Electric Cigar Box Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

If played acoustic only, no volume and sounds tinny. When hooked to amp volume is fine but still has a tinny sound. Returned.Kim

This guitar feels great in the hand, and is fun to play. However, it is extremely cheaply made and will likely not last long. The neck is horizontal to the body, giving reduced string clearance, and while the box edges are nicely dovetailed, the back and face are so thin, that they might be made of pressed board. There is a truss rod in the neck, but it connects to a small block of wood that's lodged in the body, so is not structurally that useful. There are no struts that cross the width within the body. This feels great and is fun to play, sounding a little tinny but not terrible if you manage the sound. I really wanted to keep it and play it as it felt so good, but I wanted something to last more than six months. It is a very cheap guitar and is built very cheaply. I asked a luthier if any parts of the guitar were salvageable if it broke, and his response was 'no'. I bet this review isn't posted – it's the second one I've written, and the first one was pulled.crumbs2a

I've built several of these diddley bow kits and they're historically authentic, with the exception of using a new guitar tuner instead of a bent nail or whittled tuner. A cigar box makes a great resonator and these diddley bows sound nice and loud. These kits are just a little more involved than the C. B. Gitty "Pure & Simple" kit (also sold on Musician's Friend: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/c.b.-gitty-cigar-box-pure-simple-3-string-slide-guitar-kit). You'll need to cut a hole for the neck to go in…but it's still a very easy instrument to build. Great for pedagogy. The guitar is played with a slide (provided) and is a great way to learn the slide guitar concept. Blind Willie Johnson started out on a one-string "diddley bow" cigar box guitar and used a pocketknife for a slide. He developed his unique slide style from learning songs on a single string. It's a process heard time and again from many old blues legends.Shane S.

I wanted a fretted guitar, but got an unfettered one. I don't remember the ad specifying if the instrument was fretted or not. If the information was clearer on the ad, that would be helpful. I really like the Wal-Mart web site. I always go there for anything I want or need.Buster

When we bought this, I figured it would need some putting together. Be prepared with a couple hours and make sure you have the correct tools. I have neither so will most likely get another one.Twenty five down the drain 🙁Roy

This CBG ismade in China, it say this nowhere on this site or anywhere else. Many fret ends were unpolished and hurt the palm of my hand. The pickup system is weak and noisy. The neck contour and finger board is playable. The sound is fair for a resonator. The biggest problem is they put a thin veneer cover plate on the back to access the electronics, a disaster waiting to happen and the pictures did not show this. The cover plate is very thin and could crack easily or be pried over time by snagging on a shirt. The best part was the dealer shipped fast and readily accepted the return due to the condition of this CBG.Mark

I have played guitar for fifty plus years. 42 years with my Martin D-35. I have no experience with cigar box guitars but decided to take an affordable risk. It has good construction. It came setup to my liking. Keeps its tune – GDGB. I like the sound. I like the looks of the guitar. Its fun to play. I liked the price. Its not my Martin. I dont want it to be. It stands on its own merits.rrdilworth74

I have bought several guitars in the 100 to 300 range. I was surprised on the quality of this guitar and felt it was superior to many other brands in this range. From neck joint to fret polish & leveling and finish this guitar is quality except the tuners, however the guitar stays in tune and rarely goes out. The neck is not a Fender Strat or Tele neck so don't expect it to play like one, Its its own thing. It is not wide at the nut so if you need a wide neck at the nut it may not be for you. I find it fine and would not consider it narrow. The neck is slightly fatter than a Squire neck but it is still a C shape and a bit thicker as you go up the neck to higher frets. It plays great. Its set up well for Rock and Blues playing, neck adjusted with a light bow and strings set low (but not to low to buzz). Bridge saddles are stainless steel and this make the strings ring out bright and loud even when not plugged in. Intonation was spot on. Frets are tall enough to allow for string bending (there not super low). As regards pickups this is a personal thing. Pickups are very basic and do okay, one may want to upgrade them to ones own liking other wise there fine.pchapm

I was hesitant when ordering the guitar, but after I received it worry washed away from a single glance. I'm not good at instruments, I never played anything than doing ukulele club when I was a kid so I didn't expect myself to buy a guitar. It's delicate and beautiful, feels great to hold and sounds just as good. I do not regret buying this guitar at all, in fact I'm greatful that I'm able to own it. I strive to become great at playing it, little by little . Thank you!Nazma B.

