John Tudor used to produce a quitar in his act. I believe he is a member here. Maybe he can help you.

With the holiday seasons coming up, Guitar Center (and competitors) will be selling electics for less than a hundred bucks. If you have Craig's list or some such thing in your area, you can find one of these beauties second hand, taking the price down to the fifty to seventy range. Or, you can check with local shops, tell them what you are looking for, and they might just be willing to give it to you (especially if you get creative and slap one of their bumper stickers across the front like some of the Gen X'ers would do.) Good luck, oh, and another thing you can promise is to do the effect for them when you have it down.

Magicurt, If that blowup guitar idea works I can tell you how to produce your

female assistant .........Mike

Thanks for the ideas guys. I have purchased a guitar from a music shop that takes trade-ins. It was without strings. I bought it for $20.00. It looks great. I am working toward my original idea with some great tips from you guys through p.m.'s I received. Thanks Guys.

Of course I'm still taking ideas. It can always be better.

Curt

Aughhh !!! Surely you're not suggesting routing out a Parker Fly !!
They're too nice to carve up ! Heck, I like my "cheap" model P-38 !

I am not using a parker fly--rest easy. It is a red and white Montaya.

Curt

Maybe you can improve on the idea and get some inspiration here:

http://www.thetrickery.com/?nd=full&key=5992

The Mikame Folding side table has a collapsable base that springs open into a functional side table. In your case, the guitar neck would operate in a manner similar to the base on this table.

Good idea, thanks. I will give it and some variations some thought.

Curt

The appearing guitar is coming alon nicely. I have it to under 2 lbs. I used the advice here and changed it a little. I'll keep you posted.

Curt

I'm a little late here, but if you have friends with access to a good theatrical prop shop you could Vac-u-form the body. That would be really light. You could probably use a real guitar for the "mold." But it sounds like you are doing OK.

Yours,

Paul

Wish
I'ld heard that before. What is Vac-u-form?

Curt

A Vac-U-Form is a scaled up version of a terrific toy that I had as a kid (sadly no longer available for reasons that will be obvious). A frame holds a sheet of thermoplastic polymer with perforated edges over a heating element. When the plastic is soft, the frame is flipped on a hinge over a molding platform that has a bunch of tiny holes in it along with a positive (imagine a guitar). As soon as the plastic is in place, a vacumn pump (hand pump on the toy version) is used to suck the air out from between the plastic and the mold; the plastic is drawn down to make a replica of the positive by air pressure. When the plastic sets, you trim the flash off, paint it, whatever. Stage companies make plastic masks, armor, sculpted molding for sets, whatever, using a large-scale version of this.

Yours,

Paul

Kinda like industrial shinky dinks?

Curt

No, I looked up shrinky dinks and those are thermosetting, not thermoplastic. Also, they shrink. The plastic used for Vac-U-Form doesn't shrink, and if you were to heat it again, it would soften again.

Yours,

Paul