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You can turn a shovel into a playable electric slide instrument by adding a stable string path, a nut and bridge, a tuner, and a pickup. The clearest documented example is a one-string, fretless build; a separate two-string version uses different hardware and tuning. Neither is a standard blueprint: dimensions and parts must suit the shovel you use.
Choose a shovel-guitar layout
Decide how many strings you want and how you will hold the instrument before cutting or drilling. The documented builds show two distinct approaches:
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11| Feature | One-string build | Two-string tutorial |
|---|---|---|
| Strings and tuning | One string; tuning not stated by the builder. [Clagett’s build] | Two strings tuned E and B. [MrHardGuitar’s tutorial] |
| Nut and bridge | Homemade aluminum nut and grooved aluminum bridge. [Clagett’s build] | A door hinge as a nut or zero fret and an IKEA wall anchor as a bridge. [MrHardGuitar’s tutorial] |
| Playing position | Fretless, slide-style instrument; the cited account does not prescribe one holding position. [Clagett’s build] | Can be held with a strap like a regular guitar or placed on the lap like a lap steel, according to the creator. [MrHardGuitar’s tutorial] |
| Pickup and controls | Active EMG kit with volume and tone controls mounted on the shovel pan; the build account says the kit connected without soldering. [Clagett’s build] | A single pickup; control and wiring details are not stated in the tutorial. [MrHardGuitar’s tutorial] |
These are examples, not mix-and-match specifications. String count, playing position, the way the handle meets the pan, and pickup requirements all affect the layout. A one-string guitar is sometimes called a diddly bow, as Make: author Gareth Branwyn notes. [Make:]
Plan the build around your shovel
Inspect the handle, pan, and their connection before choosing parts. The handle becomes the playing surface and carries string tension; the pan provides a place for the bridge and, in the one-string example, the pickup and controls. Check whether the handle is firmly attached and whether the shovel shape gives you room for a clear route from tuner to nut, bridge, and string anchor.
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There is no universal cut-and-drill plan in the documented builds. They do not specify a complete scale length, string gauge, pickup model number, or full wiring diagram, so fit the measurements to your shovel and chosen components rather than copying an assumed standard.
Build a one-string version
The steps below follow the one-string electric shovel build by Bob Clagett. Treat them as a practical sequence, not a dimensioned engineering plan. His listed tools included a bandsaw, drill-driver, files, angle grinder, cutoff wheels, belt and orbital sanders, and a precision screwdriver kit; which tools you need depends on your materials and design. [Clagett’s build]
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- Check and secure the shovel. Choose a handle and pan that allow the intended layout. Clamp the shovel securely before cutting, sanding, or drilling, and inspect the handle-to-pan joint for movement.
- Flatten the playing surface. Clagett flattened the upper side of the wooden handle to make a fretboard-like surface and checked it with a level. When the handle flexed at its connection to the metal, he reinforced the joint with screws. Remove only as much wood as needed for a smooth, stable surface; do not assume the same amount of material can be removed from another handle.
- Lay out the string path before drilling. Mark the positions of the tuner, nut, bridge, and string route so the string will run in a straight, workable line. In Clagett’s layout, the tuner sits beyond the nut and the string approaches the nut from below, helping it bear down on the nut.
- Fit the nut and bridge. Clagett made an aluminum nut and a shaped aluminum bridge with a center groove. The separate two-string tutorial instead uses a hinge and a wall anchor, illustrating that hardware depends on the layout. Check string height and alignment together: Clagett warns that a nut groove cut too deeply can cause buzzing.
- Deburr holes and edges. File and smooth any metal the string or player might touch. Clagett warns that a sharp edge at the string-feed hole can cut a tensioned string.
- Install the pickup and controls. Mount the pickup in the pan and follow the instructions supplied with the pickup system you choose. Clagett mounted an active EMG kit with an audio jack and volume and tone controls; that kit was plug-connected in his build, but other systems may have different wiring requirements.
- Finish, string, and test gradually. Clagett finished the wood before stringing. Bring the string up to tension gradually while watching the handle joint, tuner, nut, bridge, and string path for movement or slipping. Stop and correct instability or string contact problems before playing.
Check playability and amplification
A working instrument depends on more than getting a string taut. Check that the string bears securely on the nut and bridge, stays aligned, and does not buzz against an overly deep nut groove. Confirm the handle remains firm against the pan as tension rises. Then connect the output jack to an amplifier and verify the pickup and controls according to their maker’s instructions.
Clagett reported that his build worked on the first try, but that is his result, not a guarantee for a different shovel or component combination. The two-string tutorial’s hinge-and-anchor arrangement is another documented option, not evidence that those parts will fit every shovel.
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What you need to adapt
- Measurements: Determine placement and string length from your shovel and selected tuner, nut, bridge, and string; the build accounts do not supply universal dimensions.
- String and tuning: Choose these for your layout. The two-string tutorial specifies E and B, while the one-string account does not state a tuning.
- Hardware: Use parts that keep the string aligned and supported. The aluminum pieces in one build and hinge and wall anchor in the other are examples, not required components.
- Electrical parts: Select a pickup and controls whose mounting and wiring suit your plan. The no-soldering detail applies to the active EMG kit used in Clagett’s build, not every pickup.
- Safety: Clamp the work, protect yourself when cutting or grinding, and remove sharp edges where hands or the tensioned string could contact them.
Because the instrument is fretless in the one-string example, it is designed for slide-style playing rather than fretted notes. The shovel’s shape may also support lap-style playing, as the two-string creator describes, but the best position depends on the instrument’s balance and your setup.
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