I Make a Guitar From BULLETS & EPOXY for Mat Best

I Make A Guitar from Bullets & Epoxy for Mat Best from Black Rifle Coffee Company. 2 years ago when we built their conference table ii told him i would have a surprise for him. After an insane year, we finally did it. I will say, this is one of the most difficult projects we've ever tackled.
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#EPOXY #Epoxyguitar #Customguitar

[@HitmarkerReally1]

John: “Let’s Go!” Sam: “LET’S GO!” Jordan: “I’m just happy to be here”

[@uncledave8857]

Other youtubers that have cast ammo casings in resin found it was best to fill the brass with resin and let them cure first, then throw them into the project. If anyone was interested.

[@hirescustomwoodworking1505]

That is a correct statement. It was the only way I could cast bullets without bubbles

[@DominusFeles]

That was my spontaneous thought when I saw them dropping the casings into the resin, thanks for confirming

[@uncledave8857]

@TheDirtyVegetable That would be wasting ammo! Are you crazy? haha

[@cyrexion]

@@hirescustomwoodworking1505 no bullets here, just casings

[@found6393]

@TheDirtyVegetable That was my first thought. But that much lead? It'd make the guitar hellishly heavy.

[@redcardcsgo]

The casings as dowel plugs was a cool touch that got glossed over.

[@desertfoxsa]

Yeah I really want to know more about thay

[@Dragonuv2002]

At the current price of ammo, that things worth about $350,000.

[@bigandlittlefirearms8395]

I saw 40rds 556 guy wanted 80$ 2$ a cartridge

[@lmbrjcksn]

@@PackinForSuperbowl Yeah, so it's only worth $150,000.

[@crispy6936]

Lol bank acount -350,000. On ammo

[@AntiHamster500]

It costs four hundred thousand dollars to play this guitar for 12 seconds.

[@mercuryforlife969]

bro i have 200 of those shells and i got em for free XD

[@terriroemmich1617]

Just a suggestion guys: next time you're going to use epoxy with an item that is hollow, try filling the item with epoxy first, then maybe you won't have the issue of bubbles. Just a thought. The guitar and case are great!

[@tomatosoupinacan5287]

"i need guitar lessons" 5 seconds later proceeds to shred*

[@thekiller5672]

its not really shredding...

[@bmw370]

I was wondering if I heard that correctly haha

[@davebirch2543]

I've seen a bunch of videos of people moulding guitar bodies and casting in resin but nobody ever does a mould of an SG. I don't know why, they're such a badass shape. I think if I were going to use shells though I'd go the extra step of trying to pre fill the casings with epoxy so that less air bubbles get trapped in the main pour. Nice job.

[@rikbitter]

The most amazing part of this build is you actually managed to procure some 556 brass.

[@AaronBowendrummer]

Well he's not in California so......🤷‍♂️ so basically what I'm saying is I'm jealous lol

[@Chukijay]

@@AaronBowendrummer I’m in Texas and it isn’t exactly common here, either lol. You’ve either hoarded it earlier in ‘06 or you’re paying scalpers. Of course it isn’t exactly that binary, but you know what I mean. It’s a bad situation.

[@TorreyCrabtree]

Dudes here just leave it laying all over the range, no one seems to keep the stuff.

[@midnightgaming4269]

@@AaronBowendrummer that box of casings he has would fetch an easy $350 in Washington right now

[@Sffker]

hes worked with winchester before so probably wasnt hard

[@cody1612]

That was epic build! Sam with the full send! John with the full blast and jordan with the happy dance.

[@MrDrumDude2]

"Above average, that's always the goal" Words to live by :)

[@DIYDREW]

Hey John, if you want to get rid of that bad pour I'm sure you'd have interest as a giveaway... asking for a friend.

[@joshpirogovsky]

There aren’t words in this language that can ever describe how Sam drinking that coffee made me feel...

[@CeeJayThe13th]

Would love to see him maintain that energy

[@benjamin.kelley]

He could probably win the CrossFit Games now that he drank the BRCC drink.

[@SamGreenMaker]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[@nolanthompson2758]

Came here to say the exact same thing 😂

[@matthewkelly-barnett4480]

I thought it was quite funny

[@FishStix84]

QUICK TIP! To solve the micro surface bubble problem, brush the mold with baby powder before the pour. It doesn’t allow the bubbles to stick to the flat surface of the mold.

