12-string Les kit with lipstick pickups in Art Deco style

Apologies for posting un-tele and just a kit build but, just had to do something kind of simple to relax from pretty intensive times at job and thought this might be interesting to someone. It’s a Fretwire 12 string Les kit spiced up with some of my own ideas. Common knowledge seems to be one can’t get sharp edges with dying with different colors. I took it as a challenge and it seems it’s not entirely impossible. Deep cuts to the wood before dye with scalpel will help.

I decided to name this Skylark XII for the sound it produces and for being bit of a rare bird for the combined elements in a one guitar. Les Paul type singlecut with mahogany body and veneer top but a twelve string. Instead of standard humbuckers it sports two dual lipstick pickups configured as humbuckers for clarity and note separation. Both pickups have a volume and tone controls, coil split and series/parallel switches are hidden in push/pull volume pots.

I designed and finished it with a distinctive (and a bit luxuriously pompous) art deco vibe with tru-oil like I usually do. I did learn a bunch of new skills while doing it too. Like for example specifics of a set neck construction, wood dyes coloring with sharp hue edges, wood veneering (Piece of figured visakoivu=figured arctic birch) on headstock, metal working for pick guard and truss rod cover and metal electro etching used on truss rod cover design. It was a fun little side project to to relax along the massive undertaking I’ve been doing in my work lately.

Despite my initial suspicion of starting with affordable kit, it ended up to be a pretty nice and playable guitar. It intonates surprisingly well and can sound either Beatles jangly or massive as a flying mothership. There were some some glue seeping thru kit veneer on top making coloring it a bit challenging with dyes but I managed to hide it. All in all I’m pretty happy with the results. Hope you like it too.

 

Thanks y'all for your kind words! No sound samples yet I'm afraid. Haven't had time to record with it anything. I'll try to come up with something that presents it's character when I have a chance.

 

Thanks! It's actually opaque as it's aluminum that I hand polished until my fingers hurt. I does look kind of transparent for bland reflections on these pics I accidentally captured. It was really cloudy today without direct sunlight.

 

Noo, can't have a bird without wings!

 

I was surprised for the quality of the kit considering how cheap it was. Both body and neck had a same number written on them and it was clear they were fitted together. The only small bummer was the glue that was used for paper thin veneer top that had seeped thru in few spots in the edges. Otherwise all was good and well worth the money.