Travel Guitar Made From Closet Doors & Pallet Wood

#HollowCoreDoorsAreTheNewPallet
Prototyping in real time! The goal is to make a small, yet playable, sustainable yet affordable acoustic travel guitar. Here's the first pass.
Tip Cup: Venmo: @TimSway or www.paypal.me/timsway
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www.thunderlaser.com
www.starbond.com
be good,
Tim

[@Nblades78]

Hey Tim - Great Call on the Tragically Hip tunes. RIP Gord.

[@timsway]

such a unique talent

[@spencermarcotte1494]

the tear drop shape is seriously so nice, I would 100 percent buy a production model of one of these.

[@timsway]

thanks!

[@inchodmoin4461]

Oh I'd definitely have to take a look if there was a mini bass version, perfect for quickly working out ideas without having to plug into an amp, as well as the portability

[@henrystewart3882]

this is super awesome! total travel guitar, could see it with a piezo and one volume knob being a perfect little sidewalk instrument

[@josephzummo9685]

Surprised at how loud it sounds. Bright and clear! I think that's the one!

[@samuelzetterman]

Looked like a lute body in the thumbnail but now all i can see is a guitar shaped like an egg and i love it.

[@grantkoeller8911]

The tear drop travel guitar is a great success!! How cool is that!!!!!

[@lloyd513]

I love this! It would be sick as like an octave mandolin, tenor guitar or other smaller sized acoustic instruments!

[@timsway]

I agree

[@shawnfunstuff]

Awesome. Between the car and the guitar, killing it.

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

5:23 .. I've made a few travel cigar box guitars with removable necks using threaded steel inserts. Works like a charm! 6:16 ... Ha! I do the same!

[@DanDjurdjevicplus]

As always, I’m blown away by your ingenuity.

[@sgsax]

It doesn't have the full sound of a dreadnaught acoustic, but still sounds pretty dang good and plenty loud. As a prototype, I think you hit it pretty nicely. Do I need to learn to play guitar now? 🤔 Thanks for sharing!

[@clintonthe4th245]

I bought a guitalele over the summer for $60, and it sounds great and is pretty. It does not satisfy the way that making a cigar box guitar does. I love to see doors go somewhere besides land fills! Kudos.

[@briand7381]

Love the Volvo Amazon!! And the guitar is sweet too!

[@clmrsmn]

I love the lute style shape of the body

[@pilummurialis6490]

Please do a travel bass like this next! Also would love to see new ways to make bolt on necks for the bass if the body is thin

[@cmdrerniepaul]

Nice! Seeing a couple ideas that I plan for my next build. Great to see them being shaped in video. Also liking the classic Volvo 122. I have a '59 544 in Dad's barn, waiting for the day I can get it back on the road.

[@jimbecker5675]

Great idea and actually sounds very nice. Definitely portable, too.

[@andrewvitale7128]

As usual you amaze me I have a small travel guitar that sounds exactly like that.. I paid $100.00 for mine and keep it by my couch.

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great video. Very cool design. Sounds great too. Travel guitar is always good to have. Mahalo for sharing! 😊🐒

[@MonsieurMaskedMan]

good looking travel acoustic guitar there, nice

[@jcomm120]

Thanks, love knowing how to approach this process!! Love the shape, would love to be a bigger one!!

[@michaelb.42112]

You sure have some nice machinery with the skills to own it ! Cutting the pencil in half is brilliant. You make it look so easy. I know it's not. That Volvo !!!

[@timsway]

I started with a circ saw and drill like everyone else. It took a while to build up the tool arsenal (and still learning how to use them!).

[@leandromol]

That sounds AMAZING!

[@spurioustransients]

Great idea, love it!

[@truskoysusaventuras]

That is one beautiful prototype Tim! I love the ideas you mentioned for future iterations of this body shape, I'll be looking forward to them!

[@brianbeavers9660]

LOVE IT!!! Kudos to you Tim. Stay the course on your quest!!!

[@marioguzman5269]

Excelente!! !! Gran trabajo!

[@OW79]

I love it! Great design!

