DIY Guitar Kits

olafgarten

Hi, looking to build a Guitar from a Kit and came across this: http://www.kitbuiltguitars.co.uk/guitarkits/diy-strat-style-kit-alder-body-flamed-maple-top.html

I don't really want to spend too much, but wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with Kit building and specifically this company.

The final plan is to finish it with a Wudtone burst something like David Crosby's Tom Anderson, and put some P90's or Filter'trons in it.

Sporky

olafgarten said:

I don't really want to spend too much

Equally, make sure you do spend enough. £90 is a lot of money if it's rubbish.

olafgarten

Sporky said:

olafgarten said:

I don't really want to spend too much

Equally, make sure you do spend enough. £90 is a lot of money if it's rubbish.

I haven't actually heard much about these kits, that's why I wanted to check if they were any good. I'm most likely going to replace the bridge and tuners. In total it comes out to around £185 including the Wudtone finish.

I am about to start Uni and over the Summer made around £350 doing an internship. (Covered food and travel costs that they overestimated)

I'm not sure about pickups but am thinking that pickups from Mojo/Oil City are a bit too expensive. Does anyone have any experience with cheaper humbucker sized P90's?

Chalky

Irongear Alchemists and GFS Dream 90 or Mean 90 are good value, especially secondhand. But pickups and electrics aren't a good area to skimp on.

Sporky

olafgarten said:

I am about to start Uni and over the Summer made around £350 doing an internship. (Covered food and travel costs that they overestimated)

If you're just about to start Uni then the money will be a lot more use than an extra guitar.

pintspiller

Keep eyes on Gumtree for a cheap fixer-upper and just paint that. Spread the work over six months or a year 

olafgarten

Sporky said:

olafgarten said:

I am about to start Uni and over the Summer made around £350 doing an internship. (Covered food and travel costs that they overestimated)

If you're just about to start Uni then the money will be a lot more use than an extra guitar. 

Don't worry,  I'm sorted for Uni, I have a lot of money saved up. This is extra money that I have put aside to spend on myself. 

Sporky

Fair enough!

DrBob

I'm guessing that this is tied into your other thread about looking for exisiting HSH Strats ?
The thing about kits like this is that the neck has never been finished & strung up so god only knows what will happen when you do. it will almost inevitably need a fair bit of setting up and probably a fret dress. The virtue of taking an exisiting, working guitar that you can play prior to purchasing to check it's all good and then modding it is that you already know the chassis works as a guitar before you start.
Not that I'm saying you shouldnt have a go at a self build. My main guitar is a 'Kit Strat' although I would point out that 'kit' was handmade by the extremely talented @GSPBASSES rather than mass produced to the lowest price point possible in a factory ! But yes its amazing, it's just that maybe for a first go a mod project might be a better bet for getting a playable guitar out of the other end.

olafgarten

DrBob said:

I'm guessing that this is tied into your other thread about looking for exisiting HSH Strats ?
The thing about kits like this is that the neck has never been finished & strung up so god only knows what will happen when you do. it will almost inevitably need a fair bit of setting up and probably a fret dress. The virtue of taking an exisiting, working guitar that you can play prior to purchasing to check it's all good and then modding it is that you already know the chassis works as a guitar before you start.
Not that I'm saying you shouldnt have a go at a self build. My main guitar is a 'Kit Strat' although I would point out that 'kit' was handmade by the extremely talented @GSPBASSES rather than mass produced to the lowest price point possible in a factory ! But yes its amazing, it's just that maybe for a first go a mod project might be a better bet for getting a playable guitar out of the other end.

I think this is what I'm going to do,  if I had a few hundred extra, I'd do it properly with a body and neck from GSPBasses, but right now I can't afford that. 

Thanks for the help. 

Jetfire

Personally, Id avoid the kits and go for a cheap squier or similar body with a neck and go from there.. at least you know then that everything will fit... 

