How do you make a guitar out of recycled/household items?
. asked:
I need to make a musical instrument for science class and I want to make a guitar. How would I do this?
I need to make a musical instrument for science class and I want to make a guitar. How would I do this?
Very carefully. misFit
Hi, First of all think about how a guitar is constructed. It is hollow. I think a card board box would work nicely. Outline on the box the shape you want the guita to be. Cut 2 of these pieces. Then, cut a long strip of cardboard about 3 and 1/2 to 4 inches wide and long enough to fit all the way around the 2 shaped pieces. If you have some old fabric, cut 2-3 inch pieces. Fold these pieces in half and paste, with a good strong glue, one half of the fabric strip to one shaped piece and then glue it on the cardboard strip that you cut to go around your shaped pieces. Do this on the top and on the bottom. While this is drying, Take more cardboard and form the neck of the ‘guitar’. You should make this hollow also. But it should not be very thick. You could actually take a piece of cardboard the length that you want and fold it over and glue the one side like you did on the base. You can form the end of the neck however you want to. After all is dry, to attach the neck to the base, decide where the neck will meet the base put the neck piece flush against the base and draw an outline where the neck meets the base. Cut it out with an exacto knife. By the way, be sure to make the neck about 2 inches longer than you want it. Now, take the end of the neck that will go into the base and cut slits about every inch so that you can fan the out. Cut the desired shape in one side of the base. Put the end of the neck in the hole that you cut for it to go into. Through the hole you cut in the base, reach in, make sure your edges of the neck are fanned out and glue that to the inside of the base. You can get plastic supports that you could buy at Walmart that are used to support shelves in say a bookcase. They look like the tuning pieces for a guitar. You could use floral wire for the strings. You would have to check online and find the proper way to string the wire. Glue the support pieces where they go on the guitar and then wrap the wire. You will need the piece to keep the strings separated but, cutting out a piece of a plastic milk jug will take care of that. Just make it the shape on a regular guitar. Now, you can fancy it up by using wood stain. If you want to decorate it with markers, you will have to do that first before you put the stain on. Take regular household caulk and carefully caulk you round edges and smooth in in with your finger. Make sure that the caulk you use is stainable and paintable. Also, make sure that you let everything dry completely before you go to another step. Use your imagination..have fun. JOSA Josa
This is interesting… Get a one or two gallon plastic bucket w/ lid, Cut three inch hole in middle of lid and this will be your acoustics sound hole. Get a 1×4x,what 3 ft…? “hardwood” for the neck/headstock/fret board and, with a hack saw, cut places for the frets which you can cut up heavy fishing line or toothpicks, or whatever you have for frets and at one end cut slots for the Saddle/bridge to string from, and at the headstock drill holes for the “golfball tee” tuner post with a small hole drilled in the tee to feed string through.
Take the lid off and screw it to the 1×4 and then put the lid back on bucket and you also may want to use different size fishing line for the string. Using a little more imagination you’ll be playing in no time. See the link below for the picture of guitar parts
Good luck
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