Building A Sheet Metal Guitar For Andrew Huang

[@supergranular]

Andrew playing your guitar looked like the most fun a human can have doing anything. What a commission and you smashed it.

[@itspusher]

The moveable pickups ended up giving us the coolest stereo effect especially

[@versoinstruments]

You did so great! ❤ It’s a feature that is a bit frightening at first (setup wise) but then it just takes you somewhere else! You teamed up perfectly with Andrew - such fun! Thanks a lot

[@bradsmithstudios8881]

As you are filing parts of the body, you can hear it start to sing, it can’t wait to strung up and played. Beautiful instrument!

[@T-Bore]

Mensch Robin, ich war ja eh schon großer Fan deiner Gitarren, aber den ganzen Entstehungsprozess jetzt auch mal komplett mitverfolgen zu können, war wirklich das Sahnehäubchen. Danke für den spannenden Einblick und viel Erfolg weiterhin 💚

[@versoinstruments]

Hey! Das freut mich wirklich sehr :) schön das es dir gefallen hat!

[@uniqornzmusic1020]

Incredible craftsmanship. Can't wait to get one. Thanks for sharing the process.

[@tetradodeca]

It is truly wonderful to watch one build with passion and taking care of even the small details. You are a true master craftsman! Lovely build

[@versoinstruments]

Thank you so much !!

[@BumblebeeElectron]

What an absolutely brilliant design. Aside from its functionality as a guitar, the clarity of vision that you brought to this project is such that the guitar should be in the design collection of every museum of modern art in the world. If Jony Ive wanted to design a guitar… it wouldn't be like this, lol, because he would never allow, or perhaps even think of, the touch of humor in echoing the traditional guitar shape with the overlapping sections of the front and rear panels. (And we all know that his ultimate design for *anything* would just look like a stone smoothed by a river.) But back to your guitar: congratulations on taking the risk of developing this. I wish you much success!

[@versoinstruments]

Thank you so much ❤ great you immediately sensed the Humor in it, referencing to (at least half of) a traditional guitar shape. It really was challenging to make something as different that still does not become alien and is „enough“ guitar to be accessible.

[@estebanod]

I absolutely love the design, and the movable pickups it's insane! I want one

[@HexanaMusic]

So toll! I find these guitars are so unique with their own personalities. Plus seeing the custom ones you make on Instagram is really inspiring.

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks a lot! They really do have their personalities - I remember each and every one I built :)

[@anilbahsi]

I have been waiting for this for a long time! Thank you Robin! I really love your design approach.

[@versoinstruments]

Thank you Anil!! :)

[@LucasdeFarias]

What an amazing crafstmanship. Great job man. I'm in awe.

[@obxbeach3985]

Wow, great tools, craftmanship and the amazing attention to detail. Amazing work !

[@swr410]

Wooooow that was super beautiful to watch. The aesthetics of this instrument are just off the charts. Really cool to see how much care goes into each one!

[@gabeackerman2331]

Just watched the video andrewhuang made and I bet your business will boom because this is a very cool idea especially the separate outputs for the pickups. Love it man keep up the good work.

[@Typical.Anomaly]

5:40 i LOVE how you use the cutters as a hammer. I call that "just pressing B", as in sometimes in Zelda games I have an unwanted item equipped but I use it to attack anyways (usu. the hammer in ALttP). Also, I work in a kitchen. Moving a trash can out of the way with the broom while I'm sweeping totally qualifies as well.

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks man :) Simple tools are the most versatile! I need to be quick here cause the superglue dries fast... so thats the way to go haha! I actually flatened the cutter a bit there, so it works better as a hammer. Btw. I'm a (oldschool) Zelda fan myself. I grew up with Link to the past and ocarina of time

[@pvdguitars2951]

Engineered perfectly. Built to perfection. Out of this world!

[@rauschguitars]

Wonderful seeing this guitar come together. Your use of templates and jigs is inspiring!

[@thetimberowlsband]

So much work goes into these and it shows! Really great video on the whole process. Great looks AND great sound!

[@versoinstruments]

thanks man! Great to see you over here at youtube ;)

[@Ravenkiwi]

This is an incredible piece of art! Can easily see myself grabbing one for my collection!

[@DanieleGiannattasio]

It looks and sounds incredible! Love the concept, awesome job!

[@EphraimGiepen]

Fantastic craftsmanship my friend! It's a pleasure to see how precise and focused you are at work - not that I'm surprised - and great to follow all the steps... Now I love your guitars even more! Thanks for sharing your skills!

