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In case you’re not familiar with the term, a ‘cigar box banjo’ is exactly what it sounds like… A banjo made from a cigar box. First gaining popularity in the U. S., during the American Civil War years (1861-65), cigar box musical instruments such as guitars, fiddles, ukuleles and banjos started showing up everywhere. Currently there is a revival going on and many are trying their hand at making their own good sounding, resonant, cigar box banjo. It’s really not too difficult.
In 1884, Daniel Carter Beard, co-founder of the Boy Scouts of America published detailed plans for building a banjo from a cigar box in a volume called, “Christmas Eve With Uncle Enos.” These plans were later re-released by Beard under the title, “How To Build an Uncle Enos Banjo” in 1890. They were contained in a very popular volume of the time known as, “The American Boy’s Handy Book.”
Many, even today, have used Beard’s plans to build their own instruments. You might expect a musical instrument built from a cigar box and other discarded material found lying around to look and sound crude or primitive but this isn’t necessarily the case. Many of these home-made units look and sound very pleasing to the eyes and ears of their creators and are a great exercise in DIY craftsmanship.
Banjos were in vogue during the last few decades of the nineteenth century in America and could be found in vaudeville, minstrel and medicine shows and could be heard plunking on lots of front porches, particularly in the American southeast. Even if people were poor (which many were) they were still able to put together a playable musical instrument out of easily acquired and often discarded materials. The unique sound of a plinking banjo is often associated with the stern-wheeler river boats which were found cruising up and down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers during this era.
Again, during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, cigar box musical instruments made another comeback as many people had little money but still retained the desire to make music. This was a time when many ‘jug bands’ came into existence, utilizing washboards, empty moonshine jugs and anything else available that could be used to make a tune. The jug band tradition still lives on and has quite a loyal following.
Cigar box instruments fell somewhat out of favor in the middle of the twentieth century as modern manufacturing techniques were able to provide factory made instruments at a reasonable cost. But with the advent of the Internet a new revival has been born as people of a like-minded interest in this area have been able to connect with others sharing the desire to keep the art of making these instruments alive. The Web, for example, is full of how-to’s for making and playing cigar box banjos, guitars, violins, ukuleles and mandolins.
There are numerous websites that speak to the history and popularity of these instruments and that describe how to make one of your own. Whether it’s a 2-string, 3-string or more typical 4- or 5-string model, you can learn how to make a banjo by following guidelines found online. You can even make one with Daniel Beard’s original plans from 1884.
Legend has it that Jimi Hendrix, Roy Clark, George Benson and Louis Armstrong all got their start on cigar box instruments. They’re fun and quite unique. A cigar box banjo is an excellent DIY project. And, a little music is such an effective way to soothe the savage beast!