Cigar box ukulele kit

Yesterday I received a surprise package in the mail: a cigar box ukulele kit from Papa's Boxes (which sells kits for four different ukuleles and a 5 string banjo, all based on cigar boxes). It looks like it has everything needed -- a cigar box, strings, hardware, glue, drill bits, and even a piezoelectric buzzer for an acoustic/electric pickup. The parts are all labeled and everything looks like it's been put together with loving care.

The neck is pretty much finished, with fretboard and frets already in place. That means it ought to be pretty easy to make with just a few standard tools, like a drill and a screwdriver.

I think this will be my Thanksgiving weekend project!

Papa's Boxes

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

MORE: Art and Design

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Eric Ragle

Aw man, I’m jealous. That looks like it’d be a blast to put together!
mypalmike

Yeah, I thought one of the key points of cigar box ukes was that you could make one for like $40 from stuff you have lying around.
EggyToast

Can’t you buy a normal ukelele for less than half that price?
- Anonymous
  
  Hey guys,
  
  Our Ukes are not $300. They start at $112.
  
  You can build one from scratch for alot less but our kits are VERY easy to assemble.
  
  Great even for kids (with a little adult help)
  
  Thanks for the interest
  
  Bill Moore aka Cigar Box Papa
bills

Why don’t you give that a try and report back on what you come up with.
MadMolecule

Looks like an awesome project; please do post a followup once it’s all put together.
theboredom

Hey!
My friend Jillian Johnson designed his website!
She was paid in a very fine cigar box tenor uke! I have had the pleasure of plucking away at it. It is pleasantly unique and finely crafted.

As for Jillian, as well as being a swell graphic designer, she is a member of local Lafayette, Louisiana favorites The Figs and leader of her own fine ragtag band Ginger Lee. She plays uke in both! Go Jillian!

http://www.myspace.com/thefigsband
http://www.myspace.com/musicofgingerlee
theboredom

Also, I apologize for overuse of the word “fine”. I am all jazzed up on coffee and sans thesaurus.
grimc

A uke post without the obligatory cute girl playing one? Man, this place has gone downhill since the redesign.
- theboredom
  
  http://www.myspace.com/musicofgingerlee Yow!