O violão de papelão feito por Antonio Tessarin #luthier #violão #guitar

The Cardboard Guitar

Antonio Tessarin was inspired to build a cardboard guitar after hearing Stefano Grondona play the instrument Antonio de Torres made in 1862, now held at the Barcelona Museum.

Tessarin treated the project as a practical lesson in instrument design. Because paper offers little structural resistance, he had to consider how string tension and the neck’s pull affect the body, and where reinforcement was needed.

Design and Construction

• Tessarin used Paraná paper, a thin cardstock he had previously worked with in advertising.
• The guitar’s back is just 1 mm thick.
• He retained the crossbars and added small longitudinal and central reinforcements to support the neck. Lightweight side braces also help stabilize the body.
• The simple purfling is decorative, not a moisture seal.
• The finished instrument remained light and did not deform.

What Tessarin Learned

The cardboard guitar has less volume, which Tessarin attributes to the reduced contribution of wood to its acoustics. Its back also lacks the prominent resonance peak that can make a particular frequency range stand out, giving the instrument a more even response.

The experiment helped Tessarin understand where he could safely reduce thickness in later guitars and where reinforcement was necessary. He also explains that the recessed ends of a back brace allow it to flex with the back as humidity changes its shape. Without that flexibility, braces may come unglued. This design detail is functional, not merely decorative.

Creators and Contributors

• Antonio Tessarin built the cardboard guitar.
• Stefano Grondona performed the guitar that inspired Tessarin.
• Antonio de Torres made the 1862 guitar.