The "Copper Cent" Cigar Box Amplifier - Classic Look, Awesome Sound

Steeped in the nostalgia of yesteryear, this is one of the best cigar box amplifier designs we have ever created.

Designed by our craftsman Jason Munoz, with creative input from Ben "Gitty" Baker and Shane Speal, this is an heirloom-quality piece that would be a great compliment to any cigar box guitar.

The centerpiece and namesake of this amplifier is an enlarged reproduction of a vintage U. S. copper coin, a tribute to the earliest type of one-cent penny coin to be minted in this country starting in 1793. Those were minted at a time when a penny was supposed to contain one cent's worth of pure copper, and our 1-ounce minted copper round carries on that tradition. The coin is beautifully nestled between the two speakers that drive this amplifier.

The cigar box we chose for this amp is an Acid-brand box from the Kuba/1400cc line, which are (roughly) 7 1/4" wide by 7 1/4" tall by 3 13/16" deep. Overall size of the amp, with hardware, is about 7 5/8" x 7 3/8" x 3 7/8". Depending on cigar box supply, these dimensions may vary by 1/2 inch or more.

The box's solid exotic hardwood construction is set off by brass hardware and custom laser engraving. We chose to use the thinner back/bottom of the box as the front of this amp, because in our testing that gave it more volume and tone than using the thicker, solid wood top.

At the heart of this unit is our 2.5-watt amp board, powered by an externally-accessible 9-volt battery, which drives the dual 4-watt 3-inch 8-ohm speakers. A fresh battery gives about 4-5 hours of play time.