[@versoinstruments]

Ohh das ist lieb :) Danke fürs schauen, Ede!

[@benodaboy]

Finishing the frets off before they go on the guitar is a good idea

[@ChristopherBuecheler]

Amazing work and attention to detail, truly a unique instrument, and it sounds great! Time for me to start saving! 😄

[@XiXora]

Super relaxing watching a craftsman doing their thing. Nice.

[@GNARBOSS]

Robin! I am in awe over how much work and attention to detail you put into these things. Just seeing a lot of the custom tools you've built along the way and the processes within processes to make something so classic and new at the same time! Really happy to see that more people are getting to see and hear your masterpieces!

[@versoinstruments]

Kenji! Thanks a bunch man :) really appreciate it ❤ hope you are all well!

[@machieltipo]

First time I’ve seen the frets be cut and rounded before being inserted, very cool! Gives a slightly different look too, I love it

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks!! I learned that from others, mainly Florian Schneider from Millimetric Instruments. My results with filing them while they are installed (at least for the round ends) never were satisfiing enough. You need a small gap of 1-2/10mm to the edge of the fretboard so they really feel comfortable. Only possible with installing them afterwards .

[@oldmanzen6682]

I've been fascinated with these guitars since the first time I saw them on Instagram. I would love to own one someday. The only thing I'm not particularly fond of is the headstock; however that's a minor aesthetic quibble when compared to the rest of the instrument. Thank you so much for this video. Enjoyed the hell out of it.

[@elsantoproductora]

I love these scrotumcasters. Awesome work!

[@gimmenames9039]

Beautiful guitars & and an even more beautiful process of making them. So much quiet attention, calm and awareness! - Stummvoll :) Thx for showing this. I might get one eventually even though I don’t need more guitars. But this is special, unique and somehow reflects nicely on your name.

[@versoinstruments]

Thank you!!! "Quiet attention" describes my building style pretty well :)

[@gimmenames9039]

And it shows! I'll be in touch sometime soon, debating myself if baritone or not. I just had a baritone made by somebody else - which also is a very special guitar :D@@versoinstruments

[@versoinstruments]

@@gimmenames9039 Don't worry - my regular scale guitars are as sweet :) ! Who made your bari?

[@TeddyLeppard]

It feels like the movable magnetic pickups could have their wires handled a bit better. Maybe thread them through holes with rubber grommets so they can be pulled through the back to get them out of the way and not have them rubbing directly on the metal? But I do like the idea that the neck might never have to be adjusted to account for wood warp. Another thing about having a metal body guitar... There's a potential danger of electrocution if there's no ground between the performer and a live mic if they happen to create their own "circuit" with their body by touching an amplified piece of electronics and the mic or an amp at the same time. Might be worth it to cover the top part of the body and/or the pick guard area to act as insulator? Just a few thoughts.

[@versoinstruments]

Hi Teddy! Thanks for your input. Cables touching metal seems like a bad idea but I spent a good amount of time to sort out the best working cable flow - there is no problem at all with friction or hiccups (wich is a huge challange in the design). The cable barley touches the metal, it is actually lead through the wooden bridge and is almost free of contact. It is teflon insulated and very ridgid. Plus the powdercoating of the metal is thick and soft (polyproplyene). Regarding the grounding. This is true for every electric guitar, since you alway touch the metal strings - becoming part of a circut. My guitars are way better grounded since its all metal. Safer & less hum! Electrocution is very rare these days with modern fuses and only occur with damaged and or very very old amp designs. Hope that helped! Cheers

[@imm311]

Beautiful design! God bless your talent! Praying for you!

[@Typical.Anomaly]

13:11 Had to slow down to 0.25X to check out that soldering station. I just got a "helping hands" recently with 2 clips and a magnifying glass. Got a few kit pedal PCBs that I ordered a while back and intend to put in one box as a multi-FX unit with delay, Q-filter, a few different distortions, and compression. Sorry, I'm stoned. I'll shut up now. Love this video! I saw Andrew play this guitar when it first came out and this vid just landed in my algo. ✌💗🤘

[@versoinstruments]

haha, yeah the soldering station is made super quick and ugly but I was annoyed by all the (cheap) fume extractors that never caught the fumes when I needed it. This one works pretty good, actually!

[@yikmop]

Since leaving Instagram, I've missed seeing your posts & stories in my timeline -- I'm so glad to be able to see you doing your thing, in long-form! :) Thank you for giving us a window into your world!

