Urban School of San Francisco – Earth, Wind & Urban
Auction Ends: Mar 26, 2019 10:00 PM PDT

Super Silent

Handmade Cigar Box Guitar and Amp by Urban Parent and Artisan Francis Quinn

Item Number
278
Estimated Value
1250 USD
Opening Bid
400 USD

Live Event Item

After the online close, this item went to a Live Event for further bidding. Absentee Bidding offered.

Item Description

After cigar boxes showed up in America in the mid 1800s. musicians began making guitars and fiddles from these thin wood boxes wanting to make noise but not able afford a “real” instrument. In the hands of artists like Blind Willie Johnson, Lightnin Hopkins, and Big Bill Broonzy, Delta Blues laid the groundwork for many forms of contemporary music. A recent resurgence has seen the rise of these mighty instruments once again.

Made from found objects and reclaimed wood, this three-string cigar box guitar has a hand-carved maple and mahogany neck, sculpted bone nut and bridge, and single coil pickup.  The zebrawood fretboard is accented with hand cut abalone inlays.

To fill out the rig, a handmade pine box speaker cabinet houses a 12” Jenson speaker. The whole rig is driven by a Bugera T5 tube amp.

A bottleneck slide ties it all together.

Urban parent and artisan Francis Quinn (Gio '20) has created a real gem that’s the perfect addition to an authentic instrument collection. Rock on!

Item Special Note

Winning bidder pays shipping/insurance if necessary. 

Donated By:

Francis Quinn