Welcome

I don't do normal guitars...but what I do is always unique and with my own personal slant on things...why not take a look around? I make cigar box guitars (and lots of other types of stringed instruments too), play them, teach people how to build their own guitars...and how to play them too.

They call me "The Godfather of the cigar box guitar"...

If you are looking to buy a cigar box guitar, please note that due to recent exceptional demand in continental Europe and the UK, my stock level is very low. I am working on more guitars right now and my focus is on getting my custom orders completed. If you do want a Chickenbone John guitar, please drop me an email, I can advise you on when I expect to have more stock for sale, or you can place an order for a custom instrument. I'm always happy to discuss individual requirements and ideas for new guitars.

Off to Muddy Roots

Details: Published on Thursday, 13 June 2013 13:55; Written by Chickenbone John

I'm off to Muddy Roots Europe in Belgium this weekend....and I'm taking my shop with me, so just for the weekend, my cigar box guitars will not be on sale online, as I'm taking all my stock. Normal service will be resumed on Tuesday 18th June.

New guitars for Pendle Guitar Festival

Details: Published on Saturday, 01 June 2013 08:52; Written by Chickenbone John

After a successful show at Haydock Park and a lively couple of weeks of sales, here's this week's batch of guitars... and there's a couple more due to be finished after today's workshop in Ludlow...busy, busy, busy!

Tasty cherry & walnut guitar

Details: Published on Tuesday, 21 May 2013 11:03; Written by Chickenbone John

Just made another batch of guitars..quite a few of them were sold at the North West Guitar Show at Haydock Park, but I still have some of them in stock. Here's a really nice one, a twin pickup on a lovely Cohiba Cuban box..great range of tones from the twin pickups..and a tasty cherry and walnut neck..so good you could almost eat it!

If you want one of these new guitars...get over to my shop..but be quick about it, they don't hang about for long!

Chickenbone John Guitar Review

Details: Published on Saturday, 04 May 2013 11:24; Written by Chickenbone John

The good people at Guitar and Bass magazine have reviewed one of my 3 string guitars in their latest issue... and it seems they liked it...rating it 86% overall and 20/20 for value for money...OK, so the Fender American Vintage Telecaster that they reviewed in the same edition scored 90%..but that does cost over 10 times as much as one of my guitars.

Due to exceptional demand for my cigar box guitars at the moment, I wont be putting any more guitars up on my online shop until after this weekend's East Anglia Guitar Show - I've got to have something to put on display! Once the show is over and I've literally taken stock, I'll be releasing more guitars for sale.

THE NEW TEE SHIRTS HAVE ARRIVED!

Details: Published on Wednesday, 17 April 2013 11:51; Written by Chickenbone John

Available in my online shop NOW!! Just £10 plus P&P. Designed by Birmingham comic book artist Hunt Emerson- you may have seen his work in publications such as The Beano and Fortean Times. White print on heavyweight charcoal grey cotton tee-shirt.

More guitar making workshops

Details: Published on Friday, 05 April 2013 17:43; Written by Chickenbone John

Due to popular demand I will be doing 3 string guitar making workshops in Ludlos, Shropshire (1st June), Halesowen (June 9th -FULLY BOOKED!), Drayton, Oxfordshire (July 14th) and Bremen, Germany,1st September.

Here's the one in Oxfordshire. You can go to my "Events" page to book your place...but be quick..it's already half-full.

New Guitar...nothing fancy

Details: Published on Thursday, 04 April 2013 15:58; Written by Chickenbone John

This one has just escaped from the workshop inbetween trying to work my way through my backlog of custom orders. I was due to play a gig in Bristol with Hollowbelly, but had no guitar..so I made this... a simple one piece maple neck with walnut fretboard and single coil pickup. It's turned out quite nice, and sounds good acoustically too...mind you, after making 493 of these things I reckon I've got the hang of it. One day I'll get to keep one....

Guitar making workshop - Sat, 30th March, Bristol

Details: Published on Sunday, 24 March 2013 17:11; Written by Chickenbone John

There's just a few places left...be quick if you want to make your very own 3 string guitar!!!

30th March -Hollowbelly & Chickenbone John, Bristol

Details: Published on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 06:13; Written by Chickenbone John

New stuff in the shop

Details: Published on Tuesday, 19 March 2013 16:45; Written by Chickenbone John

Rcently I've been very very busy with touring and workshops...but I've just added a few things to my shop. As an official d'Addario stockist, I've introduced a range of custom gauge strings specifically for cigar box guitars, including the "Hollowbelly" signature set. I've added a few new cigar box guitars..but within 48 hours most of them have already sold!!! More on the way. Alongside my "Diamond" bottleneck slides, as a quality alternative, I'm offering the classic "Coricidin" type medicine bottle side...and another little product I've just discovered, the Planet Waves mini headstock tuner...it's great..really compact and just right for CBGs.

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News from the workshop

Guitar making workshops in Skelmersdale and Oxfordshire now sold out. New one just announced in Somerset...but be quick...limited places...when it's full, it's full.

NEW GUITAR...Just finished..and then sold at Haydock Park Guitar Show. Featuring new Chickenbone John graphics by Hunt Emerson..if you want one like this..just get in touch! Just handed Hunt's own guitar to him..a version of this one.

Here's an extra one that I've managed to finish in between my other orders...it's in my online shop now...but be quick, I don't know when the next one will sneak out of the workshop!!

STOP PRESS...sorry this one is sold already...it was online for about 3 days and then was snapped up!!! Ive just put a few more in my online shop...why not see if there's something that takes your fancy?

So what else is new? A while ago I managed to put together a "bitzer" of a guitar from parts I found on eBay...(it's 3rd from the left in the pic)..but since then I've found 3 more of these lovely old twangtastic guitars. I'm just waiting for a few bits and pieces to finish them off...trem bars and a badge...but can you guess the name on the headstock? No prizes for a correct answer I'm afraid!

They look like real "pawn shop specials" don't they? They've got their fair share of dings and scratches, but the good news is that they all play really nicely..and the sound of those pickups is grungetastically twangy. I've managed to source some period correct spare parts - amazingly the machineheads, bridges and tremolo tailpieces are available as brand new parts.

Here's that first "bitzer". I found the bare neck and body, then amazingly got the pickguard complete with electrics the next week..from a different seller. I tracked down the hardware and bingo! I've even got the right headstock badge on it now..can you tell what it is yet?

Here's another junk shop find, a similar sort of thing from the same Japanese factory, but this time Tele-esque rather than Jaguar-esque. Again, no headstock badge...I know what it is...but do you?

OK..here's a video of this guitar...it's a Jedson (the brand name of importers J. E. Dallas and Sons), made by Kawai in Japan. Kawai took over the Teisco factory (Tokyo Electrical Instrument & Sound Company), and you can find similar quirky electrics made under other brand names.

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