The Incredible Guitar Builders at a Refugee Camp in Malawi

There's been many discussions about the best tools to use when making cigar box guitars, but this video is guaranteed to humble any builder.  Filmed in 2012, the video, Guitar Maker at Dzalaka Refugee Camp, Malawi shows refugees making great, playable guitars out of chunks of discarded wood and the most basic tools available.

Note how the builder makes a radiused fretboard with just a hand planer!  The frets look like they're nothing but electric fence wire.  And yet, they sound great, as evidenced by the soundtrack.

I don't know if the builders are still refugees, butthey do have a facebook page.

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Permalink Reply by Antony Moggridge on February 29, 2016 at 9:41am

This is totally inspiring to any would be guitar maker. It inspired me when I saw this a few years ago. The excuse of not having the right tools go out the window. The best tools you have are your hands and eyes. :-D

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