I recently completed a steampunk microphone piece for recording artist T-Pain. Can’t say enough nice things about the guy actually. He and his entire crew are some of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with. Anyways, on to the microphone…

As per usual I started with rough stock. I prefer to do the planing and jointing myself rather than buy S4S materials. Anyways, here’s the details….

Construction is solid black walnut, eastern hard maple, and brass. Custom etched brass faceplate and central gauge ring. Custom swinging backplate for battery access. Inset LEDS were hand wired into the back of the device with toggle switches controlling each side, respectively. The piece features an adjustable (and removable) clip to accommodate a variety of microphone sizes.

The case is solid purpleheart with a maple bottom. The top of the case features a duplicate custom etched brass faceplate which is set into handmade five piece Purpleheart-Walnut-Walnut-Walnut-Purpleheart laminate. The interior is medium density foam lined with black velvet. The case is sealed with a vintage style brass clasp and the lid is attached with inset brass hinges and chain.

The only real build requirement was that the piece was made from ‘real’ materials like wood and metal (no plastic, etc). The end result is very close to the original concept art that I designed, very little had to be changed which was nice. Overall, a technically interesting and creatively engaging project for me. Thanks again to everyone (you know who you are) for giving me the opportunity to make this, I really appreciate it.