The cigar box guitar was the ingenious product of impoverished musicians during the turn of the century. Money was short and instruments were fashioned together from broom handles, boxes, tin cans and just about anything else one could find. In the hands of people like Blind Willie Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy, these guitars helped shape blues music as we know it. Today, cigar box guitars are regaining popularity in the blues and do-it-yourself communities. I had been wanting to try my hand at crafting a few instruments myself and, luckily, I was able to use a school project as an excuse to spend time making and branding my own guitars. As a designer, my goal was to make simple, stripped-down instruments using only a few basic tools and materials. All of the supplies used are available from almost every hardware, electronics, or music store. A couple hours of sawing, drilling and sanding later, the final product emerges. And after all that hard work, there’s no reward quite like plugging in and hearing your guitar sing for the first time. Anyone who has a free afternoon should definitely try it out for themselves.