MOST Accurate MINIATURE GUITAR that I can build with REAL METAL STRINGS! No 3D printing.
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Today I am going to scratch-build a tiny 1958 Gibson Explorer guitar. Every part of the instrument will be custom-built (No 3D Printing) from the body and neck, the fretboard with metal frets and inlays, to the hardware, knobs, tuners, and even the pickguard!
I will be working with wood, shellac, brass, polystyrene, and resin. I'll also build a few molds along the way to replicate certain parts.
If this sounds good to you then... Let's Get Our Craft On!
PATREON: www.patreon.co...
T-Nu’s WISH LIST: www.amazon.com...
INSTAGRAM: / cajun_craftastrophe
WAX LAB GUYS: www.youtube.co...
ZE FRANK: / @zefrank
Random YT generated this for me to watch.
Pretty darn happy about it!
Seriously funny and full of some serious skill!
Nicely done!
Thank you very much! I appreciate you watching!
Thank you for putting all the terms/diagrams on screen for us guitar illiterates. Great project on this video T-Nu!
Haha! Yes, I tried to remind myself that the terms for most guitar parts are not part of everyday language. Thanks so much for watching, Knarb! I hope that you are well my friend!
I love your mad crazy skills, your humor and the inclusion of your dad. It’s a total package! I don’t think I’m alone in this. I look forward to every new video with glee!
Thanks so much!!
This is incredible! Lovely work, T-Nu.
Thank you so much, C! I appreciate you checking it out! : )
Breathtaking! It gives me a genuine ear to ear smile to look at that beauty. It makes me happy! Thank you for that my brother. Truly beautiful. "Nuff said".
Ah, thank you so much, Charles! : )
You know what, I’ve been enjoying your videos for a while now and really like the humor and polish you put into your videos. You just gained a Patron, sir.
Oh, heck yeah! That's how you do it people! : )
Cheers m0chi87, that's very cool of you!
For a few years I worked in a music store, and we sold these little guitars made in a scale like this, and I never thought about how they were made, just assumed they were mass produced in china kinda thing. You got those nobs perfect, very impressive.
Man Tinu! The level of precision here is incredible!
Nice work, man! Really enjoy this type of content. Lots of other craft channels are becoming, " I drew this up on my computer and 3D printed/laser cut it out", and there's no artisanship to it. Good to see you keeping it real ✌️
Heck yeah, man! That is so refreshing to hear. Thanks!
It was a lot of fun to see all the knowledge and techniques that went into this project! It’s always awesome to see someone pulling out all the tricks to make something! And of course the end result looks fantastic!
Awesome, thank you, G! I really appreciate that coming from someone as skilled as you are. Rock on supervillain! : )
I love the results you were able to get and the aftermath section of the video was cool too!
You put a lot of work into this one T-Nu
Thanks, BP. I've been wanting to try The Aftermath section for a while, but I'm usually so burnt out by the time that I get to it that it just hasn't happened until now. I'm sure you know the feeling! : )
Cheers!
What an insane little guitar, this is so cool T-Nu! Play free bird!
I will play Free Bird on it if you hold up a teeny tiny lighter and gently sway side-to-side.
Thanks N!
Incredible build! Amazing that you did that all by hand and without a 3D printer.
Glad you liked it! Thanks!
Absolutely gorgeous. That is hard to believe! You are a tiny little rock star, man.
Thank you so much 😀
Great project! Daddy broke character a few times here by knowing things about crafts.
I know it probably doesn't sound good, but I was disappointed you didn't give it a strum for us.
He's just picking up info by osmosis! : ) Thanks!
Love the details! Did some 1/2 scale guitar models, but this is another level. Very well done and I learned some tricks for my next guitar build, thank you for that.
Rock on man! I'll have to check that out!
All of those tests and experiments are where the true magic happens. Absolutely satisfying. You are a true artist, T-Nu!
You are much too kind, Jon, but I appreciate it! Yes, I LOVE trying to find techniques that are new... New to me at least! : ) Thanks for watching my friend!