[@glennstriker2377]

Love the fact that it looks like a big Ammo Crate!!!

[@clintonbarger5887]

Seen someone use cases before, what they did to mitigate the air bubbles was pour epoxy in each individual case to keep it from trapping air before hand. If memory serves they used red epoxy in the cases to contrast with the clear.

[@robertfuller9561]

I'm a contractor/woodworker. Love Black Rifle and love this build. He definitely deserves this crazy guitar.

[@Und3adNation4L]

Hahaha that add with Sam was 10/10, y’all should make a calendar and have a picture of him with coffee pouring down his face for one of the months 🤣🤣🤣

[@carolinafrog4365]

Dude!! That is pure honor! Time, dedication and perfect finish! You do incredible work!!

[@MakingStuff]

Needs more cowbell.

[@nisarmohammed97]

😂😂😂😂

[@doubledarefan]

Yes!

[@6789drummerdude]

Finally, an SG style guitar that has good balance and no neck dive.

[@quinncatalano2184]

just by the name of this video... you have literally combined all of my favorite things in this world

[@kieran5210]

Hi from little old Scotland. Only started watching you from since the end of 2020. Loving the content John.

[@Solder_king]

Twist and tin the wires first by adding solder to the bare conductor then form a hook around the lug of the potentiometer and add a little more solder. Super easy and very useful! Beautiful build as always

[@digitalranger4259]

How about a river guitar, shaped like the USA, with wood and epoxy, and use case ends for the fret markers? Also make the knobs out of .50 brass ends, copper finish the tuning peg stems, brass on the tuning peg knobs.... Now look what you've done. You've made me want ANOTHER guitar! :)

[@TraumaQueen65]

Sam stole the show today 🥰

[@benjamin.kelley]

"I need to get some guitar lessons"...Proceeds to shred.

[@charlesbirchett7059]

Fucking right? I was like oh ok John Mayer...

[@chrisrivera3961]

that was some basic ass shit. not really a shred.

[@kenadams4626]

Merica, guns, bacon, bullets, tools, and bad ass creations. Come on Discovery Channel, give this man a TV show already!

[@HowIDoThingsDIY]

Super cool. I'm a veteran and gun enthusiast so I can appreciate this.

[@michaellukaniuk5074]

I assume the air bubbles were coming out of the casings. Prefilling with epoxy is one good idea mentioned here. How about pressing in a projectile[bullet] without powder or primer. Probably take care of all safety/legal concerns and definitely badass.

[@MrsGump]

Omg Sam at 8:23 was the BEST part of the whole video 🤣

[@OutdoorsAllie]

That is SICK!!!

[@colehansen188]

Black Forest Co they do great clear epoxy jobs and they stick theirs in the fridge at a cooler temperature so it takes longer to cure allowing bubbles to be expelled. Check that out the next clear epoxy pour

[@DanPeacock]

Everybody thinks building a guitar is easy... until they try it. :) I found that out the hard way. Looks awesome and, NO, Gibson hasn't made anything that awesome, and they never will.

[@ahpacific]

I had so much work to do but I sat here and watched all 20 minutes of this because freedom ain't free.

[@coolicetea7923]

the poured mold needs to be placed under pressure during the curing time, the pressure will eliminate the majority of the bubbles.

[@mkblack069]

I love watching your videos. I just kinda stumbled upon them and now just been doing nothing but watch you build some awesome stuff. I’m not even a wood worker but now I am wanting to try it out. Keep up the awesome work. And could you maybe do one on adding a larger door to a shed? I have a shed in my back yard but it only has a standard door on it where I can’t get my mower or motorcycle in it. Thanks for all you do.

[@digitalranger4259]

Nice job! Especially starting with an SG, with all of those contours. A Tele or a Les Paul, with the slab sides, would have been the better choice to mold, but I understand the desire for the familiar guitar.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Most definitely BadAss. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Keep Making. God Bless.

[@gmurf1111]

John, please do a collab with Andy Rawls and Third Coast Craftsman. You 3 are the greatest in the game and a collab would be the greatest thing ever on KZbin’s woodworking scene!

