To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

[Mr 9finger]

I got some good news earlier today and I've been pondering this pretty much all evening. In less than 24 hours, most of the stuff I've been trying to sell has been spoken for and left me with some new gear money. My first thought was, "Hey, get an SG standard from AMS since they dropped the price!" Still an option. Then my mind drifted to, "Why don't you go ahead and do something more hands on since it's been awhile?" Then the Warmoth Strat idea popped back into my head. Upon thinking of that, I realized I'm going to have the money to order the neck and body, and that's going to take 6 to 8 weeks, so back to the other stream of thoughts.

Then this came back to bite me in the butt...again. I can see man-in-moon facepalming already.

http://www.pvxguitars.com/singlecut.html

Paul has been super about answering emails. I've read some reviews of his work and it seems to be on the level workmanship. It could be one sexy guitar if done right, so I'm really leaning towards taking one of these on again. At this point, donahue1 is saying "would you make up your dam mind already", since we've discussed this over and over.

ErikH posted a link awhile back that had some kits that were really close in shape and materials to real Gibby spec, but after 3 emails of asking the guy if they offered a lefty kit, and no answer, I won't be dealing with them.

I am kind of worried though. It's not like a Warmoth build where you just screw everything together. Gluing the neck in properly really bothers me.

[ErikH]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

Nice looking kits. Does he offer only those 2 models?

Sorry Phil hasn't gotten back to you. It's just him and another guy that run it. He may be on vacation right now, who knows. I can't say whether they make lefty kits though.

If the neck to body joint is tight, there's little to no room for error in gluing the neck in. First thing I did when my kit arrived is check the neck to body joint and it is really snug, no neck movement in the pocket at all. Hopefully I can get a start on the thing here soon. Planning on documenting the entire process like Crusty has been doing.

[sosomething]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

I mean no disrespect to anyone building a kit guitar.

I just wonder, if you have the money for a guitar right now, why bother with a project?

I'd rather say "I just bought this new guitar and it's killer!" then "I just bought all these pieces to assemble. I hope it's a nice-sounding guitar that plays well after I sweat over it for three weeks!"

Or worse, "This cost me as much as a complete guitar, all told, but it took me three weeks to assemble and finish. Not bad for a weird, kit-made PRS knockoff."

Just my 2 cents. Again, the pieces look like quality wood. It just wouldn't be worth it for me when just buying a guitar would get me to my end goal (playing it) much quicker and more reliably.

[ErikH]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

It's the sense of accomplishment and making something yourself. I've already assembled a few guitars from parts and there's nothing like plugging that baby in for the first time and hearing it through the amp. My frankenstrat came out to be the best one and I still play it today, almost 20 years later. The kit I have now is for a SG Jr. I can't afford a vintage reissue and the 90's models are harder and harder to find. So, this kit allows me to put one together myself.

[sosomething]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

Hey, that's cool. I've done a couple of Warmoth builds myself.

In my case, after the sense of accomplishment wore off, I just had a guitar that needed a final fret dress which I lacked the tools and skill to do myself, and that cost me as much as a used Anderson would have.

[JeffB]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

Yeah. Kits and partscasters are tough. It's a great sense of accomplishment I am sure, and it's totally awesome to design a guitar down to the tiniest detail that is what you want, but all said and done it can still be a complete POS tonally.

That is exactly why I have avoided doing them. It's a lot of money and time, and "hoping for the best", IYKWIMAIKYD.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

Don't be afraid about gluing a neck join in a kit. If the join is tight, all the hard work has been done for you. All you need to do is work out what glue you are going to use, read up on that particular glue and know what's needed for cleaning up (both 'wet' and 'dry' glue states). The basics really.

Work out how you're going to clamp the join, where you will put the glued body/ neck (which will become 'a guitar' at this point) so that it is safe, undisturbed, and at a suitable temperature/ humidity. Some trial runs are the best way to determine all these things.

During dry tests for clamping the neck in my project, i discovered the clamps i was using would allow me to simply lay the body on a small table, facing up, the back end of the body would touch the table and so the body/neck was angled up slighty and nothing was under stress. Had that not been the case, i would have clamped the body to the edge of the bench with the neck pocket clear of the bench ... then clamped the neck into the body, with that clamp and the neck completely clear of the bench.

My personal feeling is to plan every time you are going to dry-fit the neck to the body. The more times you fit the neck into the pocket, the 'smoother' it will get, and i imagine if you did it enough times it would become a little loose. After the first couple of times you put the two pieces together for fun, minimise the number by only putting them together when there is a reason to ... I had to put mine together quite a few times because the neck join was a weird hybrid thing i created by hand, but with a kit, one close viewing should tell you immediately of any small details you may or may not want to tidy up, although overall i'd expect the neck join of a kit to be reasonable at worst.

