Now With Exclusive Hand Wound Bluesboy JAG Pickups for "Superior Tone"!

6 String Cigar Box Guitars Now Available!  

The pictures below are examples only.

Yes I ship worldwide!  

 

NEW!! Six String CBG only $329.99 (Includes shipping) Includes FREE How To Play CBG CD and FREE metal slide

CBG only $279.99 (Includes shipping) Includes FREE How To Play CBG CD and FREE metal slide

CBG and Case $359.99 (Includes shipping) Includes FREE How To Play CBG CD and FREE metal slide

CBG, Case and amp $449.97 (Includes shipping) Includes FREE How To Play CBG CD and FREE metal slide

 

Diddley Bow $109.99 (Includes shipping)  Includes FREE metal slide

Diddley Bow and Case $189.99 (Includes shipping)  Includes FREE metal slide

Diddley Bow, Case and Amp $239.99 (Includes shipping)    Includes FREE metal slide

Hand Wound CBG Pickup $34.99 (Includes shipping)

Boogie Board Stomp Box $49.99 (Includes shipping)

Cigar Box Amp (7 watts) $89.99 (Includes shipping)

 

CB Ukulele Only $129.99 (Includes shipping)

CB Ukulele and Case $209.99 (Includes shipping)

CB Uke, Case and small amp $269.99 (Includes shipping)

How To Play A 3 or 4 String Cigar Box Guitar Video CD $19.99

 

 

 

I can also make instruments out of your box, email me for details, or if you want to see the boxes I have.

 

 

Click on the link to each product for more info. 

4 String Cigar Box Guitars and Basses with Hand Wound pickup	$249.99
6 String Cigar Box Guitars and Basses with Hand Wound pickup	$299!! NEW!!
Cigar Box Ukuleles	$129.99
Cigar Box Guitar Case	$79.99
Cigar Box Ukulele Case	$79.99
Diddley Bow Case	$59.99
Cigar Box Guitar Hand Wound Pickup	$39.99
Boogie Board Stomp Box	$29.99
Cigar Box Amp	$89.99
Radio Amp	$249.99
One String Diddley Bow (electric)	$79.99
CBG Dulcimer	$199.99
Cookie Tin Banjo	$129.99
Gutbucket Suitcase Bass Drum	$49.95
How To Play A 3 or 4 String CBG CD	$19.99
Shipping	$30.00 (guitar only, domestic shipping only)
	Yes I ship worldwide!

 

 

How To Play Cigar Box Guitar Video CD (Not a DVD)

See videos of my guitars

See a video pesentation of a previously sold case.

Whos IS Charly Patton and Why is he on my CBG's?

Bluesboy Jag One Man Cigar Box Guitar Band Audio Sample

 Back to the catalog of pre-made guitars.

 

Jag at the 3rd Annual Cigar Box Guitar Festival, Huntsville, Al 2007 

 

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See a video of a CBG with my hand wound pickup

 

Six String Cigar Box Guitar Adjustable humbucker pickup, volume and tone control, reinforced neck, rosewood fingerboard. These necks are a joy to play, large frets, 'C' Fender style neck.   $379.99 includes shipping $459.98 w/case

 

 

1 4 String Charly Patton CBG With Magnetic Hand Wound Pickup ($249.99)   Electric Wood box with Charly Ptton on the front, Toothpick frets, regular guitar scale. Strap buttons, hanger, magnetic pickup, volume knob, the works! See a video of this CBG!  Case is $79.99

4 String Charly Patton CBG with Bluesboy JAG Magnetic pickup

4 String Cohiba CBG With Magnetic Hand Wound Pickup     Electric Wood box with Toothpick frets, regular guitar scale. Strap buttons, hanger, magnetic pickup, volume knob, the works!

 

 

Black Punch Tenor Ukelele electric Awesome tone, four strings tuned to a C chord Bamboo Toothpick frets Built In Pickup Black Neck $99.99

 

 

 

1 4 String resonator (Dobro style) CBG With Magnetic hand Wound Pickup   Electric Sounds like a Dobro type resonator. metal frets, regular guitar scale. Strap buttons, hanger, magnetic pickup, volume knob, the works!

 

1 3 String CBG Fretless Bass With Magnetic Hand Wound Pickup   Electric Fretless, regular bass scale. Box may vary. Strap buttons, hanger, magnetic pickup, volume knob, the works!

 

 

 

 

1 4 String "Hamdolin" Uke With Pickup   Electric Hamdolin, Toothpick frets, regular ukulele scale. Nylon strings, Strap buttons, hanger,transducer pickup, the works!

 

 

 

 

1 4 String CBG With Magnetic hand Wound Pickup   Electric Black Punch box, Toothpick frets, regular guitar scale. Strap buttons, hanger, volume knob, the works! (NOTE: This on has no magnetic pickup or volume knob but yours will!)

