From a slab of concrete, Crafted Workshop founder Johnny Brooke has built himself a Stratocaster-style guitar that really rocks.
Last week, we told you about a guitar made from salt — and we really thought that was about as outlandish as the electric guitar could get. But we were wrong, so very wrong. When it comes to electric guitars, Johnny Brooke doesn’t believe that tonewood makes much of a difference. His philosophy boils down to “the pickups, the amp and, of course, the player.” And he’s proven just that by crafting the world’s first concrete guitar.
Johnny Brooke founded Crafted Workshop in 2016 to showcase his DIY projects that are published in free weekly how-to project videos on YouTube. From a Kayak Rack to a Shortage Shed, Brooke incorporates both style and function in slick products and makes it easy for the avid home artisan to follow. His concrete guitar is no different.
Brooke first envisioned the project almost a year ago while in California and it would become a labour of love. Brooke purchased a cheap guitar kit for a homemade Stratocaster to form the basis of the design. He used the body of the kit to make a silicon mould that he filled with concrete mix.
After a few days of curing, Brooke took the concrete body back to Nashville to sand down and align the drill holes for the electronics. A wax coat provided a glossy finish. He then used the neck that came with the kit, sanding down a headstock inspired by the classic Fender look and completing it with a lush oil coating. After attaching the neck, Brooke had to wait several hours for the epoxy mix to set at the join. He was then able to line up and install a simple bridge system.
For the electronics, Brooke used a preloaded pickguard from Mad Hatter Guitar Products known as The Terminator. It’s been used by guitarists like Steve Vai and features two medium wired neck and middle pickups with a humbucker for the bridge. The Aged White Pearloid pickguard also comes complete with a rapid-fire kill switch, for an extra shredding kick.
Weighing in at nearly 9 kilograms, Brooke installed some much-needed strap locks before plugging in. As you can see below, this concrete guitar really rocks!
