MEMBER-MADE: Ben Simon & his fanciful, fantastic guitars

Stroh-inspired guitar This instrument builder dares to ask: “Would you like a Casio keyboard and war sounds with that guitar?”

Two of the more unusual objects born out of the 3rd Ward woodshop recently are this pair of hand-crafted guitars that are absolutely one-of-a-kind in construction and sound. The mind behind these custom-made masterpieces? Ben Simon, a musician and woodworker who found a way to bring his passions together at 3rd Ward.

One of these guitars was inspired by Stroh instruments of the early 1900‘s. It's a resonator guitar with a horn attached to project the sound. Much of the guitar is made from a reclaimed NYC watertower.

The other guitar was built for Joe Pepe of the band Illimanjro and crafted out of reclaimed heart pine lumber. This far-out guitar features a CASIO keyboard, a 6 sound novelty war sounds keychain, and a BOSS 16 minute loop/sampler.

Ben describes his creative process as “ridiculous and impulsive,” and says that 3rd Ward helps him carry out his wild ideas with the necessary tools and know-how.

“If I was working alone, I would miss out on all kinds of skill sharing Fully-loaded CASIO keyboard, war sounds, 16 minute sampler guitarthat's a part of everyday life at 3rd Ward. There are so many people of vast knowledge and generosity here,” Ben said.

“For example, I had an acoustic situation that needed some external assessment, and working beside me is this person with 30 years experience as a carpenter and is also a lifelong musician. He was able to draw from those two backgrounds and offer logical solutions. The people in the shop are always helping one another out.” 

Ben’s long-term goal is to establish a program that will educate troubled youth in instrument building and woodworking, a project formed from his desire to “share the skills I’ve learned with the young people who need it the most.”

Want to see even more incredible instruments? Visit www.bensimonmusic.com.

And wanna be your own Hendrix with a handsaw? Personalize your own raggedy guitar with Ben's Electric Guitar Rescue class this November.