 

 

1 4 String CBG With Magnetic hand Wound Pickup   Electric Arturo Fuente box, metal, frets, regular guitar scale. Strap buttons, hanger, volume knob, the works!  See a video of this CBG

 

 

1 String Diddley Bow ($79.99)   Electric One string tuned to whatever note you want. Play it with a slide, lap steel style. many blues artists from yesteryear started out on a one string diddley bow! Piezo transducer pickup in the candy tin amplifies the diddley bow for live stage performances and recording. Diddley bows are making a resurgence in popularity and make excellent starter guitars for kids and adults. The solos and melodies in the sound clip below were played on a diddley bow. The other instruments are cigar box guitars and basses. NOTE: Your diddley bow may look different from the pictures here.    See Lonnie Pitchford's Diddley Bow in Action   Sound Clip 4 See the Video

Charley Patton 4 string Soprano Ukulele ($89.99) Electric Piezo pickup, nylon uke strings, Charley Patton portrait.   Sound Clip See a Video of A Similar Ukulele

 

(NOTE - I have several of these made, yours may look slighlty different). Dulcimer Electric Four strings: 4th, 3rd, 2nd and first guitar strings. Tuned ADaa. Traditional Dulcimer neck scale, you can tune it however you want.    Sound clip

 

 

 

 

 

Kiwi Banjo Electric Four strings tuned to a A chord, toothpick frets, steel strings. Built to order. Piezo pickup.     SOLD

 

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 Hand Made Cigar Box Guitar Cases

 

Custom made for my cigar box guitars, heavy duty hardwoods in blonde or black,.

Arvin AM Radio WORKS!

What a great little harmonica of guitar amp this would be to toe on stage with! The AM radio is still inside and functioning, if you want to use it as a guitar amp, just plug in and go! The amp runs off a 9 volt battery.

Just $199!

SOLD!

$199.99

Another vintage radio that makes a perfect home practice CBG amp. The guts will be removed as there is no room for the amp without doing so. This one will be built to order as I am way too busy fullfilling CBG orders to make it at this time. I don't suspect that it will take more than a week or so to make. It will have the same 7 watt guitar amp inside that all my CBG amps have. What a treasure to add to your CBG/guitar collection!

  Bluesboy JAG's "How To Play A Cigar Box Guitar" Video CD

 

"I've been playing six and 12 string guitar (on and off) for 30 years. Within an hour of watching Jag's video, I learned more about playing fingerstyle and slide than I've picked up from the countless books and competing videos I've wasted money on over the years. I can't recommend or endorse Jag's video lessons highly enough. It's opened up a whole new style of playing for me. Jag's video makes it simple. You'll learn most all of what you need to know about fingerstyle and slide in nothing flat. In short....Blind Doughboy says "Buy it!"

 

 

 

Now In My Fourth Year! 

Over ONE HOUR of video closeups.

Regular CD Format - Plays In Any Computer

How to tune a CBG

How to play slide on a fretless CBG

How to play a fretted CBG

Licks, tricks and tips

Learn how to play three and four string CBG's

Intricate fingerstyle picking and chording

Learn basic chords on a 4 string CBG

Includes instructions on how to play "Baby Please Don't Go"

Basic Music Theory

Bluesboy JAG CBG Manual

Tabs

 

Over ONE HOUR of CBG video closeups for just $24.99   

 

 

 

