How to Make Guitars From Recyclable Items

Seasick Steve using a guitar made from recycled and recyclable items.

Gather cigar boxes, scrap wood, used strings and salvaged guitar hardware to build a new guitar. These parts are both recycled and recyclable. While the tonal sophistication of the finished product won’t necessarily match that of a commercially-made guitar, building a guitar from recyclable items is a rewarding way to acquire a unique and quirky instrument. Blues musician Seasick Steve regularly performs with instruments he makes himself using recycled and recyclable materials.

Things You'll Need

• Scrap wood, minimum 25-inches long, 2-inches thick and 1-inch wide.
• Hack saw
• Pencil
• Cigar box
• Electric drill
• 1/8-inch drill bit
• Planer
• Radius sanding block
• Slotting file
• Salvaged guitar bridge
• Router
• Sharp pencil
• Scrap wood
• Screws
• Phillips screwdriver
• Salvaged frets
• Salvaged geared tuners
• Hammer
• 4-inch nails

Instructions

1. Use a hack saw to cut a piece of scrap wood into a 25-inch long, 2-inch thick and 1-inch wide plank. This will become the neck.

2. Make a mark 4 inches from the top of the neck. This mark separates the neck from the headstock.

3. Drill a series of 1/8-inch holes into the headstock, one for each string. The amount of strings you use is a matter of preference. Cigar box guitars typically deviate from the standard six string configuration in favor of a simpler setup.

4. Plane the entire piece of wood to give it a smooth, level finish.

5. Sand the top of the wood with a radius sanding block to give it a slight curve. Guitar necks typically have a radius to aid playing.

6. Make 20 horizontal slots on the top of the wood using a slotting file. The slots must be 1-inch apart.

7. Route a hole in the side of the cigar box large enough to fit the neck through.

8. Place a salvaged guitar bridge on top of the cigar box lid, approximately 2 inches from the opposite edge to the neck hole.

9. Poke a sharp pencil through the screw-mounting holes to mark their position on the lid.

10. Drill two 1/8-inch holes over the marks.

11. Open the lid. Glue a 2-inch-by-2-inch block of scrap wood into the underside of the lid, underneath the holes.

12. Close the lid. Screw the bridge into the top of the lid, using the wood block to help anchor the screws.

13. Brush a small amount of glue onto the bottom of each fret and fit them into the slots on the neck. Tap them in with a jeweler’s hammer.

14. Slide the neck into the hole in the side of the cigar box, so the final fret sits approximately 1 inch away from the edge of the box.

15. Open the lid and drive two 4-inch nails through the bottom of the neck, into the base of the cigar box. Put the box on its side and tap the nails with a hammer, so they tips lie flat against the base of the cigar box.

16. Screw a geared tuner into each of holes in the headstock.

17. Feed a string through the hole in the bridge. Pull it up the tuner and feed it through the hole in the tuner barrel. Tighten the tuner to increase the string tension.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a metal file to give the frets a bevel at each end. This reduces the chances of them snagging on the strings.

References

• Red Dog Guitars: The Finest American Cigar Box Guitars
• Cigar Box Guitars: How to Build a Cigar Box Guitar