Guitar Kit Project

[Default]

Winter project. Link is to my imgur account. Can't figure out how to photo host anymore.

[LordMortis]

1 nice
2 right click image, open in new tab then post

[Blackhawk]

Or...



It gives you a bbcode link ready to go, along with a 'copy link' button.

[Blackhawk]

Also: Damn, that's beautiful. Working with wood is one skill that I've never mastered. Or even apprenticed. I'm lucky to make a log out of a tree trunk.

[Default]

It's a Chinese kit guitar. The next one will look better, now that I've had this one to make mistakes on. I'm going to do a couple of these, thin start scratch building after I retire. A hobby, not a business.

I was trying to post from the app, as I'm still at work. The app is irritating...

[disarm]

Very nice. Are you building from a kit, assembling mostly-finished parts, or starting from scratch?

My son recently started playing guitar and I was toying with the idea of building his first guitar for him as a special, very personal first instrument (he's playing my Strat for now). While I'm confident I could handle the work of putting together a kit or "partscaster," I ultimately decided that doing it right is too much money to spend on him as a 9yo beginner. I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars on a "starter" guitar for now and maybe build one together once we know he's made a long-term commitment to playing. I did a lot of research into it though and it's a project I would love to take on some day.

[LawBeefaroni]

Nice. Interested to hear how it sounds. Or rather, to hear how you think it sounds since I'm probably tone deaf.

I really like working with wood but lack the space to do so consistently. One of the most rewarding projects I've done in the past few years was refinishing the stock on a 70-year-old rifle with the kiddo. But man, setting up and taking down every day for a week-long project sucked.

Aside:
There was a luthier shop on the block for a few years. Turns out, he is a pretty well-known guitar-smith. I spent a bit of time in his shop chatting and geez, very envious of that career.

[Jaymann]

LOL, From the OP I thought your project was to learn how to post photos.

[Default]

Very nice. Are you building from a kit, assembling mostly-finished parts, or starting from scratch?

My son recently started playing guitar and I was toying with the idea of building his first guitar for him as a special, very personal first instrument (he's playing my Strat for now). While I'm confident I could handle the work of putting together a kit or "partscaster," I ultimately decided that doing it right is too much money to spend on him as a 9yo beginner. I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars on a "starter" guitar for now and maybe build one together once we know he's made a long-term commitment to playing. I did a lot of research into it though and it's a project I would love to take on some day.

You could get a decent neck and body from Guitar Fetish. As a matter of fact, you could get everything at Guitar Fetish. Might be a decent father/son bonding activity.

I bought 2 kits that had the bodies premade. One is lefty, one righty. I'm learning finishing on the, two different techniques. Comes with a neck fit to the body and a crap load of parts. It's a semi-hollow, so most of your tone comes from the pups.
I'll probably do a third kit, then start working from lumber.

[Default]

Nice. Interested to hear how it sounds. Or rather, to hear how you think it sounds since I'm probably tone deaf.

I really like working with wood but lack the space to do so consistently. One of the most rewarding projects I've done in the past few years was refinishing the stock on a 70-year-old rifle with the kiddo. But man, setting up and taking down every day for a week-long project sucked.

Aside:
There was a luthier shop on the block for a few years. Turns out, he is a pretty well-known guitar-smith. I spent a bit of time in his shop chatting and geez, very envious of that career.

I'm using a water-based finishing system. You can literally do this in the kitchen - no smell to speaker of, and each coat is dry in an hour or less.

[Default]

This might be a good kit, disarm. It's a flying V, the electronics are all on the pickguard, and the body is poplar, which takes paint very well.

https://www.guitarfetish.com/Vintage-V- ... _1199.html

[Daehawk]

T op looks like a Rickenbacker style.

[disarm]

This might be a good kit, disarm. It's a flying V, the electronics are all on the pickguard, and the body is poplar, which takes paint very well.

https://www.guitarfetish.com/Vintage-V- ... _1199.html

Thanks for the recommendation.

I had a full guitar worth of parts from a combination of Guitar Fetish, StewMac and Sweetwater picked out, but the cost was going to be more than I want to spend right now. GF has some nice pre-finished strat-style bodies for cheap, but I'm picky enough that I would like a quality neck and decent electronics. As you probably know, springing for a better neck jacks the cost up quickly, but I don't want my son to wind up with something that doesn't play well and frustrates him as a beginner.

The other thought is a full kit from either StewMac or Solo Guitars for a couple hundred bucks. They're supposed to be decent quality for the price, but those come with unfinished bodies and I don't have a place to do painting during the winter. That means I at least have to wait until warmer weather to paint in my garage where I can have decent ventilation.

In any case, the possibility of building him a guitar is still on the table because I think it's something I would enjoy and he would appreciate, but I think I'm going to hold off for now and buy him something off the rack instead. We tried out guitars at Guitar Center a couple weeks ago so he could see how they all feel and sound different...neat learning experience for him. We found a Gio-series Ibanez for less than $300 that he really likes and I think it could be a good place to start...well reviewed for the price, looks great (very important at 9yo), and the neck/action make it super easy to play for his smaller hands. I'll probably get that for him soon, then revisit building a guitar with him in a couple years when he's able to help more and appreciate building something of better quality.

[Default]

Fair enough! One of the "vintage vibe" Squires are good bang for the buck too.