Endorsements     Man I bought one of those cheap CBGs on eBay with the transducer pickup and I was really disappointed. So I bought yours with your magnetic pickup and I gotta tell ya, thing things is AMAZING! The attention to detail really makes your CBGs stand out. You get what you pay for I guess. Now I know why you are mentioned all over the internet! Clinton Tedford  Pheonix Arizona JAG's the real deal!!! I've played his cigar box guitars and they absolutely rock. His cds are mandatory listening for any prim-rock wannabe. -Shane Speal, self-proclaimed king of the Cigar Box Guitar   I love my three string cigar box guitar.  But it's dangerous to have around.  Whenever I grab it, I can't put it down.  It's seriously addictive.  Though intimidated at first by the lack of frets, I've found it to be very easy to play.  It's well constructed and the electronics work fine.  And the best thing about it of course, is that all the groupies go crazy over my new natural sounding groove.  Doug Czajkowski   The guitar came today, we love it, and it sounds great. Thank you. RAF richardalanfox.com   Deb is so happy withthe banjo! This is the best present we have ever given her since the bouncy horse she got for Christmas the year she turned 4! I saw the pictures of it on your website. It looks awesome. Mary Davis melkdav@NOSPAMgmail.com This thing is great. All the blues licks I used in my banjo days suddenly work again, and what sustain! This thing sounds great, and the construction is amazing. I haven't gone to high-G tuning yet. Frank Andrews Got the guitar for my son. Its great! Will get one for myself soon. Thanks! Lionel Johnston I just received my first cigar box guitar by Jag, and I simply couldn't be happier with it! This little instrument is a whole lot of fun, and EASY to play. I've owned a bunch of musical instruments over the past 30 years, but dollar for dollar this has got to be THE best bargain I've ever had! Jag is a true craftsman! I know that he plays it with a slide, but for myself, I've found that the neck is so silky smooth that I like to "fret" the strings and slide up and down the fingerboard that way. Overdrive it a bit, through a little tube amp, (or in my case a solid state amp with a tube emulator pedal), and you've got the makings for some geniuine, heart grindin', foot stompin', po' boy, street corner blues. For a different sound I'm thinkin' about getting another one fretted . . . string it up lighter, and try it with a drone string (like a mountain dulcimer.) I think that would be the cat's ass, too! I can't wait to incorporate this into my band's "MucklandMusic" sound! Kevin Sprague http://www.mucklandcrooners.com Hi! I've left positive feedback for you (of course!), but I just have to tell you personally, this Harley guitar has an absolutely amazing tone! I believe that this is your best CBG style guitar yet! Congratulationson a tremendous instrument! Bob Serra Jag, I recieved my cgb on friday and have barely set it down since. This is an incredibly fun little instrument. Your craftsmanship is superior. Thanks so much. Bryan Smith "This cigar box guitar has a great vintage feel and sound to it. Lot's of Delta mojo." Gary Miller Jag Man i LOVE this thing! It's got a REAL nasty slide tone, perfect to wake the neighbors! HIGHLY recommended! Thanks! Josh Redding, Jackson Mississippi Ibought three of Bluesboy JAG's cigar box guitars and I love them all - they all have a unique sound. I've told several friends about you, hope some sales come your way soon! Matt Johnson, Benton Arkansas I fianlly got a Blueboy JAG CBG and it was well worth the wait. JAG plays the HELL out of them and he knows how to build them. The neck is super easy to play, the intonation is perfect and his hand wound pickups sound like a Gibson ES 335! Michael Harding, Ypsalanti Michigan I saw Bluesboy play one of these at the Whitewater and I hust HAD to have one! They rock! Chad O'Keef, Little Rock Arkansas Been playing for thirty + years and Jag's CBG's have given my playing a new lease on life. These things are hard to put down (just ask my wife!) Benny Timms Tulsa Oklahoma Jag- I just had to let you know how your instrument was recieved. I thought my husband would have to learn how to play it for awhile, but no,instead he tuned it, plugged it in and started playing it like he had it his whole life! He's in love with it. He said, "finally that blues sound I've been looking for!". He even called me today from his day job where he works with kids in a juvinile detentention center and he brought his CBG and everyone was amazed, one of the correctional officers happened to have a harmonica with him and they started playing and pretty soon had a crowd. Tomorrow he's performing at a big festival and has already come up with a couple of songs he's going to play. I'm going to take a picture of him playing there and email it to you. I want to thank you again for making it so fast, shipping it so soon, and making it soundso good. Sam in California I gave the "black punch" acoustic (no pickup!) cbg to my boyfriend for his 50th and he won't stop playing it! And I mean not for a second. By the way, it's plenty loud enough for his show. He's also going to write you to thank you for building such a beautiful instrument. Thanks for all of your help and advice. You really delivered for me. He used it for busking on the waterfront of Old Town Alexandria, VA yesterday and the guitar caused quite a stir. People just stared. And with no mic. I gave him some other things for his b-day, but I only needed to give him the cbg! He really is entranced. Debbie Big thanks to Bluesboy Jag for making a CBG for my girlfriend to give me for my birthday! I am an acoustic one man band in the Delta style and have known about your guitars and excellent playing for a while. I play clubs and school shows and all Summer for the last 10 years or so I've played in Old Town Alexandria outside on the waterfront busking. I wasn't sure if the CBG would be loud enough acoustic for my outdoor show since I play National Steel Tri-cone usually. I have been amazed at how great it comes across while busking. I walk right up to the crowd so everybody can see the tooth pick frets and it is a big hit. I use a heavy percussive style with finger and thumb picks and the thing really carries! I tell people that JAG is the Stradivari of CBGs. curtis blues   Hi. The bass has arrived. It's wonderful! I'm very glad & proud to have a Jag Cbb . Pablo in Italy Hey Jag, It just occurred to me that I may not have contacted you after I received my CBG from you??? If not I need to thank you profusely as I am Hooked! So Thank You! Kim Boyle Tremendous craftsmanship - this thing is AWESOME! Brad Gray Conway, Ar I can put my punch CBG down, it's really made a BIG difference in my playing. Willem Headers, Nashville, Tn I am enjoying my new cbg very much! Thank you! Antonio Valdez, Mexico City, Mexico tried out my amp today. cool tone .sounds like a tube amp.i think that speaker may be bad(i supplied speaker in antique radio). i actually took it out of the box tried it in the parking lot of gig.took it in and had sound man mic it .played three songs with cigarbox guitar you made for me and two with gibson les paul.crowd was diggin it.i gave your web site info to several players as they said they have to have one.thanks for the professional service and awsome product.product isnt really a good word for something with such attitude and life,thanks for introducing me to my new band member.paul jones I am enjoying the cigar box guitar and playing it evey day. Thanks you so much! Abel Ortiz, Sweden I've been watching your page for a couple of years and fianlly took the plunge and bought on or your cigar box guitars. Man this thing is fantastic! The case looks really cool and is functional too. I've already played 3 gigs with it and the aufience went nuts. You will be getting some sales from them soon!   Chuck, Kansas City Mo

