Here's how it starts.

You're in IKEA with your significant other, looking for an inexpensive, yet stylish, lamp/floor rug/sofa.

Somewhere between the VRETA sofas and the ÅRSTID lamps, though, you find yourself wondering if the JERKER table is going to hold your nearfield monitors.

Here are a few examples of where this can lead.....

Five Epic IKEA Music Hacks

The IKEA Butcher Block Guitar

Zachary Guitars created this boutique electric guitar from a SPÅR butcher block. 

Why?

Luthier Alex Csiky explains:

This cutting board was just the right size I needed. The thickness is thinner than a traditional Telecaster, which is normally 1.75". This chopping block is only 40mm thick,  exactly what Leo Fender used for his first Pine prototypes. Isn't that cool and what a coincidence? You bet I got excited on my trip to Ikea. While the tinkerer gets the most expensive fancy wood, I got my cutting board. If this bothers you then you will have to immediately get some solace from the Circle Jerk groups (guitar forums) of your choice.

The IKEA Bass Trap

These IKEA bass traps were created using Ikea Kilby bookshelf, filled with a double layer of 4" mineral rock wool.

Explains creator Sergioplanet:

I use these traps as a room divider to hide my gear when not in session and turn them around during a session with drums, or to make 3 sides around a vocalist or acoustic guitar works really well.

The IKEA NoizBox

Seb's NoizBox is an analog synth is based on a circuit design found on Ray Wilson's Music From Outer Space website, housed in an IKEA key cabinet:

I had lots of fun playing around with the circuit on a breadboard so I decided to make a MIDI triggered version and added a MIDI-to-gate converter, ADSR envelope and VCA. I've also been thinking about added a VCO at some point to make it more 'playable' over MIDI - currently only the rhythm can be controlled.

The IKEA Pedalboard

One of the more basic hacks is this nice looking DIY effects pedal board.

$8 worth of Gorm shelving, some paint, some velcro and a bit of elbow grease combine to make a more than serviceable custom board.

The Sunnan Synth is a "solar powered strobe-opto-theremin-synth-thing".

Jan van Nuenen made it from an IKEA Sunnan solar lamp, photoresistors, pots and a CMOS 556 IC.

If you've got an IKEA music hack of your own, leave a comment with the details!

Links:

• ZacharyGuitars as a photo gallery focusing on the IKEA butcher block guitar.
• IKEA bass traps how-to
• Seb's NoizBox
• Do It Yourself Pedalboard
• Sunnan Synth
• Music From Outer Space

James Lewin
Twitter @podcasting_news

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