Date: July 30, 2008
Time: 6:30-9pm
Location: Etsy Labs, 325 Gold Street 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Description:
The electric guitar is a sophisticated and highly evolved instrument. But, you can make your own out of a few bucks worth of junk and parts. Learn to wind your own guitar pickups and build them into a simple one- or two-string junk guitar with a surprisingly nice sound. Depending on your ambition and experience, you can make your junk guitar as simple or as sophisticated as you want, but everybody is guaranteed to go home with at least a fun twangy noisemaker.
(Note: Like any electric guitar, your junk guitar has to be plugged into a guitar amplifier to be audible. You can get guitar amps for $20 and up (for example, at Guitar Center); we may have some for sale at the workshop; you may also be able to plug your guitar directly into your home stereo or laptop to hear or record it).
Bring a nice sturdy wooden beam (1x2 or 2x2 is good, or a wooden broom handle) or a fairly straight stick (at least 1" diameter), 2-4 feet long, to use as the neck of your guitar. There will be amplifiers in class for trying out your guitar; we may have some little ones available for purchase in the class. All other supplies & tools will be provided.
Materials provided include:
-guitar strings (steel, not nylon) - available at most music stores
-magnet wire
-sewing machine bobbins
-a strong rare-earth magnet
-hardware: wood screws, eye hooks, L-brackets, etc.
-audio cable
-bamboo shish kebab skewers (optional) for making frets on your guitar
Absolutely no skills required except use of basic tools
(drill\/saw\/screwdriver). Basic soldering skills are helpful but not necessary. No guitar-building or playing experience is needed!
There are only 12 spaces available in total so sign up quickly!
Class fee is $50 + $10 materials fee.
This class will be led by Ranjit Bhatnagar, from Handmade Music Night. A word from Ranjit: "I've been making junk instruments since I was 4 years old strumming rubber bands and those springy doorstops. These days I teach courses in sound sculpture and performance with handmade instruments at Parsons School of Design in NYC. Last February, I set myself the challenge of making a new instrument each and every day, during which I came up with the simple electric guitar pickup we'll be making in the workshop. This workshop was previously presented at The Tank @ Collective Unconscious in NYC." <http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ranjit\/sets\/72157603837174045\/>
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***NOTE*** Please see our Profile to learn more about our class policies.
Have any questions?
Contact the shop owner.
