Make: Kit Reviews

Turn anything into a drum set with your Arduino and this simple kit. Some makers build custom drum sets from fine hardwoods, while others take the easy route and make practice sets from mouse pads and sheet metal. Instead of building my own, I used the included piezo elements to trick out my Rock Band […]

Musical Instruments: Arduino, drums, music, musical instruments

In an alternate Old West universe, folks played synthesizers, and they called ‘em “Phantastrons.” Incorporating tubes, steel panels, and a branded wooden crate ripe for customization, this is one unusual synth kit. The power supply comes mostly assembled, but the 30s-era “turret board” is a challenge for seasoned solderers. Not your standard volt-per-octave functionality; this oscillator […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, synthesizer

As a newbie to synthesizers and most electronics, I found the Drone Lab V2 a rewarding kit to construct. This analog drone synthesizer is made up of four oscillators, each with tuning and volume control, that get mixed together and run through various effects. You can also run another synth, noisemaker, guitar, or whatever straight […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, synthesizer

Bzzzzrrrreeeeepeh-khkhkhhhhhhhk! Build your own Noise Toy with this kit from electronic noise group the Loud Objects. Plug in your headphones and glitch out, or jack into an amp and play it as an instrument. These kits come complete with a custom-printed circuit board, a noise generating microchip programmed with the firmware Loud Objects uses for […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, noise-maker

Looking to get some clean preamp boost out of your guitar, and love the tone that vintage tubes offer? Check out The Persuader pedal from Mod Kits DIY. The Persuader can take the tone of your guitar from nice and clean to that warm, smooth tube overdrive. Easy to construct with the solid instructions, this […]

Musical Instruments: effects pedal, guitar, music, musical instruments

Aspiring luthiers will find this a satisfying first project, with its pre-assembled mahogany body and ready-to-attach neck; you’re left with the satisfying jobs of final assembly and finishing. The woods are nice despite the low price — the plywood fretboard being the only weak piece — and if you build it as instructed, you’ll end […]

Musical Instruments: music, musical instruments, Ukulele