Some people buy a new guitar. Some people mod a guitar. And then there’s the rare, glorious type of human who looks at a giant pile of colored pencils and says, “Yep, that’s a Stratocaster body waiting to happen.”
The viral pencil guitar build became one of those internet maker stories that sticks in your brain because it sounds ridiculous at first and brilliant by the end. A builder known online as Burls Art (also referenced as Flyjumper in early posts) documented how he turned roughly 1,200 colored pencils, resin, woodworking tools, and a lot of patience into a fully functional electric guitar. It wasn’t just a gimmick, eitherit was playable, wired, polished, and surprisingly beautiful.
In this article, we’ll break down what made the build so fascinating, how the process works in plain English, why the guitar shape and electronics matter, and what DIY builders can learn from this project before they start gluing random art supplies into a mold. We’ll also clear up one detail that often gets repeated in headlines: the cost. Depending on whether you count tools already owned, the number can swing quite a bit.
Why This Pencil Guitar Went Viral
The project blew up because it hits the sweet spot of maker content: unexpected materials, visible craftsmanship, and a dramatic final reveal. Colored pencils are familiar, cheap, and usually associated with sketchbooksnot instruments. Turning them into a custom electric guitar body creates a “wait... what?” moment that people click on immediately.
The builder also chose a Stratocaster-style guitar layout, which was a smart move. A Strat-style build is recognizable, visually balanced, and practical for a first custom body because the electronics layout, neck style, and hardware ecosystem are widely documented and easy to source. In other words, the shape looks iconic, and replacement parts are everywhere.
The final result looked like a stained-glass honeycomb made out of pencil cores and lacquerpart instrument, part sculpture, part “how is that even real?”
The Real Cost: Was It Really $500?
The headline version of this story often says the builder spent $500. That number works as a catchy hook, but the reality is a little more nuanced.
Some reports highlighted that the pencils themselves cost around $120, and the builder estimated the remaining parts (neck, pickups, bridge, electronics, and hardware) at about $150, putting the core materials under $300 if you already have the tools. Once you add epoxy resin, finishes, blades, sandpaper, shop consumables, and possibly tool wear (or new tools), the total can climb quicklyso a “headline cost” near $500 is believable for many DIYers.
Translation: the guitar body may look like a rainbow budget miracle, but custom guitar building is still custom guitar building. Tools and finishing supplies have a way of politely emptying your wallet while smiling.
How He Built the Pencil Guitar
1) Cutting 1,200 pencils into pieces
The first major step was brutally simple: cut a mountain of colored pencils into shorter segments. This is the kind of task that sounds fun for about eight minutes and then becomes a life lesson in repetition. The builder himself described the cutting phase as the most tedious part of the project.
But this step matters. Shorter pieces stack more easily inside a mold, and they expose the colored cores on both ends, which creates the signature geometric pattern once the block is shaped and sanded.
2) Packing the pencils into a mold
After cutting, the pencil pieces were arranged tightly inside a rectangular wooden mold. The goal here is density and consistency. If the pencils are loosely packed, you’ll end up with bigger voids, more resin waste, and a higher risk of weak spots.
This stage is where the project shifts from “craft table chaos” to real epoxy resin guitar construction. Layout decisions affect the final look: straight rows, offset rows, random orientation, and color distribution all change the finished pattern.
3) Pouring clear epoxy resin
Once the mold was packed, clear epoxy resin was poured to fill gaps and lock everything together into one solid slab. Resin is what makes the impossible possible here. On their own, pencils are narrow and fragile; once encased in cured epoxy, they become part of a machinable composite block.
This is also the point where patience becomes non-negotiable. If the resin cures too fast, traps too many bubbles, or isn’t mixed correctly, the slab can end up cloudy, soft, or uneven. For a project like this, slow and careful wins every time.
4) Sanding and flattening the slab
After curing, the block was sanded flat. This reveals the cross-sections of the pencils and starts turning the rough cast into something that looks intentional. It’s also the moment builders realize how much sanding is really involved in a custom guitar build.
A good flat surface is essential before tracing the body shape, because routing and drilling become much riskier if the blank rocks, twists, or has high spots.