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Incredible Tim!!! I will take your idea and build me one. I don’t have the CNC but it doesn’t matter. A short scale is just right for me! Love from NW Colorado. Thanxz

[@jamescopeland5358]

Great little guitar! Thx Tim

[@karabarkdull2929]

Cool car and Cool Guitar I can't wait to see what you come up with next

[@LukeTheJoker]

Love the old Volvo!

[@williamhart4896]

Sounds good enough to run around with in the gear and fool around with when your fingers are bored nice little protipe mini acuctic

[@timsway]

yeas, not gonna win any tone awards, but also not gonna worry about dropping it in the sand :)

[@bensimonmusic]

Love that piano key! Awesome build!!

[@rrrosecarbinela]

I really like it. Mandolins would work, too, though that's a lot of string tension on a neck

[@ViewtifulSam]

Great project, I can't wait to see a line of instruments in this vein! I've been doing quite a bit of travelling for work and now I'll be dreaming of a little guitar like this :)

[@ecalzo]

You always surprising me Tim .. Well done with less expensive materials .. thank you

[@Turigamot]

Looks fun! I like the *really-old*-school shape.

[@SuperWarMech]

I LOOOOVE this!! That looks like so much fun to just tote around to the beach or camping, I would love one like this!!

[@MangledGuitars]

Hey man, great idea! Looks cool

[@100spaminmypants]

Hey Tim! I really liked this project, great video. I hope you figure out great way to manufacture these in a cost effective manner, I'd love to own a guitar you've built. I've been watching your stuff for over 5 years now, and I've loved watching your channel (and yourself!) grow! I remember back when you never used anything CNC. I'm glad that's changed but even more glad your commitment to recycling and environmental consciousness has never wavered. I remember back in the day my favorite video was the 'Junkulele' you made with CD's. Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for being such a fantastic content creator, I hope to still be seeing you build guitars five years from now, with hopefully more than five times the subscribers!

[@timsway]

Wow, you are a longtime watcher! The junkulele didnt last too long, no surprises, but yes the cnc tech has totally helped me push my reclaimed mission and work to a higher level. Cheers

[@nadiapaiva8170]

I love it! I would love to see a mini bass version of this

[@guitfidle]

You could even do like an octave mandolin on that size body. I totally hear ya about trying to compete with the big guys. I have a Yamaha Guitalele which is roughly the same size (bigger body but shorter scale) it was only $99 new. What I really like about that one is that it is a really short scale, but they tuned up a fourth to A. So it's like a capo on the 5th fret. That's what I take camping, as it's cheaper than anything I could make, but surprisingly fun to play.

[@adammono1839]

Mini acoustic bass! Yes please

[@floydlay9189]

Brilliant!

[@AB-C1]

Love the guitar! Love the Car!! 👍😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@allenmitchell09]

It projects pretty louder than I thought it would.

[@rlmHooker]

Tim, another cool build! I believe you’re the man to create the first hollow core cabinet grand piano!

[@RynoDBones]

Reminds me of a little backpacker clone (I use that word very loosely in describing my junker) I picked up about seventeen years ago on eBay. Still one of my favorites, and it is made of some of the absolute cheapest material…..I love your build here. Definitely a keeper!

[@tonevertonguitars]

That's so cool, man!!

[@baoboumusic]

Looks very interesting! Great prototype!

[@timsway]

Thanks!

[@MannyJazzcats]

It's a beautiful thing.Such a good use for hollow core doors.Has anyone else even thought of a good use for them?

[@timsway]

naw, they're useless

[@dfbess]

Awesome guitar, Awesome car! Love them both!

[@huntliba]

Awesome little guitar!!! and goes very well with the car :D

[@DevinJuularValentine]

Very cool, I'm interested in how it develops !

[@jmmiller9]

I would definitely buy one of these! There are not many good simple travel guitars. I’m lazy so would prefer locking tuners, and they help with tuning stability, but I know that would add to the cost.

[@robertcaffrey6097]

This is very cool, and the sound is also great. Maximum kudos to its creator. Ps i love the use of the Black Key as a bridge a Rogue Note for sure.

[@marlawhite3682]

very cool!!!!

