NIC EAMES

Nic resides in Copacabana on the NSW Central Coast where there is a very active Arts community, many utilizing recycled materials to express themselves through their art. An interest in guitar & ukulele, and a fascination with the old Blues Masters performing with home-made instruments made from discarded materials, Nic’s cigar box guitars & ukuleles came to life.

Nic gathers empty cigar boxes, biscuit tins, oil tins, timber offcuts and broken or discarded electric guitars for their electrical components. The creation of these guitars, from recycled components provides unique characteristics in each instrument.

The cigar box guitar has many variations and many playing styles. The most common configuration is a 3 string instrument, tuned to open G, played with a steel or glass slide. If the neck is fretted it can be picked or strummed, but with a high enough action to still use a slide, usually with an electric pick-up. They can be played quietly – acoustically unplugged, or through an amplifier with the volume turned up to 11 and the amp on full overdrive. It is the player’s choice!