Altoids Tin Guitar

I got this idea from the original Altoids Guitar posted by bumpus. When I set out to make my own Altoids Tin Guitar, I decided to make an Instructable out of it.

Enjoy!

Step 1 Tools and Parts Needed

Parts Needed:

(1) Empty Altoids Tin
(3) Rulers, paint stir sticks, or I used banister rail spacers
(3) Guitar Strings (I used the top 3)
(1) Old BIC pen
(1) Some plastic (credit cards work well)
(3) 3/16 x 2 Eye bolts
(3) washers
(6) bolts
(1) piezo
(1) 1/8 mono jack

Tools Needed:

Drill with various drill bits
Gorilla Glue
Hot Glue Gun
Multitool
Needlenose plyers
Small plyers

Comments

[jschnoor]

could I make it a bass? the strings would be hard on the whole thing, but would it still work?

[funyman1234potato]

Yess it would but you would need to put 2 pieces of felt over the piezo to keep the staticition fibre vibrations to ruin the amp. i did it and i made a violyn electric guitar DRUMS lol that was hard and steel drums

[TheJoshinator]

Old comment, I know, but if you want a bass consider using nylon weed-eater string. It'll be lower tension, thus less wear and tear, and the piezo will still pick it up because it senses mechanical vibration rather than magnetic field fluctuation like a normal pickup.

[beehard44]

If i would make one, i'd make it 4 holes and use bass strings
And maybe reinforce things a bit

[Aron313]

Im going to make one a learn how to play heartbreak station on it hehe! :P

[OfficerZawOoKoSCPD911]

Thanks for this instructable. I like it and I will give five stars.

[ididabarrelroll]

I lol'd

[404_Error]

does anyone know if this would work with nylon strings - does the piezo act as a pickup, or a microphone?

[mentalman]

The peizo will pick up any virbation That's the beauty of it. SO nylon should just make a different sound You may love it.

[kryptofacist]

Does it have to be a piezo, or will a small speaker also work? Do you use a piezo because the guitar is very high in pitch?

[mentalman]

The piezo is what what picks up the vibration in the box. it acts likt the pick-ups on a electric guitar But way cheaper. 8 buck o's at radio shack.
i built a two string I had to buy the piezo and the strings Everything else was in the house already.the fun is making it too. Then get a piece of pipe for your finger and play it like a slide and you'll love it. Serarch Diddley bow. and find out they are 1000's of years old.
Just DO it and enjoy making your own music.

[llcoolj4886]

hay can u make me one i will pay u ??????

[mentalman]

You can look up Diddley Bow on yoo toob and learn how simple they are to make.
i made one with all hand tools that everybody has around the house . and making it your way is half the fun. radio shack has the piezo unit for about $8 bucks.
you will need some sort of amplifyed to plug it into. but ya probably have that in your home music system.

[mentalman]

HEY that's cool You can Look up Diddley Bow on YooToob and see how they are made too TRY using a pipe with yours so you can slide it You will love the sounds and tune you can get I have been playing my 2 string stick for 6 mo.and still am no good but have a real blast.

[junkevin]

so how does the piezo work exactly? do the strings attach to it or what?

[bryandhispup]

it acts like a microphone. a piezo is a sort of speaker for alarm sounds, when wired this way it will work ( just as a speaker will when wired this way) like a mic.

[Jodex]

You could attach it to the tin or to the neck. It pretty much doesn't matter. Simply with trying is the easiest way to find out where's the best.

[Caboose98]

is wondering, is it ok if i somehow hooked up a small speaker, would that work too?

[bryandhispup]

yes it will act as a mic, the sound will be different from the piezo but you may like the tin-y sound it creates. kind of a steel guitar meets cigar box banjo sound...

[bryandhispup]

you may consider reenforcing the holes, as, eventually, they will pull thru from tuning.

[bryandhispup]

can you get a better pic of this step?

[heyitscorty7]

So can you put hot glue on the piezo?

[fatchumba667]

read the instructable and youll see, the last 2 lines

[ninjaoffigs]

So can I find one at radio shack?

[fatchumba667]

yeah most likely, also window alarms have them. i live in australia and i went to dick smith and picked one up for $15 with 2 piezos in it

[fatchumba667]

this is briliant! i got 2 piezos from a window alarm and made one of these, but with proper tuning pegs not hooks, and its fantastic! well done! and thank you!

[Icexist]

My 6-string version. http://icexist.blogspot.com/2010/12/altoids-guitar.html

[heyitscorty7]

Is it ok to put hot glue on the piezo?

[psphaxzor]

have you read the instructable?

[megajohn]

Can you(or if you can, how) put an electric guitar humbucker instead of the piezo?

[Ddv20]

Can you put in more than 3 strings?

[404_Error]

Im working on one right now that has 4, so yes.

[SasquatchKid]

Made an aqustic one

[Mr.Coolpants]

what if we dont have a hot glue gun??

[McGyver2]

Use Super Glue or find a way to Duck Tape it

[Charlie1337]

And its Duct tape

[Whales]

 Go buy one??

[supamunki]

well how do u get the strings to be attatched on the inside

[Whales]

 On one end of a guitar string they have a little"nub"(i'm not sure if they have a name..) that you use to fix it near the sound hole of a guitar you just open the altoids case and feed trough the end with no nub. the nub should catch on the little holes and not come through.

[KingJaymz]

I suppose you could also tie a knot on the end of a string if you have a chopped down one.  It'd probably take a two pair of pliers to get it tied, but you knot it good enough and it would substitute for the "nub."

Slainte