Eight stages. Four to six weeks. One pair of hands.
You want proof that a Gwynne piece isn't another mass-produced replica. Here it is. Every stage below happens at Rob's bench in Texas, by his hand, from raw stock. No casting. No molding. No assistants. Watch the work first, then read how a guitar comes to life, one quiet stage at a time.
See Rob's Hands at the Bench
Filmed at Rob's bench in Texas. Press play on any video to watch the work up close.
Part 1: Carving the Wood
Rob hand-carves the body of a miniature guitar from raw hardwood, the same way he cuts a full-size instrument.
Part 2: Knobs & String Capstans
Turning and finishing the control knobs and string capstans by hand from raw stock.
Finished Pieces Up Close
A close look at completed Fender Jaguar and Gibson Les Paul miniatures, every detail finished by hand.
Stringing a Gibson Les Paul Miniature
Rob strings an 8.75 inch Gibson Les Paul miniature, drawing the strings from 0.38mm wire and tensioning each one by ear.
A Gwynne Miniature Guitar is a handcrafted, quarter-scale replica of an iconic guitar model, built entirely by hand from precious metals and exotic hardwoods. Each piece is 8.75 inches, numbered, and made one at a time.
From Paper to the First Note
Every piece Rob builds follows the same journey. It is a journey measured in weeks, not hours, and in hand-filed strokes, not machine passes. Here is how it unfolds.
- 01
It Begins with a Piece of Paper
Before any wood is touched, there is a paper template, cut by hand and scaled to exactly 8.75 inches, the length of every Gwynne Miniature Guitar. Rob traces it onto the raw stock and inspects the line under a jeweler's loupe, because a shape that is wrong on paper will be wrong in silver. - 02
Then the Wood Speaks
The body blank comes from an exotic hardwood chosen for the piece: bird's eye maple, zebra wood, mahogany, mesquite. Rob cuts each blank by hand, deliberately oversize, so the final shape can be filed to the line rather than sawn to it. The wood decides how the piece will glow; the template only sets its boundaries. - 03
Seven Grades of Patience
Filing and sanding follow, through seven grades of paper, until the surface is true. Carved tops on Les Paul and archtop pieces are contoured entirely with hand files. There is no CNC, no router jig, nothing that works without Rob's hands on it. - 04
Color, Rubbed In by Hand
Finishes are hand-sprayed and hand-rubbed. Sunbursts are blended wet-on-wet, the way they were decades ago. Natural pieces are sealed with a satin finish so the figure of the grain stays exactly as the tree left it. - 05
The Neck Takes Shape
The neck is carved from the hardwood selected for the piece, whether rock maple, mahogany, or another wood suited to the model. The headstock is cut, filed and drilled for six tuning posts, and the Fender or Gibson logo is applied by hand. - 06
Frets and Small Stones
Frets are laid in by hand and crowned one at a time. Then come the markers: cubic zirconia, semi-precious gems, or real diamonds on request, each set jeweler-style the way Rob has set stones in rings for over sixty years. - 07
Metal, Turned from Raw Stock
Every piece of hardware is fabricated from raw stock. The bridge and saddle are cut and filed from sterling. The tuning posts are turned from solid silver. Pickup covers, control knobs and jack plates are formed by hand, and on select pieces the hardware is solid 14K yellow or white gold. - 08
Finally, It Sings
The neck is set into the body and the hardware is fitted. Everything is checked twice at the loupe and adjusted with jeweler's files until each seam disappears. Strings are drawn from 0.38mm wire, hand-cut, wrapped around the posts and tensioned by ear. The guitar is numbered and photographed, ready to leave the bench.
About the Work
Answers to the questions collectors and researchers ask most often.
How are miniature guitars made?
A handcrafted miniature guitar is built the same way a full-size instrument is, but at 8.75 inches. Rob Gwynne hand-cuts each body from exotic hardwood, shapes it with files, fabricates every piece of hardware from raw brass and sterling stock, sets frets and gemstone markers, and strings it with 0.38mm wire. Commissions run four to six weeks from confirmation.
What are miniature guitars made of?
Gwynne Miniature Guitars are built from exotic hardwoods (bird's eye maple, zebra wood, mahogany, mesquite), precious metals (brass and sterling for most hardware, with solid 14K yellow/white gold on select pieces), and gemstones (cubic zirconia, semi-precious gems, or real diamonds for fret markers). Strings are 0.38mm wire drawn by hand.
Are miniature guitars playable?
Gwynne Miniature Guitars are collector's pieces and works of art, not playable instruments. Every component (bridge, frets, tuning posts, strings) is built to visual and mechanical fidelity, but the scale is 8.75 inches: a quarter of a full guitar.
How long does it take to make one?
Each commission runs four to six weeks from confirmation to delivery, with Rob at the bench every day. Because he works alone and every component is fabricated from raw stock, only a small number of pieces are completed each year.
Where can I buy a handmade miniature guitar?
Gwynne Miniature Guitars are commissioned directly through this site. Rob works with each collector to select materials (the woods, the metals and the stones) before beginning work. Pieces ship worldwide via insured carriers.
Who makes miniature guitar replicas of Fender models?
Fender CEO Edward Cole called Rob after seeing his work. That encouraging conversation has opened a possible negotiation for Rob to receive authorized rights to use the Fender name and logo on his miniature guitar designs.
Ready to have one built for you?
Tell Rob the model, the woods, and the stones you want. He'll take it from there.