Wood burning, or pyrography, is an ancient art of using a hot poker or a soldering iron to carve intricate designs into wood. The technique works almost like tatooing on skin, and it’s used by artists in many different genres, including music.

It can be used for many different purposes such as creating a picture on a guitar, giving the instrument a modern or elegant look, or even creating custom one-off designs.

Many guitarists have used pyrography with album covers, posters and various other projects. If you want to start learning this amazing art, you can easily try to draw on a piece of wood. It’s an easy and fun way to practice your skills and express yourself.

Guitar builders have started using pyrography more and more and it is becoming a trend in the guitar building world. 

It has also been adopted by millions of people across the world in different industires. It is used for making unique patterns on wooden products such as wooden instruments, wooden casings, tables, trays, and more. Pyrography is a fun and creative way to spice up the looks of any wooden product.

Why Pyrography is popular among guitar builders

Are you into building guitars?

Then you need to know about pyrography. This technique is the best way to decorate raw wood that’s otherwise pretty bland. It takes a little bit of practice, but the results are amazing.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @guitarkits

It's all about the guitar geek in you, we've all got those times where we just wanted to draw something on our guitar, and now there's a growing community of people that are sharing the same passion in the guitar building world. 

These days, there are more and more ways to draw on guitars, and while some are pretty rare (similar to the old days of singing and playing 'Hey Jude' on the guitar..lol), others are prefer tattooing their guitar through pyrography.

These pyrographers/guitar builders/artists are overflowing with talent. Aside from their musical side, their artistry  shines through the shades and outlines of their beautiful artwork. 

We believe that though not everyone is an artist, everyone can be artistic. Explore that artistic side through a wooden tattoo on your guitar. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! If you fail on the first try, do it again. Those expensive paintings that looked like spilled paint (lol) might have been a mistake that turned into art. We’ll never know!

Draw something on your guitar through pyrography. It’s a tattoo that adds character to your instrument.

Guitarists have a deep appreciation for the accuracy of musical instruments. Pyrography, or guitar engraving, is an art form where a competitive guitar player transcribes a musical composition onto a guitar using only their fingerprints. Here's our list of the coolest (and most intricate) pyrography guitars on the internet.

Pyrography is a craft anyone could master

Still clueless how fun pyrography is? We found this Youtube channel that did pyrography on his guitars and it turned out amazing! Perhaps this would inspire you for your next build. His videos will allow you to appreciate not just the outcome, but the process of doing pyrography as well. Enjoy!

Here are some guitar kits we would recommend if you planned on doing pyrography on your guitar kit. These kits have a big empty space in the body ready to receive some love and art. Preferably, you would want to choose a guitar body with no veneers on top, and one that has a small pickguard or no pickguard at all, so you have the freedom to design and place intricate patterns and images. 

• L1 DIY Mahogany body Guitar Kit with Ebony Fretboard | Guitar Kit World
• Lefty Basswood body KR-style Guitar Kit | Guitar Kit World
• 7-string RG style Basswood body Guitar Kit with Ebony Fretboard | Guitar Kit World
• Mahogany body V-style Guitar Kit w/ Ebony fretboard | Guitar Kit World
• Lefty Basswood body X-style Bass Kit with Maple Neck | Guitar Kit World
• KR Alder Guitar Kit with Maple Fretboard | Guitar Kit World
• V57 Alder Body Guitar Kit with Maple Neck and Ebony Fretboard | Guitar Kit World

The team from Guitar Kit World wishes you a good day and a fun guitar DIY experience!

Till next time, Keep on rocking guys! 

Meet the author

Paulo Leandro Molina

Paulo, a passionate guitar lover, motorcycle rider and the Builder Success Manager at Guitar Kit World, blends his in-depth technical expertise with his love for music to craft personalized solutions for builders...

See more

Related articles:

Guitar Finishing Safety Tips To Follow

There are a few things to be aware of right from the start when it comes to finishing a guitar, s...

Read now >

How to Apply a Sunburst Guitar Finish

Before going into too much detail in this article, keep in mind that this is just one method of a...

Read now >

Engineered Ebony Fretboards 

Traditionally, hardwoods such as Ebony, Rosewood and Maple have been the materials most often use...

Read now >