Bass Guitar Made Out of 2,000 Lego Bricks Actually Plays
An electric bass guitar built from 2,000 Lego bricks is the latest project from the musical craftsman known as Burls Art. And as with the creator’s other unorthodox instrument builds, the bass actually plays — or slaps, as the case may be.
In a video shared on YouTube on Wednesday (June 9), Burls presents a 14-minute Lego bass journey that won’t be unfamiliar for viewers who follow the artisan. But for those new to his creations, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that seeing him make a working instrument out of thousands of plastic toy bricks — plus some other guitar parts — is truly an impressive sight to behold.
Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
In order for a Lego bass to be a functional instrument, Burls had to construct the guitar’s body around a piece of wood. The neck is also made of wood, topped with an epoxy fretboard, then finished off with a matching Lego headstock. As for its sound, a piezo pickup sits hidden under the bridge, giving the instrument electric capabilities while maintaining a clean, streamlined look. Without the wood and other elements, one might guess, a Lego guitar probably wouldn’t work.
“I still did add a piece of maple in the middle of it just to give it more strength,” Burls explains. “With as much string tension as a bass has, it was a no-brainer for me.” He adds that it’s the “second epoxy fretboard I’ve done, but the first with a truss rod under it. But this fretboard came out really well, and it feels super good.”
Feel is important, of course, because what will matter to a bassist most is how the thing plays. Burls readily admits that he doesn’t consider himself an accomplished bass player, but he still gives the instrument a proper run-through at the end of the video.
“That’s my attempt at slapping the bass,” Burls demurs. “If you follow along with my builds, you know that I don’t know how to play bass. But when I build them … I’ll try and play them at the end. I’ve played guitar for most of my life, but playing bass is kinda a completely foreign concept to me.”
On top of that, he acknowledges that he “build[s] these guitars as an artistic piece more than I do for the tone of the instrument. I’m not going to say this thing sounds great, but it does make noise when it’s plugged into an amp, so I’m cool with it.”
Over the last two years, Burls has also constructed guitars out of skateboards, coffee beans, colored pencils, pieces of paper and even salt. And that’s not even half of it.
Check out more Burls Art on YouTube.