Homebrew instruments

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 10:51 pm

I love instruments made out of cheap materials, especially when they sound pretty cool. I used to use a lot of homebrew percussion stuff, for example on Fool In The Middle and Sunny Again. So this <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=c6cTbaBApM4">homemade cardboard box</a> brought a huge grin to my face, especially since I've been wanting an upright bass for some time.

I've also seen plenty of plans out there for cigar-case guitars (which were a staple of rock music in the 50s), and then there's always PVC dijeridoos and so on.

What other nifty homemade instruments have people come across? The cheaper the better, and the cooler-sounding the better.

Damien Verrett (Jonas) · Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:40 pm

I'm really fond of circuit bending toy keyboards. It's really easy to get a hang of it too.

http://www.anti-theory.com/soundart/circuitbend/ that has a good description and tutorial for circuit bending incase folks don't know what it is.

Also, that upright is insane. I feel like making something fairly complicated like that which I can use practically but that still has a novel feel. Does anyone know where I could find plans for something cool to make?

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:53 pm

Dan Reeder writes his own music and then builds his own instruments to perform and record it.

Of course, Lou Harrison took this to ridiculous and amazing heights.

Sober · Post by **Sober** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:23 pm

I've already drawn up plans and purchased the hardware/pickups to make a lap steel guitar on a skateboard deck.

What pickup configuration, you ask? The only good answer is: Telecaster.

On probably my first ever live-audio recording, I put a 58 inside my accordion case and beat on it. Sounded god-awful.

I have a good keyboard to circuit-bend (yamaha css-103), but to me circuit bending smacks of 'doing something just to be hip.' The keyboard sounds great as it is. If you're gonna do anything, run it through a stack.

Damien Verrett (Jonas) · Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:10 pm

I've already drawn up plans and purchased the hardware/pickups to make a lap steel guitar on a skateboard deck.

Crap, that sounds awesome.

Adnoisium · Post by **Adnoisium** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:04 pm

roymond wrote:Dan Reeder writes his own music and then builds his own instruments to perform and record it.

Of course, Lou Harrison took this to ridiculous and amazing heights.

You forgot <a href="http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/f ... tml">Harry Partch</a>.

I myself have made multiple instruments. Most of them canibalized from something then canibalized to make something else.

My longest lasting one was "The Boxey Lady": a cheap speaker modified into a microphone that was played with 40% percussion, 60% feedback. The name is a play on "Foxey Lady".

The only one that currently works is the only one without electronics. That being "The Kitchen Sink": Which is just what it sounds like a kitchen sink I found that I use as a drum. The name comes from both the obvious, as well as the joke "everything but the kitchen sink".

EDIT:

The Sober Irishman wrote:I've already drawn up plans and purchased the hardware/pickups to make a lap steel guitar on a skateboard deck.

There is a band that uses an <a href="http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om25425.html">electric guitar skateboard</a>. Though it's not a lap steel guitar as I understand it it's still also used as a skateboard.

Which brings up <a href="http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/">Odd Music</a>