It's a beautiful guitar and really well made. I bought it for my 9 year old daughter and she loves it. I don't know anything about guitars as I'm a pianist myself, but her guitar teacher was absolutely delighted with it. It's definitely worth paying the extra for the upgrades. I can definitely see it lasting her as it feels really solid, and the knobs and twiddly bits etc feel really solid. I genuinely can't get over how nice it is. Makes me want to learn the guitar myself!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I own several cigar box guitars – some I built – some I bought – usually fretted four strings that I mando tune. I wanted a three string for slide – I liked that this had a disk with a slide technique lesson. I was more than pleased – as an instrument, it's as good as most any CBG – they are all pretty crude at best. This one was easy to assemble – holds tune – sounds good acoustic or electric. There were some comments on it not using an actual cigar box, but a factory-made stylized resonator box. While this is true, it is at least as good as a cigar box, and I can understand why they broke that way for consistency and ease of build (which as I said, was super easy). Aesthetically, most people would probably prefer a real cigar box, but come on – it's like a uke – cheesy is part of the shtick. The lesson is good – play along CD and a book – comes with a good glass slide. I recommend it – worth the list price – all the better with the discounts.JoeFromSD

This is a great way to learn slide guitar. It is small & easy to learn. The book is full of great info. The CD is great, with back tracks, A tuning track so you do not need to buy a tuner, as long as you have something to play the CD in. It would be a good idea to buy a cheep tuner. As far as the price you just can't beat it. You can buy one for any wear from under $20.00 to $59.95. you just have to look around for a good price. Even at $30.00 to $ 40.00 is well worth it. The sound of the guitar very good and a small amp helps the sound but is not a must. Also you can take this any ware. In all this is a great product and was well thought out. Plus it is just fun to play!!handcuff123

I wanted a three string cigar box guitar and between a black friday discount and backstage pass points, I couldn't pass this up. Some reviewers complain that it's cardboard but domestic cigar boxes are predominantly cardboard. Also, Fender recently built a cardboard Strat that couldn't be told from a "real" Strat in a blind test. Build time was about ten minutes. I ran the strings around the tuners contrary to the directions so the string paths were straight. Sounds great acoustic and also great amplified. The only thing lacking is markers on the side of the neck. Maybe not sturdy enough for roughneck kids but a good introduction to the cigar box genre. Nice slide included.Mike

The guitar is much more beautiful in person. It looks great, feels great, plays great. It’s very versatile and you can really play most to any type of styles with this guitar. I definitely recommend and I am completely satisfied.Jordan

Tim Henson nailed it with this one. The looks, tone and feel of this guitar is simply awsome !!! I've been a les paul player for years so I decided to try Ibanez. I'm happy I did. This instrument plays like a dream. I will be purchasing another ibanez real soon. I'd like to give a special shout out to ams salesman Zach. You're an awsome salesman Zach, thank you for assisting me with my purchase.Les Paul Lady

Sound: Stock pickups are very hot. So, not as articulate (less dynamics) as they could be if wound a lot less. Also, be prepared for sympathetic ringing. It’s the nature of the beast when dealing with this type of bridge. I used a piece of dense foam that is almost invisible between the bridge and tailpiece to solve the ringing. Features: Has all the bits you’d expect on this classic Ease of Use: I love the neck shape and upper fret access Quality: My only gripe was the ground wire that popped off a pot. It was the wire that connected the jack ground and the rest of the guitar which made it electrically buzz more than single coils normally do. Value: Fantastic value. Even if you gut it and upgrade everything, you will have saved enough on the original purchase to easily afford upgrading parts with top shelf components such as pickups, tuners and nut. Manufacturer Support: No issues The Wow Factor: A Casino in cherry? It’s a classic look. Overall: I liked the specs on the es-339 but didn’t like the neck shape and I wanted p90s. I played a regular Casino at the local store and liked the neck shape but upper fret access was limited. The Casino Coupe has given me all the specs I wanted.I expected to have to do some upgrades on such a low priced guitar. I knew what I wanted and so, after adjusting the action and playing it stock for a few weeks, I first upgraded the pickups. GFS p90 set and black knobs = $80. Next up, Tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners = another $80. Now, this guitar is EXACTLY what I wanted and still under $700 total but outplays other guitars costing FAR more. The next cheapest hollow body that plays this well are D’Angelicos at $799. Alas, zZounds has a limited selection on those. I’m glad I got the Casino. After the D’Angelicos, the only guitars that I like as much as my Casino cost over $1400. I’ve put my time and half that amount into this Epi and couldn’t be happier.If I wanted to keep it cheap and gig with it, I’d have probably just upgraded the nut and pickups and stopped there. Maybe even just the nut and used the stock pups for high distortion or fuzz only, hehe. My only gripe is that when I removed the electronics to install new pickups, I found a bad ground wire that caused extra buzzing. Between that and being too hot of a wind for my liking, the pickups were a must change item. That said, I measured the tone caps, all the pots and inspected the wiring. Other than the ground that popped off the pot (common issue) and the very hot pickups, the electronics all measured within specs. Even the wiring looked and solder just fine. No need to upgrade to a high priced harness, not worth it.I finally have the hollow body that I’ve wanted for many years. Thanks to zZounds payment plans and a few parts, I got it!Tony