It's pretty damn close to 100% accurate, you even went and used the original patent blueprints, great job!
Cheers buddy! : )
This was epic. Absolutely beautiful! I saw someone use painters tape over an entire piece of wood before laser cutting to help with burn marks, but it was thin basswood. Thank you for the relaxing video.
That's a great idea! I never even thought of that. I will double check that the fumes from the tape will not be toxic, and if not I will give this a shot. Thanks!
@@CajunCraftastrophe “square to spare” did it on her UA-cam channel. Good luck!
T-nu have you ever thought of using a product called "AMACO Rub n Buff " its a wax that you can get that is tinted to look like metal and as the name says rub it on and buff it. end product looks like polished metal. great work on this. Seeing you put it together reminded me of Rosa string works. just on a miniature scale.
I've seen a few things that look good to achieve a metal finish. I'll keep trying and will put AMACO Rub n Buff on that list. Thanks!
T-Nu, you have out done yourself! What a work of art! All the experimentation paid off. I'm just finishing up a miniature room kit that I've been customizing and I need to make a coffee mug (nothing as complex as the guitar). I'm actually making a bunch because I've never done this before. I'll be able to try different materials and then pick my favorite. It takes more time, but it's worth it.
The experimentation can sometimes be the most fun part, but it can also be the most frustrating. It just depends on if a solution is found. Thanks, Kit!
Beautiful work, T-Nu. So much detail. I also loved the pocketnaut cameo. Nice.
Thank you so much! Yes, my Pocketnaut is attached to my remote control that starts my camera filming while crafting. That way I can always find it quickly because of the bright orange on the Pocketnaut. So, he's my crafting buddy. : P
Thanks for watching.
Absolutely incredible work T-Nu! I love doing projects like these where you’re learning new techniques on the fly. With the amount of work that went into it, I’m impressed you managed to edit it into a 17 minute video. Well done!
Thanks, Retro! Yeah, I skipped over a few parts to keep the edit manageable.
Wow! What an amazing project! Ive done a bit of kit guitar building and man, you really did it right! Using wax over different substrates is my jam btw- i like to add sculpting wax over cardboard and wood when making weopons for action figures! (Apoxie sculpt too) Can’t wait to see what you do next and thank you so much for the shoutout!
Of course, man! Thank YOU for the wax. I really appreciate it. I'd love to see some of the examples of you coating wax over parts! Point me to the place to find them if you have them published somewhere. Thanks, J!
Adrs÷/
Seriously impressive, buddy!
Cheers! Thanks so much, Dan!
My grandfather used to make mini ships for doll houses. He would get good money for the like 400 bucks in 1976. That's good money. I bet miniature collectors would, but these are pretty amazing. Thanks for sharing 👍.
That's a pretty cool story! Thanks man!
Nice! I have a small collection of guitars on a similar scale. The first one was built by my Dad years ago, it’s modeled after a Martin acoustic he had played for years. Dad is no longer with us, he was a skilled builder of many things but this tiny project is a treasured reminder of his handiwork. Over the years I have found a few others worthy of the collection. There is a fender Jazzmaster bass made entirely of glass, a Strat cast in pewter that was on a pencil sharpener base, what looks like a Kay electric from the ‘60’s complete with strap that was on a keychain, and a gold plated acoustic with an amazing tiny clock in the sound hole that was on a base that also had a thumb size picture frame beside it. All of these have amazing details! I can’t imagine the skills required to make the glass one. I’ve gotten pretty good at making tiny guitar stands to display these on. 😁
That's very cool! I love that your Dad built a whole bunch of little guitars. : )
Mannn that end result turned out stunning! Your handmade game keeps getting better. Awesome job T-Nu!
Thanks so much, N! I really appreciate that!
Amazing as usual T-Nu. A Flying V would be wicked cool. Also, maybe a Gibson SG, or Lord forbid an EDS-1275. Or even just for fun, a Casio DG-20.
