Billy Stick is a homebuilder and subcontractor who has a side passion for six-string music. After dabbling with an acoustic guitar for years, Stick found a different style of guitar that reignited his music passion: a cigar box guitar.

A cigar box guitar is a stringed instrument, or chordophone, that incorporates a hollow portion to function as the resonator, in this case, a cigar box. The unique difference here is that cigar box guitars can be made from basically any materials you might find around the house.

"I made one out of a regular shovel I had out in the garden," said Stick. "Another one, instead of a cigar box, I used a tin that originally held an actual 4/5 bottle of liquor."

Stick never knew cigar box guitars even existed. That is, until he spotted one listed for sale on OfferUp. It was love at first sight.

"I checked it out and it was like the guitar was talking to me, telling me 'You can play me! You can play me!'" Stick remembers.

After his cigar box guitar arrived, Stick was hooked on the concept of DIY guitar building. He's now made more than 80 cigar box guitars of all shapes, sizes, and materials.

"I actually used a shower drain in one guitar," notes Stick. "It's all a matter of whatever you come up with, whatever idea you've got, that's what you run with."

Stick has been practicing and playing but hasn't ventured out to play in public, at least not yet. There's actually a cigar box guitar circuit in Central Florida that, while small, is populated with DIY guitar fanatics. Last April, the first annual Cigar Box Guitar Festival was held in Casselberry.

"I love to play guitar now. I want to get better on these three string guitars. I'd like to start doing shows," said Stick.  "I just need more practice because I spend all my time building."

The American Cigar Box Guitar Association has a Facebook page where you can find out more about these unique stringed instruments.  You can also find several videos on YouTube about building your own cigar box guitar from scratch.