[@indicahybrid974]

11:32 This guy is my spirit animal

[@ShadowTaze]

Next level would have been to custom-wind some lipstick tube pickups and put them in bullet casings.

[@nachumtwersky7206]

FINALLY!!!!! I’ve been waiting for a squirrely guitar build

[@lukebenji4228]

Sam is the best! Epic guitar Gentlemen

[@peacefulsoul77]

awesome... little tip, to have prevented the bubbles you should had filled the bullet casings with epoxy first.. time consuming yes, but would have prevented the trapped bubbles coming out in the final pour... cool guitar...

[@dannyfresh6697]

16:13 My 1st soldering was on a guitar also. Was adding new pickups and I had no idea what I was doing or too solder properly. There was no youtube at the time to help me

[@Salkinmusic]

Gotta love the SG style body! I played a gibson SG once and then i played an Epiphone back when I was on a musicline/class type of thing, where we played live shows 🤘 I was impressed how good the Epiphone sounds for the price and compared with the Gibson, Epiphone is a good buy if anyone wants to get themselves an SG 😉

[@Bendage71]

John is like the cross between Steven Crowder and Jack Black 😂 Love this guy.

[@lewiskemp5893]

I'm wondering how many viewers dont know who Randy Rhodes is. I was lucky enough to see him play with Ozzy. I love the guitar

[@adammoran163]

Rhodes & EVH are guitar Gods!!

[@vryce6322]

One tip to help reduce your bubbles in your end results is to keep the epoxy cool. As it dries it heats up causing it to dry faster, thus locking in the bubbles. If you can keep it cool, the bubbles will have more time to surface and pop.

[@ryanokeefe12]

Cool resin is more viscous than warm resin. You want to do the opposite. Warming the resin before mixing will allow it to mix easier and because its thinner, it is less likely to trap air.

[@andrewjonas5523]

2 things. 1) If you do more guitars, check out StewMacs template jigs. Could make ya life much easier. 2)this might be the first time a plastic guitar is in a wooden case. Usually it’s the other way around lol. I like it.

[@markroper9269]

Sick build! You and the boys did well! I think Matt is psyched!!! :P

[@KidPerfectMidwest]

Great craftsmanship John and team! Everyone online is an expert here, but you guys did great work as always!

[@attanovantotto874]

this has to be one of the most American things i've ever seen

[@08carbonslvr]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!

[@connordix1859]

I would replace the tuning keys. Just measure the size of the hole the tuners go into and buy a 3+3 locking tuners. I recommend Grover or hipshot. I had those stock tuners on a guitar and there complete crap

[@Togri121]

Dude i realy love your energy, and everything about you guys . ! you have the company that i want to have in the future.. Great job. Thank you for your videos ! keep going

[@veropag1850]

to avoid the casings from having air in them, wouldn't it have made more sense to fill each and every individual casing with resin first and let them all set individually and then put them in the silicone mold and poured resin ontop of that?

[@coreythomas6576]

Shhh... Let them learn LOL

[@papaown]

Hey John I'm a novice when it comes to resin castings, but just a quick question. If you would have drilled bigger holes where the primer normally goes on the casing, would that have helped prevent the trapped air which caused the bubbling?

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic work, guys!!! 🤘😃 It turned out AMAZING! Stay safe there! 🖖😊

[@poshnoshloshyt7384]

An amazing instument made by an amazing craftsman! :)

[@jdubz22]

the bubbles were partially because you never degassed the mold part and poured like a madman. Cool project though and thankfully it was salvageable :D

[@pauloarnedo4019]

Jordan got his high five my life is complete

[@MakeItWithJim]

Looks great - Go team Squirrel!

[@toxman69]

Thumbs up just for the Randy Rhoads air guitar impression alone!

[@patrickretsel7048]

Great job fellas......he just loved it and holy crap he can play it too......😎

[@johnbirch6795]

How do you get the epoxy so clear? I have a semi-transparent pour which I've sanded to 600, and when I apply a coat of Rubio it looks great until I wipe it off (as much as I can), it leaves a film/blur to the epoxy. I have higher grit paper on order but I don't think that will make a difference with the Oil finish. Do you think I need a lacquer coat to get that crystal clear finish? It's going to be interesting trying to just sanding the epoxy and leaving the wood with the Rubio finish - any thoughts. It's what I call an island table with a very irregular slab with epoxy within the crevasses and around the wood.