If the join is tight, i think one of the Titebond glues (I, II or III) is the most commonly recommended. If the joint is loose or you suspect gaps somewhere, Urea Formaldehye or Epoxy (the good stuff, not the 5-minute stuff from the local hardware. You often find them at boatbuilder's supply stores. Those two glues are good and have gap-filling properties.

join 'The Musical Instrument Maker's Forum' (MIMF) so you can access their library. It's a great resource for all aspects of building.

[ErikH]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

I'd love to have an Anderson or a Suhr. Those are excellent instruments. The other nice thing for me with the kit is I can acquire the parts in stages. I have the neck and body, next is the hardware and then the pickup will come last. Heck, the pickup may cost as much as the rest of the hardware combined because of what I'm looking at.

[sosomething]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

I'd love to have an Anderson or a Suhr. Those are excellent instruments. The other nice thing for me with the kit is I can acquire the parts in stages. I have the neck and body, next is the hardware and then the pickup will come last. Heck, the pickup may cost as much as the rest of the hardware combined because of what I'm looking at.

I can definitely see the appeal.

I have, in my mind, the concept of a Tele-Paul project that I may one day break down and begin. I have these custom shop MJ winds that Lew gave me in gratitude for the cancer fund thing, and I've never had the right guitar for them.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

....... It's a lot of money and time, and "hoping for the best", IYKWIMAIKYD.

It is indeed. The payoff is that it is a lot of fun and you end up having a much more intimate relationship with your guitar before you even play that first chord. Even if the end product is only 'reasonable' quality, it will have a special meaning to the builder.

If the end result is a dud, well at least you can take the hardware off and sell it or use it elsewhere.

So ... 'Lost time and money' v's 'I built this great guitar'. That's what you face going in. The builder can do a lot to make it good, but no-one can know how the wood is going to respond until it's strung up (although tap tests can reveal a lot about the potential of the wood).

A small industry of set-neck kits seems to be available now, so there are obviously some people who are prepared to make the gamble. As long as they go in with their eyes open, a realistic appraisal of their skills and PATIENCE i think they have a very good chance of ending up with a guitar that will make them happy.

[ErikH]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

I can definitely see the appeal.

I have, in my mind, the concept of a Tele-Paul project that I may one day break down and begin. I have these custom shop MJ winds that Lew gave me in gratitude for the cancer fund thing, and I've never had the right guitar for them.

That would be sweet. Kinda like a Tele Deluxe taken to the next level?

[sosomething]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

That would be sweet. Kinda like a Tele Deluxe taken to the next level?

Yeah, basically. My dream is to build it entirely out of found/gifted parts... which will take time to accumulate and may not be totally feasible, because I can't actually ask anyone to just give me stuff.

I'd call it the Lovecaster.

[Mr 9finger]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

As far as I know, PVX still only has the 2 kits available. I know the last time we spoke, he was working on some others, but that's the last I've heard of it.

For me personally, a lot of what is driving this is the availability of it being left handed. I love the PRS SC shape, but I've never seen a lefty SC and I don't care if I'm stupidly rich, I'll never pay $10k to have their CS build me one.

Sure it's a risk, but I take a risk with every guitar I buy, so I've already come to terms with that part of it. Stores just don't stock a lot of lefty models, so it's not like I can go in and play until I find some magical guitar. I've also found that I can make good enough sound and play great. Not to mention I get raped around 20% more on cost for buying a lefty guitar off the shelf. I paid $1050 for LP 60's tribute and the righty models are only $850....


Building a bolt on guitar is a whole different ball game. If you get a dud part with a bolt on, it's as simple as procuring another one and swapping it out. I think that's another thing that's making me falter a little bit. If I get some dud wood, I can't just unglue it and get another. Then again, it's not like the prices on the PVX stuff is that high either, but it's high enough to make think twice.

I'll probably end up doing it, just for the learning experience involved. If nothing else, the pickups and hardware I have in mind can be easily swapped out to something else. If it turns out great, then I have a killer guitar that I put together for less than the price of most LP studios. If not, well then it's back to the drawing the board.

[JeffB]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

forgot you were a lefty- everything is a crapshoot for you.

Good luck!

[ImmortalSix]

Re: To kit, or not kit? That is the question.

I mean no disrespect to anyone building a kit guitar.

I just wonder, if you have the money for a guitar right now, why bother with a project?

I'd rather say "I just bought this new guitar and it's killer!" then "I just bought all these pieces to assemble. I hope it's a nice-sounding guitar that plays well after I sweat over it for three weeks!"

Or worse, "This cost me as much as a complete guitar, all told, but it took me three weeks to assemble and finish. Not bad for a weird, kit-made PRS knockoff."

Just my 2 cents. Again, the pieces look like quality wood. It just wouldn't be worth it for me when just buying a guitar would get me to my end goal (playing it) much quicker and more reliably.