John and Yoko notwithstanding, rock couples — Buckingham and Nicks, Johnny and June, Meg and Jack — tend to make great music.
Here’s a couple that makes something great for you to play that music through.
They’re called BoyGirlDuo, and their first product is a cigar box that’s been converted into a speaker.
Linley hunts down vintage boxes at flea markets and garage sales.
Her fiancé, James, does all the soldering, drilling and mechanical work in their garage in Leucadia.
Then Linley sells them on Etsy and at local shops like Seaweed and Gravel, a surfer’s closet of a store in Encinitas.
James is an electrical engineer. He started building guitars, pedals and speakers while at Cal Poly, and started implementing that know-how into recycled materials a few years back.
“I really love the look and feel of old cigar boxes,” he says. “The wood resonates really well, giving the speakers a nice sound, and each type of box sounds a little different.”
Each classic box contains a three-watt class-D amplifier and full-range speaker driver. They’re powered by four AA batteries (about six hours of play) and even boast a Bluetooth option.
As for volume?
They’re loud enough to piss off the neighbors.
Nota bene: James still makes custom guitars should you be in the market for a new axe.
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