How to Build Gourd Guitars
Gourds are hard-shelled members of the pumpkin family. They have acoustic qualities that make them ideal for use as bodies for homemade stringed instruments. You can make banjos and guitars from gourd shells. The main difference between them is that the guitar gourd shell is covered with wood, while the banjo gourd is covered with a drum head. Making a guitar from a gourd is inexpensive introduction to the art of lutherie. Your finished gourd guitar will be a one-of-a-kind instrument built to your spec.
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Things You'll Need
- Guitar eck blank
- Fretboard wood
- Radius-sanding block
- Slotting file
- Wire wool
- Glue brush
- Polyvinyl acetate
- 3 bench-clamps
- Plunge router
- Wood router bit
- Scrap wood
- Gourd shell
- Timber sheet, maximum 1/8-inch thick, preferably ebony, mahogany, maple or rosewood
- Wood saw
- Fret wire
- Nut
- Snub-nose nippers
- Jeweler’s hammer
- Metal file
- Bridge
- Tail piece
- Machine heads
- Screws
- Screwdriver
- Strings
Instructions
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1
Cut a piece of fretboard wood to a length equivalent to the neck, plus 4 inches. The extra length is for fretboard overlay, which helps secure the body to the neck.
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2
Sand the fretboard wood with a radius-sanding block. The sanding block is concave, which gives the fretboard the required convex radius top.
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3
Make 22 1/16-inch fret grooves. The required distance between the frets depends on the length of the fretboard and the amount of frets. Use a fret calculator to determine the right scale length for you.
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4
Scuff the top of the neck with wire wool and brush on a thin layer of polyvinyl acetate. Place the fretboard on top so tops are flush. Clamp for four hours.
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5
Measure the width and height of the neck, not including the fretboard. Route a neck pocket into the side of the gourd large enough for the neck to slot.
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6
Place the gourd shell face down on the timber sheet and draw around it with a pencil.
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7
Cut 1/8-inch around the edge of the outline with a wood saw. File down to the edge of the outline with a wood file. This is the top panel.
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8
Cut a 3-inch-long piece of scrap wood with equivalent height and width of the neck. Glue to the edge of the top panel. This is the neck block.
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9
Cut sound holes with a plunge-router. The position of the sound holes is a matter of personal preference.
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10
Brush a thin layer of polyvinyl acetate onto the rim of the gourd shell.
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11
Place the gourd shell face-down on the top panel so the neck block lines up with the neck pocket. Clamp in place for four hours.
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12
Cut a fret for every groove from the fret wire. The fret segments should 1/8-inch longer than the width of the fretboard. The extra length enables you to grip the fret as you lower it into the fret groove.
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13
Apply glue to the tang of the fret, lower it into the fret groove and drive it in with a jeweler’s hammer.
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14
Trim off the excess at each side with the nippers. File the fret down to the edge of the fretboard. File at a 45-degree angle to bevel the fret.
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15
Glue the bottom edge of the neck and the underside of the fretboard overlay, slide the neck into the neck pocket so it sits flush against the neck block and fit a clamp to the bottom of the gourd shell and fretboard overlay. Leave for four hours.
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16
Drill 1/16-inch holes in the center of the body for bridge and tailpiece.
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17
Screw on bridge, tailpiece and machines heads. The headstock will have pre-drilled mounting holes for machine heads.
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18
Fit strings and tune to your preference.
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Tips & Warnings
Finish the fretboard with nitrocellulose lacquer for a smooth finish.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
