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.
Old Yeller
“Old Yeller” is a real head turner!!
The bright yellow and blue colours of this 1961 Alberta license plate are the entire basis of this creation. These colours are used throughout the build and can be seen on all the components such as the pick up, the volume/tone knobs as well as the guitar body itself.
The neck is made from Black Walnut and the fretboard, bridge, and headstock wings are made from locally sourced Big Leaf Maple. The dark and light contrast of these woods mimics the blue and yellow contrast of the plate. Everything is part of the plan. The result is a bold and beautiful 3 string guitar that sounds absolutely amazing when plugged in to your favourite amplifier.
“Old Yeller” is a fully fretted, fully electric guitar tuned to an open G. With low action and great intonation, this 25-1/2″ scale guitar has a nice, bright tone from the single coil pickup.
This piece of functional art would stand out beautifully in any guitar collection or on any stage!! A really cool looking instrument!!
SOLD to Betty
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!
$650
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
Big Five
“Big Five”
Remember when cigars cost 5 cents? Me neither, so I know this label is definitely vintage!!
“Big Five” has a BC Pine guitar body box with Sitka Spruce top and back. The vintage label was carefully salvaged and then painstakingly applied to the box. It’s bright and bold and tells the story of days gone by when cheap cigars were available at any smoke stand!
I left the guitar body natural coloured and applied 3 coats of Varathane to protect the box and label. Only bright and shiny chrome accents were used on this guitar and they look perfect. The neck is hand carved from Red Oak and the fretboard is made from locally sourced English Walnut. I used Black Walnut on the headstock wings and on the bridge to add some contrasting darkness to the guitar.
“Big Five” is a fully electric 3 string guitar. the scale length is 25-1/2″ and it has 21 frets. The action is nice and low and the playability is great. The intonation is spot on and this guitar sounds pretty cool with the mini humbucker.
Bright and bold, “Big Five” is one awesome guitar!!
SOLD to Betty
"Old Red"
“Old Red”
Apparently, red is one of the most dominant colours. People love red things. “Old Red” is one of those things!
Born in a license plate factory in 1960, this vintage Alberta plate had the colour that set the wheels in motion for this guitar creation.
“Old Red’ is built in the traditional “61 Nickel Guitars” vintage style. Take the two colours of the plate and put them to good use throughout the build. The box for the guitar body is made from BC Pine and Sitka Spruce and is painted using a similar red colour. The carrying handle and the tailpiece hinge just happened to be hanging around in my greebly bin and already had flaking red paint on them….perfect! I painted the pickup cover, bridge, plate mounting screws, and even the knobs with an off white finish and dirtied them up a. bit with some brown paint.
The real gem on this guitar is the hand carved neck made from Chatke Kok (also known as Red Heart) which comes from Africa. It has a rich red hue that was a perfect fit for this guitar. It is an absolutely gorgeous colour!! The fretboard was left natural and was sourced locally from Big Leaf Maple.
“Old Red” is a fully fretted, fully electric 3 string guitar set up on a 25-1/2″ scale length. Low action, great intonation, and easy playability make this guitar very desirable.
If you love red….you will love “Old Red”
SOLD to Betty
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.
$700
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