 

 

 

 

About me:

I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years and recording for almost as long. I've been a guitar teacher for 25 years, specializing in beginners and fingerstyle acoustic blues. I started playing in a cover band in Little Rock while still in high school. Opened up my own recording studio in 1984 (still in business) and recorded about 40 90 minute cassettes of my own music over the next 20+ years. Got into blues after discovering Robert Johnson and RL Burnside. I've recorded over 20 full length CD's in the past 4 years including acoustic blues, electric blues, piano blues, ambient electronic and experimental electronic. I play regularly at local bars and coffehouses, playing my cigar box guitar and 6 string Simon and Patrick acoustic. I've made over 450 CBG's of various types.

 

 

A little history about this fun instrument:

• According to Dr. Tony Hyman, curator of the National Cigar Museum (http://www.cigarnexus.com/nationalcigarmuseum/), cigar boxes as we know them didn't exist prior to the 1840's.  Prior to then, cigars were shipped in larger crates containing 100 more per case.  But after 1840, cigar manufacturers started using smaller, more portable boxes with 20-50 cigars per box. 

  Cigars were extremely popular in the 19th Century, and therefore, many empty cigar boxes would be laying around the house!  The 1800's were also a simpler time for Americans, when necessity was truly the mother of invention.  Using a cigar box to create a guitar, fiddle or a banjo was an obvious choice for a few crafty souls.

  The earliest proof of a cigar box instrument we have found is an etching of two Civil War Soldiers at a campsite with one playing a cigar box fiddle [click here for picture].  This was created by French artist, Edwin Forbes, who worked as an official artist for the Union Army.  The cigar box fiddle appears to sport an advanced viola-length neck attached to a "Figaro" cigar box.  The etching is copyrighted 1876.

  In addition to the etching, plans for a cigar box banjo were published in the 1870's by Boy Scout's founder, Daniel Carter Beard in St. Nicholas Magazine.  The plans, entitled "How to Build an Uncle Enos Banjo" [diagrams pictured above] showed a step-by-step description for a playable 5-string fretless banjo made from a cigar box.  The plans were eventually published in Beard's immensely popular American Boy's Handy Book. 

  By the 20th Century, times were still lean for many Americans and cigars gained even more popularity.  The "television of the day" was the trusty Sears and Roebuck Catalog that allowed families to dream of items they'd love to own.  It also provided a catalyst for more homemade creations. 

  In her magnificent book Fiddle Fever, writer Sharon Arms Doucet describes Felix LeBlanc, a young Cajun boy who makes a cigar box fiddle after studying violin pictures in the Sears Catalog.  The story, based on the life of Cajun fiddler Canray Fontenot, details the entire building process.  "Canray said that he really wanted a fiddle when he was a little boy," Doucet told us, "and an uncle or somebody told him to use a cigar box.  It was somewhat 'common knowledge' for them to build instruments like this," she said.  Fontenot and the fictional Felix both used a tree branch as a bow, pine tar as resin and screen wire as strings (although Felix eventually replaced the screen wire with old strings from his uncle's fiddle.) 

  The cigar box guitar has such an awesome pedigree. Blind Willie Johnson made a one-string when he was five and learned how to play melodies up and down that lonely string. Later, he would record the monumental Dark Was The Night (Cold Was The Ground) on standard guitar. The song is a instrumental classic that has droning chords laying the background for a haunting melody played up and down on the high E string...a technique he learned on his original one-string.

  Not only does the cigar box guitar have a great history, these little suckers are so much fun to play. Each one has it's own unique sound. Mine are played with a slide and have a great whining blues sound...one that just cannot be emulated from another guitar. They're small, portable and almost indestructable. And let's face it...they're weird looking and attract major attention.