AustrianJohn

I've built several Harley Benton kits - with prices staring at £67. The bodies and necks and generally sound, the mechanical parts are ok but the electrics do need to be replaced. Overall, unbelievable value for money and a great place to start building a guitar.

Mototech

I bought a Strat kit from kitbuiltguitars.co.uk a few months ago, body & neck were good, frets just needed a bit of attention. I did away with everything else & fitted Vanson locking tuners, Irongear pickups with Axetec wiring kit, Grapht Tech Tusq nut & Wudtone tremolo. It turned out to be e really good job, plays & sounds great.

speshul91

I've got the flying v one. Apart from a slightly wide neck pocket it is surprisingly good stuff. 

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/29002/flying-v-build#latest

Build thread above. 

TheOtherDennis

I got the LP style kit to create the Les Dennis and in terms of wood (body and neck) it was absolutely fine and looks and plays great. However the electrics are pants and the instructions literally non-existent.

Personally I would look for a second hand Vintage V6 and do that up instead. Much cheaper, lots of people love their Vintages and it will allow you to spend that bit more on pick-ups and electrics without having to spend a cent on set up (usually) or fret dressing and all that malarkey.

I think you can then go the kit route when you have that bit more experience of modding, so that you can then do exactly what you want with it - ie buy the body you like, a neck from Mighty Mite or someone like that you like, then the electrics and hardware all from different places so that you wind up with something truly individual.

I'm not trying to be patronising here, just trying to help you avoid the mistakes I made. I went straight for kits (not kitbuilt, btw, someone else's) and made a right bodge job of it a couple of times before going into the individual partscasters. It was only then that I managed to get something I was properly happy with. All the kits I've built (apart from the current Les Dennis) have been sold or binned.

thecolourbox

I had one branded Stretton Payne for an SG and it was shockingly bad and in no way appropriate for a beginner. Pickup routing was wrong, neck had to be hugely shimmed by WezV to get the strings at the right height. The instructions were appalling.

Be careful what you buy is all I'd say! I'd do another one but would consider either a partscaster or a kit previously vetted by others who know what they are doing

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a639/matthew_goodwin1/Mobile Uploads/IMG_20160417_102544_zpseycrcj2i.jpg

Marshall_stax

olafgarten said:

Hi, looking to build a Guitar from a Kit and came across this: http://www.kitbuiltguitars.co.uk/guitarkits/diy-strat-style-kit-alder-body-flamed-maple-top.html

I don't really want to spend too much, but wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with Kit building and specifically this company.

The final plan is to finish it with a Wudtone burst something like David Crosby's Tom Anderson, and put some P90's or Filter'trons in it.

I got my Strat kit from these guys and TBH I couldn't be happier considering what I payed. 

The only complaint I have is that nut is a bit shit and as such the guitar has a sitar type of sound to it in certain areas. However if I could be bothered to sort that it would be a serviceable guitar. 

I mostly bought mine for the fun and experimentation of bolting one together. 

olafgarten

Marshall_stax said:

olafgarten said:

Hi, looking to build a Guitar from a Kit and came across this: http://www.kitbuiltguitars.co.uk/guitarkits/diy-strat-style-kit-alder-body-flamed-maple-top.html

I don't really want to spend too much, but wanted to ask if anyone has any experience with Kit building and specifically this company.

The final plan is to finish it with a Wudtone burst something like David Crosby's Tom Anderson, and put some P90's or Filter'trons in it.

I got my Strat kit from these guys and TBH I couldn't be happier considering what I payed. 

The only complaint I have is that nut is a bit shit and as such the guitar has a sitar type of sound to it in certain areas. However if I could be bothered to sort that it would be a serviceable guitar. 

I mostly bought mine for the fun and experimentation of bolting one together. 

Thanks for the opinion, I have since bought a Vintage V6P, and as soon as the faulty tone pot is repaired by JHS, I'm sure it will sound great. Still considering a kit, but probably something else now.