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This post is MOSTLY to comment on my couple of experiences of kit building guitars vs my experiences building mandolins, solid body guitars and acoustic guitars both from parts and "from the tree" and to offer encouragement to any folks that have "thought about it" but weren't really sure.
The guitar pictured below is a solid body "SG Standard Style" (a Gibson model) electric guitar I have recently finished for my Grandson (now 5 so he won't take possession until he is around 8 or 9 - he has expressed interest but this is for when he is more serious).
I have in the past built "kit" guitars from let's say less than quality parts - these required significant updates, different components and difficult setup to make them satisfactory student grade instruments. I have built both solid body and acoustic (several) .guitars and mandolins both from the tree and from very high quality components and wood - these require significant effort and a steep learning curve for a beginner. The results CAN BE very rewarding but just like any complex project are not for the faint of heart. I have shared some of these in previous (long past) posts to this forum.
This brings me to the point of this post ... after deciding I wanted to build a quality guitar for my Grandson I decided I wanted to get CLOSE TO the same model, style and color as what I played in my high school garage band days way back when. I wanted the Cherry Red SG style made with a mahogany body and neck, the double humbucker pickups made famous by Gibson and the same bridge and tailpiece/stop I used back then. I COULD have done all of this from the tree (there are parts and pieces available to do just that) BUT ... honestly I didn't want to put that much effort in it if he wasn't going to really appreciate the work when he gets his hands on it. I had built a kit copy of a Fender Stratocaster several years ago and that Grandson had no interest whatsoever ... lesson learned.
Stewart-MacDonald has been in business since around 1968 supplying parts and tools to luthiers around the world. They are the de facto source to builders and repairmen for basically all stringed instruments.
I bought this kit => https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_an...uitar_Kit.html
The components and quality of wood were exactly what I was hoping for ... and it is VERY EASY to build! The "woodworking" consists of shaping the headstock as you prefer, any final sanding you want to do, gluing the neck to the body aligned as instructed in the clear builders guide and installing the hardware components (tuners, pickups, bridge, saddle and of course the plastic pickguard and electronic cover). all of these details require careful and measured drilling of holes and deft installation of small screws into the wood. There IS SOME SOLDERING REQUIRED to get the electronics connected and for ME that is always a tedious task but the instructions and pictures are very clear. (IF you REALLY don't want to do the work of soldering you can buy a prewired harness from STEWMAC that will slip right into the electronics cavity requiring only the attachment and soldering of the pickup wires.)
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From the pictures you can see that I actually stained and finished the color before I attached the neck because I wanted to get as close to the "real color" as possible and wanted the chance to do over if necessary. (it wasn't). You may also notice I used different tuning keys than supplied with the kit ... solely because the ones I used were like the ones I had on my guitar in the late 1960's
All I have left is simple "setup" as outlined clearly in the builders guide and I am going to put on a decal identifying it as my Grandson's ... then rock and roll!!
SO ... I believe that for a very reasonable price YOU can build a GOOD quality solidbody electric guitar with virtually no luthier experience or training using quality kits such as this (and they have several different styles to choose from). If you've ever "toyed" with the notion I urge you to give it a try.!!
The guitar pictured below is a solid body "SG Standard Style" (a Gibson model) electric guitar I have recently finished for my Grandson (now 5 so he won't take possession until he is around 8 or 9 - he has expressed interest but this is for when he is more serious).
I have in the past built "kit" guitars from let's say less than quality parts - these required significant updates, different components and difficult setup to make them satisfactory student grade instruments. I have built both solid body and acoustic (several) .guitars and mandolins both from the tree and from very high quality components and wood - these require significant effort and a steep learning curve for a beginner. The results CAN BE very rewarding but just like any complex project are not for the faint of heart. I have shared some of these in previous (long past) posts to this forum.
This brings me to the point of this post ... after deciding I wanted to build a quality guitar for my Grandson I decided I wanted to get CLOSE TO the same model, style and color as what I played in my high school garage band days way back when. I wanted the Cherry Red SG style made with a mahogany body and neck, the double humbucker pickups made famous by Gibson and the same bridge and tailpiece/stop I used back then. I COULD have done all of this from the tree (there are parts and pieces available to do just that) BUT ... honestly I didn't want to put that much effort in it if he wasn't going to really appreciate the work when he gets his hands on it. I had built a kit copy of a Fender Stratocaster several years ago and that Grandson had no interest whatsoever ... lesson learned.
Stewart-MacDonald has been in business since around 1968 supplying parts and tools to luthiers around the world. They are the de facto source to builders and repairmen for basically all stringed instruments.
I bought this kit => https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_an...uitar_Kit.html
The components and quality of wood were exactly what I was hoping for ... and it is VERY EASY to build! The "woodworking" consists of shaping the headstock as you prefer, any final sanding you want to do, gluing the neck to the body aligned as instructed in the clear builders guide and installing the hardware components (tuners, pickups, bridge, saddle and of course the plastic pickguard and electronic cover). all of these details require careful and measured drilling of holes and deft installation of small screws into the wood. There IS SOME SOLDERING REQUIRED to get the electronics connected and for ME that is always a tedious task but the instructions and pictures are very clear. (IF you REALLY don't want to do the work of soldering you can buy a prewired harness from STEWMAC that will slip right into the electronics cavity requiring only the attachment and soldering of the pickup wires.)
.
From the pictures you can see that I actually stained and finished the color before I attached the neck because I wanted to get as close to the "real color" as possible and wanted the chance to do over if necessary. (it wasn't). You may also notice I used different tuning keys than supplied with the kit ... solely because the ones I used were like the ones I had on my guitar in the late 1960's
All I have left is simple "setup" as outlined clearly in the builders guide and I am going to put on a decal identifying it as my Grandson's ... then rock and roll!!
SO ... I believe that for a very reasonable price YOU can build a GOOD quality solidbody electric guitar with virtually no luthier experience or training using quality kits such as this (and they have several different styles to choose from). If you've ever "toyed" with the notion I urge you to give it a try.!!
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