[@gustavgnoettgen]

It's beautiful! Btw if you're curious but less adventurous and you want a small instrument - I can recommend these small children guitars. The cheap wooden ones in toy aisles, I haven't played on plastic yet. Under 30 bucks in my area. You should, if possible, check if the fret's widths sound okay. You might have to work on bridge and saddle with a file. And you should use medium to soft strings. But it's worth the effort. I bought two of them (and destroyed both by using heavy gauge strings, stupid me). They sound nice, I can play notes and accords fast and intuitive without too much trouble with my thick fingers. They're about half the mensure length of a regular guitar.

[@davebauerart]

Really fun. With the almost full size neck it seems quite playable.

[@timsway]

my last attempts were 20" scales and just too small to make chords. at 23.5" my big hands can make chords but any smaller it gets tough.

[@Rowsdow3r]

You ever thought about doing something with Kevin from Krappy Guitars? He's into building instruments with just whatever wood he can get his hands one. I think you guys could do an interesting project together.

[@Jimjolnir]

Nice concept, and execution. I take an acoustic wherever I go and this would be perfect. Sounds a bit bright for my taste, but can't beat how compact it is. Sounds plenty loud, too. The build looked easy enough that I'm tempted to try and fix up, or fabricate my own design, out of the parts of an ovation style steel string which literally fell apart after years of abuse being carried through bushes, house parties, etc. Always hated the round back, anyway.

[@NKBobcat]

Nice!!!

[@danmacmillan5114]

My favorite part was seeing that beautiful 124 Volvo! Guitar sounds alright for a travel version. Curious what the nylon strings would sound like. Looked quick to make and that piano key was a nice touch.

[@timsway]

We're getting there. I put nylon strings on the traditional shaped mini guitars I made in earlier vids. They're not bad!

[@gianny9484]

Bravissimo 👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻💪🏻🥰

[@fossaestudio4580]

Awesome

[@theheresiarch3740]

Something I've been wanting to see forever is an actual 6 course travel lute, and this is so close to that. Have you ever thought about doing a lute version of this?

[@truskoysusaventuras]

You could look into the Spanish Lute! Way less fragile and more compact than a renaissance lute (Although I'm not sure if they will accept nylon / gut strings without modifying or replacing the tailpiece)

[@timsway]

Trusko, you're hired as my resident expert in the comments section! Evan, longterm goal is to have this available in a few configurations and scale lengths: mini bass, uke, maybe mando and lute? I plan to design the body to work with all these different necks (hence to floating bridge for scale adjustments) so potentially I could make a stack of bodies and even run custom one-off necks for them if needed...

[@rrrosecarbinela]

@@timsway This would also be a great way to reuse necks off broken guitars. One would still have to figure out a way to attach the neck. So you could sell the bodies without the holes drilled through for that, and the wannabe builder would have to do that bit of engineering.

[@DanielJAudette]

You could easily make it electric by adding one of your dumpster diver pickups. Just have to come up a way to add a volume nob and jack. I did a search for after market pickups for acoustic guitar that had a little arm that had the volume and it took a headphone jack to 1/4 jack for the amp

[@robinleebraun7739]

In August, I made a guitar very similar to this one. I used the body shape of a Taylor Baby, a bolt-on neck with a block, plywood underlayment for top and bottom and a 23 inch scale length with metal strings. Pure acoustic. A tenor guitar. I didn’t kerf the sides; I bent them with a heat gun and used a mold, then used kerfing to reinforce and provide gluing surface. The result was a 4 string version of what you have there with a more traditional mini-dreadnaught shape. The tone is deeper with much more bass. And I did use a 12” truss rod. I was afraid the steel strings would bend the neck over time. Yours is beautiful and simple.

[@timsway]

I've made a couple dreadnought like things - it's a lot of work but obviously a much better instrument. The idea here is to make something super affordable.

[@derkbergman]

Awesome little instrument you made there! But I got to say, I loved the music in the background even more. I love it when I hear The Tragically Hip in a place where I don't expect it!

