The Art of Cigar-Box Guitars
If you’re looking for Adrian “Ace” Kitson, you’ll likely find him in his garage, hunched over a dimly lit workbench, deep in concentration. A tuning peg in hand, he gently adjusts the strings of his latest creation until it sounds just right.
The Tasmanian musician-turned-guitar-maker has spent the better part of two years handcrafting a collection of cigar-box guitars made from Anzac biscuit tins and local timber. On one, a rifle cartridge functions as a whammy bar. On another, a gun belt is fastened in place of a guitar strap.
Once complete, Mr Kitson intends to sell the guitars and donate the proceeds to Open Arms, a mental health charity that offers military-focused counselling services for veterans. It is a project close to his heart.
“I’ve had friends who have served in the armed forces [as well as] family, my grandfather,” he said. “I feel very sorry for a lot of veterans who returned from overseas who suffer terribly from all sorts of mental illnesses.”
Mr Kitson knows firsthand the importance of veteran charities such as Open Arms. Thirty years earlier, an incident on a night out left Mr Kitson with a traumatic brain injury. He says he has had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ever since.
Mr Kitson said he was not able to access support when he needed it. “It kind of spurs me to do what I can to try to help,” he said.
Functional Instruments with a Unique Sound
Homemade guitars playable
As well as being novel, each of Mr Kitson’s creations is a functional instrument, although with a shorter neck and fewer strings than a standard guitar. When played acoustically, the guitars produce a banjo-like sound due to the tin body. A retrofitted piezo pick-up means it can be connected to an amplifier.
“You’ve got to be able to play them,” he said. “What’s the point of having them if you can’t grab it off the wall and say, ‘look what I can do’?”
While Mr Kitson’s goal is ultimately to raise money, he also hopes the guitars can bring joy to those who buy them. “When you pass them on to someone else and you see the joy in their face when they get it, that’s just priceless,” he said. “I love making people happy.”
A Special Guitar for a Local Hero
Guitar inspired by VC hero Teddy Sheean
There is one particularly special guitar that will not be for sale. Honoring local war hero, Edward ‘Teddy’ Sheean VC, the guitar will be donated to the Latrobe RSL sub-branch to be kept on display.
Sheean, who was born in Lower Barrington in Tasmania’s north-west and spent his childhood in Latrobe, held the rank of ordinary sailor in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. He was 18 when he died defending his ship from Japanese fire in 1942.
In 2020, he was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross after a long-running campaign by surviving family members.
“He means a lot to the local area,” Jason Bloom, secretary of the Latrobe RSL sub-branch, said. “We have erected a statue in his honour … the RSL has various mementos of him.”
In the four years he has been in his role as secretary, Mr Kitson’s guitar is the first physical donation he’s received. “They are awesome. He’s done a superb job on them guitars,” Mr Bloom said. “There’s a lot of time put into them and hopefully we can sell a few for him.”
