A BLACKBURN musician has turned craftsman with a new business turning cigar boxes into guitars.

Former The Burn guitarist Graham Rodgerson, known to music fans as Rod, said he was drawn to the ‘diddley bow’ instruments which are a part of blues music history.

The traditional one string instrument is said to be fundamental to the early blues movement, when musicians made guitars out of whatever was to hand.

Black Americans living in US southern states could not afford a ‘real’ instrument but created a whole new sound with the washtub bass, cigar box guitar, jugs, washboards, and harmonicas.

The unusual design and unique sound of cigar box guitars caught the imagination of Rod, once part of hit indie five-piece band The Burn from the Feniscowles and Livesey areas.

Rod said he initially got positive feedback from his handmade guitars on eBay and Facebook. Now the line of instruments is set to be sold in Blackburn town centre music store Reidy’s in Nab Lane.

Reidy’s is hoping the line of unique and hand made instruments will also take off on their web site and through their Amazon store.

Rod, 40, said: “It’s something I wanted to play and I made one after looking up how to do it in a book.

“I made some mistakes as you do, but I started to get the hang of it. Now it’s hard to let them go and sell them because each one has a completely unique sound. I have about ten that I have kept.”

Reidy’s MD Paul Nuttall said: “I know Rod from his days with The Burn and when I saw him play the cigar box guitar one day I was fascinated.”