That would be cool! I have my eye on all of those models... except for the Casio DG-20. You crazy! : )
This is one of my favorite things I have seen in a while. I am looking forward to the next one as well!
Awesome! Thank you!
That was a great build. And I had NO idea that Mosquitos pollinated. Now I gotta think twice about the next time i swat one of 'em 😆
Haha! It was a surprise to me too. Watch Ze Frank's mosquito video. He's hilarious. Thanks!
@@CajunCraftastrophe wait that's a thing? Looking it up now.
@@nightcitycrafts ua-cam.com/video/Hz_DslzN2IA/v-deo.html
Great work my dude! Looks so classy! Crazy how many extra bits you had at the end to get the best stuff, really interesting to see
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's taken me a minute to find the time to get to watch this, but oh my goodness what a beautiful result! I'm not super knowledgeable about guitars, but it looks pretty darn accurate to me! This is a super small detail, but that Gibson logo turned out so fantastic, I actually would have been curious to see a little more about how you did that because it looks like a technique that would be really useful in a lot of projects. You might have done it more in detail before in another video, but I can't recall? Also I enjoyed your little sections of guitar playing so much. Another wonderful video~
Fiend!
I did use a similar technique to the Gibson logo in the Mad Max Truck video, but I can't remember if I added more detail in that one. I'm just using some water-slide decal paper. You print out the image with an inkjet printer, spray on a few coats of clear sealant and then it just slides off with water. There is a drawback to it however. Inkjet printers don't have the color white... so you can't use that color. It also means that the colors can look very dull if the stickers are put on a dark background. The reason is because the computer is calculating the white value of the paper into the print. Hopefully that makes sense. What I did in this case was print out the Gibson logo in yellow, then I used that as a guide to paint metallic gold over it. Not ideal, but it worked okay. If you need more info on this or if you want the brand of paper just shoot me an email and I'll get that for ya!
Thanks for watching, Fiend. Much appreciated! : )
That was one of the best youtube videos ive seen all year sir ! what an awesome guitar. i love mini stuff. and your edit and voiceover was class. Well done mate.
Wow, thanks! Much appreaciate my new friend! : )
Hopefully you don't mind me sharing this video, you have seriously cheered me up.
Please do! Thanks!
Oh my gosh that was amazing! I've been making this stop motion character for a music video I want to make and I need an acoustic guitar that is a goofy size ... not quite 1/6 scale and I've resigned myself to building it myself. If you can make such a beautiful Explorer then I should be able to hack together a balsa wood acoustic guitar! Well maybe not but I'm gonna try anyway!! 😆Thanks T-Nu for the inspiration!!
Awesome build! Your detailing is great. You always give me new ideas for things. Thank you.
Awesome! Thank you!
Really nice job. I hope someday 3d printing of metal parts will become inexpensive enough that we can do projects like this and make tiny tuning gears and stuff like that. It would be totally amazing to have a working electric guitar and amp at this scale.
You and me both!
You and Crafsman are the GODS of youtube craft entertainment
Crafsman RULES! : )
Thanks for watching.
this is awesome.
Thanks so much, Aaron! Tell Michael "Hi." : )
Totally outstanding, especially wowed by the knobs , the color and opacity is so spot on, this is a fun channel.👍👍👍☮️☮️☮️thank you for sharing
Thanks so much!
That was truly enjoyable, and very full indeed. I salute you!
Thank you kindly!
That’s amazing and impressive!!!
With doing the research for the explorer you for sure stumbled upon his brothers the flying V and the illusive moderne. They are both also from the same gibson designer, made out of black limba (korina) and introduced to the world the same moment. Having those three in a miniature version will for sure be complete set of guitars and topic to talk about.Good luck with the upcoming projects.
You have a great channel, sir. I love the interesting project, & seeing it come to life. But the dialogue with your father just sends it over the top! Top shelf content!
Thank you very much!
Phenomenal work! I learn a lot from your projects.
I was wondering, ever thought about recording a crafting project made by your Dad, T-Nu? Like, Dad and T-Nu switching places from once! It would be interesting to see him puting to practice what he absorved from watching you - and he surely has lots of stories to mine inspiration from...
