“He Didn’t Even Know Who James Hetfield Was — But He Burned the Explorer That Became a Metallica Legend: The Dino Muradian Story

Dino Muradian’s life reads like a blockbuster screenplay. A commercial pilot escaping Communist Romania, landing on an Austrian highway, and eventually becoming the world’s most famous guitar pyrographer — the artist behind some of Metallica’s most iconic custom instruments.

▪ From simple hobby to daring escape

Back in Romania, pyrography was merely a pastime for Muradian — an artistic way to decorate raw wood. But everything changed in August 1983.

“I was a commercial pilot, so I escaped on a Russian cropduster,” he recalls.
Three and a half hours of low-altitude flying under radar detection brought him directly onto an Austrian autobahn.

The Romanian government sentenced him — in absentia — to 25 years for treason, even demanding his extradition. Nothing came of it, and Dino eventually settled in the United States.

▪ The spark: a Warmoth ad and a stunned Fender Custom Shop

After selling two early art pieces “for real money,” one of which appeared in Fine Woodworking Magazine, Muradian stumbled upon an ad from Warmoth showing unfinished guitar bodies.

He drove to the Warmoth factory with portfolio in hand. The brothers instantly recognized him from the magazine.

He asked for a scrap body to experiment on — they handed him a Telecaster.
Within days, he returned with a fully pyrographed floral design that left everyone speechless. Warmoth immediately shipped it to Fender Custom Shop, urging them to take a look.

▪ ESP sees the potential — and calls with an unusual request

While Fender hesitated, ESP CEO Matt Masciandaro didn’t. He commissioned guitars decorated with scenes inspired by Frederic Remington’s Native American artwork.

Then came the pivotal moment.

▪ “Can you pyrograph James Hetfield’s Explorer?”

“In spring of ’96, Matt asked me to burn artwork onto James Hetfield’s Explorer,” Muradian says.
“I didn’t know who James was, but I said yes.”

Working with Hetfield’s tech, Zach Harmon, they settled on a dramatic stag skull concept. The Explorer shape made the placement of the horns extremely challenging, but the final result became a fan favorite — eventually displayed at the ESP Museum in Tokyo.

▪ Hetfield’s reaction: “It sounds terrible – but I love it!”

Muradian met Hetfield backstage in Seattle in 1996.

“He treated me like he was talking to Michelangelo,” Dino laughs.
“James told me, ‘This guitar sounds awful — but I absolutely love it.’”

It was also Muradian’s first heavy metal show. Watching Metallica from side stage, he remembers his whole body vibrating from the intensity.

▪ The Metallica era continues: Unforgiven, Cthulhu and a priceless Martin

Since then, Muradian has pyrographed multiple instruments for Hetfield:

• the Unforgiven Variax with imagery from the music video
• a Cthulhu-themed Snakebyte
• a Martin D-28 for Metallica’s All Within My Hands charity show

Video:: Martin D-28 - "All Within My Hands"

The Unforgiven guitar was among the most complex — the lyrics around the guitar needed to remain bright, while the surrounding wood had to be burned dark.

▪ Kirk Hammett joins the party — and gets a secret “Romanian crater”

Kirk Hammett, a lifelong gear collector, couldn’t resist.
Dino pyrographed one of his ESP Eclipses with the text of Poe’s The Raven in the background.

For the Nosferatu-themed Eclipse in 2023, Muradian added a hidden detail: one of the lunar craters is shaped like Romania.

▪ B.B. King’s Lucille and the dream of crafting a guitar for Taylor Swift

Muradian also created the 17th Lucille for B.B. King’s 70th birthday — one of his proudest achievements.

And when asked who he’d like to work with next, he answers without hesitation:
“Taylor Swift.”

According to Dino, pyrography subtly alters the wood’s internal structure — giving the instrument more resonance and projection.