I decide to do this project when i first saw people doing them in Africa just for something to play around with. i also saw you could buy them so went to see how much they were which came up to be about £150 to £300 plus as there pretty unique.

Now me being a poor apprentice engineer who had just finished school like a year ago i decided to make my own one and was able to at a 5th of the price.

Step 1: Collecting Parts

I built the guitar around a donor guitar which i got for free and a 1 gallon/ 5 litre oil can which i got from a mate i new at college.

The individual parts needed are stated bellow...

A 1 gallon oil can
A guitar neck with six machine heads - doesn't matter what kind, i choose a fender stratocaster copy so i could make it look like one.
50mm (2") square wooden block - this goes straight through the guitar which the neck and everthing else is screwed onto to prevent any bending and it coming out of tune.
25mm (1") thick wooden bored cut to fit can - this is what the can screws on to which is screwed onto the can.
insilation tap and foam - this will be used to insulate the can from the circuit
fender style bridge - I choose the standard series with a whammy bar attachment
3 pick ups
5 way fender switch - this is used to change between pick ups to make a variety of sounds without having to touch the amp.
3 potentiometers - these alter the voltage passing through which intern alters the sound made - i had one for volume and two for tone like a standard fender stat.
1 auto jack

1 2A473J capacitor
some wires - i used several different colors on mine to make it easier when it came to construction.

Step 2: The Can

I started by playing around with the oil can by cutting it out to suit an old scratch plate which i used as my template.

Step 3: The Wood Work

i now started playing with the inside of the can which i used some piece of wood which i had in the shed.

The board i wanted to fix the can to and also all the electrics with the bridge.

I then used a router to mill the boarded to slot everything into.

I then fixed the board to the wooden block which i then intern fixed the neck to using four heavy duty screws.

Step 4: Electrics

I then began working on the electronic of the guitar, unfortunately i haven't got many photos of this but i used the circuit diagram from another guitar which is off a genuine fender strat.

circuit diagram found on site bellow...

http://www.guitarheads.net/tech/wiringpu/images/wiringst.jpg

Step 5: First Assembly

Once i had got the main parts done i was able to assemble the guitat for the first time to get a feel, see if it worked and if it sounds ok which i was then able to disassemble it then paint it

Step 6: Finishing Toaches

I then painted the can with the classic red which fenders are known for then modified the scratch plate and added a scrap and a set of stings.

The guitar of course has its own unique theme with regards to sound with a kind of tiny affect which makes it great for western or rock and roll. but it does work well with other guitars in a group while turning a few heads in the process =D.

If you have any questions about or anything to do with it just leave a comment and il try and help the best i can.