Love your channel, almost finally getting through your whole backlog.
He's much more into talking than he is into crafting!: )
i love the knob holder, super clever!
Thank you! 😊
Beautiful work , love the 58 Explorer and 58 Flying V
Many thanks!
NICE!
Thanks, RCM!
This turned out great! Excellent work, T-Nu! As always, man! Bravo! 🤘🤘🤘
Looks very cool👍🏼 Amazing work!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you! Cheers!
You're so talented bro, always such a pleasure to watch you make awesome stuff 🙌
Thank you so much, T! 😀
@@CajunCraftastrophe thank YOU so much for all the awesome videos, skills and life lessons 💯🙌
This looks simply great.
Along with being entertaining and inspiring, one of my favorite features of Craftastrophe is the process management element. It was one of my favorite classes is college, and it puzzled me that the same was not true of my classmates who saw it as a group of required courses to be endured. Later it became apparent that most people don't want to establish a goal, make a plan, acquire or invent acquired skills, review and modify the plan as the process evolves, until finally you reach the goal. Most people want everything to be a kit with instructions. Nothing wrong with that; each has his or her own path to walk in their own manner and most everything we own was essentially made from a kit. So all this tiny guitar business got me thinking: why hasn't anyone made a tiny violin? After all, there seems to be a plethora of first-world problems out there really needing a really tiny violin with which to accompany their really sad song. It may be easier than a guitar since, if I remember correctly, violins do not ordinarily have frets. Which leads to another anecdote that I will leave for another day. But for today, speaking of mosquitoes, they leave me alone. It happened sometime when I was living in Miami and ever since I've rarely been bitten. Not sure what it was that changed. You may think I'm bragging, and you'd be right.
Haha! A tiny violin would be hilarious! Though my Dad would get a hold of it and undoubtedly use it until at very inappropriate moments. : 0
Thanks, Tom!
This was amazing! Now you need a strap. And a miniature amp. And the rest of the band!😂
By the way, you play guitar very well. I tried (once) but it was like playing while wearing boxing gloves!🤣I guess I'm more of an "end user" when it comes to music!
This was a totally cool project. I love the way you used prototypes and mock-ups to guide your build decisions.
As always, a really interesting and entertaining video. Thank you for uploading it and for your great miniature work.
You're welcome. Thanks about the guitar playing! : )
A miniature amp may happen someday for sure. A Fender Twin or a Marshal half-stack would RULE!
I build electric guitars as a hobby and your process for building this miniature replica was very similar to building a real guitar. About all you're missing is the electronics.😃 I always make a lot of mistakes and learn a lot each time I build one. You did a great job. I hope you will try building one you can play in the future. It's very rewarding!
That's super cool man. I love guitars, I'm playing the acoustic guitar sections in the video. Yes, mistakes are the way we learn. It's good to know that my approach is similar to a real luthier. : )
I may try to make some real pickups to put in one if people like seeing the guitar building videos. That would be a trip. Thanks for watching.
Simply genius! You're a mad scientist of sorts, love it!!!!!!!!
Wow, thanks! I appreciate it! : )
This is an absolutely fantastic build. I'm floored at the accuracy. I'd love to see the Flying V, and maybe an SG someday?
An SG is definitely in the crosshairs! Thanks Lo-fi!
Good work. I enjoyed learning about the diff techniques for crafting. If you play, consider putting some of the music in the videos. If I were attempting this, I would try to carve it as a single piece. The tuning knobs and "wire" on the fret seem out of scale, but it could just be the video angles. Just some observations for the next attempt. Cheers.
Thanks for the tip. I'm playing guitar in the entire episode...
Another work of art. Thanks for the video brother
Much appreciated!
Absolutely amazing 🤩
This is crazy good T-nu! My first guitar was a black epiphone explorer so this hits close to home. Keep up the great work 🤟
I love Explorers too! Thanks for watching.
This was an unexpected turn in a great direction T-Nu!