5) Tracing a Strat-style body and cutting the outline
With the slab prepped, the builder traced a Stratocaster-style body profile and cut it out. This is where the project stops being a cool resin block and officially becomes a guitar.
The contouring work matters a lot. A Strat body isn’t just a flat silhouetteit has curves, comfort cuts, and rounded edges that affect both appearance and playability. Shaping those contours without chipping the resin or tearing out pencil edges is a real skill move.
6) Routing the neck pocket, pickup cavities, and control areas
This is the technical heart of the build. A guitar can look amazing and still be unplayable if the routing is sloppy. The neck pocket needs a snug fit for tuning stability and proper alignment. Pickup and control cavities need clean placement so the hardware sits correctly and the wiring works without a mess.
Many luthiers and guitar builders rely on templates for this exact reason: routing freehand is basically a fast track to saying words you can’t put on a family blog. Template-guided routing is what turns a wild idea into a precision instrument.
7) Finishing: clear coats, sanding, and polish
The builder applied multiple clear coats to make the pencil pattern pop and protect the body. In one of the most relatable DIY lines ever, he mentioned essentially emptying a can of spray finish onto the guitar in several coats. Honestly? Respect. We’ve all had a “that should be enough finish... actually no, one more coat” moment.
Clear finishing does two jobs here:
- It protects the resin-and-pencil surface from scratches and moisture.
- It boosts the visual depth so the colored pencil ends look bright, glossy, and dimensional.
A polished finish is what transforms the build from “awesome workshop experiment” into “gallery wall but make it loud.”
8) Installing hardware and wiring it up
The final steps included attaching the neck, installing the bridge/tremolo, fitting pickups, wiring the controls, and stringing it up. This is where electric guitar design basics matter, even in an unconventional build.
A Strat-style setup typically uses three single-coil pickups and a five-way selector switch. That combination gives the builder a familiar range of tones and makes the project more than visual art. It becomes a usable DIY guitar build with classic electric guitar functionality.
Why the Stratocaster Format Was the Right Choice
Choosing a Strat-style design was not just aestheticit was practical. Fender-style guitars are known for bolt-on neck construction, common 25.5-inch scale layouts, and widely available compatible parts. For a one-off project built from a resin-composite body, that modularity is a huge advantage.
A bolt-on neck lets the builder focus on the body without also needing to carve a full neck from scratch. That reduces risk and complexity while still producing a legitimate custom instrument. It’s a classic maker strategy: innovate hard in one area (the body material), stay standard everywhere else (the neck, electronics, and hardware).
It’s the same reason so many first-time custom builders start with proven templates and established pickup layouts. Reinventing the guitar and the materials at the same time is how you end up with a very expensive wall decoration.
What Makes a Colored Pencil Guitar Actually Work
Material strength
The body works because the pencils are not acting alone. The cured resin bonds the pieces into a rigid composite. Once shaped, that composite can be drilled, routed, and finished much like other dense materials used in creative guitar bodies.
Neck joint accuracy
The neck pocket fit is critical. Even a visually perfect body won’t play well if the neck angle or alignment is off. Clean centerlines, templates, and careful routing are the unsung heroes of projects like this.
Electronics compatibility
Standard electric guitar componentssingle-coil pickups, wiring harnesses, a 5-way switch, and a tremolo bridgemake the instrument easier to troubleshoot and upgrade. The builder wasn’t trying to invent a new electronic system; he was putting proven components into a wildly original shell.
Safety Lessons This Build Quietly Teaches
Viral maker videos make everything look smooth, but this kind of project involves real risks: saw blades, sanding dust, routing chips, solvent fumes, and resin chemicals. If you’re inspired to try a similar project, the “cool factor” should come with “grown-up safety habits.”
- Wood and composite dust: Sanding and routing create airborne dust that can irritate the eyes, skin, and lungs.
- Resin handling: Uncured epoxy can irritate skin and may cause sensitization with repeated exposure.
- Finishing fumes: Spray finishes and solvents require ventilation and proper respiratory protection.
- Routing and cutting: Templates, clamps, and stable workholding aren’t optionalthey’re how you keep your fingers and your project intact.
