A nice solid shovel guitar made from a modified genuine garden spade and quality guitar parts.

Is it a musical instrument, a piece of artwork or a curiosity? Probably a combination of all of these. Played with a slide, like a cigar box guitar, but without a fingerboard.

Handcrafted in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.

The scale length is 25 1/2". Tuning is G-D-G, with D'Addario electric guitar strings of gauges 0.022(plain), 0.032(wound) and 0.044(wound). The gauges used are also easily individually purchasable online via eBay, etc.

Body: Hardened steel shovel blade. Satin green baked enamel finish, hand overcoated with gold hammerite on the top (shovel back). The rear heel has been ground down to allow the strings to run parallel to the handle.

Neck: Hardwood and steel. No truss rod. Plastic headstock.

Fretboard: No fretboard. Position markers are burnt into the wood section of the handle and painted onto the metal section

Electrics: A well screened Japanese made acoustic pickup (used) with an easy to reach volume control (for swell effects, etc) and an output jack

Top nut: Handmade from aluminium. String spacing 23.5mm, G to G

Bridge: Handmade from aluminium, with a maple base. String spacing 24mm

Tuners: Sealed gear (quality Korean made)

Hardware: Quality chrome plated with rust resistant stainless steel fixings

Scale length: 25 1/2” (648mm)

Total length: 998mm

Body width: 180mm

Weight: 2.27kg

Strings: D'Addario electric

There are a few small scuffs on the handle, probably from this shovel being treated as a piece of agricultural equipment during manufacture. I’d recommend prospective purchasers to first view a few shovel guitar tutorials on YouTube.