Bay Area man turns discarded instruments into Bluetooth speakers

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - Bob Richardson is the owner and creator of Bob’s Musical Art. 

"What I do is take old and discarded instruments, and I turn those instruments into art sculptures," he said. "And then, I turn those sculptures into Bluetooth speakers." 

Richardson's artwork sits right at the intersection of form and functionality. 

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"It’s functional art that they can use for the rest of their lives," he said.

Richardson will hide his small Bluetooth speakers inside the instruments and then cover them up using copper wiring. He twists and twirls the wiring into different decorative shapes. 

He said he goes through 7,000 feet of copper a year. 

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If the instruments are in bad shape, Richardson will drip paint them before adding his copper wiring and speakers. 

"I’ll have anywhere between 15 and 20 different colors on an instrument, and they’re all drip painted," he said. 

Richardson creates about 400 Bluetooth sculptures a year. He said different instruments create slightly different sounds from the speaker. 

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"Trumpet is a little more tenor-like, than if you put the speaker in a violin or guitar," he said.

Visit www.bobsmusicalart.com to check out all the pieces Richardson has for sale. He also lists upcoming markets and shows he’ll be appearing at.