Homemade Charango

Making your own instruments can be a fun hobby and an affordable way to obtain exotic instruments.

The "charango," a stringed instrument native to the highlands of South America and a fixture in traditional Andean music, is made by luthiers throughout the region. If you are not planning a vacation to Peru or Bolivia in the near future, however, you can make a charango at home with a few simple parts and a good deal of patience. While several variations of the charango exist and, like most folk instruments, the exact dimensions of the charango can vary from instrument to instrument, the "charango ronroco," a slightly larger version of the instrument that requires less precise tuning and measurement, is a popular choice for homemade versions of the instrument.

Things You'll Need

• 90-by-25 cm soft wood log
• 25-by-35 cm piece of plywood
• 10 guitar strings
• 2 5-key tuning heads
• 10-string guitar bridge
• Wood carving tool set (deep relief cutting blades or chisels)
• Wood saw
• Circular saw
• Wood glue
• Pencil
• Sandpaper
• Drill
• Wood varnish
• Brush
• Measuring tape

Instructions

Preparing the Wood

1. Remove any bark from the log by cutting off the edges with a saw.

2. Cut the log in half lengthwise, creating two semicircular cylinders 90 cm long, each with a diameter of 25 cm.

3. Allow the wood to dry for a few days in a dry, warm place. Do not expose the wood to direct sunlight.

Carving the Body

1. Prepare a template for the shape on your piece of plywood. Draw a 32 cm tall "figure 8" on the board. The lower section should be about 21 cm wide and 17 cm tall, while the upper circular section of the "8" shape should be about 18 cm wide and 15 cm tall, only slightly smaller than the lower circle. The narrow section where the two intersect should be about 16 cm wide.

2. Cut out the template with a saw.

3. Trace the shape onto the bottom of the flat portion of your half log.

4. Hollow the log out along the shape using carving tools. Unlike a guitar, the charango has a spherical body, so hollow out a half sphere about 13 cm deep inside the shape of each of the circular sections of your figure 8. The intersection of the "8" shape should also be carved down to join the two chambers.

5. Carve around the outside of the shape, leaving an 8 mm wall around the two half spheres and the body of the charango. If you feel the wood is too wet as you near the edges, allow it to dry for a few days until you can carve comfortably and not break the frame.

Carving the Neck

1. Carve out the shape of the neck from the remaining piece of log. The neck should be about 25 cm long from the top of the body, with an additional 20 cm of headstock over the neck, so begin by trimming the log to 45 cm over the body. Continue by carving out the shape of the neck, a rectangle from the top of the body to the beginning of the headstock about 6.5 cm wide and 2 cm deep. The neck piece should be carved out of the flat section of the log and attached to the body.

2. Carve out the headstock. The headstock should be about 20 cm long from the top of the neck and at a slight incline from the neck, tilting back and away from the flat section of the log. This piece is used for tuning and holding the strings in place, so it should be a solid piece, safely attached to the top of the neck.

3. Sand the neck and headstock to these precise measurements: The neck should gradually taper as it nears the top, starting at 6.2 cm wide and 2 cm deep and ending at 5.3 cm and 1.5 cm deep. Conversely, the headstock widens as you move up, starting at the measurements of the end of the neck and ending with the measurements of the beginning of the neck.

4. Prepare the headstock for the tuning keys. Using your tuning keys as a mold, carve two ovals near the ends of the headstock to create two openings and drill holes in the edge to accommodate the sticks in the tuning keys.

5. Sand the entire instrument, including the body. Make sure the body walls are at least 5 mm wide after sanding.

Assembly

1. Cut a circle 6 cm in diameter in the plywood top just below the center of the top section of the "8" shape. Sand the cut.

2. Glue the bridge 9.5 cm up from the bottom of your top, centered on the bottom section of the "8." Apply pressure and allow the glue to dry completely.

3. Glue the top to the body. Sand the edges, apply pressure and allow the glue to dry completely.

4. Cut frets in the neck of your guitar. Consult a diagram to find the exact spacing for charango frets (see Resource 3). Use the saw to make a slight cut at the appropriate distances and mark each fret. If you wish, you can glue sections of wire to the cut for more precise fingering, but you can use simple cuts in the wood as long as you apply more pressure while playing.

5. Glue the tuning keys to the headstock. Insert each tuning key into the hole, through the ovals and into the central board of the headstock. Apply pressure and allow the glue to dry completely.

Finising Touches

1. Varnish the charango wood to preserve the instrument. Apply a thin coat with a wide brush and allow the coat to dry before applying a second coat and allowing it to dry.

2. String the instrument. Tie each of your ten strings to the appropriate hole in the bridge and then move the string up to the headstock, tie it to the appropriate tuning key and tighten until you are satisfied with the sound.

3. Tune your charango and begin playing.

Tips & Warnings

• While you can make a charango by gluing together pieces of scrap wood, using a single piece will improve the sound and structure of the instrument.

• Given the charango's South American origin, much of the online information on the instrument, including building diagrams and music, is written in Spanish. If you do not speak Spanish, use a translator in your web browser, available in most updated versions, to read the information.

• If you feel the wood is close to chipping at any point during carving or sanding, set the wood aside and allow it to dry until you can carve it easily.

References

• Ronroco Charango Construction
• Charango Family

Resources

• Charango Luthier: Slideshow
• Guitar Building
• Guide to Fret Placement (Spanish)