So who the heck is this guy bidding against me?

My name:  Shane Speal, Curator of the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum

Hi there! 

I love eBay, don't you?  With the wonders of the internet, we are able to search attics all around the world, looking for unusual items that only a few would even care about.  My item of choice is the great cigar box guitar.

Many rock and blues legends started out on cigar box guitars.  Jimi Hendrix, Blind Willie Johnson and Carl Perkins are just a few.  These instruments were made when money was scarce, but ingenuity was plentiful.  The first known plans of a cigar box instrument were published in 1871 in St. Nicholas Children's magazine.  Since then, children (and some adults) took whatever they had and made music from it.

I run the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum, currently housed in BADOG MUSIC in Shrewsbury, PA.  Want to visit?  It's free and open to the public.  If you have questions, call the guys at BADOG at 717-235-9111. 

I am also spearheading up the growing CIGAR BOX GUITAR REVOLUTION.  Musicians around the world are abandoning their "normal" instruments for homemade cigar box guitars.  It's a step back to a more primitive sound...a truer sound.  We all get together at the cigar box guitar forum (see link below) and discuss building designs, playing techniques and more.  We are creating festivals, cds and cigar box guitar companies.  Why don't you join us?