# The Improvised Instruments Thread (Cigar Box, etc.)



## JamesM (Apr 2, 2011)

Some of you may have seen my cigar box guitar.

Featured here.

Improvised building is fucking awesome, and if you haven't done it. Do so. I've built bag-pipes, tin-whistles (a brutal low D one), cigar box guitars, aeolian harps... The list goes on. It is just so much fun to spend virtually no money and do something awesome with it.

You go, "Fuck. I need 'this.' But I don't wanna buy 'this.' THIS DOOR HINGE SHOULD WORK!" It's amazing. 

Well, post your fancy lil builds here! I know I'm not alone.















Check the thread for a video. I haven't recorded a video with me actually playing music yet. I probably should. LIke, around $3.00 total investment. Sweet.

Let's see em!


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2011)

Everything is still in the planning stages for me.


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2011)

No planning! That ruins it. I'm hardly an impulsive individual, but impulse building is fun.


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2011)

I'm impulsive as hell. I've got to plan or I'll end up with $10,000 worth of worthless stuff with so many ideas for builds I wouldn't know where to start.


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## Randy (Apr 2, 2011)

Today's build:
















EDIT: Oh, forgot to mention. Mine cost me ~$25 but I had to blow a bunch extra on the resonator stuff and also, I had to buy screws and crap.


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2011)

^How does it sound?


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2011)

highlordmugfug said:


> I'm impulsive as hell. I've got to plan or I'll end up with $10,000 worth of worthless stuff with so many ideas for builds I wouldn't know where to start.



 At least you'd be productive!



Randy, that looks super sick. Still super envious of that awesome tailpiece. Can't wait to hear it.


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## Randy (Apr 2, 2011)

highlordmugfug said:


> ^How does it sound?





The Armada said:


> Randy, that looks super sick. Still super envious of that awesome tailpiece. Can't wait to hear it.


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2011)

Schwing!  Sounds verrrry iconic. Nice Randy.

EDIT:
Piezo transducer, a.s.a.p.


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## Randy (Apr 2, 2011)

Thanks, bro. I originally was going to stick a Strat. pickup up where the cutting board handle is, until I ended up having to mod the design and stick the neck down in there. I think the piezo is the way to go now.


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2011)

Fantastically shitty.  I dig it.


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## Randy (Apr 2, 2011)

Danka. I need to get a back put on it and add an extra sound hole up near the front, but that's all stuff I can do with it assembled. Gotta dig through my scrap pile and find some 1/8" ply to use.


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2011)

I'll have to put something together soon as to not be the one shithead in this thread with no sweet self-made abominations.


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## Randy (Apr 2, 2011)

Random side note: The strings on this thing came from George Lynch.


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2011)

Badass! Story?


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## SirMyghin (Apr 2, 2011)

You nut is a bolt... you broke the universe


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## scherzo1928 (Apr 2, 2011)

Around christmas, when we go buy a pine, I seat in the rear and play stuff on the cord they use to tie the tree to the car (they pass it through the cabin and tighten the shit out of it). Does that count?



SirMyghin said:


> You nut is a bolt... you broke the universe


 
I see what you did there.


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2011)

Yes Scherzo, it does count.


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Yes Scherzo, it does count.


In that case, I'm going to cover a song by The Residents soon using this: 




as an instrument. 

I FIT IN, fuck yeah!


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## scherzo1928 (Apr 2, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Yes Scherzo, it does count.


 
haha, sweet. I play the hall of the mountain king all the way home every single year. It's the only reason I'm game with going to buy a pine...


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## Randy (Apr 7, 2011)

The Armada said:


> Badass! Story?



 to the top, since I missed this post and I also updated the description in the video to include some minor build details.

Story being, in a previous life, I was in an 80's metal style band that frequented a lot of clubs here in the northeast. We opened for George Lynch and YJM one time woot and it was freezing-fuck outside, so after Lynch's set, we agreed to help them load up their trailer. To show his appreciation, Lynch threw us a guitar store sized box full of Blue Steels.


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## scherzo1928 (Apr 7, 2011)

Randy said:


> to the top, since I missed this post and I also updated the description in the video to include some minor build details.
> 
> Story being, in a previous life, I was in an 80's metal style band that frequented a lot of clubs here in the northeast. We opened for George Lynch and YJM one time woot and it was freezing-fuck outside, so after Lynch's set, we agreed to help them load up their trailer. To show his appreciation, Lynch threw us a guitar store sized box full of Blue Steels.


