  We prove that every unstable equivariant minimal surface in $\mathbb{R}^n$
produces a maximal representation of a surface group into
$\prod_{i=1}^n\textrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{R})$ together with an unstable minimal
surface in the corresponding product of closed hyperbolic surfaces. To do so,
we lift the surface in $\mathbb{R}^n$ to a surface in a product of
$\mathbb{R}$-trees, then deform to a surface in a product of closed hyperbolic
surfaces. We show that instability in one context implies instability in the
other two.
