Making Instruments | Page 4 | Squat the Planet

Making Instruments

nuckfumbertheory

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5 pc carry drum i built for marching. it straps to the pack frame with an old bike tire and some webbing. 5 gal 4 gal 1 gal buckets 1 large tin can and one plastic plumbing piece.

used old foam board signs for pads on the drums.
 
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wildboy860

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5 pc carry drum i built for marching. it straps to the pack frame with an old bike tire and some webbing. 5 gal 4 gal 1 gal buckets 1 large tin can and one plastic plumbing piece.

used old foam board signs for pads on the drums.
thats fuckin sick!!!! im a huge fan of trash drumming. when im on the road i incorperate trash drum sets with my washboard setup that has a woodblock and cowbel and finger cymbal and a huge soup can on it.
 

BCstranger

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Yeah definitely do. I tried to make a neck for a cigar box guitar, but it ended up bending when I strung it up because there wasn't enough strength. Then the headstock snapped off and it was all over. Needs some sort of truss rod or something to give it the needed support.
the neck warped when i tightened up the strings on the cigar box guitar i made. deffinitely need soem stability in that neck. need viagra GOT WOOD?
 

outskirts

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I grew up having parents who were folk musicians so I remember lots of traditional DIY folk instruments their band used to
toy around with. Wash tub bass, wash board, spoons, bones, or a jug to blow into. You can even make Mountain Dulcimers out
of cardboard, I know a guy who has been playing one for over 20 years, it has 10 penny nails for frets and the pine finger board
is worn down but damn can he play that thing. My brother could play a mean wash board way back in the day, all that kid
needed was some thimbles and look out.
Maybe I'll find some youtube links in case no one knows any of these instruments?
 

Moldy Dixie

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Im making a cigar box mando, ive already got the neck (from a trashed ancient banjolin i found) on it, any pointers on where the best place to put the soundhole(s) is?
 

Tetsuden

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I'm currently getting stuff together to make a headbasher, not sure if it's going to be a guitar or banjo or some other stringed instrument, but it'll be rugged regardless
 
A

AlwaysLost

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Now this may offend,but there is a way to get a set of ivory plates for the neck if you want the smoothest fingerboard after sanding ever.Keep an eye out for dumpstered pianos.Folks regularly put them out in this area,and if you get to them before the rain,look at the ends of the keyboard cover.See the giant screws?Take em out,and the whole leyboard is exposed.The ivory faces on the keys can be taken off with a small saw(I use one of the little 6" plumbers tubing saws,with the fine tooth metalworking blade).Scrape the backs and the face of the neck,apply contact cement to both faces,wait 20 min,and clamp in position.After about 4 hours,take your saw and trim the edges,and lightly sand the top.You can also make gages out of the keys(soak overnight in dilute phosporic acid,Cocacola works well,bend,clamp,wash in cold clean water and let dry),carve the ebony keys if they are real,and sell the leftover ivory to craftsfolks for doing scrimshaw or minature paintings on ivory.If you have a set of boltcutters,the wire strings are a thin steel strand wraped in bronze wire on most,and bring a good price at the scrapyard(usually about 40 POUNDS of scrap,but be careful,they pop when you cut them!).

Why would it be offensive to reuse old ivory? The elephant already got shot for his tusk. At least you are making something beautiful out of it. Shooting a new elephant that would be bastardly.
 

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