 
As super awesome as that story is, I really only care about your avatar...


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## dr_game0ver (Apr 7, 2011)

5 strings banjo!!


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## Kodee_Kaos (Apr 13, 2011)

No pics, but I once built an electric drum by affixing a $2 piezoelectric sensor to a 24oz beer can. Sounded pretty cool with chorus and the bass knob cranked.


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## schecter4life (Apr 13, 2011)

hmmmm, i never knew they were that easy to build..... i forsee a weekend project soon


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## JamesM (Apr 13, 2011)

Seriously is, I built mine in like, under two hours, if you ignore the time it takes for stain to dry.


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## Meatbucket (Apr 15, 2011)

Alright, I'm going to start a cigar box build tomorrow. My grandpa, being an awesome contractor that he is, is going to help me get some discounts for wood. Here's my problem though: I'm going to make it an electric guitar. What would be some good SINGLE COIL pickups for a "lolmetaldistortion" sound? I was looking at Bare Knuckle but those are in bundles of 3. I just need 1 pickup. I want this to be a br00tal cigar box. Suggestions?


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## JamesM (Apr 15, 2011)

Don't spend more than like $8 on a pickup, dude. Trust me. Further, you spend any more than that and you're kinda pissing on the spirit of the whole thing.


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## HaMMerHeD (Apr 17, 2011)

If anyone needs a pickup, I have an Ibanez split-coil-humbucker P-bass style pickup and an Ibanez single-coil J-bass style pickup. I also have a couple of very cheap unidentified guitar humbuckers.

I also have 4 very cheap chrome bass tuners and 4 very cheap black bass tuners.

Free to whoever wants one for an improvised project...just PM me.

Edit:

The P is taken, pending...something.


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## HaMMerHeD (Apr 23, 2011)

HaMMerHeD said:


> If anyone needs a pickup, I have an Ibanez split-coil-humbucker P-bass style pickup and an Ibanez single-coil J-bass style pickup. I also have a couple of very cheap unidentified guitar humbuckers.
> 
> I also have 4 very cheap chrome bass tuners and 4 very cheap black bass tuners.
> 
> ...


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## Holy Katana (May 23, 2011)

I've been wanting to build some cool drone-string instruments. You know, with lots of sympathetic strings, like a sitar, only not a sitar. 

And I'm more than likely not going to use standard tuning (that is, 12-tone equal temperament, not standard guitar tuning  ), since I probably won't make them fretted, making stuff like just intonation easier to use. 

I'm not expecting to be the next Glenn Branca or Harry Partch, but it's something I'd like to try. There are certain sounds that I want that I can't get out of a guitar, or at least a regular guitar.


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## mountainjam (May 26, 2011)

Ive had this thing for a while, but never noticed this thread


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## JamesM (May 28, 2011)

Sick.


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## idunno (Jul 5, 2011)

Not a cigar box guitar. I have a pile of boxes waiting but i wanted to do this first.

WHAMOLATIME!!



























Enyoy my ridiculous clip! With beatboxing..

Whamola 1 by TJ Pazar on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## JamesM (Jul 5, 2011)

Damned well done.


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## thatguy87 (Jul 6, 2011)

idunno said:


> Not a cigar box guitar. I have a pile of boxes waiting but i wanted to do this first.
> 
> WHAMOLATIME!!
> 
> ...



a 1 string... thing... of EPIC proportions. Well played (see what I did ther?)


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## idunno (Jul 6, 2011)

Threw this brass hook on there so I could tune to a specific note and then return to it whenever i wanted to play it like a fretless. Oddly enough it actually kinda returns to pitch. About as good as a licensed floyd...


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## vampiregenocide (Jul 16, 2011)

I really want a whamola  I saw Primus the other day and Les busted his out.


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## dr_game0ver (Jul 17, 2011)

everything for building your instrument!!

Home - C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply


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## Stealth7 (Jul 26, 2011)

I'm considering building a Cigar Box Guitar and I have a few questions...

Question the first: Where did you get the cigar boxes?

Question the second: Did you follow any specific build guides or did you just wing it? Or if you could post up a rough step by step guide of the way you built yours that would be great!  

Cheers!


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## JamesM (Jul 30, 2011)

First, go to any smoke shop or liquor store. They practically give them away. 

