What creative ideas can you use to make a string instrument out of recyclable materials?

Answer 1

Just about any material can be used as long as it can take the constant strain from the strings (most Guitars have something called a truss rod which keeps the neck from warping as much). The body has to also hold strain as it holds the strings with the same constant strain. If it is an electric stringed instrument then it can be of any material that meets the above rules. It would also have to have somewhere to place "pick-ups" to allow the sound to be heard.

Acoustic instruments are a little more picky as there needs to be a nice sustain and resonance from the material of the body and sound holes for which the sound will bounce around inside the body and amplify itself as it leaves these sound holes. Most violins and the same family using "f" holes are put in certain places which can be traced in size and location using the golden number of phi(1.618).

There's also distance from the bridge, position of the bridge with correct distance from the top nut and size of strings(thicker strings tend to be lower notes from thinner, material of strings must also come into thought). These measurements control the intonation of the strings, which is how in tune each string for each fret(if you are using frets). If these measurements are out by too much then the instrument will sound out of tune even if the open notes are in tune.