted, 3 string electric cigar box guitar. She has a magnetic wound pickup with volume and tone controls easy accessible on the front of the guitar. The tailpiece string retainer is custom made and loosely mimics the curvy shape of the headstock. She is tuned to Open G tuning and is set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length for ease of play. With nice, low action and great intonation, “Santiago” is a pleasure to play.
Some subtle brass accents like box corners, strap pins, and the carrying handle compliment the gold on the graphic. The neck is made of Red Oak and the fretboard is Claro Walnut. The vintage style tuners have a greenish hue which also matches the light green colour on the graphic. Subtle but all part of the design.
“Santiago” is truly a beautiful looking and great sounding guitar.
Sold to Glen
Rough Bourbon
“Rough Bourbon” was named because of the rough texture of the cigar box top and also because one of the only words I could make out on the faded label was bourbon. It kind of sounds like a name some old Bluesman might give his favourite guitar. “Rough Bourbon” it is.
This guitar features a neck made from Big Leaf Maple that was ethically sourced from right here on Vancouver Island. The fretboard is made from a really beautiful piece of Walnut. The electrics are a great match for this instrument and provide that same rich tone when combined with genuine Martin guitar strings. The scale length is a standard Stratocaster length of 25-1/2″ and she is tuned to an Open G tuning.
“Rough Bourbon” lives up to her name. The sound can go from sweet to dirty in no time and she handles it all!!
$275