[@versoinstruments]

Good decision leaving IG! And glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@aaronmyers1673]

Couple questions. Why not an adjustable bridge. Why not straight string pull?

[@versoinstruments]

It is a floating bridge design wich allows for a quick overall intonation. I set them up in a very low action usually of 1.8mm (low E) -1.5mm (high E) at 12th fret. So the need of an bridge adjustment is not given with a instrument perfect setup. Its like with acoustic guitars: set and forget. If the action changes it is adressed to the neck relief - Learning how to adjust a truss during the seasons is key on my guitars but I think this is a good habit for the players. Straight stringpull is overrated and gives you no benefits over angled strings (yes, there are limits) behind the nut IF the nut is filed correctly. See the sting contact point (nut) as a pivot point: wherever the sting goes next - it is a straight line - being it "actually in line" or to the side viewed from the top. See it that way: there is always one perspective where the string appears straight - it does not matter if this perspective is the front of the guitar or any other view angle. Preventing the use of string trees is way more efficent in good tuning stability.

[@fufurasu]

Amazing video and amazing work, Robin! Lovely to see how much craft and care went into building my bass! 😊

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks so much Orestes!! Yeah, the workflow is 99% the same with your bass :)

[@treehouseguitars]

What a brilliantly-clever design - in so many ways!

[@ethanchbt]

i just saw andrews video it was awesome what you did

[@TheRealWulfderay]

Wow, such an interesting design!

[@catch_this_mirage6564]

Impressive work and design. Great job!

[@e.scottdaugherty8291]

Only complaint, the pink font is difficult to read. Outstanding project. Your fret end work is awsome [best idea I've ever seen].

[@cannaguitars4593]

I learned a lot! Great process and techniques. Almost as creative and well-thought-out as your design. Chapeau! Grüße aus Pforzheim ;-)

[@versoinstruments]

Hey Jakob, vielen lieben Dank! Hätte ja nicht gedacht, dass ich Dir noch was zeigen kann - wow, schönes kompliment :) ! Was hat Dir denn speziell gefallen? Liebe Grüße!

[@cannaguitars4593]

​@@versoinstruments Man lernt nie aus 😀Das mit der Carbon Halseinlage werde ich kopieren ;-) Da ich seit neustem auch eine CNC habe, war das auch sehr interessant. Deine Halterungen usw. Wo krieg ich denn den Dremelaufsatz her, um die Fret-Enden zu runden? Der von Nigel Forster ist ja nicht gerade billig ^^

[@versoinstruments]

@@cannaguitars4593 die Dremel scheiben sind recht weiche Silikon polier scheiben von Proxxon, die ich mit einem 2.5mm Federstahlstab konkav forme. Eine Scheibe reicht für etwa 3-5 Gitarren und eine box mit 10 stück kostet 5 € :) Für Edelstahl ist das Material zu weich - ich benutze 18% nickel Draht. Du musst allerdings echt ne Brille und Maske tragen, das sprüht dir förmlich den Staub ins Gesicht!

[@JESSEROYAL]

Love and respect this so much

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks 🙏🤩

[@slimsantilli4476]

The most kick ass cigar box guitar ever.

[@versoinstruments]

cigar box guitars actually were a huge part of my inspiration! :)

[@D4wn42]

freu mich schon drauf zu sehen, was er mit diesem feinen instrument macht :)

[@versoinstruments]

Oh jaaa - ich mich auch!! Kommt sehr sehr bald!

[@timhallas4275]

Cool idea. I like this shape.

[@Slikx666]

When i saw this guitar on Andrews channel i was very impressed with how it looked and sounded. Would i like to own one? Definitely yes! Do i have the room? Only if i stick it to the ceiling with some magnets. 🤔 Maybe I'll get one, but i seriously don't have the room, even on the ceiling. 😭

[@noahlynaugh5025]

im definitely going to make my own pickup winder

[@versoinstruments]

it was a fun project but it took me a bit to nail it to the point it works 100% perfect. Lots of improvements along the way in terms of eading and tensioning the wire

[@GuttlinGuitars]

great process and video.

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks man!!

[@EthanCubis]

Incredible guitar, it inspired my build. I was wondering what finishing products you use on the neck.

[@versoinstruments]

@@EthanCubis I use a bunch of different finishes depending on the wood. In this video I use Kunos livos white pigmented oil and than a couple of their finish oil. Nowadays I start with one or two ultra thin coats of epoxy (rubbed on… takes like 5gr per neck) and finish with the mentioned oils. I buff almost dry, with little to no polish compound and a bit of wax

[@gelosoriano]

Absolutely beautiful 😮❤

[@ioannisplatikostas9676]

So beautiful

[@versoinstruments]

thank you!!