[@ericlaurendeau4816]

Awesome work! You've pulled a nice one here, congrats!

[@andycole5957]

That is SO awesome!!! The only thing I'd do is to load bullets into the cases to make them dummy rounds, but that would look even better then just empty brass. Great job for a first try though; I'd buy one!

[@joeyyoshizumi]

I would so take that “messed up” pour... keep up the great work!!!

[@whyamidoingthis1153]

I just smiled as Sam drank that can of BRCC Coffee

[@thewolfofwoodstreet_]

Stunning work as per 💪 I’ve got a ☘️ shamrock table made with shotgun shells coming up soon. I’m going to pre fill the shells with silicone first and see how that works out. Use less resin too.

[@hansiejansevanrensburg291]

You should finish the first guitar and auction it of for the charity you helped over Christmas. Epic build!! And what. We four weeks to B-Day?

[@wimperelly]

Great Great video, can you please tell me which product you spray on the finished body. Is it a varnish? Is any varnish okay?

[@nickdurkiewicz8378]

YYEEESSS! Thank you. Been dieing to see this build🤘👍🤘

[@jonny555ive]

SWEET AXE BROTHER 🤘🎵🎵🤘 Hellava great job fellas. Now, a 9 piece bullet casing DRUMSET !!!!! Hell yeah. I would literally shit out of my eye sockets to see that happen.... Awesome work team ! 🇺🇸MERICA🇺🇸

[@putering1994]

haven’t seen it but it’s gonna be a bangar

[@ericolson2777]

This took me back to my first guitar build. So nerve-racking to route and drill holes into something that took so long to make. I did the neck and frets too though, that was probably the toughest part. Still have that guitar actually. Awesome video though!

[@constructionlife5059]

Nice build John! Getting Squirrely!

[@JennyEverywhere]

Those aren't bullets, those are cartridge cases. The bullet is the shooty bit that comes out of the case and flies out the far end.

[@Rory_Simms]

UNREAL!!! But disappointed in the lack of just the tip with John and Sam 😂

[@owenhaake3226]

Jordan dancing made my day.

[@jordanheider2662]

Glad someone enjoys my dancing

[@patrickretsel7048]

Sam, why didn’t you use pocket holes for the center support?

[@dancorvalan3205]

Awesome idea bro! Epic!

[@sjscreations2608]

Cool guitar guys, I think it put a big smile on his dial 😜

[@williamwinder3466]

Bullets you say. Guitar you say! FREEDOM YOU SAY!!!

[@robm9772]

Would using a vibrating table help to get the bubbles out of the casings?

[@hipairbrush1053]

absolutely killer !

[@larcomj]

you know a woodworker when his shop is nicer then his office!!!!

[@taceyraulerson1394]

Have u tried this with other string instruments? Would u consider doing this for other people???

[@ModernBuilds]

🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@emilnord]

Awesome guitar!! Great work! Saw the video on BRCC ! Like it !!

[@WYO-FAM]

Great video and awesome gift for Mat mbest11 . Since you are a maker, how about a smoker and some more Shop Chef. Have a great day.

[@hmsiegel79]

Have you watched any of the Burls Art videos? He's done some pretty epic guitar builds.

[@kevins8969]

Could it be done with dummy bullets instead of empty casings? Not sure of the feasibility of that in resin with the exothermic properties during the cure. Would it cause gas expansion issues in the empty plugged casing?

[@uaoop8109]

I’m building a box at school with them joints but we need to do it with pencil hacksaws and chisels you got it the easy way

[@williammartino7118]

What do you do with the first guitar just wondering?

[@John_Malecki]

On a shelf as a daily reminder that we still suck haha

[@YooToobz]

Bro this is beautiful 🤩

[@courtney5796]

Just saw a vid yesterday of an older handmade guitar (reliced) with shotgun shell brass used for the knobs..... just an idea

[@shellymontgomery3489]

You Guys Rock!! I came across a video loved it and subscribed and I’m huge fan of your site now

[@Bigted3737]

How much silicon and Resin did you use please?

[@John_Malecki]

I have absolutely no clue, sorry man