[@timsway]

LOL good ear. My buddies and I went to Montreal when we were 18 (in 1991) to drink legally in bars and I bought "Road Apples" from a cassette kiosk at a truck stop for the drive home. Great band I was in to for years and forgot about until recently.

[@easy4do]

Good jobs.

[@warmfuzz]

I like nearly every thing about it, the twangy, fun, little sounds and I love it :) (a piezo pickup might be cool to get some volume out of it)

[@warmfuzz]

also all of your guitars are so fluid and smooth I feel a slight logo redesign in in need

[@timsway]

yea, I never thought of that. the sharp angles on the arrow don't really fit my designs.

[@zhiracs]

It's me again. Honestly I hope that the future of the acoustic guitar goes in a direction like yours--straightforward and uncomplicated. The bolt-on neck is super neat and the lute shape is really all you need. If anything, I would make it a bit bigger to try and get some more bass out of it, but not to the point where it won't fit those mini bags I guess. Have you ever tried a V-shaped bracing pattern? Taylor Guitars makes this a big selling point and I can vouch for the volume improvement personally. Taylors can get LOUD. I played a 414 today that drowned out the amp it was plugged into. If volume is a concern with your mini guitars and they wind up needing to be braced, maybe it's worth a shot?

[@timsway]

I honestly don't think I even need bracing at this size. I may make the butt of it a little wider, but I really am aiming for size portability more than tonal quality. It's not designed for the gig or recording studio, but the beach or plane. I am however, taking it to a studio very soon. stay tuned!

[@pileofstuff]

I like that shape better than the Martin canoe paddle.

[@timsway]

This is a more classic canoe paddle shape :)

[@novaadventure972]

Beautiful Car!

[@mr.tryitall935]

Nice job, Tim! If you need a beta tester (who would purchase a prototype) let’s talk!

[@johanneswerner1140]

I actually built a fiddle (well, three so far) with roughly the same body style! So this works for lots of stuff. Is it refined? Authentic? Nah. Fun to build, fun to play! Change from Tim's version: the neck and neck block are a single part, the bass bar and... foot block? are then attached to the head block. This fixes the length of the instrument. Then the sides are attached and just bend themselves to shape (more or less). Then add the purvling? sand flush, glue on top and bottom. They are nice asymmetric, some are really (a bit) oddly shaped.

[@timsway]

I'd love to see them

[@Kevin.odonnell]

Martin backpacker. But, it would probably benefit from ladder bracing rather than x bracing since the surface area of the sound board is so small. I’m also imagining how funny a hollow core door tournavoz would be

[@timsway]

That's a really good idea. I hadn't even thought about those. I was thinking it might not need bracing at all honestly. the door skins are kinda thick to begin with for guitar tops at .125" thick and the unsupported surface is so small...

[@daytonebass]

Nice guitar, amazing Volvo Amazon!

[@Nomortem]

I'd imagine with nylon strings this would sound an awful lot like a lute, to my ear it already sorta does, a bit pluckier than a full acoustic. Super cool design!

[@cradd00]

Great idea Tim! My only concern is the lack of a truss rod over time. Your guitar building skills have come a long way, you’re making it look easy!

[@timsway]

mine too! lol. I have pretty light strings on there and so far so good. Ball end nylon strings are an option, too. I use those a lot on these types of things.

[@sapelesteve]

Well done Tim! I love the idea. Since it's a small instrument, I would recommend making the top and back out of a wood that has more vibratory tonality to it, i.e., Spruce, Rosewood or Mahogany. Also, I would make the bracing smaller & fool around with the placement pattern. Again, to increase wood vibration and for better sound. You can purchase those woods in bulk from a number of sites to cut down significantly on cost. Just my 2 cents.

[@timsway]

Yea, but then it's not made of closet doors!

[@bucket303]

I think maybe adding a 'slipper foot' type neck block/tail block might help the renforce the top and back. Other than that though, it looks awesome! I'd love to see how the neck fares without a truss rod!

[@timsway]

it's been a few months now and it's still doing great

[@tonylalama3803]

That is really cool Tim. How about a mini banjo?

