Olive can canjo stringed instrument build (tin can diddley bow)

I have built a diddley bow, a cigar box guitar, a cigar box ukulele, a cookie tin banjo, and a cookie tin dulcimer, but I had never built a canjo! This was a quick canjo build I did one afternoon. It was fun to build and not hard at all. You can build a canjo too! Give it a try! If you like to build cigar box guitars, cigar box ukuleles, cookie tin banjos, or canjos, I hope you enjoy it!
If you like this, check out this diddley-jo (one-string banjo) I made from a tambourine: • DIY tambourine diddley...
Also check out this ukulele I made from a Popsicle box: • DIY Popsicle box ukule...
My channel will focus on these topics:
Stringed instruments
Cigar box guitar building
Cookie tin banjo building
Canjo building
Banjolele building
Ukulele building
Ukulele unboxing
Ukulele reviews
Guitar reviews
Banjo reviews

[@waynesaunders1151]

I'm off work tomorrow so looks like I'm having beans for breakfast and building one of these haha 🙏👌👌

[@stevesstrings5243]

Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@davemanone3661]

The beans can supply some percussion effect while you play the canjo!

[@nameian777]

Thanks for the simple demonstration. I'm going to make a canjo (and other scrap instruments) and your video made it all very easy to do.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks Ian! I hope it was helpful. It was fun to build.

[@CircuitsAndStrings]

I love that most of the parts were scrounged. Very nice job.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! Making something out of junk is half the fun!

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I went to local music store, and asked the repair dept., for any junk/used parts they had. Got a handful of old tuner and other stuff, I use for projects like this.

[@steveweiss2081]

Very cool build. This is similar to what poor sharecroppers would sometimes make back in the day to play music with. Sometimes they would stretch a string from the ceiling of a porch to the rail and play it with the neck of a broken bottle. They did some amazing things using just whatever materials they had at hand.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! It was fun to build. I just haven’t taken the time to try to make actual music from it. Check out my other builds as well. You may find something else you like. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@DarLynn909]

I still have a banjo string laying around so ill deffinetly make this

[@stevesstrings5243]

Great! It should be fun! Let me know how it turns out.

[@brendamcdaniel6833]

Truly amazing that you can make a real instrument out of such minimal materials. Hats off to you. Another winner.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! You should give it a try! If you can cut a stick, drill a hole and screw in a screw, you have all the skills you need to make one of these.

[@charleslane6637]

It's all fun. I've saved a couple enamel cans myself. Thanks for the ideas. I'll give it a try.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@justinsmith3271]

I just have to say, thank you so much for making this video! You’ve inspired me to build a canjo of my own that also has the action rather high to play slide. I just finished building it and have been experimenting with it this evening, was a really fun experience since I didn’t have tuners available so I had to figure my own tuning system which was pretty fun, if anyone is reading this and thinking of building one of these, I would definitely recommend it! Thanks again for the video!

[@stevesstrings5243]

I’m glad the video inspired you to build one for yourself! They are definitely fun to build! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@pauthomp]

Your expertise looks soo easy as to be encouraging 🙏

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! You are too kind! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jareerareerarr5053]

I've been wanting to make a cigar box guitar for a while but tbh that is too intimidating for me right now because I don't really know how to do any type of woodworking, this seems like something I could do though so I'm going to have a go. great video- cheers from the UK :) I also like the comments of the video which are talking about various instruments all around the world that remind them of this. its nice to think people all around th world were making instruments like this.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Check out the video I did where I show how to make a fretless cigar box guitar without using a saw and using few tools! If you can drill a hole, you can make a CBG! Cheers!

[@raimissverins263]

I love things that people make :) Thank you :)

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for your comment, Raimis! It was quick and easy to make. You should give it a try!

[@coolpranksfriends6202]

Hello I tried this and it is in a G I like the way it sounds and I have convinced one of my friends to make a canjo thanks keep up the good work

[@stevesstrings5243]

Great! I’m glad to hear it! I hope you enjoy it! Try building a multi-string instrument next. Check out the canjolele I just posted for Valentine’s Day!

