Parlor Gitarre

The “upcycling” guitar

An acoustic guitar project that I had in mind for a long time: The upcycling guitar!
For this parlor design I used the soundboard of a more than 100 year old piano (which was ready for scrap and was about to be thrown away) for the top and the braces. The back, sides and bridge were made from side parts from Biedermeyer beds that are about 150 years old. The mahogany neck was made from an old balcony door from the 80s. The fingerboard is made from a very old stock of rosewood that I was able to buy from VEB Musima when they closed the factory after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was actually intended for a 3/4 concert guitar, so just right for the short 630mm scale length of the Parlor. The neck joint is on the 12th fret, which allows the bridge to be moved more towards the center of the top, resulting in great attack, sustain, and great volume for such a small instrument. The bracing is designed as a traditional “X”, but all bars are scallopped, which leads to a powerful bass response. Even the old French cutlery rests for the nut and the bridge saddle were reused. The only new parts on this guitar are the bindings, the frets and tuners and the bridge pins.
In the end I would say: experiment succeeded! This guitar doesn’t need to shy away from the comparison with the same model made from the rarest and finest tropical woods.