[@V_Dgt]

Damn.. it's a loong process.. 👍

[@versoinstruments]

It is! About two full weeks of work (spread over about 4-6weeks)!

[@V_Dgt]

@@versoinstruments Good job you do! It's always nice to see uncommon ideas! Is it time for heavy metal axe? 😁

[@cameronneal4]

Pretty sure that was a Zelda song in the intro ❤

[@versoinstruments]

haha well, I grew up with link to the past and ocarina of time, so it might be in my blood! The outro has the extended version btw. (but it really was just very quickly improvised)

[@ambiention]

Isn’t that neck construction likely to crack the fingerboard or pop it off over time? Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but it looks like the neck itself was stiffened with carbon fiber and epoxy, then the truss rod installed into a channel routed into the back of the actual fingerboard. The rod inside the thinnest part of the board will be trying to push against the stiffened neck whenever it’s adjusted

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks for thinking this through. I did not invent this neck construction (speaking of the carbon/ truss combination) but was inspired by many builders in the top notch league to do so (like Ken Parker and Dion James). What’s special about my necks is that the channel even enters the fretboard - nicely spotted! That is just because my boards are way thicker then on usual necks and the truss has to follow the back of the neck (angled not parallel to the fretboard) to continue into the body. They are stable and fine to adjust :)

[@lastnamefirstname8655]

great guitar!

[@renula]

Amazing.

[@FandomTOBY]

Werde auf einer dieser Gitarren sparen 😊 They are just too cool to not buy. And open up so many ways to play a guitar in new ways with the pickups being movable

[@versoinstruments]

Sehr gut - ich freu mich!

[@stevenosbarmusic]

Interessant, dass du die Bünde schon vor dem Einpressen auf die genaue Länge kürzt und auch schon abrundest. Hab ich immer andersherum gemacht und auch noch nie so gesehen. Aber da sieht man die Routine und Erfahrung. Und wofür ist der Metallpin unter dem Sattel? Riesen Fan von der Gitarre! Keep it up!

[@versoinstruments]

Danke Dir! Die Bünde vorher vorzubereiten, ist zwar nicht ganz einfach (gibt ein paar Details die man echt vermasseln kann), aber es wird letztendlich besser... Nur so bekommst du einen Abstand von ca 2-3/10mm zum Griffbrett Rand hin, Der sich einfach gut anfühlt. Der Stahlpin im Sattel ist nötig, da der schräge Verlauf der Saiten an der Kopfplatte den Sattel sonst "wegzieht". So muss ich ihn auch nicht Kleben :) Liebe Grüße!!

[@Asrar_DryLips]

very unique, different from the others

[@RandomRotation]

Großartig!! Ganz große Lob. 🙌

[@polnoeceloe]

This is a very simple design and very easy to make. If such a guitar is mass produced, at a price that is attractive to the masses, it can be very cheap, and popular among teenagers and all aspiring musicians. One way or another, there are times of poverty and austerity ahead, then this will be a good offer. If China, for example, gets hold of this idea, they can do it illegally, or you can set up manufacturing in China, making a guitar for example, for 100 dollars, then the whole world will buy it

[@versoinstruments]

Well, this thinking isn’t doing any good for our world. I decided to make these instruments in low quantities, as good as possible. Making these for 100 bucks so everyone can play them would make them more a freak toy guitar, rather a serious instrument. I build these, knowing that they are among the best guitars out there and not less. And yes, I designed them to achieve a low price - but in the field of hand made boutique guitars :)

[@polnoeceloe]

@@versoinstruments Thanks, I really liked the idea of this tool, I think it's promising. But if it becomes popular enough, I'm sure China will quickly pick up the idea. Alternatively, you could produce both an expensive guitar and a simpler, budget version that would direct those interested to the more expensive model

[@geronimomercado8580]

Amazing work! Where can I try them?

[@versoinstruments]

I'm afraid currently all in the shops I work with have them sold out. If you come to germany anytime soon, my shop is the place to go ;) Else there will be some new instruments early next year at southshore guitar boutique NY. Send me a mail if you want an arrangement with one of my customers near by (did that a couple of times).

[@clairbeeguitar]

Why do you use a right handed set of tuners on a reverse headstock?

