How to Make a Guitar Case Shelf

Whether you’ve picked up an old guitar case at a flea market or you have one stored in the attic from your youth, you can resurrect it and turn the guitar case into a cute set of shelves. It’s a great addition to a room done in a music lover’s theme or just to hang in a boy’s bedroom. Best of all, if you already have the guitar case, it’ll cost you only a couple of bucks to make.

There are two different ways to make the guitar case shelves both of which require you to remove the lid from the case front. Be careful while doing so that you don’t leave giant holes in the sides. Pry the hardware out then set the lid aside. This first version is the easiest, since after removing the lid, you’re ready to move on to the shelving.

Measure the width of the side of the guitar case. Purchase wooden shelves in this width, or slightly narrower. Be sure the shelf width does not exceed the width of the guitar case. Paint the shelves the same color as the guitar, or choose a complimentary color for the shelves only. Position the guitar case on the wall and nail into place. The case doesn’t have to sit exactly vertical or horizontal – tip it to give it a different angle, if desired, but when you add the shelves, make sure that they’re level.

After the shelves have been cut to fit into the case, tack them up on the wall, inside of the guitar case frame. The design is all yours. You can place two, three or even four shelves inside the guitar case. One large one can go across the bottom, with a slightly smaller one a few inches up. Even tiny ones can be put into the neck of the guitar case.

The second design requires the removal of both front and back. The shelves are glued into the frame to hold it in shape, before hanging it on the wall. This technique allows you to see the wall behind the shelves and gives the design a completely different look. Lay the guitar shape onto a table then measure, cut and paint the shelves. Glue them into the actual guitar case shape with wood glue or contact cement. Hang the guitar case on the wall.

In the area on the sides of the guitar case, where you removed the top and bottom, you’ll notice the hole marks from the brads which held on the top and bottom. Use roping, decorative ribbon, or even strips of leather to conceal the marks by gluing the notions around the perimeter of the guitar case.

You can decorate the case in many different ways, using fabrics, stamping, stencils or even fabric paints. The guitar case shelving is cheap and easy and will make a beautiful addition to many decor styles.