Headstock
Neck
Wires
projects
—
and don’t forget to make your own amp by
upcycling an old tape deck (page 112).
Along the way, you’ll discover lots of interesting
music tidbits, scattered on the bottoms of the pages and
throughout as sidebars. Keep your eye out for photos of
professional musicians jamming on their own handmade
instruments, info about other simple instruments you can
cobble together, and who knows what else? The King of
the Cigar Box Guitar, Shane Speal, chips in periodically
with fascinating historical information and other rubber-
meets-the-road experiences with the instruments. Don’t
forget to flip through the amazing galleries of handmade
music instruments near the front (page 10) and the
back (page 118)
—
there’s plenty of inspiration to get you
going! Before you dive in, take a moment to familiarize
yourself with the Anatomy of a Guitar, below
—
it’ll help
you keep your bearings when you get into the thick of
building. Let’s get started
—
and remember, there are
no rules! Build it ’til you like it.
11
Introduction
You may not have realized it, but there is a revolution
unfolding right now in the world of music. For many years,
it seemed that music was a thing to be purchased
—
a thing
that came in shiny packages, ensconced in CD sleeves
and mass-produced guitar cases. Music was something
other people did, or something you created on instruments
strangers made. The revolution happening right now is
taking music off its pedestal and making it accessible to
everyone and anyone who is willing to spend a little time
with their hands, simple tools, and approachable materials.
No longer must you go out to a store to buy your music
makers
—
you can create them right in your own home.
This innovative movement grows in numbers every day,
as people across the world
—
hobbyists and professional
musicians alike
—
reconsider their conceptions about music
and embark into the world of handmade instruments.
Amazing work is happening, as you’ll see when you flip
through the following pages
—
each instrument you’ll see
in this introduction was created for the MacGyver building
contest on
, where the sole rule
was that only 100% recycled materials could be used.
Handmade music builders are creative and ingenious.
They know that just because standard factory-made guitars
have six strings doesn’t mean their guitar can’t have three,
or four, or seven. Instruments can be crafted from old cigar
boxes, cookie tins, bedpans, and whatever else you can
think of. While today’s subversive music makers are blazing
a new trail forward, they’re also hearkening back to their
roots. Before it was common for the average person to be
able to afford a manufactured guitar, musicians built their
own creations, scraping together whatever they could find
to squeeze a note out of. Many famous blues musicians
got their starts stretching a screen door wire between
two nails hammered into the side of a barn, or on a guitar
fashioned from a cigar box and a broomstick handle. So,
as you wade into this world of handmade music, remember
that all you need is your imagination and whatever scraps
you can find
—
there’s no place here for expensive lutherie
tools and hi-tech tuning equipment. Don’t be afraid to
upcycle, recycle,
