It May Be Harmful!

SURGEON GENERAL WARNING:  Cigar Box Guitar playing may be hazardous to your health.  Symptoms can be sleep depravation; diminished hearing; cramping of hands and feet; failure to respond to your spouse's requests; spousal indifference; failure to appear for employment; significant body odor including that of wood, sawdust, stain, varnish, and sweat; language difficulty - speaking in sharps, flats, chords, slides, hammerons and pulloffs; unexplained wailing, grunts, and stamping of feet, and a general disregard for what may be politically correct.

Monster Amp

After creating a dozen, as in 12, cigar box guitars, I decided to try my hand at building a CBG amp.  These little critters are a hoot to see and listen to.  Big sound out of a small box!

After researching construction ideas on the web, I headed off to the Shack to pick up the required parts.  No problem converting a cigar box.  All I need are parts to light it up.  Forty bucks later and enough anxiety to cripple a Clydesdale, I put the crap back in the bag and thought about another day to build.  I'm just not an electronic wizard, and besides I figured I'd screw up the stuff, burn hell out of my fingers with errant solder, and then what . . . I returned the stuff to the Shack for a refund.

To soothe the frustration, I accessed eBay and went searching for amps.  Not long into the search, I discovered a CBG amp harness supplied by guitarfuel.com.  A 9-volt battery- powered harness complete with tone and volume controls; dc adapter so it can work off the current in my house; headphone jack; four-inch speaker; and all necessary parts to complete the build.

Yes, a 9-volt battery powered system.  Don't laugh, this thing is a MONSTER!  It produces GREAT sound, and it's LOUD, too.  It'll blow the paint off most factory amps, while being small enough to fit in my hip pocket.

Why would anyone who has a serious urge to make big noise not want one of these things.  They're inexpensive (box - $5; parts - $44; carrying handle - $2.50; speaker screen - $? whatever you can salvage; labor - priceless) and they're easy to build.

If you have questions, ask me.  If you're ready to build, write Ty at Guitarfuelsales@aol.com or visit http://www.guitarfuel.com/. Ty knows what he is doing and he is a great source of information and help. . . to say nothing about the wonderful customer service he provides.  You will do no better elsewhere!

It's easy, it's fun, it's inexpensive, and it's a great way to get big sound out of your CBG! 

Here are some pics of my creation.

The guitar is #11 ('Punch') made from a cigar box by the same name. It's my favorite to date, and sounds awesome on the little amp.