An Instagram post by Argentinian luthier Sergio Pierachini has gone viral after he (quite literally) turned a wooden pallet into an electric guitar . Here at Guitar World , we’ve seen guitars made from some wild alternative materials – from aluminum cans to Himalayan salt – but we've never seen a build quite as literal as this. Quite simply, it's a wooden shipping pallet with some playable additions.
A neck has been clamped onto the edge and a humbucker has been slotted below, transforming what might typically used for transporting pedals, amps and guitars into a piece of musical equipment itself. Some might say it can hold more than just a tune. Pierachini's caption, “Is it at least made of wood?” [translated from Spanish] is a cheeky one, with the instrument looking horrendously impractical to play as its maker wrestles with the sizable six-string.
Rather aptly, the pallet has six planks of wood running across its base. While it might not be as ergonomic as a Standberg, it incredibly doesn’t sound terrible. In the clip, it’s played through a clean amp and there’s certainly plenty of body to give it a resonant bass .
Its tone is quite palatable, actually, and throws a massive spanner into the tonewood debate. Jokes aside, it shows how simple the core ingredients are to turn anything into a guitar – if it has strings, a neck, and some basic electronics, you're good to go. So, it begs the question, what's next? Other out-there builds we've seen in recent year.