If you’re a guitarist and a car enthusiast, we at The Drive have found a perfect instrument for you. There’s a company called Hayburner Guitars making electric guitars, bass guitars, banjos (which they call CanJos), and ukuleles using vintage oil cans for the body of the instrument. The neck and all the hardware is brand new; even cooler, you can pick your own oil can.
Hayburner was started by two neighbors in Cottage Grove, Minnesota: Joe Filipovich, a blues guitarist, and Mike Jenson, a trumpet player. Most of these unique guitars are built with one or two humbucker pickups. There’s an option to get one with a custom hand-wound humbucker made by a company called Vig Guitars based in St. Paul, Minnesota. You can also get a Hayburner with a P90 single-coil pickup, which gives you a brighter sound.
Hayburner says the hollow metal bodies create a sound that’s a cross between an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, and a banjo. (This seems like a weirdly accurate description of the sound that comes out of these oil can guitars, for what it’s worth.) They come with all of the controls and hardware you’d expect to find on any electric guitar and you can plug it right into any amplifier.
The prices range from $548 up to $748, which isn’t terrible considering what you’re getting. It’s a unique instrument with a distinct look and sound that’s hand-assembled in the USA.
Whether you’re an avid oil can collector, a gearhead guitarist, or someone who just wants a cool conversation piece, these Hayburner guitars are worth checking out.