Search Results for ‘musical instrument’

This is my Tongue Drum #3, made with 5/8" x 3-1/2" red oak sides and ends, and a 1" x 8-1/2" x 18" Honduras mahogany tongue board and 1/4" recessed 6mm Okoume bottom, removable with #6×3/4" RH wood screws. I've tapered the tongue board on the inside or bottom side from 1" at the perimeter to...

Progress on my project to develop an affordable, one-man shop, tap tuned, varnish finish, made-in-the-USA instrument by optimizing the entire construction process. This shows the first two prototypes. One is parallel braced and the other is transverse braced. Instead of traditional binding, the...

Most people know about 'Pipe Organs', but have you ever heard of a 'Plank Organ'? Me neither! A while back I made a number of 'Tongue Drums' for adult kids and grandkids. I kept two of them for myself because I find they're a great way to release stress. One has a cherry wood top, and the...

I told my grandson I would make him a ukulele as the guitar he was trying to learn was awfully big for him and somehow had a broken neck. I glued the neck up for him. Now I have to make 3 because the other grandkids need one also. This was a real learning experience. The back is made from...

Just before the Covid-19 crisis hit, I had decided to build a teardrop fiddle. I had previously acquired a cheap violin neck accidentally, (I thought I ordered a very cheap cello neck, but the description was misleading.) I doubt that I will ever get to a proper lutherie school for violin...

Two new ukuleles first is all Koa with rosewood fingerboard. The second is Koa top and bottom with rosewood sides and fingerboard.

Happy New Year Everyone !!! Will has just completed his third banjo from scratch .. It's for a little kid; a present from his grandmother because she knows he likes to watch Will play the banjo at the local farmer's market …. Treat 'em right, I say. Get a musical instrument in a kid's hands...

This idea came to me when I first started thinking about the guitar as an pop culture icon. Slide guitars and Ouija Boards both have an element of play and improvisation built into them. The Southern Gothic aesthetic of both also seemed to mesh very well conceptually. The table top has a glued...

Built from various scraps to test the principle, I can always build a fancy one later. Sides from birch ply, top and bottom from luaun salvaged from an old interior door that fell apart, the bridges are walnut scrap. Finished with four coats of wipe on varnish. The strings are 80# fishing line...

I mentioned that I was thinking of making this obscure musical instrument. I've actually been thinking about it for months. An erhu is a chinese instrument and sounds a bit like our western violin and is sometimes referred to as a chinese violin. Starting with a discarded bongo drum, I...

Finished at last! I built this 'something like a Gamba' on comission for a co-worker who admired the Box Cello [link] that I made for my wife. I had to create every part of the instrument except for the strings as no stock cello parts would fit. The neck is made from a laminated sandwich of...

aA2-string bass. The neck is out of beech… and that's the only wood used. knobs, jack-plug, piezo's, tuners, frets, pickup, wiring.. all in one stick! The body removable is a solid piece of beech.

Hello, it has been a long time since I shared a project. I was furloughed from work in early April due to COVID-19 and wanted a project to keep me occupied for the 2 months I was expecting to be off. I have built several bass guitars before using pre-made necks and decided that it was time to...

Hey everyone, Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I am just coming out of the fog of business. I have been building Z-stiks and now lap cajons. This is a custom drum for Walter Rodriguez who is a world renowned percussionist. Steve Wonder has a Z-stik in is studio right now recording...

This is my second guitar. It's designed to be a blues Fender copy. I heard somewhere that 2 makes somebody an official luthier. Anybody on the fence about making one, thinking they lack the skill or something, I would say get going, it's a rewarding project that gives back more than most...

So I decided to try my hands at a little music. I don't play currently but been having a bit of fun trying to teach myself with some books I picked up. This four string dulcimer is made with a walnut back and sound board. Cherry sides were added for a bit of contrast. The fretboard is walnut...

A while ago my wife mentioned that someday she would like to learn the cello. That set me to thinking until I realized that I could probably build something like a cello. The front and back are from poplar drawer which I planed to a thick ness of about 3/16 inch. The sides and top of the box...

This was one of my "bucket list" projects. Always wanted to build a guitar, but by the time I felt confident enough to give it a try, arthritis in my fingers made playing a regular guitar very difficult. Then I started experimenting by converting a cheap acoustic guitar to play "lap style" and...

This is my first mandolin - it took me three months in my spare time and I finished it last night - I was amazed at how good it sounds. The neck is Queensland maple, the back is padouk, the sides Tasmanian blackwood and the top is birdseye maple. I used traditional lutherie techniques and...

These just got out of the paint booth. the lighter one is Murtle wood and the darker one is Maple burl. Love the way they came out. My favorate so far is the Myrtle. If you wanted to hear what one of these sounds like you can go to "www.Z-stik.com and go to videos.