Not the usual thing to see on here but it certainly counts as a traditional craft! For the last couple of years I've been building homegrown instruments and I thought I'd share a few of my builds with you. Unfortunately the laptop which has the pictures of my latest builds is completely broken but I have a selection of my earlier builds to share.
I started building Native American flutes when I was about 16 so I have always enjoyed making instruments but had never considered building a stringed instrument as I automatically believed it to be too complicated a job. Turns out I was wrong. After learning how to play a cheap ukulele about 3 years ago I decided I wanted an 8 string, after looking and seeing the cheapest was around £300 I had a "how hard can it be moment"
I would like to mention that all of my instruments have been made by hand with absolutely no power tools used. I use a hand auger to drill holes and saws, spokeshaves, chisels, sandpaper and gallons of elbow grease to shape the one piece necks from a single block of wood.
It's incredibly rewarding and I recommend anybody give it a go. There are many many instruments out there that people have barely heard of because they aren't "mainstream" instruments like dulcimers and strumsticks are incredibly easy to learn and play as well as being easy to build.
This was my first ever build. A cigar box mandolin/ukulele hybrid. sapele neck and white ash fret board with 8mm shell casings for fret markers.
This is a 4 string long scale baritone guitar I made for a friend to use in his band. Probably the closest to a commercial instrument I have made. Sapele neck, fret markers are made with a pyrography pen.
http://api.ning.com/files/Lq-MVtloOMDfgOluELQhPDC9uZsuz8o73wgMP*MsOxYAnNnwVUE5n8ePw6SP3nAM6TIrZD0-0OiO238i-MVeXM*IWFDSiXTM/100_1362.JPG?width=737&height=552
http://api.ning.com/files/Lq-MVtloOMDgNqjwq-lmeqi3Mg73762RG2111YJ4p5Bg6iY9Qcqm9wt5Bk2sBiJHwh-FYvVI5ey*bhRGgmYVOfDwfVmRu4PC/100_1363.JPG?width=449&height=600
This is a ukulele I made as a present from a tin of turkish delight. An instrument like this can be made in a day or two
http://api.ning.com/files/-f9aSIzg7-KXy-tjNYSe*e5INuTDGdhp0E8-QCsqg2IMVO5ayo-cuzoL0sWZdpJWnTQkturHqrr9ZBqC*sUTdpeNkP6kr32u/100_1338.JPG?width=737&height=552
http://api.ning.com/files/-f9aSIzg7-KVByD0dwQchrBGyQnGDAXdcV4M5yKQgLEYKhY0hlJAuuvo33dsZUa1BJ7spmVhOZfc*j2kEyu*iSNqnx1j4eMt/100_1337.JPG?width=737&height=552
This last one is my favourite. Over two years old and I still play it daily. I made this for the price of the strings and machineheads. Everything else was recycled waste from my shed. Even the bridge is a lamb shank bone I saved from the dogs. THe resonator is a dog bowl, sound board is the top of an old stack cd player. The neck is a lump of idigbo and the fretboard is a white ash offcut. The whole thing is covered with decoupage as it was made from nasty rough cut pallet wood. Free and effective!
http://api.ning.com/files/JOi7zGa2fuzBVqFSzHcOjXv3wI5TH9DS*heECxr0RCILRmA7Fjrzz5Mh5sqtS6LRGn*si8hOY2r10aDa--syFKsF4Qm8aLUF/IMG_2159.JPG?width=737&height=552
http://api.ning.com/files/JOi7zGa2fuwHlXlPWs*RkXfGt-EwddlNJvfEvrx0iejAIUUJoWXLdCyjwW*d2xjU*CtoENW9zm4zu4lGyaaflVQSc2ZPLANQ/IMG_2162.JPG?width=737&height=552
Thanks for looking and if anybody wants to give it a try I can point you in the right direction.
I'm aiming to make a step by step tutorial on my blog in the near future as I will be making a lightweight sturdy travel ukulele to take on the Appalachian Trail with us next year.
I started building Native American flutes when I was about 16 so I have always enjoyed making instruments but had never considered building a stringed instrument as I automatically believed it to be too complicated a job. Turns out I was wrong. After learning how to play a cheap ukulele about 3 years ago I decided I wanted an 8 string, after looking and seeing the cheapest was around £300 I had a "how hard can it be moment"
I would like to mention that all of my instruments have been made by hand with absolutely no power tools used. I use a hand auger to drill holes and saws, spokeshaves, chisels, sandpaper and gallons of elbow grease to shape the one piece necks from a single block of wood.
It's incredibly rewarding and I recommend anybody give it a go. There are many many instruments out there that people have barely heard of because they aren't "mainstream" instruments like dulcimers and strumsticks are incredibly easy to learn and play as well as being easy to build.
This was my first ever build. A cigar box mandolin/ukulele hybrid. sapele neck and white ash fret board with 8mm shell casings for fret markers.
This is a 4 string long scale baritone guitar I made for a friend to use in his band. Probably the closest to a commercial instrument I have made. Sapele neck, fret markers are made with a pyrography pen.
http://api.ning.com/files/Lq-MVtloOMDfgOluELQhPDC9uZsuz8o73wgMP*MsOxYAnNnwVUE5n8ePw6SP3nAM6TIrZD0-0OiO238i-MVeXM*IWFDSiXTM/100_1362.JPG?width=737&height=552
http://api.ning.com/files/Lq-MVtloOMDgNqjwq-lmeqi3Mg73762RG2111YJ4p5Bg6iY9Qcqm9wt5Bk2sBiJHwh-FYvVI5ey*bhRGgmYVOfDwfVmRu4PC/100_1363.JPG?width=449&height=600
This is a ukulele I made as a present from a tin of turkish delight. An instrument like this can be made in a day or two
http://api.ning.com/files/-f9aSIzg7-KXy-tjNYSe*e5INuTDGdhp0E8-QCsqg2IMVO5ayo-cuzoL0sWZdpJWnTQkturHqrr9ZBqC*sUTdpeNkP6kr32u/100_1338.JPG?width=737&height=552
http://api.ning.com/files/-f9aSIzg7-KVByD0dwQchrBGyQnGDAXdcV4M5yKQgLEYKhY0hlJAuuvo33dsZUa1BJ7spmVhOZfc*j2kEyu*iSNqnx1j4eMt/100_1337.JPG?width=737&height=552
This last one is my favourite. Over two years old and I still play it daily. I made this for the price of the strings and machineheads. Everything else was recycled waste from my shed. Even the bridge is a lamb shank bone I saved from the dogs. THe resonator is a dog bowl, sound board is the top of an old stack cd player. The neck is a lump of idigbo and the fretboard is a white ash offcut. The whole thing is covered with decoupage as it was made from nasty rough cut pallet wood. Free and effective!
http://api.ning.com/files/JOi7zGa2fuzBVqFSzHcOjXv3wI5TH9DS*heECxr0RCILRmA7Fjrzz5Mh5sqtS6LRGn*si8hOY2r10aDa--syFKsF4Qm8aLUF/IMG_2159.JPG?width=737&height=552
http://api.ning.com/files/JOi7zGa2fuwHlXlPWs*RkXfGt-EwddlNJvfEvrx0iejAIUUJoWXLdCyjwW*d2xjU*CtoENW9zm4zu4lGyaaflVQSc2ZPLANQ/IMG_2162.JPG?width=737&height=552
Thanks for looking and if anybody wants to give it a try I can point you in the right direction.
I'm aiming to make a step by step tutorial on my blog in the near future as I will be making a lightweight sturdy travel ukulele to take on the Appalachian Trail with us next year.
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Legend
