Turn Your Old Guitar Into a Wall Hanging Speaker
Repurpose your guitar. She deserves a second chance!
Thanks to the amazing and innovative minds at Make Magazine, YOUHANGIT brings you the words of wisdom on how to turn your old, worn out or broken guitar into a wall mountable speaker. First, begin with a sweet guitar, who, God bless her soul, can no longer lull the crowds or your living room guests. Maybe you strummed a little too hard, maybe she lived a long, full life, or maybe you just pulled a Cobain and destroyed the neck. She'll never be the same again—but you don't have to put her down! Instead of tossing sweet Lucille into a dumpster or bonfire, toss her up on the wall instead using these sweet tips.
1. Saw to equal-sized holes into the front of the guitar: One directly over where the original sound hole is, and the other spaced below it toward the base of the guitar.
image courtesy of MAKEzine.com
2. Pick quality speakers: Since you're not going big, go bold. You can find quality six or eight inch speakers that will rock your den, office or living cave by purchasing them without any other form of housing. Better still, if you have an existing speaker set you're not using because of their busy or bulky housing, just remove the speakers and wiring from the frame and slap those hogs right into the newly made holes.
3. Drill your speakers in carefully: If you are not a guitar player and don't know about these instruments, you may also not know how easily you can scratch the finish or otherwise harm the beautiful woods these babies are crafted from. Drill slowly and deliberately, and use the smallest screws possible to handle the job.
4. Electrical wiring: With all the wiring pre-organized and working (yes, check before you install the speakers please, you don't want Bessy up on the wall at a silent retreat. Once you know everything is in working order, feed the wiring through the base of the guitar. Go for an extra long cord if you have a lot of ground to cover between where you plan to hang the guitar and the system you plan on plugging it into—the last thing you want is to get it well hung and then realize you have to move your entire entertainment center over two feet.
5. Hang that beaty up: Use a wire hanging system. Choose 45 to 60 pound braided picture frame wire, and affix it to the back of your new guitar speaker with eyelet screws. Be extremely careful not to screw the eyelets in too hard—you want the hold to be as firm as possible to withstand the combined weight of the speakers and the guitar.
6. Grab yourself a YOUHANGIT Designer Kit. Our secret ingredient for hanging wire framed pictures will work like a charm here as well. The Sexy Metal Hooks in the Designer Kit can withstand as much as 100 pounds, and by using two 50-pound Sexy Metal Hooks, you can rest assured your burned out sunburst won't do a dismount during a Slash solo (click here to view November Rain.)
You are now officially ready to re-rock your sweet baby. We want to hear from you—if you turn your old guitar into a speaker system, post to the YOUHANGIT Facebook page and we'll feature your pic or video!