The Julieta sold

The Julita is a two string fretless diddley bow made from a Cedro Deluxe Romeo Y Julieta cigar box. It is about 30 inches tall with a 22.5 inch scale length. The neck is carved from a reclaimed piece of mystery lumber taken from an old coffee table. I think is a hard fruit wood. A few key fret positions are marked along the top of the neck with tiny filled holes. The wood has a nice amount of small worming running across it. I like the look of the bare wood so I finished it simply with some hand rubbing and a very light coat of car polish. It was meant to be a companion piece to The Romeo which played like more of a bass instrument. I currently have the 2 strings tuned a fifth apart (C,G) but it also sounds nice when they are tuned a full octave apart (Aa.)

The Supremita sold

The Supremita is a short guitar only 25 inches long with a 17 inch scale. The sound box is made from a small Calidad Suprema cigar box. I've discovered that these smallish boxes yield the best results with light strings tuned fairly high. These strings are .022, .015, and .011 tuned AEa. The neck was carved out of a square piece of reclaimed pine. This is the first guitar I've made with a neck and heel carved from one piece of wood. It is also the first with an angled back headstock.

The Suprema Mark V sold

The fifth in a series of similar guitars using Calidad Suprema cigar boxes. This one has a maple neck and bridge, a 20 inch scale length, and relatively light strings tuned DAd. The finish has been buffed until some of the wood shows through, giving the box a glowing color.

The Cricket sold

The Cricket is a primitive one string fiddle with a 16 inch scale. There is a metal rod inside of the neck to ensure straightness. A small tin is installed in the front of the soundbox as a resonator to increase volume and a pair of piezo transducers are located inside the box so the fiddle can be amplified for even more volume. I found a vintage violin chin rest and attached it for the sake of comfortable playing. I've also bent a piece of wood and strung it up with some thin nylon thread. When given a liberally coat of rosin, it acts as a pretty good bow.

The Suprema Mark IV sold

The fourth in a series of similar guitars using Calidad Suprema cigar boxes. This one has a maple neck and bridge, a 20 inch scale length, and relatively light strings tuned DAd.

La Columbia sold Etsy Featured Item 12-23-06

This is a 21 inch scale, three string guitar made from a very vintage Columbia Superiores cigar box. This is a box produced sometime in the 1940's and it really shows it's age. I've kept the finsh of the maple neck simple (just a light stain and a good rubdown with some steel wool) in order to reflect the worn nature of the box. The sound is surprisingly loud for such a small box.

The Handyman sold

This is a 24.5 inch scale, three string guitar made from a Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is maple, with interior bracing made from cedar and pine. The box has been covered with the torn pages of a 1950's handyman project manual. All the metal hardware has been painted black and then distressed to suggest age. Parts from an army surplus bag and a set of eyebolts serve as a shoulder strap.

The Holes sold

This is a 24.5 inch scale, three string guitar made from a Hoyo de Monterrey de Jose Gener cigar box. The neck is maple, with interior bracing made from cedar and pine. The box and neck have both been stained, painted and distressed to suggest age. I cut a few small soundholes in the box and a matching hole near the head of the neck. A pair of brass hinges make the tailpiece and bridge.