Instrument Contest

Make some noise for our 3rd ever Instrument Contest!

We want to see how you DIY your own musical instruments, noise generators, synths, MIDI controllers, etc!

Check out the amazing prizes below, feel the beat and share your creations to win big!

The Instrument Contest is closed.

Official Rules »All Contests »How to Write a Great Instructable »

Grand Prize

78 ENTRIES

Winners Finalists All Entries

Travel Guitar by Castorguy

Electric Nylon Guitar From Recycled Wood by saptarshifordesign

Penny Whistle From an Old Mop by molelogic

Bucket Bass by darrenroos

The Synthfonio - a Musical Instrument for Everyone by FrancoMolina

ElectrOcarina by Chokola

Air - True Mobile Air Guitar (Prototype) by MphatsoS1

Phono-Chronoxyle - a 360 Degree Synth by SoundCodes

DIY Boomwhacker by WillH94

Electro-Acoustic Trey by SoundCodes

Mrs NutShell, the Percussive Doll by SoundCodes

Twin Bass and Guitar From a Slab of Walnut by deluges

The Historical Tambourine by Exscaly

Build Your Own IR Sound, Voice Transmitter by romanursuhack

Make Music With Stepper Motors! by Whiteshadow11

Working Piano Necktie by BrownDogGadgets

Upcycled Bottle Hang Drum by Exscaly

MesoTune - Magnetic MIDI Controller by FabroLabs Technologies

Don't Untune My Guitar by HarshB32

Electric Melodica by rayo_viegas

*EDIBLE* Instruments!? by Angela11345

*Hand Carved* Sliding Whistle by Angela11345

WAR HORN - the Sound of Ancient Battle… FOR JUST $19.95! by eciton

DFPlayer Based Audio Sampler With Capacitive Sensors by Oficina de Sonido

MP3 Playing Sound FX Wall by BrownDogGadgets

Tubaphone on 3D Printed Frame by maremho creations

Have Tele, Will Travel! by Thomas Tenwalde

Coconut Leaf Whistle Instrument by ksashikumar

Battle of the Bands: Theremin, Organ, & APC Synthesizer! by mjdargen

Make a Cigar Box Fiddle and Bow! by AdventuresInJunkLand

Bass Saxophone Composite Case by Olivierbricole

Electric Upright Bass (EUB) by smam04

Soft Pneumatic Wind Instrument Key Concept by geklooi in de marge

Awesome Analog Synthesizer/Organ Using Only Discrete Components by JT_Makes_It

MiniMin - a Theremin Style Instrument From 6 Components by techno-womble

Hand Made Acoustic Guitar by Croft Customs

Arduino MIDI Foot Controller by Mark_McQ

Built in Ukulele LM386 Amplifier and Speaker by JimRD

Multipurpose Percussion Case by ecrouch

CNC Guitar Using Fusion 360 and a Shapeoko XL by KozyWhiskey

Cheap Pop Filter for Snowball by AndrewL5

Bent Wood Lamination Electric Guitar by XYZ Create

DIY Stick Dulcimer by 0312jlee

Make a Kazoo! by arnebrow

Tuna-Fish, the Ironing-Board Electric Guitar by ChoboTheRobot

3D Printed Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece by IanW73

Dorkwave: Glitchy A/V "Mixer" by mjdargen

Cardboard Cat Bagpipes MIDI Controller by caitlinsdad

Cajon (Ka-Hone) by john pedersen

Moog Style Synth by lonesoulsurfer

The Strings Theory by AngeloN4

Make an Awesome Electric Guitar With Common Tools by JT_Makes_It

Semi-Acoustic Electric Guitar From Scratch by Jackofalltrades_

Keytar Hero (Using a Wii Guitar Controller As a Synthesizer) by analogsketchbook

Talharpa / Jouhikko by Essort

A Tiny Bass Preamp and Effects Box: Black Ice, Electra Fuzz by Luigi Pizzolito

DIY Guitar Effect by Maciej_M

Printesizer - a 3D Printer Synthesizer by elifer5000

Single Plank Simple Dulcimer by Vulpestruments

Whistle Harp Instrument by Josiah Miller

Let's Build an SN76489 USB MIDI Synth With Arduino Nano by KobiT1

Building a Stave Snare Drum by JohnPthatsMe

Air Throb by dassinmn

String Musical Instrument by aigerimjyk

Make Homemade Piezo Christmas Songs by Smarttronics01

Noise~Rompler / Cicada ~ by etranqer

Simple Electric Violin by deliverydud

Arduino MIDI Rhythm Section Sequencer by baritonomarchetto

Midi Bass Pedal by RowanCant

Diddley Bow by hulkbuild

Standalone Electronic Drumkit From Wii Band Hero Kit by RowanCant

3D Printed Guitalele (6 String Ukulele) by olivergon

Easy to Make Pan Flute by MaxMan56

Upright Bass Made From Free (Reclaimed) Wood by timsway

Cigar Box Three String Guitar by deebee2u

Headless Bass From a Mac Mini by Jerryostone

Old Beat Up Guitar to Artistic Wall Piece - Comic Edition by Jedi_zombie85

Handmade Paul McCartney Hofner Inspired Stratocaster Guitar From Scratch by Paul_rich

20 PRIZES

Judges Prize - Best use of Fusion 360

For the best use of Fusion 360, one Judges Prize winners will receive:

Tascam Recorder
Instructables Mugs Prize Pack

Grand Prize (1)

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

iPadPro
Instructables Mugs Prize Pack

First Prize (3)

Three First Prize winners will receive:

Tascam Recorder
Instructables Mugs Prize Pack

Second Prize (5)

Five Second Prize winners will receive:

Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Instructables Mugs Prize Pack

Runner Up (10)

Ten Runner-up Prize winners will receive:

Stylophone Pocket Synth
Instructables Mugs Prize Pack

HOW IT WORKS

Write an Instructable

Create a new Instructable that fits the guidelines outlined in the contest description above. To be eligible, Instructables must be published between Dec 2, 2019 and Jan 27, 2020 (11:59pm PT).

Never published an Instructable?
Learn more about how it works.

Why Publish? »

Existing member, but don't have an eligible Instructable?

New Instructable »

Enter

Upon publishing your Instructable you'll see checkboxes for open contests. Select Instrument Contest. If you have entries currently eligible for entry, it will also show up by clicking "Enter this Contest" on the right side of this page.

Accepting

Entries are accepted by Instructables staff within one business day Monday - Friday. What matters is the submission time, not acceptance time.

Voting

Instructables members can vote for an entry during the contest plus 3 days after the contest closes.

Judging

A panel of judges made up of Instructables staff and respected members of the community rate the finalists. The averages of the ratings determine the winners.

Winners

When the winners are decided they will be announced here on the contest page. All entrants will be notified when this happens.