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 Take a journey into the past as we explore cigar box guitars and other homemade stringed instruments that helped to create the music we now call Blues and Rock n' Roll.  If you like cigar box guitars you'll love this book! 




 In this book you'll find lots of old and antique photos, old blues history with homemade guitars, vintage stories and plans of "how to builds" and much more from the past. Many of these images have never been seen or published for over a 100 years. 





There's also lots of cool photos of modern 3 string guitars, 4 string guitars, Resonator guitars and Hot Rod amplifiers.






 This is a fun book for anyone who enjoys learning about the history of cigar box guitars.
The photos alone are a treasure to view, you'll read it many times. 






If you have found yourself here and you're wondering what exactly is a cigar box guitar?


    Since the mid 1860's, it's been common for poor people to make their own guitar or stringed instrument out of old and used cigar boxes and scavenged or found wood. If you wanted to play guitar and didn't have any money, you'd have to build a guitar yourself.  

  In small towns in the southern United States, you can still hear stories about those old school Bluesmen of the past such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Scrapper Blackwell, Little Freddie King and many others who got their start in music by building their own homemade guitar.  
 One reason early American Blues music has such a distinctive sound is because it has an origin based upon these simple homemade instruments. From Muddy Waters to Elmore James, many great blues guitarist were influenced by them in their slide guitar playing. This long forgotten part of history is an important chapter in the story of early "Delta Blues" and its roots of slide guitar from the Southern Delta. 

 Even though this tradition has faded into the past, it's not completely gone. The art of making and playing homemade guitars still continues today and many musicians record with them. These guitars have a naturally vintage and authentic tone. Their unique and raspy voice can spark to life a new creativity that many musicians desire for in their playing. Blues guitarist in particular, really enjoy playing cigar box guitars in the search of hearing Delta Blues in its purest form. 

 Here is a short video. Anyone can learn to play one of these guitars with just a little practice.

1880's Old School Delta Blues played on 3 String Cigar Box Guitar

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If you are interested in learning more about the hobby of cigar box guitars, 

I have 5 different disc for sale on eBay. 


1. Understanding 3 string guitar - How to Play lessons DVD

2. How To Build - 3 & 4 String Cigar Box Guitars DVD

3. Dust Bowl Blues  - music CD

4. Cigar Box Americana - CD

5. Cigar Box Blues - CD

 The 3 string Lessons DVD - Understanding 3 string guitar - covers all the playing styles heard in Blues guitar playing, both slide and finger fretting styles. Slide guitar is basically just one finger guitar. If you've never played guitar before, it's never to late to learn... even if you're 70! 

 The How to Build DVD covers in-depth how to build 3 & 4 string cigar box guitars and Homemade Resonator guitars. These guitars are just as much fun to build as they are to play. Anyone can build a great guitar, even if it's your first time. You only need a few common hand tools that most people already have.

- the best way to learn how to play guitar, is to listen to guitar music. All of the music and videos I have recorded is only played on homemade guitars.

   To view the Lesson DVDs and the Cigar Box Music CDs - Click Here

   Email me anytime if you have any questions and I'm always posting on youtube, check out some of my other videos, John


Box Guitar Blues - Resonator Old School Blues

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