How to Make a Rubber Band Guitar

Whether making this fun toy for yourself or for your kid, a homemade guitar is an easy and creative way to make a little music from household items.

Make the body

1. Make a large hole in the body of the guitar. The body can be made from a small cardboard box, a juice carton, or a similar cardboard object that's no longer needed. Cut it open using a utility knife or a craft saw. You might have to puncture the material first; if so, use a pencil, nail or other sharp object to get the hole started.
   
   
   • If you want to use a thick tin canister, simply remove the lid, as cutting a hole will not only be difficult, but also leave jagged and potentially harmful edges.
2. Make small holes in the body of the guitar through which to place the strings. In a straight line underneath the central hole you made in Step 1, pierce a hole for every guitar string. Repeat on the opposite side of the hole, making sure to space the holes the same way that you did on the first side so that each string runs straight across the central hole.
   
   
   • If using a thick tin canister, drill holes with an electric drill.
3. Paint the body of the guitar if desired. This is easiest to do before you’ve strung it, as paint will change the sound and elasticity of the rubber bands.
   
   

Attach the strings

1. Cut four dowels slightly longer than the distance between the outermost string holes. You will need two dowels for either side of the central hole; these can be made out of actual doweling, pencils, or scrap wood. Measure the distance from the far left string hole to the far right string hole, then cut the dowels accordingly.
   
   
   • If you’ve painted the body of the guitar, you may want to paint the dowels as well. For a more striking effect, paint them differently than the body of the guitar.
2. Cut the rubber bands open. Instead of looped rubber bands, you want rubber band strings; cut one loop open for each string you need.
   
   
3. Tie one end of each rubber string to one of the dowels. Make sure that all the knots are on the same side of the dowel. Don’t make the knots too close to the ends of the bands or the ends might slip through and untie the knots.
   
   
4. Place the knotted dowel into the body of the guitar and feed the rubber bands up through the string holes. The dowel will hold the rubber bands securely in place.
   
   
5. Stretch each string across the central guitar hole and into the corresponding string hole on the other side.
   
   
6. Place another dowel inside the body of the guitar and tie the loose string ends to it. Do this one string at a time for maximum accessibility. Be sure to make each string slightly looser than you would ideally like, as you will be tightening them later. If desired, make each string a different length to achieve different notes.
   
   
7. Glue the last two dowels to the front of either side of the central guitar hole beneath the strings. Place the first dowel underneath the middle of the strings, slide it to one end, and glue it in place to lift that end of the strings; repeat on the other side. When you’re done, the strings will not only be lifted off the face of the guitar, but also have a tighter sound.
   
   

Attach a neck (optional)

1. Find a long piece of material that will readily attach to the body of the guitar. For example, this may be a piece of wood, length of PVC pipe, or cardboard tube, depending on how sturdy you’d like the end result to be.
   
   
   • To make cardboard tubing more solid, use several tubes. Slice all but one of them down the middle lengthwise, insert them inside one another, and glue them together.
   • If using PVC pipe, try to find some with a threaded end. This will make it easier to attach to the body of the guitar (see Step 4).
2. Paint the neck if desired. Note that if the neck is a different material than the body, the painted result might not match (even if you use the same paint).
   
   
3. Cut a neck hole in the body of the guitar if necessary.
   
   
4. Attach the neck to the body of the guitar. The simplest way to do this is with a strong glue. If using PVC pipe, first screw a PVC ring onto the threaded end, then stick the threaded end through the hole you cut in Step 3, and then tightly screw another ring (or cap) onto the pipe, trapping the top wall of the guitar body between the two rings. Note that this will only work if the body of the guitar is a sturdy material and the hole is very snug.
   
   
5. Now you're done, go give your new guitar some strumming!
   
   

• Use six strings and tune them exactly like a guitar. You now have a working guitar model
• If your rubber bands are long enough, you can stretch them all the way up the neck.
• Make several guitars. Every one of them will sound different. Pick the one that makes the best melody and play it.
• Take some hollow cans (for drums), make another shoebox guitar with a much lower pitch (for a bass), call up friends, and form a homemade instrument band.

• Always keep the box away from your face, especially when tying the strings. You never know when the rubber band may break and hit you in the eye! Try to wear eye protection when possible.

• A small box (for example, cigar box, tin canister, plastic container)
• Appropriate cutting instrument (for example, utility knife, serrated blade, craft saw)
• Appropriate piercing instrument (for example, pencil, nail, drill)
• One rubber band for each string (there are six on a real guitar)
• Four dowels
• Long material for the neck (for example, wood, PVC pipe)
• Paint (optional)