Hey everyone!
I don't post much on these forums, but I do lurk a bit. Enough to be inspired to build some of my own stuff. So I thought I'd share. :)
I just finished up a little video of me working on the construction of a couple of instruments. It was quite a journey! A CBG, an upright bass and drum. I played the harp, too, but that was store bought. I'm toying with the idea of actually making a harmonica, but they are so inexpensive it really is not worth the effort other than earning bragging rights. At the end of the video, you'll even see my first venture into the world of green screen.
I embedded the video on my homepage here but I have no idea if I did it correctly. So... Here's a like to YouTube:
Now the particulars...
The CBG was done as a resonator. I used a small candy tin that I scrounged from a guy at work. (It came complete with the candy.) The body was a "cigar box" from a craft store. The neck is poplar and the fingerboard walnut. I used a laser to etch where the frets should be. In principle is works fine but I would not use walnut again. The etching is not highly visible as there is no contrast in colors. Should I do that again, I would fill in the etching with something light colored. I hear clay was used way back when. The nut and bridge are cocobolo. It works for me but I think bone would be better.
The bass was a beast. I used 1/8" baltic birch for the body, poplar for the neck again but oak for the finger board. The contrast of the laser etching was much better on oak than walnut. Maple would like stand out dramatically. At first I used regular guitar tuning machines on the bass. That was dumb. I sheared off a tooth on one of the gears while tuning this puppy. I found a site where you could order individual bass tuners for around $5. Well worth it. I can get the link if anyone is interested.
The drum was not a good idea at all. I spent more in time than it would have cost me to just buy one. If you decide to made a drum or drum-like instrument, check your local music stores first for used equipment. It is likely you will find something reasonable that does the job with a whole lot less effort.
The harmonica, as I said, was store bought; Hohner MB Special 20, key of A.
Replies
Thanks for the compliments, everyone. Should I get ambitious enough, I might do a quick video just showing the different instruments with a few comments about their construction. As much as I would like to share I, as well as everyone, has this limiting factor called 'time'.
By the way, the building in the background doesn't exist. That was a little photoshop magic. :)
-Dave