[@andrewnicholson4689]

Brilliant example of an afternoon of invention.. I searched one stringed instruments, now want to make one "dam" fantastic creativity bud! Great fun... this is the sort of thing that gets kids and adults alike; hooked on music! I made a similar instrument out of a twig and an empty coconut!! Ha it still plays 😊

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! Your build sounds interesting! Check out some of my other builds if you are interested in seeing some more creativity! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@pollastreraul]

Thanks for sharing! Really nice job! 🙂🙂🙂

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@roberttemple2521]

Thanks for this. You gave me some great ideas! I will make one with spring reverb. Peace.

[@stevesstrings5243]

I’m glad it was useful to you. Thanks for watching!

[@VioletMidnightProductions]

How fun!! And clever!

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting! It was fun to build. You should definitely make one! If you have not seen it yet, I also made a popsicle box ukulele! If you liked this canjo, you will definitely like it as well. Check it out!

[@TurtleTimBeckett]

we loved it...Great !!!!!

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. You should make one!

[@TurtleTimBeckett]

@@stevesstrings5243 ....I am...my buddy got the can and a stick and I will make him one....Thanks..Steve

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I have been making a few stringed instruments like this. Very rewarding. I love how you used a flat head screw, for the nut. Adjustable height is a great option. I think I will make one with a spam can 🎶🙂

[@stevesstrings5243]

Great idea! I seen other folks on KZbin who have done so. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@tetecarvalho6323]

Legal vou tentar fazer ❤️os materiais são fácil de encontrar. Um forte abraço da ilha de São Vicente Brasil 🇧🇷 obrigada

[@samratchakraborty3511]

I like it ☺️, it sounds nice

[@stevesstrings5243]

I'm glad you like it! It is a fun little instrument to play around with! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@AjayPalSinghUK]

It's cool!!!

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! It was fun to build. Check out my other builds too! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@BeyondF1]

Great fun, I must do one or two or three ....... :) :) :)

[@stevesstrings5243]

Definitely! Let me know how it turns out.

[@ottercrk23]

that's cool bro

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! You should give one a try!

[@ukeplayalongs]

Fun build. I was going to say that Daniel had offered Canjo building at one of the Utah Ukulele Festivals. I'm surprised the can bottom can handle the tension of the string!

[@stevesstrings5243]

Hi Chris, Actually the first time I strung it, the ball pulled through. I attributed that to using too big a hole. The rivet collar fixed that. The next time, I’ll make the hole only just large enough for the string. Have you tried making one yet? They are fun to make.

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I used a small washer, to keep the string from pulling through. but a small piece of wood or metal, with an appropriate size hole drilled in it, works great to. If the can deforms to much at the opening, you can put a popsicle stick trimmed to size, to keep it round.

[@aWildJosh213]

Circuits and strings did something similar. Pretty cool!

[@stevesstrings5243]

You should make one. You clearly have the skills!

[@aWildJosh213]

I will once I get a wooden stick. It will be a fun instrument to play!

[@jakescorpion1]

Great

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! It was fun to build. You should make one! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@josephmamah4124]

Imma make this

[@stevesstrings5243]

Great! Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@holaterrestres7992]

Wow

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@rameshsharma-fl4ch]

Thanx

[@stevesstrings5243]

I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@keithhampton9700]

Dude! Dude! I'm going to do a Bass diddle bow. Bigger can, Bass string,Bass tuner. And a j Bass pickup. Yee Haa!!

[@stevesstrings5243]

Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@StevDoesBigJumps]

I think you could attach an additional canister or bar to work as an armrest to allow the can to resonate.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Hmmm! Great ideas! Now you've got me thinking! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@IsaacKuo]

This can work with an early string technique where you use fingernails instead of a slide. You rest your fingertip directly against the board so your fingernail presses against the string (in the air, not squeezed against the board). If you commit to this technique, you can punch holes with a nail so your fingertips can "feel" the fret positions. The idea is that you can quickly switch between notes by sliding a finger into position and/or retracting a finger from position. Think of it as the classic volunteer line joke where either a volunteer steps forward or everyone else steps back. The "volunteer" is the fingernail pressing against the string.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Interesting idea, Issac! I'll have to give it a try! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@IsaacKuo]

@@stevesstrings5243 Thanks for your video explaining your construction and issues! I was looking around because I want to make something like a K'ni mouth violin. Basically the same thing as your canjo, but with a mouth resonator instead of the can resonator.

