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“What an absolutely brilliant, beautiful piece of work! In the right
hands (or wrong, depending on your perspective) this book could
provide all the tools necessary to turn the homemade instruments
movement into a full-blown revolution!”
— pat mAcdonald (Purgatory Hill)
“Mike Orr shows you how to get back to music’s primal roots...
there’s nothing else that compares to playing a simple guitar
you built with your own hands.”
— Shane Speal,
Cigar Box Nation
“Travel back in time to where it all began. A cigar box, a broom
handle, three strings, two pickups and tuning pegs. Plug it in,
and the primitive meets the industrial age.”
— Lucy Tight and Wayne Waxing (Hymn for Her)
Click below to download a printable PDF containing
the patterns shown in this book.
Mike Orr
© 2011 by Michael Orr and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc.
Handmade Music Factory
is an original work, first published in 2011 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The
patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal
use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances.
Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.
Published and distributed in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., East Petersburg, PA.
ISBN 978-1-56523-559-5
eISBN 978-1-60765-068-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Orr, Michael, guitarist
Handmade music factory / Michael Orr.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-56523-559-5 (alk. paper)
1.
Musical instruments--Construction. 2.
Guitar--Construction. 3.
Washtub bass--Construction.
I. Title.
ML460.O77 2011
787’.19--dc23
2011014757
To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you,
call toll free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.
Acknowledgments
This book is dedicated to my good friend, Paul Scalia, who encouraged me to follow through with this project and
many other endeavors along the way that led to the book.
Brewing Co., Gary Bartlett, John Traynor, Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, Keith Stouffer, Chris Noble, Matthew Sim,
William E. Orr, Allen Maltman, Christopher Eldridge, Mike's Music of Harrisburg PA, Shane Bordner, Shane Speal,
HEXBELT, Mike Couch, Dann Ottemiller, Brendan McGowan, Neil Kreider, Butchy Sochorow, Toubab Krewe, Monkey
Lion Productions, Nathan Boose, Sandy Hollow Arts and Recreation for the Environment, Daniel Wilt, and Luther
Dickinson. I could not have done this without all of your help.
Thanks to Shane Speal of
for contributing awesome sidebars throughout the book
(see page 20, 23, 30, 37, 38, 43, 48, 78, 89, 94, 102, 110) as well as the gallery of 100% recycled instruments (10–17).
Thanks to Jen Statler, of Jennifer Statler Photography, for allowing use of the images on pages 5 and 92.
www.jstatlerphotography.photoreflect.com
Thanks to RJ Gibson and Todd V. Wolfson for allowing use of their Purgatory Hill images on page 101.
Thanks to Silver Pop Pop for use of the image of Hymn For Her on page 111.
Thanks to Tricia Perry for use of the image of Homemade Jamz Blues Band on page 117.
Thanks to Sarah Ann Staub for use of the images of Toubab Krewe on
