You’ve got to read this story!
This guy, Lenny Piroth-Robert, makes guitars out of discarded cigar boxes. Have you ever heard of such a thing? He uses the empty cigar boxes to make the body of the guitar. it takes him about 8 weeks to make a guitar and they are apparently selling like mad on the internet.
I’ve got to check this guy out! Oh, did I mention he’s Canadian? Yeah, he’s working out Montreal. Check out his site – Daddy Mojo Custom Cigar Box Guitars. You’ve got to see the guitars. I want one! Hey, they sell for $175 to $375, I think I can talk the wife into that.
How does he mount the neck on to the box? To me it seems like there would be an awful lot of tension on that little box.
You can say that again Dave! I don’t know how it works to be honest with you.
I’ve saw one a couple of years ago in my favorite guitar store and thought nothing of it. I wish that I had taken the time to play it.
Keep on Jammin’
Interesting story. Sure makes my stupid Ride The Lightning guitar look like a loser. Probably plays better too. Not that it matters. I rarely pick mine up anymore and I have lost my finger calluses. Dumbest thing I ever did getting that guitar because I though it looked “cool”. Time to just find a nice Fender and start up again. It is unreal how much difference it makes in how the feel of the neck and how it plays when you go pretty instead of quality. Ughh…I think that is why i never play anymore. The guitar just feels like I’m holding a Fischer Price toy.
I love when people repurpose items that would normally be discarded! It takes a lot of creativity and this guy has made something really neat. I’m going to show this to my husband…I think he’ll like it!
I used to have a full sized guitar (plus-sized actually) that was made from salvaged materials. It was an antique that I got at a yard sale. The body was made from wood that came from a johns manville square butt shingle box. You could just make out the black stencil on the back. The neck was salvaged too. I think it had been a chair arm in it’s earlier life, there were some dowel joints smoothed over on the back of the neck. It had AWFUL action, I made a new extra high bridge and nut and used it for slide playing. Actually, it didn’t have that many frets. I am on a search for a picture.
The lady who sold it said it was from Cape Breton, I have no way of verifying that.
http://totaldismay.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/guitar-mandolin.JPG
Hey Jimi, don’t give up man just buy a Fender like you say and fire up the old fingers again! Go save your money and pick one up right now!
I too gave up the axe but due to lack of enthusiasm. Now that I have it back, I have never regretted it at all.
Do you have a pic of your old “Lightning guitar”? We all here at Guitar Licks would love to see it!
Jimi, just don’t stand there, Keep on Jammin’
Jenny please get back to us on what your husband thinks about it. I wish that I had a camera when my wife saw it!
it was priceless.
Do you or hubby play at all?
Keep on Jammin’
Martin do you have a picture of this axe? It sounds like one of those guitars with character to burn!
The one burning question in my mind about this part of your comment is, how is it to play a just about fretless guitar? You must have an unreal ear on you to play this thing!
Honestly PLEASE WRITE BACK here on my comment section because I am more then sure I am not alone in wanting to hear from you on this.
I remember a friend of mine, who just came down this weekend for some fine R & R, who owned a fretless bass. Boy did it take some concentration to play that thing.
A very good and long time friend of mine named John E. in Brantford made one for himself in grade school tech class. The guy is around, I don’t know, ten feet tall and has hands like one of those transformers in that new show.
The body was the size of a life preserver, the ones at your local pool and the neck was the diameter of a “true” 2 by 4.
If he still has it I will certainly get a pic of it and show you all, it was just unreal.
Keep on Jammin’
Martin, is this the axe that you were telling us about?
Keep on Jammin’
That’s the guitar. It was strung with five strings and tuned as open G most of the time I owned it. I was paranoid about tension. It has a crack on the top. My fondest memory of playing it was standing in the Great Room of the school I used to work at playing ‘That Feel’ by Tom Waits and Keith Richards. Didn’t use the fretless length of the neck.
Martin, holy smokes that thing looks beautiful!
In regards to the fretless part, do you remember just goofing around with that section? Come on Martin, don’t keep us in suspense!!!!!!
Keep on Jammin’ (or in your case Martin talking)
I love this kind of stuff. People who can make something great out of what others consider to be junk. I would love to hear an entire album by a major musician with instruments made this way! No more synth crap!
Ah, old school music eh Ed Morgan! If you come across a band like this PLEASE tell us!
Keep on Jammin’
I guess i should get a photo of my sorry excuse for a guitar up for you. Give me a couple days as I need to get my digital camera back from “Can I borrow that?” guy.
ok…I showed my husband he thought it was pretty neat too! Unfortunately, we can’t swing the fee right now! lol!