[@versoinstruments]

Allows to shorten the headstock about an inch and also I like the rounded side matching the round end of the headstock. Has no downsides other than turning in the other direction

[@waderowland9758]

That neck. Then there's the rest. Bucket list.

[@rogerb.4959]

What kind of potentiometers do you use? I have never seen those before

[@versoinstruments]

they are 16mm stereo pots (linear)! The volume is an alpha, the blend is a bourns. A bit hard to find, but they are available around the globe in good audio electronic stores

[@rogerb.4959]

@@versoinstruments thank you for responding. I'm trying to find pots that sound better. Most have brass in them and brass dulls the sound in my opinion

[@ukebox00oftheworld63]

Nice and different. Where are you based?

[@versoinstruments]

Thanks! In Kassel, Germany

[@alwynfernandes2792]

Wow!!

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

Is it possible to order just the pickups?

[@versoinstruments]

Sorry, I only offer them with my guitars

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@versoinstruments Bugger, I think they'd look fantastic on my Ibanez RG if I got a metal scratchplate.

[@chrispuckett8855]

Will the price ever go down

[@versoinstruments]

With our world becoming increasingly expensive it’s more likely going up 😢

[@Jack_Wolfe]

15:00 MASK!

[@versoinstruments]

I asked him that too( and I think he should do so). But he’s his own business owner and believes in his air extraction system.

[@numbersabcdefg]

What type of wood did you use?

[@versoinstruments]

Torrefied (thermo) beech. It’s a one of a kind old stock blank I found pretty randomly at my wood merchants. Still have one left. Nice end result but challenging to work with as it’s very brittle

[@nuberiffic]

Dual mono? Isn't that just stereo?

[@versoinstruments]

It’s hairsplitting :) so the short answer is, yes it’s the same. Long answer is, stereo implicates a certain way to hear things - left and right. This is not necessarily true for dual mono as both channels still can result in a mono track, just making use of two separate signals (for fx or what ever). So it can be stereo… but dual mono makes it a bit clearer that you have two separate mono tracks. 😅

[@nuberiffic]

@@versoinstruments ah, I see. So it's not really a function of the hardware, but how it's utilised.

[@mico5003]

I thought Andrew made the guitar, obviously not. I never seen such shape and its adjustable specs!

[@versoinstruments]

hehe yeah, he did not spent much words on my work :D

[@mico5003]

@@versoinstruments He should. This is next level craftmanship. It good YT favor you in their algorithm.

[@versoinstruments]

@@mico5003 oh he definetly mentioned Verso as a brand a couple of times and linked up my site / channel and insta a lot - so he definetly created tons of interest and pushed me! I just meant he did not talk about me as a person/builder (wich is totally fine to me) :)

[@mico5003]

@@versoinstruments I dig you both! Andrew is fun to watch and had an appeal to masses. Behind the scenes, the unsung heroes, the nerds, innovations, diy community in general are as equal. For many years I watch tech creators, all sort of luthiers, people who build from scratch. You guys need praise along side ppl who consume your products. Because I know there is sweat, blood and tears behind the work. For lack of better term. In other hand I also understand selfmade community. I saw once John Frusciante interview about creativity and how he tap into creativity. It might be sound like new age-y, but he made sense. He is there for music not fame. You know.

[@schorrguitars]

oh hello!

[@versoinstruments]

Huhu 😊 ❤

[@daanvanderrol5627]

Awesome craftmanship! Horrible looking guitar in my opinion, though I do really like the darkwood/chrome look of the neck. I really loved watching it all come together.

[@versoinstruments]

Appreciate it nonetheless! We don`t have to like everything and also history proved many times that "new designs" that were described as horrible do become very attractive with time :)

[@matthewpeacock3917]

Did you happen to be a tool and die maker before???

[@versoinstruments]

No :) I studied industrial design and spent a lot of time with prototyping!

[@bucketsAMF]

One of the ugliest guitars I've ever seen, but I appreciate the process. I'm just glad people are starting to realize that "tone woods" for electric guitars doesn't make a lick of difference.

[@TheBrianRaglandChannel]

OK, I may be the only negative (but true to how I feel) comment in here, ......and my mom always said if you got nothing nice to say, don't say nothing at all. But,...... I just gotta say, .......I think this guitar design is kind of dumb. I don't think it would be durable at all. I think even playing it you probably bend it and break it, so there's really no practicality in it. It probably would be a wall hanger at best,... Then your probably wanting some outrageous amount of money for it,.....The neck is kinda cool, but the body?...... that's just dumb. It looks pretty stupid to me, .......but so does most of the stuff that I put together. So.......