See a box you love? Choose from our 'mine' and I'll build it into your dream rig. Guitars can be built on almost any size box, but large boxes are more proportional to longer scale necks and dulcimers (24.5" to 25.5"), while small boxes are better suited to short scale or ukuleles (24" and under). All of the boxes are suitable for 3 or 4-strings guitars.

Choose from three different types of construction each with its own unique tone:

'SolidCore' series
Featuring the same construction as the solid bodies of your favorite guitar heroes, these are best suited for boxes

under 2" deep.

'OpenTone' series
Using bolted mortise and tenon construction for fully-open, rich, resonant tone, these are best suited for boxes 2-1/2"

or deeper.

'TrueTradition'
Remembering its roots, this is the homegrown neck-thru-box construction for a more simple budget.

Scroll down to see neck wood, electronics, and hardware options. All this at the same price as the standard builds; go to the Order page for pricing.

neck woods

pick 'N build

The neck wood contributes to the overall tone of the instrument, but many other factors go into shaping this too: scale, box size, shape, and material, bracing, strings; the list goes on. At the end of the day, the choice of neck wood is mostly subjective. Tone, appearance, and feel are all in the ears, eyes, and hands of the player. To keep things simple, I offer two options as standard: mahogany or maple. A combination of woods is also available. The basic characteristics of each wood are described below. If you're interested in a wood not shown, contact us. All wood is dried and acclimated to the shop environment 3 months before building. All necks are 3-piece construction, with a miter-joined headstock, and carbon reinforcement rod. I'm especially confident in the quality of my necks and guarantee them against warp. See the Order page for details.

small boxes

Guitars

mahogany

My personal favorite to work - and play - on, mahogany is a lightweight, yet incredibly durable wood. Characterized by a sweet, warm, mellow tone its consistent grain contributes to the long sustain that mahogany is known for.
A Tru-oil finish brings out shimmering red-golds for an elegant look.

tuners & hardware

We offer a complete range of options for adding a pick-up to your instrument. Piezo pick-ups retain the acoustic tone of the instrument. Two varieties are available: a rod-style under brass saddle for a brighter tone, and my homemade, beer-bottle cap (from a selection of Chicagoland's finest!) potted disc-style for a darker, smokey tone.

A wide variety of magnetic single-coil and humbucker pick-ups is available. Contact me to ask about your preference or for help nailing the sound you want.

large boxes

fingerboards

Choose from a variety of woods to accent your build. Pictured clockwise from top-left: East Indian Rosewood, Macassar Ebony, Rock Maple, Birdseye Maple.

There is a $25 upcharge for Macassar Ebony or Birdseye Maple.

Fret position dots on the side are standard and available on the face at request. Custom inlay markers (as on the Vegas series) are available at an upcharge. Contact me to ask about your ideas.

combination

A strictly aesthetic choice, two-wood combinations are available. The one pictured is maple-walnut-maple. Ask about wood options - a $15 upcharge applies.

maple

A bit heavier, maple is a very hard, dense wood, delivering a quicker response and characteristically bright tone. It's often-dramatic variance in grain requires more expertise to stabilize, but can result in visually-stunning, flame pattern such as the one pictured. Contact me to ask about availability of highly-figured flame pieces.

roughcutguitars@gmail.com 312.543.3375

cigar box guitars and more...

electronics

Choose your style of tuner. Shown clockwise from top left: open-gear gold with pearl button, sealed-gear gold, sealed-gear chrome nickel, open-gear nickel. Specify or enquire at time of order.

A wide variety of other hardware options is available, like sound hole finishing rings, metal corner guards - especially to protect paper-wrapped boxes, etc. Contact me to ask about ideas and choices.