The short version: wear eye protection, gloves when handling resin, and the right respirator setup for dust and solvent vapors. “I’ll just do one quick pass” is how every bad shop story starts.
SEO Takeaways for Why People Love This Story
From a content angle, this story performs so well because it combines several evergreen search themes:
- DIY craftsmanship (people love step-by-step builds)
- Custom guitar culture (gear fans are deeply curious)
- Unusual materials (colored pencils, resin, art supplies)
- Transformation content (raw materials to finished instrument)
- Visual payoff (the final look is highly shareable)
If you’re writing about maker culture, this is the perfect example of how a niche project can reach a mass audience. The idea is weird enough to stop a scroll, but the craftsmanship is real enough to keep people watching.
Final Thoughts
The pencil guitar isn’t just internet novelty contentit’s a legit example of creative engineering. By combining a familiar guitar platform with a wildly unconventional body material, the builder made something that feels both playful and technically impressive.
And that’s the real charm of this story. It’s not just “a guy made a guitar out of pencils.” It’s “a guy solved a hard design problem using patience, templates, resin chemistry, and a ton of sanding, then made it look effortless on camera.”
Whether you’re into luthiery, woodworking, resin art, or just enjoy seeing people do absurdly cool things in a garage, this build deserves the hype. It’s colorful, clever, and just functional enough to make every guitarist think the same dangerous thought: I could probably make one of those...
Extra Experiences and Lessons From Builds Like This (Extended 500+ Words)
One of the most interesting things about the custom pencil guitar story is how many different communities see themselves in it. Woodworkers look at it and see joinery, routing, and finish work. Resin artists see casting, clarity, bubble control, and polishing. Guitar players see pickup choices, neck alignment, and setup. Content creators see a perfect build narrative. It’s one project, but it speaks four different creative languages at once.
Builders who attempt unusual-material instruments often say the emotional arc is the same every time: excitement, confusion, confidence, panic, sanding, more panic, and then a surprisingly emotional final assembly. That tracks perfectly with the pencil guitar. Early on, the project feels like an art experiment. Midway through, when you’re staring at a chunky resin slab and wondering if it will ever resemble a guitar, it feels like a bad decision. But once the neck pocket is routed and the body outline appears, everything changes. Suddenly, it’s not a block anymoreit’s an instrument in progress.
Another shared experience is learning that “materials cost” and “real project cost” are not the same thing. A builder may say, “I only spent a couple hundred dollars,” and technically that can be true for the pencil, hardware, and pickups. But then the hidden stuff shows up: extra blades, mixing cups, nitrile gloves, sandpaper in six grits, polishing compound, masking tape, drill bits, replacement router bits, finish, and the inevitable second trip to the hardware store because one screw was the wrong size. This is not a complaintit’s just the universal DIY tax.
There’s also the sound question. People always ask whether a pencil-and-resin body guitar sounds “good” or if it’s just decorative. Builders with experience will usually give the most honest answer possible: a guitar’s tone is the result of a system. Pickups, strings, setup, bridge, neck fit, scale length, and playing style all matter. The body material can influence feel and response, but it doesn’t magically erase good design. In other words, if the instrument is built well and set up properly, it can absolutely be playable and inspiringeven if it looks like it escaped from an art classroom.
The project also teaches a less obvious lesson: standardization is a creative superpower. The builder used a familiar Strat-style format, which made the wild material choice possible. That’s a strategy more creators should steal. If you’re experimenting with one major variable, anchor the rest of the project with proven systems. It reduces frustration and increases your chances of actually finishing. (And finishing is the secret skill no one talks about enough.)
Finally, there’s the long-tail impact. This pencil guitar wasn’t just a one-off viral moment. It helped build a broader audience for creative guitar making and inspired people to see instruments differently. Scrap wood, skateboards, resin art, colored pencilssuddenly all of it looked like potential guitar material. That mindset is the best part of maker culture: not copying a project exactly, but letting it expand your idea of what’s possible.
So if this story makes you want to build something, start small, plan more than you think you need to, and buy extra sandpaper. The internet remembers the final glossy photos. Your future self will remember the jig you built, the mistakes you fixed, and the moment your weird idea first made a real note through an amp. That’s the part that keeps makers coming back to the shop.