Tijeras, NM · Handcrafted Cigar Box Guitars

Vintage Box Guitars
Three of Andrew Taher's handcrafted guitars — a Te Amo cigar box build, an Arturo Fuente cigar box build, and an Arizona license plate build

Handcrafted in Tijeras, NM

One box. One build.One of a kind.

See the collectionWhat is a cigar box guitar?

Every guitar starts as a salvaged box, plate, or found material and a pile of parts. It leaves the bench as an instrument no one else in the world owns.

The maker

Decades of playing, built into every guitar

Andrew, the maker behind Vintage Box Guitars, brings decades of musical experience to every instrument he builds. A lifelong musician with years spent on the road, his guitars are shaped by both performance and craftsmanship.

Each piece is individually handcrafted using woods like poplar, walnut, oak, and mahogany, with unique scale lengths, tunings, and quality humbucker pickups — the detail owners consistently single out. From raw and rustic to electrified and bold, these guitars aren’t just objects to admire—they’re built to play and made to be heard.

Meet Andrew
The Collection

One-of-a-kind builds

Each is named for the box, plate, or material it was built from. When one sells, it's gone for good.

The Arturo Fuente, a handcrafted cigar box guitar by Andrew TaherOne of a kind

The Arturo Fuente

4-string · built from an Arturo Fuente box

See this guitar →
The Te Amo, a handcrafted cigar box guitar by Andrew TaherOne of a kind

The Te Amo

3-string · built from a Te Amo box

See this guitar →
The Arizona Plate, a handcrafted cigar box guitar by Andrew TaherOne of a kind

The Arizona Plate

3-string · built from an Arizona license plate

See this guitar →
Browse the full collection
From the bench

How a box becomes a guitar

A look at how each instrument comes together by hand.

  1. 01

    The Box

    [Example — pending Andrew's real process] It starts with a salvaged cigar box or other found material, chosen for its character and sound.

  2. 02

    The Neck

    [Example] A hand-shaped neck is fitted and set — the backbone of the instrument.

  3. 03

    The Voice

    [Example] A humbucker pickup and hardware are installed and wired — the detail owners single out most.

  4. 04

    The Setup

    [Example] Strung, tuned, and set up to play easily right out of the box.

Build process is illustrative — Andrew’s real shop photos & steps to come

From owners

Passed around and played

Vintage Box Guitars uses the highest quality humbucker pickups. I love that they care about the quality.
A Vintage Box Guitars owner
What a fun instrument! I love the simplicity that I can just pick it up and start playing.
A Vintage Box Guitars owner
Everyone in my family loves to pass around the vintage box guitar and play!
A Vintage Box Guitars owner

Own one already? Share a photo in the Owners’ Gallery →

New arrivals

Follow the next one out of the shop

Each build is one of a kind. Get a note from Andrew when a new Vintage Box Guitar is finished in Tijeras — new arrivals, first look, no spam.