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On a request from a long-time customer, Ben Gitty recently sat down to arrange tablature for the beloved Scottish song "Flower of Scotland". This piece, often thought to be traditional, was actually written in the 1960's by Roy Williamson, a member of the Celtic band The Corries. It quickly found its way into the hearts of Scottish folks all around the world, and is one of the country's unofficial national anthems (it does not have an official anthem). We are happy to present it here as a free d …

Recently, Gitty customer Vince Wesley sent us a couple of pictures of recent builds, and one of them really "shone" - a homemade ukulele with light-up fret position markers! In the builder's diary below we'll share Vince's photos and step-by-step journal of how he created this strikingly unique instrument. - Ben GittyVince writes:Following are 16 pics that show the main steps in my build of a CB Ukulele with illuminated fret markers. The technique could be used for any instrument with an applie …

I've heard it said: "A cigar box guitar is never going to sound like a Martin or a Gibson... but then again, a Martin or a Gibson is never going to sound like a cigar box guitar." Pro musicians tend to be very particular about the sounds they want in a song, or at a particular place in a song. Sometimes they want pure, clean precision. Other times they want raunchy, growling jangly mojo funk. That's where cigar box guitars come in. Really, the quote above sums it up rather well. Someti …

Cigar box guitars have a long and storied history in popular music, and they have been used by a wide variety of musicians over the years. One of the most famous musicians known to have started on a cigar box guitar was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was a groundbreaking blues and rock musician who rose to fame in the 1960s and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Despite his later fame and success, Hendrix came from humble roots and built himself a cigar box guitar to play before he …

This is the second part in a series of posts featuring answers people have given to the new member question on Cigar Box Nation: What do you find most interesting about cigar box guitars? We share some of the answers here as a source of inspiration and reminder of just how amazing this hobby of building and playing homemade instruments really is. ·········· “I think the sound is wonderful! I saw them being played at Lowe Mills in Huntsville, AL and I was hooked! Bought a great guit …