A Cigar Box Guitar often has sound holes cut in the body of the guitar to amplify the sound of an acoustic guitar. Electrified guitars will often have them, allowing the guitar to be played acoustically. The holes vary in number, size and shape and can be covered or not.
Why Do Cigar Box Guitars Have Sound Holes?
Just like most other stringed instruments, Cigar Box Guitars have sound holes to make the instrument sound louder.
The strings vibrate as they are strummed or plucked and this vibration transfers via the bridge to the soundboard, in this case the box lid. This makes sound waves which travel through the air inside the box. Cutting holes in the box allows these sound waves to escape.
An electric Cigar Box Guitar does not need sound holes if it is amplified, but many builders and players choose to have sound holes added as this allows the instrument to be played at a reasonable volume without an amplifier.
Solid bodied guitars, such as traditional electric six-string guitars, make very little sound if they aren’t amplified.
What Shape Are Sound Holes On A Cigar Box Guitar?
Sound holes can be circular or f-shapes like those on a violin or cut into any fancy shape the builder chooses.
Circular sound holes are very common and can be cut with a drill. Our largest normal drill bit is 1cm and I had to do quite a bit of filing to enlarge this hole on my first build. I found it much easier when we had bought a set of hole saw attachments which can cut much larger holes. I still had to use a file but this was to smooth the edges rather than enlarge the hole.
F-shaped holes require some skillful cutting as do some of the more irregular shapes that can be seen on some cbgs. Thankfully you can buy templates to help you draw the shapes accurately but f shapes are particularly tricky as they are curved and narrow.
Some people advise drilling a circular hole at the end of the scroll to allow easier access to start cutting. You can use a very fine bladed hand saw called a coping saw to cut the shape. The blade can be removed at one end and then replaced once the saw is in position to cut allowing access to a hole without sawing from the edge.
Electric scroll saws are useful if you are going to be cutting a lot of intricate shapes. A bandsaw is not really useful for sound holes as there is no way of cutting the hole without going from the edge of the piece of wood.
How Many Sound Holes On An Average Cigar Box Guitar?
Many Cigar Box Guitars have at least 2 holes. Whereas a traditional guitar has a large central hole, the through neck of a cigar box guitar prevents that positioning. Instead there tend to be 2 smaller holes, one either side of the neck position.
Some people favor several small holes instead of 2 larger ones and cut them to fit the metal grommets they use to tidy up the edges.
Sound holes can also be cut out of the side of the box, particularly the part which faces up toward the player. This allows the sound to come up to the player rather than coming out of the front of the guitar.
How Big Should Cigar Box Guitar Sound Holes Be?
A single sound hole is often about 3/4 inch but can be larger ( or smaller if you choose to have many). The positioning and number of the sound holes partly determines the size but personal preference has a large part to play.
If a sound hole is to be covered or mounted with a decorative edge, this will also affect the size of hole. This is because you will need to cut the hole to match the cover or grommet.
Sound Hole Covers- Why Use Them And What Can I Use?
Sound holes are a convenient way of trapping unwanted articles inside your cigar box guitar, particularly if you have young children around. Covering the sound hole with mesh prevents picks ( and small toys) from being trapped inside.
On my metal biscuit tin fretless guitar, the edges of the sound holes were sharp and I wanted to make them safe so I glued aluminum mesh- the kind designed to repair a car body – inside the tin. Unfortunately my grandchildren have managed to push this into the tin so I am trying to think of a better way to cover the holes.
Meatal sink plughole strainers seem to be a popular choice. These can be aged with paint effects if they look too new and shiny. These are a bit too big for what I need so I need to go to the hardware store and look for some kind of metal cover that will fit snugly. Alternatively, I think a metal washer glued inside the tin might hold the edges of the mesh in place more effectively.
F-holes don’t need covering as they are narrow.
If you want to use a cover on your sound holes, don’t forget that if the covering is too bulky, you may end up muting the sound that can escape, so you may want to go for a larger hole to start with.
Further Reading
If you want to know more about different ways of making your Cigar Box Guitar louder I have some articles that may be of interest:
Amplifier Settings For A Cigar Box Guitar: Your Questions Answered