Thank you my friend!
You're killing it dude! Keep it up!
Thanks! Rock on!
WOWW!!! Amazing, subscribed, looking forward to the next ones to come. Great artistry!
Awesome, thank you!
Great job brother! Really well executed as always.
Very similar to the construction of the full-sized example. Spent 15 years building full-time in my own humble shop.
I specialized in vintage reproductions. Mostly telecasters and Les Paul jrs when it came to electrics, and pre-war 000 style Martin's along with a few small body Gibson examples. In my experience, I really didn't start to understand and wrap my head around a design until Id built a dozen examples or so.
Don't get me wrong... you can still build incredible reproduction instrument if you have the patience and willingness to learn... Even starting with your first attempt.
But for me personally.....to really wrap my head around to design... And to come to know it very intimately.. It takes quite a few builds of the same design. That's why I always limited myself to a half a dozen or so guitar designs, and only one or two models when it came to violin and violin family instruments.
I appreciate that
Yes, after I finish a project I'm always like... Okay, I should just build it again because NOW I know how to start approaching it. Guitars are very complex! Thanks for watching!
Fantastic work ❤
Thank you so much 😀
Absolutely phenomenal! Looks just like a Korina Explorer, and built better than a Gibson 😂. Truly outstanding work. ❤
YES! I avoided using the word Korina, because I wasn't using such an exotic wood (nor could I find any at a decent price), but that's exactly what I was going for. Thanks!
Masterpiece! Thank you so much 😊
Thank you too!
Cool project, love the intricate craftmanship. For your next guitar, flying V's are cool but you can't beat the iconic Les Paul...
Very true! The Les Paul is on my list but the carved top and binding gives me pause. I need a little more experience before tackling that beast. : 0
Thanks!
Here’s a great tip for getting an awesome chrome/silver finish: look for nail glitter. Rubbing that into freshly cured UV resin works brilliantly.
Yes, I saw someone review a nail kit that uses a similar or perhaps the same method. The results were impressive and it is on my radar! Thanks for watching my man!
This is astounding.
T-NU I like the guitar it's wonderful...I see there's nothing you can't make...oh is that your wife's art work that says living dead ? You both are Fantastic 💖💖💖💖
Thank you! p.s. that is my wife's artwork.
awesome!! this is the first of your videos I've watched. not my last! cheers
Welcome aboard, and thank you very much! : )
Excellent T-NU. A flying V?? hell yeah...please
: ) Thanks, Thombie!
wow, your work just keeps getting better. I love your sense of humor. Is that really you playing the guitar? multi-talented I see.
Thank you so much! Yep, that's me playing the gitfiddle. : )
This was so great, reminds me of one of my other favourite UA-cam channels, the StewMac videos with Dan Erlewine. I don't know if you're familiar but they're definitely worth checking out, I often think of his techniques when watching you and CrafsMan actually.
That's awesome! I literally just finished watching Dan fix a hole on an old Telecaster! : )
Thanks so much!
Awesome job! I always wanted an Explorer, this may be the only one I can afford! Thanks for the video, that looks like some tedious detail work! Great job, Gibson should take a lesson from you about "quality control".
Hahaha! "Gibson should take a lesson from you about "quality control". Now that is funny my friend. Thanks!
BUT is it in tune? 😂 Seriously though, top notch as always, I’ve never been interested in guitars but I was absolutely riveted!
Haha! I was afraid to tension the strings any higher than I already had them. However, I still have my test guitar. So I can see if I can get that one more in tune for the next time I try to build one of these. Thanks, Birb!
Amazing work! A treatise i n miniature problem solving and inovation! 🎉💥👌
Thank you so much 😀
Awesome, sounds like y’all from my neck of the woods… St Martinville here…
Mais ya. Louisiana born and raised. : )
All I can say is FANTASTIC!
Thank you, Libra!
Damn you have real serious talent to be able to pull this off! I am extremely impressed! it turned out incredible!
