Upcoming Book: 'The Cigar Box Guitar Book'. Help Me Write my Book.

[Clubhouse Forum]

Hi, I'm David Sutton and I'm writing a book which is tentatively titled "The Art of the Cigar Box Guitar" for Fox Chapel Publishing. Fox Chapel publishes books about woodworking primarily but they're branching out a bit.

I'm looking for short (1 sentence to two paragraphs?) comments from clubhouse builders on the subject of what building and/or playing cigar box guitars means to you, what has it brought to your life and why you do it?

Be advised that I intend to publish some of these comments, so whatever you write could end up published. If you post here you are implying permission for me to use the quotes.

You may choose to identify yourself by name or by initials, just let me know what your preference would be.

If you have any questions let me know, and if you'd like a couple of solid references talk to Ted Crocker or to Diane in Chicago. Please tell your friends if you think they might have something to say.

Thanks!

[MZ-HANDYMAN]

Hey David, I saw my first Cigar Box Guitar at a flea merket for $20 it was 6 string electric with a pickup, tone and volume control with a 1/4" jack. it was triangle shaped and I don't know why but I didn't buy it. Went back later and it was gone! during my research, I was inspired by KNOTLENNY's "SAY YOU SEE" video. Over a months time I caught the CBG Disease and had since built 6 Guitars and during a yard sale one guy was really interested in my CBG(s) and turns out he was the one who beat me to the purchase of that "Wrong Box" guitar. Glad I didn't buy it. I may not have begun building my own... Who am I kidding? I would have built them anyway. Here area couple of my builds... Not Crockers but I'm proud of em just the same!

Manuel Z AKA: MZ-HANDYMAN

[Ottie(Sky Dog)Noble]

I found cigar box guitars on ebay while looking for a lap steel, i said to myself i can build one of these and I did, that was about 5 years ago and I just finished number 225. Why I do it I can't really say but its worst than drugs once you build one you'll build another one. My claim to fame is that Shooter Jennings is playing one of mine. I sold them all over the world and build another one as soon as I sale the last one .

ps Thanks for the loan of the tape in Huntsville. Crossroads CBG

[steve smith-- Dewy Dewtron]

i think i like too build these C B G`S , because : "its taking you back too the roots of what the blues started out as , every build is unique in its own way,and is also a form of folk art as well , but i think its my loves for the blues that keeps me building
S. Smith
DEWY MFG.

[Ted Crocker]

OTTIE, DEWY, PICS!

[Randy S. Bretz]

My first ciar box build-4 string mandola

[Randy S. Bretz]

just wanted to say welcome to the clubhouse gathering, 3 days of good friends and great music

[Randy S. Bretz]

This is a 1 string D-bow as you can see I carve bone, the Ted Crocker handwound pickup is capped with ebony and is in the nose cavity. Most of my builds are highly detailed with carvings. What I call " eye candy"I guess mine are part art and part a stringed instrument.

[LJ]

I started building cigarbox guitars about 3 years ago. Saw a picture in a magazine, got me interested. Built my own with stuff from around the house. Took me all day on a Sunday to get it done. That was the beginning of many more to come. When you build and then play something you put together yourself it opens your eyes to a whole new concept. liberating and exciting. Addicting to say the least. The sound was more intoxicating than I could have imagined. Next thing I realized was that my Les Paul hadnt been taken outta the case in months. I was getting better with the slide every time I touched it. And my builds were improving as I learned from my mistakes. I have started fretting them to allow more room for creativity musically, and to continue to grow as a builder. The people I found along the way that got hooked on this same sickness are some of the kindest, helpful people you will ever find. I remember when there was like 300 of us blogging secrets and techniques and never having the slightest issue over anything. Of course the interest has grown to a much larger scale today and when you add the human element there will be bumps here and there. But collectively I have never met a finer group than the CBG community. You can play just about any song you want with a CBG. It simplifies the music when you subtract a string or 3 and learn how to open tune. People that have never been able to play an instrument are making some pretty good noise with there CBG's nowdays. Thanks to the builders and forums available. If you cant build one yourself there are plenty of us that will put one on you for a whole lot less money than they are worth. And with very little work you will be sounding like a pro before you know it. Johnny Yowell Jr ( Little Johns Cigarbox Guitars)
www.littlejohnscigarboxguitars.com

[surffrogg]

well david my real name is david miller and i have been building wow guesse its been almost 2 years now. The reason i got interested in cbg's is i have always been a fan of the blues at in reading about all the old timers it always seem that they started off on cigarbox guitars they built themselves , then i had an opputunity to buy one from another builder here in PA. well with a messed up paypal address and no vehicle to go buy it in person i decided i would just build one myself. So I started doing a search on the internet about them and one of the things i came croee was a myspace called Cigarbox Headquarters .so i message this guy and he sent me a link to the yahoo builders forum ,and offered help with any questions i would have,lurked there a while learned what i needed and have been building ever since.... that guy from the my space page by the way was Ted Crocker who is now not only my mentor but a good friend

[surffrogg]

tey're are alot more pics on my page here but didn't want to add that many feal free to use any u see

[Ted Crocker]

http://myspace.com/CigarBoxGuitarHeadquarters

[bairfoot cajun]

hello david, i just discovered cigar box guitars around 18 months ago. i build them as often as i can because i have a creative thought processor that needs emptying on a regular basis. i have always built things ever since i was very young,but to build things that make music is more challenging and more fun. i have been given the name bairfoot cajun by some of my friends from texas,so i use that name as a cigar box guitar builder.