How my husband makes guitars out of cigar boxes.

I confess that after twenty years together, my husband can still amaze me. He’s always been a very handy man to have around - he can fix almost anything. He’s also a very creative person, so it shouldn’t surprise me that his newest hobby is something that blows my mind!

A few years ago my husband got into woodworking. He made me some pretty cool planters for both inside and outside.

Check them out:

But just over a year ago he started making guitars out of cigar boxes. That’s right - you heard me - guitars out of cigar boxes! He scours liqueur stores (especially Specs) and finds the most interesting boxes and then turns them into works of art that sound as good as they look!

He has become an expert in different types of wood (seriously, I never knew there were so many types of wood!) He goes to Lowes for typical wood but has to go to a specialty shop for the nicer ones. Mahogany really is a beautiful wood by the way - I get the hype!

He handcrafts the neck and head from these various types of wood, then he adds tuning pegs, frets, and sometimes small inlays of pearl or other details. Some guitars have a simple circle hole or multiple small holes, while others have what’s called an f hole. (Yes - my immature self laughs at that name.)

It’s been over a year since he started and he has learned so much from each guitar he makes (and he had made over sixty guitars!) Needless to say, we have plenty of guitars at our house. They are in almost every room. He has given several away to close friends and family, but still, they are slowly taking over!

So he started selling them on Etsy and that has helped relieve the number of guitars in the house. It also helps offset the cost of making them. But more than that it has given my husband a boost to see others enjoy his work as much as he enjoys doing it. He has talked directly to many of his customers and loves talking about the minor details that only a guitar enthusiast would understand.

It amazes me that he creates such artistic musical instruments out of simple cigar boxes. After twenty years together, it's good to know he can still surprise me.

Check out his Etsy shop and let me know what you think: