Kit Building

[PRSman]

Hi, I'm new here, for the full story have a look at my post in the welcome area. I will run through the basics so you don't have to read the whole thing to understand what I'm on about;

I am under 16 with next to no experience in wodwork
I love tele's (who dosen't?)
I want to build my own, but I thought the best place to start would be a pre cut pre drilled kit (if all went well I would slowly upgrade pups and hardware etc). I am in the UK, so there isn't much variety here. Definitely Ash/Alder bodied would be nice. I have so far found this and this

I am gravitating towards the first option right now. I just wanted to know?

Which would you pick?

Is a kit a good idea?

Also, a secondary question but one that might influence my decision. I want to clear coat the wood. Can I clear coat over the binding?

Thanks for helping out!

[KevinB]

Either would be good start, just keep in mind that these kits may not necessarily be to Fender specs, and upgrading some hardware (like the bridge) may not be so easy.

Another UK option is Axes-R-Us who have a good range of bodies, necks and hardware that would all go together.

Oh, and yes, you can clear coat over binding.

[PRSman]

Originally Posted by KevinB

Either would be good start, just keep in mind that these kits may not necessarily be to Fender specs, and upgrading some hardware (like the bridge) may not be so easy.

Another UK option is Axes-R-Us who have a good range of bodies, necks and hardware that would all go together.

Oh, and yes, you can clear coat over binding.

Thanks

[KennyH]

Hey PRSman,

I built a Saga kit recently for my first build, it turned out not bad at all. I did spend a few quid on hardware at Axes r us because a lot of what came in the kit didn't impress me much.

The bonus with the saga is that there are loads of people out there who have built them already, I have a few links to people building them who are more knowledgeable than me, if you need them PM me.

I have heard all the horror stories here about wiring not matching and necks not fitting but mine was fine, my advice would be check the wiring with a diagram and make sure the neck fits when you first open the box. Also read a book like Melvyn Hiscock's Make Your Own Electric Guitar, and follow the setting up and fret levelling sections.

You can get them in the UK from this place

http://www.themusicking.co.uk/all-ne...yle-guitar-kit

And here's my build

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...rst-build.html

[PRSman]

Originally Posted by KennyH

Hey PRSman,

I built a Saga kit recently for my first build, it turned out not bad at all. I did spend a few quid on hardware at Axes r us because a lot of what came in the kit didn't impress me much.

The bonus with the saga is that there are loads of people out there who have built them already, I have a few links to people building them who are more knowledgeable than me, if you need them PM me.

I have heard all the horror stories here about wiring not matching and necks not fitting but mine was fine, my advice would be check the wiring with a diagram and make sure the neck fits when you first open the box. Also read a book like Melvyn Hiscock's Make Your Own Electric Guitar, and follow the setting up and fret levelling sections.

You can get them in the UK from this place

http://www.themusicking.co.uk/all-ne...yle-guitar-kit

And here's my build

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home...rst-build.html

Looks good, but my worry was the electrics are not solder together but clip together (which would probably create poor quality sound)

[KennyH]

Ye, I found I had nearly enough wire to do two guitars, which certainly isn't going to help. All I did was cut the connectors off and soldered it up like it should be.

I never had any intention of using the original connectors and didn't expect it to be wired correctly anyway, given what I had heard.

[PRSman]

Originally Posted by KennyH

Ye, I found I had nearly enough wire to do two guitars, which certainly isn't going to help. All I did was cut the connectors off and soldered it up like it should be.

I never had any intention of using the original connectors and didn't expect it to be wired correctly anyway, given what I had heard.

OK - how are the std pups? I would probably change them, but still

[Old Cane]

If you are saying predrilled and precut and want a kit to save money, that's fine. But you can certainly get a new body predrilled and just get a Fender or other used neck....it will be drilled. You can piece the rest together and come out with the same end result. If you want an inexpensive guitar to play nothing wrong with an inexpensive kit. Bit if you want something a little more high end in the end why not just start with better stuff to begin with? Again, it all depends on what you want.

When I was 16 I just wanted a girlfriend......funny.....I still do.

[PRSman]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

If you are saying predrilled and precut and want a kit to save money, that's fine. But you can certainly get a new body predrilled and just get a Fender or other used neck....it will be drilled. You can piece the rest together and come out with the same end result. If you want an inexpensive guitar to play nothing wrong with an inexpensive kit. Bit if you want something a little more high end in the end why not just start with better stuff to begin with? Again, it all depends on what you want.

When I was 16 I just wanted a girlfriend......funny.....I still do.