A well built fully-hollow small semi acoustic. It's smaller that a standard casino…only slightly bigger than a Les Paul. Build, hardware, electrics are all good for the price. It sounds great with a distinctively woody sound and is very light. Only let down by very microphonic pickups. Not a problem at lower volume but any overdive is a problem.Much debate online about this, it is definitely the metal pickup covers that cause a loud squeal. It was easily fixed by carefully stuffing some high density foam between the pickups and covers.mistercanetoad

The Wow Factor: Is this a guitar for beginners? Sure…but get a professional set-up. Hollow-bodies, in my experience, "fight back" a little more than a semi-hollow, or LP/SG/Tele/Strat I've played and that can be off putting to beginners. P-90's hum too, it's just the way it is from the design of the pickup. If this would bother you, the Epi 339 is a great little guitar. A good set-up and this guitar plays as comfortably as any of my guitars that cost 3-4 as much. Quality and build wise, it's the equal to any recent electric I played or owned that cost up to $1K…after a good set-up. Overall: Love this guitar! Punches far above it's class, but you'll need to probably tweak a few things first.Instead of starting out with what I love, everyone does, here's the cons I had:Frets needed a little leveling. Not much…but three did, which for a guitar in this price range isn't bad. But one was noticeable right away, the other 2 frets I probably would have wouldn't noticed until I really got in there with a detailed setup. I can dress and level frets, so this isn't an issue with me at all, if you can't take that into consideration. One tuner needed to be replaced. The high E tuner had about an 1/8 of a turn's worth of slack before engaging….but it held tune just fine. I have spares…again for me no big deal, YMMV. The nut cut is cut a little high, but it's still within the norm. Bridge rattle…well if you've ever owned an Epi or Gibson you expect this. It annoys me so the bridge was replaced. For new buyers of an Epi, it's only heard when played unplugged, you won't hear it thru the amp.The pros:I bought this guitar strictly to put a pair of Lollars I have into another older Casino. I've got a very well made '95 MIK from the Pearless era…and the nut width of the guitar is way too narrow to comfortably play. This neck is fairly beefy. If you've played a Les Paul with the 60's taper for example, the D shape will be more of a handful but isn't a baseball bat at all.The build on this guitar over all is the equal to what it's replacing. The finish is flawless. The original wiring and pickups were good. I did play the stock pickups for a week…they sound good. I like lower output P-90's, these are a little hotter but still sound good. The smaller body seems to feedback a little less.The smaller body also makes this a VERY comfortable couch guitar…and it weighs almost nothing. Slight neck dive, my full size Casino has more. The Pau Ferro board on mine is pretty dark…I honestly thought it was Rosewood when I unboxed it.Sounds fairly decent unplugged when you're on the sofa without an amp.David

This is a wonderful deal. I got the pickup in the mail. It's prewired to a jack ready to go. Unless you choose to add a pot. I plugged it in and held it over my acoustic guitar and the tone was clear and pleasing. Soon I will install this into my first cigar box guitar and I look forward to using it.im_sean

This CBG ismade in China, it say this nowhere on this site or anywhere else. Many fret ends were unpolished and hurt the palm of my hand. The pickup system is weak and noisy. The neck contour and finger board is playable. The sound is fair for a resonator. The biggest problem is they put a thin veneer cover plate on the back to access the electronics, a disaster waiting to happen and the pictures did not show this. The cover plate is very thin and could crack easily or be pried over time by snagging on a shirt. The best part was the dealer shipped fast and readily accepted the return due to the condition of this CBG.Mark

I have played guitar for fifty plus years. 42 years with my Martin D-35. I have no experience with cigar box guitars but decided to take an affordable risk. It has good construction. It came setup to my liking. Keeps its tune – GDGB. I like the sound. I like the looks of the guitar. Its fun to play. I liked the price. Its not my Martin. I dont want it to be. It stands on its own merits.rrdilworth74

The Indio Retro DLX Plus Solid Ash is a quality guitar. I purchased the Blonde with Maple Fretboard and found the guitar to exceed my expectations. The solid ash body puts this guitar in a different league. The satin finish on the maple neck is smooth and playable. The frets are dressed decently with no sharp edges or major buzzing. The Wilkenson hardware and electronics are above average. If you're looking for a telecaster-style guitar, this is it!Curt

Good sound, nicely finished. HEAVY! Set up pretty well out of the box. Neck is chunky, much thicker than my Fender Tele. Overall, good value for the money. But did I mention it's heavy?Bill