Second, I just winged it. Following a guide really ruins the spirit of the whole thing.


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## Lucas_061287 (Aug 12, 2011)

Damn, I kind of want to make an improv violin all of a sudden.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Sep 20, 2011)

I've actually got a semi-working PVC guitar prototype.
I it's 30" long with 28" scale length, big quick-ties as frets they are moveable but stay in place pretty well. At the moment it has three strings and has about 12 or 15ish frets spaced for 19EDO.

I'm gonna have to redesign the setup with the tuners though since the strings are getting snagged on the PVC on the way to the tuners and as a result tuning is difficult.

Luckily the initial PVC pipe was 10 feet (3 meters and some change) long.
So I can use it as a guinea pig for how the tuners are setup.

I knew the first one probably wouldn't work 100% in the beginning so I'm not disappointed. I'll post pics when I can.

It was inspired by this btw:





http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/st...-22-glowing-optic-fibre-frets-per-octave.html


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## Stealth7 (Sep 21, 2011)

The Armada said:


> First, go to any smoke shop or liquor store. They practically give them away.
> 
> Second, I just winged it. Following a guide really ruins the spirit of the whole thing.



I completely forgot about my post in this thread!  Thanks for the advice I'll get around to doing it one day.


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## espman (Mar 1, 2012)

Here's my afternoon project in all its shittyness


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## RickSchneider (Aug 4, 2012)

Hahha cannot help but remember the video my mate showed me awhile back, so brillianthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YtusvyquBU&feature=player_embedded


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## Forrest_H (Aug 18, 2012)

Had a terrible day this friday, so I decided to vent into something constructive and make this.




It's fun to play, and it's fretless, because I'm lazy


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## Gregori (Dec 10, 2012)

Ok, so I just found this thread and figured I would post the cookie-tin banjo and cigarbox guitar that started me down my path of instrument building. 

Cookie-tin banjo: 

3-piece red oak neck
Jumbo fretwire
Biscuit tin from a thrift store
Some 1st battalion plate things I found in the garage































Cigarbox guitar

Maple neck
Cigar box
2 99cent piezo pickup "buzzers" from Radioshack
Faux frets from a wood burning tool
Box corners from Lowes
































These are great ways to get your feet wet. Being able to improvise is a great skill to have.


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## bloodrunk666 (Mar 23, 2013)

The Buckuitar - When a bucket and strings unite - Guitar/Banjo/Bucket hybrid - YouTube

That's my Buckuitar - A guitar/banjo/bucket hybrid that i built a couple of years ago and pretty much improvised as I went along.

Its neck is Tassie blackwood with a maple fretboard and a rosewood nut.


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## Mattmc74 (Apr 26, 2013)

bloodrunk666 said:


> The Buckuitar - When a bucket and strings unite - Guitar/Banjo/Bucket hybrid - YouTube
> 
> That's my Buckuitar - A guitar/banjo/bucket hybrid that i built a couple of years ago and pretty much improvised as I went along.
> 
> Its neck is Tassie blackwood with a maple fretboard and a rosewood nut.



Very cool! Thanks for sharing the clip.


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## vansinn (Apr 30, 2013)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...-7-4-string-custom-build-video-pix-bacon.html most certainly deserves to be listed in here


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## BaconBeardman (Apr 30, 2013)

vansinn said:


> http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/lu...-7-4-string-custom-build-video-pix-bacon.html most certainly deserves to be listed in here



thanks!


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## crg123 (May 19, 2013)

Here's my cigar box guitar I built a few years ago. It was fretless and high action so I could use it as an electric slide guitar. Maybe from scrap tuners, stained poplar neck, cigar box, home made piezo pickup and improved nut and bridge haha.

Cigar Box Guitar - a set on Flickr


















I always love the way the back of the neck came out.


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## STGuitarworks (Sep 17, 2013)

Here's one I built (in 7 days) a few years ago!! Now, with the upgraded work space + the CNC, these Lunch Box Ukuleles should take about a day to fabricate!

Cheers!!

Sean

STGuitarworks - Lunch Box Ukulele


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## MBrian0000 (Dec 22, 2013)

Build from years ago, when i was much younger. Maybe not quite up to par with some of the builds in this thread, but it still plays great after all these years. Piezo pickup, and it's got a great twangy, delta-bluesy sound.


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