Shock Your Imagination: 3 Brilliant Ways To Do It

Looking to liven up your workshop? Need to breathe new life into your builds?

Every so often we builders fall into a slump, wondering what will tickle our cigar box guitar fancies.

When that happens, what can get your creative juices flowing so you can build the next guitar that has you beaming with pride? The next guitar you can’t wait to share on social media or in your favorite cigar box guitar community such as Cigar Box Nation?

Well here are 3 ways to shock your imagination and haul you out of the building-slump.

But be careful, now.

Once you get started down this path, you may discover that you’re building guitars with things you never dreamed possible. And, perhaps, things your spouse may be looking for…

You’ve been warned.

3 Brilliant Ideas To Jolt Your Creativity

Creativity can be tricky to muster up. What better way to spark it than by seeing what other builders are doing.

Every week at C. B. Gitty we get loads of pics and stories from cigar box guitar builders who occasionally break out of the box and try something new. Something that shocks their imaginations into high gear to build a unique and awesome guitar.

Here are 3 ideas builders have put into action that will help you bust out of a building-rut with both guns a-blazing.

Think Outside the Box

Look at what George G. has done without a box for his guitar body. Instead, using a tree cut down right in his front yard.

George calls it his Alaskan Spruce Cookie Diddley Bow —

Wrote George about his creation, "(A friend) in New Jersey asked me to make an all-Alaskan wood diddley-bow. I had some spruce cookies from a tree the city cut down from my front yard and birch and spalted birch for the neck. The C. B. Gitty Snake Oil humbucker with volume and output attached was a natural solution for a great sound. This was #142 of my custom builds."

At 142 builds, you've got to start looking around for something to spice up the workshop. 

And it seems with the spruce cookie, George found the right spice.

Plus, with the old medicine bottle bridge and eye-hook tailpiece, this diddley bow is the perfect example of thinking outside the box.

C. B. Gitty parts used include:

• Chrome Snake Oil Humbucker Pre-Wired Pickup Harness w/ Volume Control

Sometimes, thinking outside the box isn't enough.

Perhaps you're so deep into a building-rut that shocking your imagination requires looking at your next build with a totally new perspective.

Maybe you just need to really let loose.

Go Nuts

Our friend Thomas H. who's no stranger to building awesome cigar box amps and guitars really let go of the CBG standards and went nuts with his Electric Tiki-Ukulele —

"This is a concert sized electric ukulele" Thomas wrote to us. "Hand-carved solid tiki body. Magnetic pickup in the mouth. Unique instrument with quality sound."

We've had a good number of unique instruments shared with us, but never one quite like this.

As if the hand-carved body wasn't cool enough, Thomas went and installed a sweet pickup to perfectly match the mouth carved into his tiki uke.

In terms of going nuts, this imaginative ukulele must've taken some serious planning.

And goodness knows this electric tiki ukulele is sure to shake a few builders out of their respective funks and jumpstart something new in their workshops.

Outstanding work outta you, Thomas!

C. B. Gitty parts used include:

• Pre-Wired 4-String Single Coil Pickup Harness with Volume and Tone - Perfect for Cigar Box Guitars

Now, you've seen some out-of-the-box thinking and some totally gonzo creativity to kick your imagination into high gear.

Even with all that awesomeness, maybe you still feel too much of a creative block to get excited about building.

Well then, perhaps something a little more conventional (a term we're not inclined to use freely in the cigar box guitar world) is in order.

Mash Your Passions Together

Unlike the two ingenious creations above, this next guitar is made from a box.

But it also has an innovative twist made by new cigar box guitar enthusiast, William D., who's combined an old passion with his new one: the Cali Drummer's Guitar —

About his guitar William wrote, "Though I am a drummer I have been dabbling in guitar for about 10 years. My cousin builds cigar box guitars so I decided to buy one not knowing if I could actually play it because I’ve never played open tuning before. I picked that thing up and have not been able to put it down since."

Now, there's something we can all relate to: the enthusiastic realization that we can make our own instruments and play music on them, too! 

William continues, "My other guitars are dusty because I hardly ever play them anymore! I am advancing at a much more rapid pace on this instrument and even understand how to play slide. I never saw that coming. So I decided to try to build one from scratch to see if I could do it. I’m really happy with the end result! So much so that I plan to build a lot more and sell them too! I owe a huge thank you to the entire cigar box guitar community throughout social media and here at C. B. Gitty! Without all of you I never would’ve discovered that I could do this!"

That's part of what makes the cigar box guitar community so amazing. We all encourage and inspire each other to fearlessly challenge ourselves and build new things.

Plus, by mashing together his passions, William has enjoyed a welcome new perspective on music, in general. 

"My musical career had all but faded away other than doing tracks for people on the drums. Cigar box guitars have bred new life into my musical career!! We are including cigar box tracks on our recordings in my band along with my drumming! An element that has bred new life into our sound! So Thank You Everyone!!"

Thank you, William, for demonstrating how combining passions can invigorate a builder, kick the dust off the workbench and breathe new life into our imaginations.

C. B. Gitty parts used include:

• Chrome Sealed-Gear Tuners for 4-String - 2 Right 2 Left

Now, here's a little bonus for you. 

Sometimes inspiration comes at the darndest times, and in the darndest ways. 

Just be mindful who else may be affected by your ingenuity.

Case in point, Steve M.'s Meatloaf Guitar —

You were warned

About his creation Steve writes, "It was meatloaf night in the kitchen...only had an egg, some beef, and a stick..."

Upon seeing his work, his wife asks with exasperation, "Can you please take a day off from building those things and make dinner!?"

Steve's dutiful response?

"Sure thing honey!"

He goes on to write, "I can't be the only one who has it this bad. Thanks C. B. Gitty."

Welcome to the club, Steve.

No C. B. Gitty parts were used in this build.

Remember 3 Things

So when you're stuck in a rut, can't figure out what to build next, or just want something different to spice up your building-life, remember to

• Think Outside The Box - dump convention and seek new ideas
• Go Nuts - sometimes you just gotta cut loose and try an outlandish new approach to building
• Mash Your Passions Together - take something you already love and combine it with your passion for cigar box guitars

And when your spouse wants the meatloaf, just make the meatloaf. 

Now get out to that workshop and build what you play, and play what you love.