My Blonde top loading Retro Ash guitar arrived ready to play! This guitar was about as well built as my Squier Classic Vibe 50s Strat. The neck is very professional with superfluous flaws unmentionable at this price. The tone is very similar to the Indio DLXPlus Cherry Burst string through… The top loading Tele is every bit the Tele… I couldn't tell the difference blind folded. Monoprice DLX guitars still maintain the king of gig ready professional guitars at outrageous prices.New User

This CBG ismade in China, it say this nowhere on this site or anywhere else. Many fret ends were unpolished and hurt the palm of my hand. The pickup system is weak and noisy. The neck contour and finger board is playable. The sound is fair for a resonator. The biggest problem is they put a thin veneer cover plate on the back to access the electronics, a disaster waiting to happen and the pictures did not show this. The cover plate is very thin and could crack easily or be pried over time by snagging on a shirt. The best part was the dealer shipped fast and readily accepted the return due to the condition of this CBG.Mark

I have played guitar for fifty plus years. 42 years with my Martin D-35. I have no experience with cigar box guitars but decided to take an affordable risk. It has good construction. It came setup to my liking. Keeps its tune – GDGB. I like the sound. I like the looks of the guitar. Its fun to play. I liked the price. Its not my Martin. I dont want it to be. It stands on its own merits.rrdilworth74

I like the compact size and it's fun to play. At least one of the pickguard screws are stripped but it doesn't affect the playability of the guitar.Jason

Return this before you buy it. 1. Screws on the bridge were crooked. 2. Strings broke going from F# to G (right out of the box). 3. The action on it is way too high to be playable unless you are doing slide guitar. Action should be around 1.6mm and this was at 5mm. I'd expect this from a cheap $30 guitar but not one for over $350. If I paid less than $100 for it, I'd be satisfied and would have fixed the above myself. Instead I returned it and bought one from another more reputable manufacturer. Sad as this was a limited edition hand numbered by people claiming to have been in business for decades (apparently making shoddy work). You'd honestly be happier buying one of those kits to assemble one yourself. At least then you'd pay under $100 for it and probably have better quality. In fairness, it did sound Ok plugged into an amplifier.Sad

Fun cigar box resonator – remember the price related to the quality – no-frills – I found another resonator same setup but great quality with pickup.. It is a good value –davedrexdc

I am rating it based on the price point expectations I had before ordering. It is a really great guitar. You have to expect that it will come with some defects and issues. Small paint/binding issues, some glue and wood chips loose inside the guitar that I took out. The guitar wasn?t set up well on arrival. I did a string change and truss rod adjustment to get rid of some fretting out on the first fret. The components are cheap, input Jack was broken shortly after my first show with it. The guitar itself is solid! Well built, stays in tune. Neck is very thick. I would purchase another even with issues. I wasn?t expecting a perfect guitar just something that I can play hard and maybe replace some components down the road.Cory

Very nice looking guitar. Set-up pretty well out of the box with fret ends nice and smooth. Needed slight intonation. Unfortunately the shipper basically smashed the box and the three-way toggle switch was damaged and not functional. Rather than send the guitar back I pulled out the switch and was able to repair it. Finish around the switch hole (under the retaining ring) was slightly damaged/cracked and had to repair that as well. The guitar plays and sounds quite nice and other than a small kink in the binding where it joins the neck (smooth and under the finish) it is a pretty guitar. Has a minor rattle somewhere that I can't locate (not string buzz), but doesn't come through when amplified. All in all, I am happy with it and its well worth the price.Michael

This is a nice guitar. It?s well made, has a beautiful charcoal burst gloss finish, and has the wonderful mellow sound of a semi-hollowbody guitar. The blacked out hardware is a nice touch. I learned about this guitar from the guitar gear bloggers on YouTube. They ALL gave it great reviews. Some of the older reviews mentioned that the fret ends needed more polishing, and there was some nitpicking about the size and font of the Indio logo. More recent reviews indicate that these issues have been addressed. MY Indio guitar has polished fret ends and it APPEARS to me that the logo is a bit smaller. The fit and finish are EXCELLENT, so perhaps Monoprice has listened to customer complaints and has tightened up their QC. The BIG news here is the PRICE. EVERYONE, myself included, is STUNNED by how INEXPENSIVE this guitar is. The $250 list price is a STEAL! The YouTube bloggers claim that this guitar will go head-to-head with other 335 style guitars costing 3 times as much! I agree.Kevin

This is my first build and I did have a tuner that didn't work. However a call to CBGitty and a replacement was soon in the mail. Instructions and photos were clear. An enjoyable project.sdakotadoug