[@KnifeCrazzzzy]

Well I think this is brilliant, and the world would be a better place for it. I think there is a market as the small affordable travel guitar market is severely lacking. If the price is right I’d definitely buy one in a heartbeat, it would have a permanent home in my vehicle as a travel companion.

[@timsway]

cheers. It's been 6 months since I made this and it's still playable with the no truss, etc., but design needs improvement. Trying to find time to get back to it.

[@MajorUpgrade]

WHOA! Your brain always challenges me, man. I love this little Lutar? I hope you sell a bunch of these. Hope you and your family are doing well.

[@timsway]

Thanks man. Gotta beat the snot outta this one for a while to make sure they're worth selling.

[@Packbat]

It looks nice! Defining the shape of the body by the natural curve of the side wall material is a great idea - it looks pretty (reminds me of mandolins and the like!) and is very easy for you to do. I remember watching a collab video with Rob Scallon and Brendan Acker about the history of the guitar, and one of them had a neck where the angle was adjustable with a screw - might affect the sound but might be cheaper than a truss rod? I don't know how that works but it'd serve a similar role to the truss rod, I think.

[@timsway]

the neck angle screw is a cool feature I've seen, but it doesn't really help fight bowing in the middle of the neck, just "cheats" it to be more playable if that happens. So far this is holding up fine. I think if I laminate a dense wood cross-grain center to the neck that would help, too.

[@SethKotta]

Teardrop shape completely sells it.

[@timsway]

and it doubles as a canoe paddle!

[@SethKotta]

@@timsway lol! For real, though. I think this would be especially great for people at Renaissance Faires and some such who wanna dress up as minstrels but don't want to spend the money on (or learn to play) an actual lute.

[@ashjefferson5808]

Reminds me a lot of an Irish bouzouki

[@DrewKane]

Sick car!

[@grifter77]

I love it! The guitar looks and sounds great! I made a headless, no-truss-rod, solid-body travel guitar for practicing on the road. I slightly shortened the scale to reduce the tension on the neck and also make it extra-portable. It seems to be holding up okay, so far. It is nowhere near as nice as what you have produced here, but I'm a terrible guitarist, so no matter ;-)

[@marcusfridh8489]

I love the design, but i would prefer traditional ancorpoints for the strings, for easier access

[@glaucoomago3813]

I just think the body should be bigger so it has more deep sound. But the body remembers the shape of a lute what is just awesome, i love this shape.

[@timsway]

I might make a tiny bit bigger and deeper. to see if I can get a little more volume from it

[@annie4971]

Love it 💃🎶💃🎶🇦🇺

[@peteytwofinger]

Volvo, Latin for “I roll” - sweet ride , dawg .

[@knedy]

Yeah love those old Volvos, my dream car is a P1800S

[@timsway]

Over the years I've had countless 240 wagons, but I also had a 1970 164S, a 1971 1800e and a unicorn 1973 1800es. While the 240 wagon is the best, most practical vehicle ever made, the ES was my dream car as I could roll in to gigs with my double bass back there, the neck almost touching the shifter. I sold it when I needed a truck and have been Volvo-less since. This is my first 122 (they always got away in the past) and the rust-free body was just too good to pass up. It runs like a champ but I am hoping to do a full electric conversion some day...

[@erndog64]

Nice!!!! Can I have one? Pretty please with sugar on top? Just kidding..but seriously one of the nicest travel guitars I've seen!

[@gregholmberg2]

It's natural, given its size, that it's missing low frequencies. You can compensate for this a bit by 1. making the top thinner, lighter/less bracing, using a top wood with a better stiffness/weight ratio (a Spruce, Basswood, Sugar Pine, Eastern White Pine), and 2. making the sound hole smaller (lowers the Helmholtz frequency, which is the lowest of the natural resonances of an acoustic guitar).

[@timsway]

Right. The door skins are thick. I want to keep using those but I'll probably not need the bracing. Smaller sound hole is a good idea too.

[@mattliebenau9083]

Nice Volvo. The guitar is cool to. Maybe the rubber uke bass strings for a bass version?

[@timsway]

yes!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I think it would sound cool w/ Thomastik KF110 Flatwounds

[@carterevanroust]

Lovely! Kinda looks like an oud.