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When I first started performing live with my cigar box guitar in 1995, I would shove a tie-tack microphone into the sound hole to amplify it. It was just a cheap $20 mic from Radio Shack that was originally intended to clip on a speaker’s tie or collar when giving seminars.  I was nervously playing coffee-shop gigs at the time, and the mic was good enough for the job at hand. Picture above: Performing with a tie-tack mic in my original Macanudo, Rehoboth Autumn Jazz Fest, …

Cigar box guitars, and other handmade musical instruments, aren’t just for people looking for a cool, new hobby. For instance, educators have begun using CBGs (cigar box guitars) in their classrooms as fresh teaching-tools to capture students’ attentions over a variety of subjects. In this post, we’re happy to share one teacher’s letter sent to us upon completion of his classes’ CBGs.Students of all ages like to get their heads and hands involved in handmade musical instrument project-based …

Photo credit: Ole: www.photole.comby Shane SpealTwo months ago, I was invited to take part in a collaborative project headed up by the GoodThree branding and design firm.  The idea was to pair a beer by the Tröegs Brewing Co. of Hershey PA with a cigar by Casta Cigars of York PA and then build a cigar box guitar using elements from both brands.  The completed instrument would then be entered into the annual Art of Tröegs contest (www.troegs.com/about/art-of-tro …

You love building cigar box guitars, but sometimes there are too many obstacles to get the look and sound you want from a cigar box. Perhaps where you live, you have a tough time finding cigar boxes. Or maybe the boxes you find are too small, strangely shaped, or they don’t look how you want. Well, have you considered building your own box? Take Control Building your own box is a rewarding experience and, compared to cigar boxes, offers you more freedom to get the size and look you de …

I am drawn to people who are passionate about what they do. Whether it’s making and building things such as cigar box guitars, or making and performing music, or working towards a social cause, passion is inspiring… and contagious. It is in the realm of small businesses and entrepreneurship that especially passionate people can be found; in my experience, if you aren’t possessed with passion for what you’re doing, you’re going to have a much harder time finding success. My friend Dale V …