From Bo Diddley to Björk, musicians have often created their own homemade musical instruments. Such bespoke pieces of equipment may sometimes be bizarre, but they’ve helped artists realise the sounds in their head when nothing else on earth could.
Here we present 10 of the most iconic and interesting homemade musical instruments of all time. Let us know in the comments if there are any other favourites you like…
The Double Zither (Washington Phillips)
Blues and gospel singer Washington Phillips recorded 18 songs for Columbia Records between 1927 and 1929. In these sessions he used a complex instrument that he had made by reconfiguring two fretless zithers. In an article published in the Texas newspaper, in 1907, Phillips’ equipment was described as “homemade” and “the most unique musical instrument we ever saw. It is a box about 2 x 3 feet, 6 inches deep, [on] which he has strung violin strings, something on the