DIY Cigar Box Guitar: Free Plans and Build Notes

About the cigar box guitar

Cigar box guitars go back to the 1800s, when people had plenty of creativity but not much money: a stick through a box with a wire attached. Many blues and country players started on one. These free plans from C. B. Gitty build the Depression-era "neck-through" style, with a 34″ hardwood 1×2 running right through a cigar box, real guitar tuners and three strings.

The neck is held in the box purely by friction, so there's no tricky joinery. You cut a recess at the head for the tuners, notch the box sides so the neck fits snugly, cut a recess in the lid, drill a hinge as a tailpiece and use threaded rod for the nut and bridge. The free PDF walks through every cut with photos and measurements.

About the kit. C. B. Gitty sells a parts kit (box, tuners, strings, hardware) to go with the plans, and the guide is written around it. Buying it is optional: the plans use standard guitar parts you can source anywhere. The plans recommend a hardwood such as poplar, maple or oak for the neck and warn against pine, which bows under string tension.

Who it's for. Complete beginners, families and classrooms. It's one of the easiest real, playable instruments you can make. We haven't built this exact one ourselves; this is a summary of the plans and videos.

What you'll need

Materials

A cigar box (or any sturdy small wooden box)
A 34″ 1×2″ hardwood board for the neck (poplar, maple or oak; not pine)
Glue for the sound-hole inserts, sandpaper

Bought parts

3 guitar tuners with bushings and screws
A set of 3-string cigar box guitar strings (acoustic medium)
Two pieces of threaded rod for the nut and bridge
A small hinge for the tailpiece
Optional: brass box corners and screened sound-hole inserts
Optional: C. B. Gitty's parts kit, which bundles all of the above

Tools

A small saw (coping saw, hacksaw or keyhole saw)
A hand or power drill with bits from 1/16″ to ½″
Screwdrivers
A wood file

Build overview

Our own outline of the free plans. Follow the full photo guide in the free PDF (linked from C. B. Gitty's page).

Cut the neck. Cut a hardwood 1×2 to 34″ and cut a shallow recess at the head for the tuners.
Notch the box. Mark and cut openings in both ends of the box so the neck slides through snugly, flush with the top.
Position the neck. Leave about 2⅛″ sticking out of the bottom as a tailpiece, then cut a recess in the lid so it closes over the neck.
Tailpiece and tuners. Drill string holes in a hinge and screw it to the tail; drill the head and fit the tuners.
Nut, bridge and strings. Set threaded-rod nut and bridge in place, add sound holes if you like, string it up and tune.

How to Build a Depression-Era Cigar Box Guitar