How to string a cigar box guitar
Most cigar box guitars use ordinary ball-end guitar strings. The ball end anchors at the tail, either through holes in the back of the box or the end of the neck, or in a tailpiece or hinge screwed to the box. The string crosses a bridge that is often just a piece of hardwood, a bolt or a threaded rod resting on the lid, then a nut and a regular guitar tuner.
Cigar box guitar in low GDG, string by string
Three-string open G, from the lowest string to the highest, at A = 440 Hz.
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | G2 | 98.00 |
| 2 | D3 | 146.83 |
| 1 | G3 | 196.00 |
How to use it
- Read the steps first and tick each one as you go. Progress is saved on this device.
- Once all steps are ticked, the page scrolls to the tuner. Choose the GDG version your strings are made for and tune each open string until the needle centers.
- Start over clears the boxes for the next string change.
Help and explanations
When the boxes are ticked, the tuner at the bottom opens on low GDG: G2 98.00 Hz, D3 146.83 Hz and G3 196.00 Hz. Mixed GDG (G2 D4 G4) and high GDG (G3 D4 G4) are in the list, each with its own string gauges.
Match the strings to the tuning
GDG is three tunings in one, and the string gauges decide which. C. B. Gitty's chart for 24″ to 25½″ scales gives .022, .030 and .042 (all wound) for low G2 D3 G3, .009, .012 and .042 for mixed G2 D4 G4, and .009, .012 and .022 for high G3 D4 G4. Tune a .009 down to G3 and it flops; tune a .022 up to G4 and it snaps.
Write the tuning on the inside of the lid or on the back of the head. The next person to restring it, often you a year later, will know which gauges to buy.
Floating bridges and through-body strings
A loose bridge sets the intonation and stays where the strings hold it, so change one string at a time, or mark its position in pencil first. On through-body stringing, push the new string in from the back until the ball end pulls up against the wood or a ferrule; a small washer under the ball keeps it from sinking into a soft cigar box lid.
Tips
- Changing the tuning or the gauges? See what each string will pull in the cigar box guitar string tension calculator.
- Fretted neck? Once tuned, check the 12th fret against the open string with the intonation checker and move the bridge until they match.
- Building one from scratch? Lay out the neck with the cigar box guitar fret calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you string a 3-string cigar box guitar?
One string at a time: feed the ball end through the back or the tailpiece, lay the string over the bridge and nut, pass it through the tuner post with about 2 inches (5 cm) of slack, wind it toward the inside of the head and tune it to its note.
How do you tune a 3-string cigar box guitar?
Most are tuned to open G, GDG. Low: G2 98.00, D3 146.83, G3 196.00 Hz. Mixed: G2, D4 293.66, G4 392.00 Hz. High: G3, D4, G4. Pick the version your gauges are made for.
What is a string retainer on a cigar box guitar?
A small bar, screw or string tree on the head that holds the strings down behind the nut, so they don't jump out of the nut slots. A flat head with no angle needs one.
Which string is which on a cigar box guitar?
The thickest string, the low G, sits on top, nearest your face when you play, like a guitar's 6th string; the highest note sits nearest the floor.
How many wraps on the tuner post?
Two to three on wound strings and four to five on the plain .009 and .012, winding down the post so the string leaves it low and runs straight to the nut.