Historic Old Peach Cigar Box Violin - Restored & Playable

This cigar box violin is probably over 100 years old, and it's still playable!

● Scale length: 12"
● Materials used in construction:
● Old Peach wood cigar box (8.625 x 6 x 3.75")
● Factory made violin tailpiece
● Hand carved wooden neck and tuners
● Wood chin rest with leather strip
● Body block held on with metal strips and brad nails
● Conventional violin strings
● Dimensions: 23 x 6 x 3.75" (59 x 15 x 8.5cm)

The first thing you notice with this instrument is the wooden chin rest and upper body block that approximates the shape of a violin. There was serious care taken in the creation of this fiddle. In fact, it is still very much playable.

Discovered in Toledo by an antiques dealer, it is only fitting that it was crafted from an Ohio cigar box. The box is deeper, which was common for cigar boxes from this era. Its dimensions are 8.625 x 6 x 3.75 inches.

The neck is hand carved and the black painted fingerboard is attached with nails. Because fine violins use ebony for fingerboards, the builder probably chose black paint to approximate the look. Note the wear marks from years of use.

The curious body block flanks the neck as it attaches to the box. The instrument suffered paint damage at some point, with off-white paint dripping down the back and appearing on the body block and chin rest.

The tuners are expertly made and still hold tension!

The builder chose to use primitive C soundholes, giving the instrument a perfect look. The original Florentine art of the Old Peach box graces the top. Note: The chin rest is held in place by tin strips and nails. The two supports seen between the chin rest and box in the above picture are actually part of a guitar stand that was used for photography.

Free shipping in the US
$85 shipping worldwide