I am on a budget and as I have hardly ever used solder before, a half wired kit would be nice

I would buy the Saga, but the lack of Alder/Ash body puts me off...
I want this to be as tele like as possible.

[KevinB]

The basswood that Saga uses is very close to alder. Basswood is a pretty decent tone wood and is used extensively on Fender Japan guitars including Teles (and other guitars of Asian manufacture).

[KennyH]

The stock pups don't sound bad at all really, my amp is probably the let down but I'll sort that out shortly.

I'm basing my advice on the fact there are a lot of them out there so you have plenty advice to go on for a first build. I googled the others and couldn't find anyone building them but they were available form all sorts of places, ebay, amazon etc, but not from guitar places, that's a warning to me.

Why don't you get that book I mentioned earlier, read it and see how you feel from there. You might just want to buy the parts and build your own from there, it would probably give you better results at the end of the day.

No rush after all.

[PRSman]

Originally Posted by KevinB

Either would be good start, just keep in mind that these kits may not necessarily be to Fender specs, and upgrading some hardware (like the bridge) may not be so easy.

Another UK option is Axes-R-Us who have a good range of bodies, necks and hardware that would all go together.

Oh, and yes, you can clear coat over binding.

Axes R us looked good, but 3x the price. maybe Ill wait a while and save!

could someone give me a list of everything I need?

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by PRSman

could someone give me a list of everything I need?

Stew-Mac's list is a good place to start.

[JimmyJam]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

If you are saying predrilled and precut and want a kit to save money, that's fine. But you can certainly get a new body predrilled and just get a Fender or other used neck....it will be drilled. You can piece the rest together and come out with the same end result. If you want an inexpensive guitar to play nothing wrong with an inexpensive kit. Bit if you want something a little more high end in the end why not just start with better stuff to begin with? Again, it all depends on what you want.

When I was 16 I just wanted a girlfriend......funny.....I still do.

I think given the OP's experience in woodworking and setup. The saga might yield better results and will allow him/her see what is needed to make a guitar/tele. If they search for these individual components, they may encounter differences in some pieces fitting together properly.

I would go with a kit first. Then make a partscaster. IMO

[irishtele]

Hey PRSman
Im in the same boat as you! Im 16 now but I was 15 when I made my first guitar. If I were you I wouldnt bother with a kit at all! Id just make the body and buy everything else. Making a body is pretty simple. Mine wasnt great because I didnt use any templates I just routed with my eyes as my only guides but it still turned out to be a nice guitar and plays very well.
I made the body out of Sycamore and I bought the neck and all the hardware. I think this is definately the way to go and it will give you much more satisfaction. I attached a few pics of what my guitar came out like.
I dont know if you parents would let you use a router or if you even have one?
I got a loan of one off my dads friend and my dad helped me with it and made sure i was carefull etc.
The only thing I would tell you if you were making the body yourself is to read the GREAT threads here about building and use templates.
And most of all take your time and remember you can ask plenty of questions here.
But then again what does a 16 year old know compared to the experienced builders on this forum!! Thats just what I would do!!
Send me an email or PM if I can be of any more help!
Its great to finally see someone my own age here!!
Conor

[PRSman]

Originally Posted by irishtele

Hey PRSman
Its great to finally see someone my own age here!!
Conor

Never met someone else on a forum under 20! Great to see someone! I'm not really allowed to post this, but who cares, I'm actually 14, so even a bit younger than you are!

[KevinB]

If you are interested in the Saga kit, check out this website.

Actually, it's worth checking out for any inexpensive Tele build.

[PRSman]

my favourite so far has to be the one I mentioned earlier. It seems to be the best kit, and I would upgrade the pups on it before building!

[KennyH]

PRSman, I've got to say I do like the look of that first kit but, I get the feeling it is mass produced in China, and imported by that company.

I sell electric bikes and there are loads of companies out there selling bikes by any means they can, like ebay etc. Mostly bikes of questionable quality being produced from China and brought in by someone trying to make a fast buck. I've learnt to avoid these as you get no back up, and I need to offer my customers support. When I googled that kit I got nothing but people selling them, that gives me a bad vibe. If there's something wrong will they sort it out?

That's why I'd go with the known kit. Or sus out a parts caster!

[PRSman]

I emailed the guy who does it, seems nice, I'll ask about where its made. If not, I may save for a while and go for a parts caster

EDIT:

after re reading the information, I would guess that the company that sells them in the above link makes them. things like

'we have spec'd these kits with 21 fret Maple/Rosewood necks'

note the use of 'we'

and thanks a lot for all of your help here, its been really useful!