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@IsaacKuo Sounds fascinating! Let me know how it turns out!

[@Martin_Entertains]

Pretty cool build. I love the screw that's a nut LOL. When you play, do you press all the way down or just enough to get some tension? How do you tune it?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! I just bought the string to a good tension. I didn’t really note the key. I just press down on the string a little. Have you built any instruments?

[@Martin_Entertains]

@@stevesstrings5243 I haven't built anything yet. I only started playing Ukulele this year. I'd like to build one that reflects my Silicon Valley engineering experience.

[@stevesstrings5243]

I would love to see that! Check out Del Puckett Cigar Box Guitar. He built a CBG from a reticle box.

[@safal_dhamecha]

I have make something like this, but can we add frets into it? Or can we play it like a violin with a bow?

[@stevesstrings5243]

There are no rules! Fret it, bow it, amplify it, do what you want! Let me know how it turns out!

[@yori4666]

Nice job Steve. Have you considered amplification?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks, Yori! Yes, I have thought about amplification. I think I’ll try it on a future build.

[@keithhicks1750]

Would a broom handle inside the tin work ?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Definitely! I have seen folks make these in several ways. Just don't attach it to the bottom of the can or it will interfere with the resonance. You are limited only by your imagination and problem solving abilities. Let me know how it turns out!

[@DommoDommo]

Haha, this is great, have you ever considered making the strings yourself so this would be 100% made by you?

[@stevesstrings5243]

That's an idea! But that means I would have to kill something in order to get some gut and I don't want anything to die just so I can make my own strings ;-)

[@lambdacalculus3505]

@@stevesstrings5243 you can use dental floss :)

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@lambdacalculus3505 I have used fishing line a diddley bow before but it wasn't that loud. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@stevesstrings5243]

@Genghis khan Talk time Thanks for the suggestion! I actually own a horse! You can see him at the end of the video in this link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqqQkp6we6yJnLM I think I'll stick to guitar strings.

[@keithhampton9700]

I like using Mental Floss just to get inspired!🤔🤨😵‍💫🥴

[@user-re7po]

I’m gonna use the basic concept and make a full sized plectrum banjo with it

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I have made some banjoleles and dulcimer banjos using cookie tins. They work pretty well. Check them out!

[@extralarge9223]

fantastic! congratulations, where did you find the measurements for the frets of the neck?

[@stevesstrings5243]

This one is fretless. There are several online sites available for fret spaces.

[@extralarge9223]

@@stevesstrings5243 thank you

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@extralarge9223 You are very welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting. If you build one, please let me know how it turned out! Happy holidays!

[@extralarge9223]

@@stevesstrings5243 Certainly! I forgot a curiosity, did you make the neck as far as that of a classical guitar? Happy holidays to you too!

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@extralarge9223 The instrument is 30 inches long.

[@miketheknife813]

is the can still holding the string good?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Yep! Still works fine! Thanks for asking! Give one a try!

[@CigarboxSchulzi]

Well done! Good idea! Maybe I’ll steal your idea and make something similar 😅

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! It was fun to make. You should definitely try one!

[@CigarboxSchulzi]

@@stevesstrings5243 now I made something similar, a little easier. It‘s on my channel the newest video. It‘s German, but I guess you‘ll understand the plot 😅

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks! I’ll check it out. I lived in Germany for a couple of years so I can probably follow it.

[@CigarboxSchulzi]

@@stevesstrings5243 where did you live?

[@stevesstrings5243]

We lived in Waldfischbach-Burgalben, south of Kaiserslautern. We hated to leave. We loved it there! My daughter was in the German kindergarten and was fluent in German (for a 5-year old) by the time we left. We left in 2003. Where do you live?

