Worland Guitars

Resonator Guitar.

 home  order  prices  models features  options  gallery  reviews  for sale



A vinyl LP resonator guitar

Built in June 2008

I collect old records and, while I love to listen to them, sometimes I get the urge to make strange things out of them. So I figured, why not make a guitar out of an LP?

Besides old records, I have a lot of old scrap lumber so I'll start with this crusty 2X12 I found in my garage.



Once the wood is sanded down it doesn't look too bad and the price is right!

 



It's hard to tell what this is but it's a circle cutting jig I made for my band saw. I need to cut out a circular shape for the LP and I will cut half the circle out of each half of the body.

 



Now you can see how each half of the body has a semi circle cut out. Here I am glueing the 2 halves together.

 

 



Next a pocket is routed out for the neck to set into. This plywood jig guides the router for the pocket.

 



You can see the neck pocket at the top of the body. Now the guitar shape is cut out and sanded smooth.

 



To decorate the top I cut out pieces of the album cover and glued them to the wood body. I chose the album "Guitar Shindig" because of it's fun colorful cover. I listened to the album which features the Living Guitars but it was a bit corny for my taste so I thought it would be better suited for a new life as a guitar.

 



The neck is made from a piece of poplar which I happened to have around. It's a good wood for a neck; strong, stable, carves easily and takes a finish well. For the peghead veneer I used a piece of a record which had a cool label but the music was really bad.



Here is the neck after it has been carved to shape.



Now for the resonator itself. One of the things I like to make out of old records are bowls. They make fun party gifts. To make a nicely shaped conical bowl I made this jig which holds the rim of the LP while the knob in the middle puts pressure on the center. The whole thing is placed in an oven and heated up until the vinyl becomes soft enough to deform. Once it cools the LP holds its shape. The miracle of plastic!

 



Now it's time for all of the pieces to come together. I am using a standard resonator tail piece. The bridge is ebony with a bone saddle. On the underside of the bridge is a dowel pin which locates the bridge in the center hole of the record.


The completed guitar in all it's glory. How does it sound? Like a thin guitar made out of plastic! Tuned to an open tuning and played slide blues style it actually has that nice cheap blues guitar sound. Anybody ready for a shindig?

Click on the photo for more detail pics.


Worland Guitars - 810 North First Street - Rockford, IL 61107 - 815.961.8854

Email:jim@worlandguitars.com

 home  order  prices  models features  options  gallery  reviews  for sale