Tenor cigar box ukulele

A friend of mine started a ukulele group and I thought I’d make one after she showed me some online plans for a cigar box uke. I built this one on a tenor scale (17”).

I decided to use a neck-through design as that keeps some of the stress off the box itself. I looked at several soundhold designs and decided to use the decreasing diameters as it allows plenty of sound and looks pretty cool. If I can find rubber grommets in the right sizes, I may install those to cover the raw edges of the box lid.

The neck and bridge are oak, cut from an old vanity drawer front. I put a piece of holly near the tail to keep the strings from digging into the corner of the box. The nut was also made from holly.

Brass box corners were added both to protect the corners of the cigar box and to keep the lid solidly closed.

I’ve had a lot of fun playing it and it always draws attention with we play in public.