[@anonymousdev1l]

sounds like a japanese shamisan, just needs 1-2 more strings

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for letting me know. I have heard of the shamisen but have not looked into very much. I'll need to look into it now! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@Palatidd]

YOU’RE RIGHT! I need to make this, shamisens are so expensive!

[@dimitristripakis7364]

That is very fun to watch and sounds good too, but I don't think the instrument is worth actually playing it, because it rotates as you pick the strings and this can be limiting. For example you could make a better banjo from a metal pan with almost the same effort. I watched all of the video, it was fun, thanks!

[@stevesstrings5243]

I completely agree! Check my other videos on the cookie tin banjos I have built! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@jusperkhamala9371]

Is it almost the same as silili played by luhya from Kenya?

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I was not aware of the silili!

[@StopFear]

Looks almost like that basic Mongolian instruments

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for letting me know. I'll check them out!

[@americopaez7080]

@@stevesstrings5243 Hi, found your video trying to fix a problem. I purchased a one stringed fiddle online (my mistake) with what I assume to be original horse hair for string and bow. Even though I can make both at least as taut as my guitar, can't get the instrument to to produce a note. Not by bow nor by plucking. Should i just try some guitar/ violin wire, see if that helps?

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@americopaez7080 Thanks for watching and asking! I can't imagine horsehair could be gotten to a high enough tension to produce sound. Without seeing the instrument (to determine what kind of string tension the instrument might be able to handle), I'm hesitant to offer a definitive answer. Steel strings create much more tension than nylon strings and the instrument might break under that tension. I suggest you try a nylon string (ukulele string or fishing line) and see how that works. Email me some pictures (address in the "About" section) and I may have some other thoughts.

[@coreysmith5223]

What’s the song name you played?

[@stevesstrings5243]

It’s just the 12-bar blues! Thanks for watching and commenting! Check out my other builds!

[@Mystical_grape12]

Wat is on his finger

[@stevesstrings5243]

It’s a slide made from the neck of a wine bottle. I made a video showing how I make them. Check it out! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@PalithaPathiratne-zj7ig]

🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶⚘💗

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks!

[@chairchairington1713]

i finally finished my first instrument, i made a dog bowl into a diddley bow

[@stevesstrings5243]

Well done! Keep at it! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@DOOMINATER_]

what string do i use

[@stevesstrings5243]

Any one you want to! Consider what note you want to tune it to. If you plan on having a typical guitar scale length, then use the string guitar string that goes with the note you want to tune it to. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@DOOMINATER_]

@@stevesstrings5243 Thank You!

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@DOOMINATER_ Let me know how it turns out! Good luck!

[@DOOMINATER_]

@@stevesstrings5243 It turned out great i used fishing line and a curtan hanger for the neck.

[@stevesstrings5243]

@@DOOMINATER_ Great!

[@Thegreatobjective]

If needs a bridge.

[@stevesstrings5243]

Not really. The point of the bridge is to set the scale length and transfer vibrations to the resonating surface. In this case, that’s the bottom of the can. If I had a bridge on the neck, the ca would receive less vibration and the instrument would not be as loud. Thanks for watching and commenting. Check out my other builds as well!

[@doctordutch]

looks and sounds like a berimbau

[@stevesstrings5243]

Thanks for making me aware of the berimbau! I was not aware of this instrument! I guess now I need to make one, LOL! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@u.s.militia7682]

That sounds like damnit.

[@stevesstrings5243]

You have no argument with me! LOL!!! It was just a fun little project. I've thought about building one with better acoustic properties and frets! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@deraldovieiraporto6671]

Toca esta jirigonca para a jente ouvir para de bate papo

[@stevesstrings5243]

Obrigado pela sugestão! Eu tinha acabado de construí-lo e ainda não tinha aprendido a tocá-lo!

[@KenTeel]

Does your high school band teacher know that you're doing this ?

[@stevesstrings5243]

LOL! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@iosiasaemilius2795]

lmao ur slide looks like from a wine bottle... .... ... ... or is it?

[@stevesstrings5243]

It is from a bottle of Sangria Senorial soda.

[@atbap7972]

Sounds like a far east instrument

[@stevesstrings5243]

It definitely sounds different! Thanks for watching and commenting!