I have played/owned the actual Guitar(mine was a re-issue not a old 58) so seeing a miniature was hilarious. 😁
Thanks so much! I really like your avatar name. Nigel has a guitar that I might make one day!
@@CajunCraftastrophe Thanks, Please tell me the guitar you have in mind is the 1959 Les Paul? 🙏 That would be awesome!
@@Murphy_R9 A 59 Les Paul is on my mind, both s gold top and a tobacco burst. However, the guitar that I am talking about is this insanity: guitar-review-spot.blogspot.com/2011/07/music-man-nigel-tufnel-signature.html
@@CajunCraftastrophe 😱 you must really like a challenge? 🤣
Do you play guitar? Ya, I play a little guitar! Lol. Fantastic job!!!
Haha! Rock on! Thanks!
Cool choice for the guitar.
Thanks! The Korina wood Explorers are a beautiful design, thanks for watching.
A fully functional work would be off the charts cool.
It is a long term goal. : ) Thanks for watching.
Really enjoyed this vid and I got the feeling you did too! Keep it up bro, great work
Thank you, Mr. Tea! I did enjoy this one!
You’re an amazingly talented person.
Amazing! Great work! 🤘
Rock on!
The final results made all that hard work and experimenting worth it, in my opinion. That mini guitar came out gorgeous, T-Nu! Also, it was good to hear your daddy take your advice and breathe to calm himself. Has he been going to therapy? Whatever the case, sounds like the kinks in your relationship are slowly improving! Mazel tov! :D
Great job man that turned out really cool, I'm just laughing because I'm a guitar builder and it looks more difficult to produce a mini Explorer than the real deal! I'm impressed!
Hahaha! Magnifying glasses help: )
Thanks for watching. Yep, I can tell you're a guitar guy just based off of your avatar name. : ) Nice!
The Gibson Explorer Guitar is one my favorite guitars that James Hetfield used for The Damage INC ! Tour 86-87. James Hetfield also used the Gibson Explorer to record the greatest Heavy Metal Album Master Of Puppets.
The Explorer is a heavy metal MACHINE! : )
Thanks for watching 'Master Of Puppets' RULES.
👏 👏 👏 👏 WoW!👏 👏 👏 👏WoW! 👏 👏 WoW!
Great model!!!!
Thanks!
Amazing as a metal guitar it’s my self I would love to have a mini version and if you ever no a mini guitar do a def do a solar Flying V solar is a big metal guitar company
Molotow has a really good copper and chrome spray paint.
omg i want one of these little guitars so bad. A cool idea would be if you made iconic guitars played by iconic players. Like a really worn strat like stevie ray vaughans guitar. Or Jimmy pages les paul.
Great idea! Thanks.
How about functional miniature pickups and tuning pegs? Maybe on a slightly bigger model
I've been looking into that. The pickups don't seem to be too difficult, but functional tuning pegs are much more complicated. They are not out of reach, but they are out of reach at my skill level now. I'll keep experimenting. For now I like the scale of the guitars. Thanks for watching.
@@CajunCraftastrophe Mini pickups van be made with small nails, a magnet on the bottom and wraps of very thin copper wire.
For the tuners a watchmaker could have the parts. The most difficult is the fitting casing for them, I guess.
But you could try how friction based tuners like on violins would work.
Cheers!
@@lone-wolf-1 As it is right now, the screws work to tune the strings... The reason that I didn't try to "tune it up" is because I was unsure of the pressure on the neck. Would it snap or bend? Maybe. I didn't want to find out using the main model that I had spent a good bit of time on. I didn't want to accidentally destroy it at the 11th hour. However, I still am using the test Explorer that you saw at the end of the video to test paint finishes for the upcoming Flying V. After those experiments are done I will try to tune up the test guitar to see what the neck does and if it kinda sorta stays in tune. We'll see. Thanks!
Nice stings 👍🏿
Thanks, R!
Cool video like the part at the end maybe next time end the show you playing the guitar and daddy singing free bird
Making eardrums bleed worldwide. : ) Thanks, Shea!