Wilkinson Tele kit?

[bgmacaw]

I don’t get that this is expensive. Based on what? Other kits?

Yes. Particularly those in the $150 to $300 range. It is also expensive compared to what you can buy a completed guitar for new or used and modify to your preferences.

I worked in shop and tried to fix a lot of these $80-$200 kits that customers ordered and tried to build themselves. The overwhelming majority of them could not even be made playable without racking up hundreds of dollars in labor charges.

I think a lot of people buy these kits looking for a cheap alternative but they end up getting in over their heads due to a lack of knowledge, experience and tools. Most people would be better off with an inexpensive finished guitar that's easily modified unless they really want a learning experience.

I've seen a big jump in kit quality between the super cheap EBay kits, typically around $100 or less, and better kits offered by TheFretwire and Bargain Musician. These kits do require some work, amount depending on the particular model, as well as the ability to paint it decently.

The super cheap kits, like the Muslady headless I recently built and an Ammoon Strat kit I fixed up for a friend, require a lot more work to make right. This means stuff like incorrectly routed body, bad fret work, defective hardware or electronics, etc. I was able to get them into good playing condition, probably due to my experiences building cigar box guitars, but someone who had not done a lot of "creative guitar engineering" before would have probably thrown them in the trash.

 

[Jakedog]

Well, five Benjamins is not expensive for a good guitar. BUT...we're assuming that all the hardware is top drawer. We're assuming the pups sound great and/or have the sound we are searching for. We assume the tuners are not complete garbage (as many other kits have demonstrated is the case). CTS pots should be good to go, but what about the neck? Are the frets buzzy, high, or too thin/thick? How is the neck-to-body fit? Let's not forget the paint and materials required for a quality finish. They don't give that away. These are all questions I've been asking myself, and with no actual reviews to go on, it's sort of a shot in the dark.

Well, I have experience with Wilkinson bridges, tuners, and pickups. Are they awesome top of the line, expensive handmade stuff? No. Are they more than adequate? Absolutely. Every bit as good as anything similarly styled coming stock on any new guitar under a grand. IMO. And better than some for sure.

I can’t imagine getting a Warmoth neck for $200. Every time I’ve looked into ordering one it’s minimum twice that. Of course, that’s with me spec’ing radius, fret size, having a nut already, etc. The Wilkinson kit already has what I want. Ten inch radius, graphtech nut, bigger frets, etc. If it’s a decent quality neck, and it should be, it’s a real money saver from where I’m sitting. If I really hate the pickups, I’ve got a drawer full of them.

As far as finishing, I’m gonna prime it, rattle can it a cool color and buff it.

I’m not that worried about the fret and nut work. I’m ready to bet cash without even seeing the kit first hand that it’s 100 times better than any of the cheap kits I’ve had to fix for people. And I can do anything it might need. I can’t find a new guitar off the rack for under $1500 that doesn’t need a full fret level anyhow.

I think the issue with this being considered expensive is that other kits are so cheap. But you get what you pay for. The last Carvin guitar kit I built cost a good bit more than $500. And it was worth every penny.

 

[Strat Jacket]

Thanks for your input on this!

 

[radiocaster]

I like the pickups and bridges, but you could get a Vintage with Wilkinson hardware and electronics for less than the price of the kit, and it's already assembled and finished.

 

[solfege]

I sourced high quality parts for my tele from guitarmill (body) allparts (neck) and got some reasonably priced custom pickups + all the small parts from Darren Riley and I doubt I spent much beyond $500.

 

[Clicre]

I just built a tele using various parts from online sellers. I spend way over the price of the Wilkinson kit. I wish I would have done the Stewmac Wilkinson. I have a nice guitar but could have saved $200. And I already had the finishing supplies.

 

[Dismalhead]

I did a half a dozen parts guitars with Wilkinson hardware. It's decent stuff.

 

[AvidBuilder79]

I bought and built the Wilkinson Tele kit. Everything is stock except for a custom brass nut.

Pros: Hardware is good; bridge is solid and I like option to string thru body/bridgeplate. I also like the tuners, even if they are not-great quality, you can terminate the string ends in the post and they won't snag on your gigbag.

Cons: there are no options for the kit; i.e. you cant get a black pickguard instead of the white. I (later) ordered an additional black pickguard (also from $tewMac), but the mounting holes didn't line up. Also, the tuners did not fit in the pre-drilled holes. I had to actually file down the width of 3 or 4 tuners so they would all fit.

All in all I ended up with what I wanted: a solid, well-playing tele. The pickups aren't very hot, but I'm ok with that. I have built cheaper kits, but they are hit and miss as far as quality (pre-drilled holes not aligned/centered etc). I'd rate this kit 8 out of 10 with -1 point for the tuner issue and -1 point for the price.

 

[Matias]

StewMac has been advertising their Tele kits as something to do during this current health crisis at around $150.00 or thereabouts. Today I got an email advertising some new Wilkinson kits at around $500.00...supposedly ready to assemble and apply the finish. They are being advertised as super-high quality (probably in comparison to the cheaper kits) but none of the new kits offered have any reviews. Any feedback on these?

(link removed)

 

[Matias]

I’m playing a Wilkinson vintage Tele and it’s pretty good. I replaced the pickups with USA Fenders.

StewMac has been advertising their Tele kits as something to do during this current health crisis at around $150.00 or thereabouts. Today I got an email advertising some new Wilkinson kits at around $500.00...supposedly ready to assemble and apply the finish. They are being advertised as super-high quality (probably in comparison to the cheaper kits) but none of the new kits offered have any reviews. Any feedback on these?

(link removed)

 

[Matias]

While it seems like a nice kit, at almost $500, it seems overpriced to me as compared to similar offerings from TheFretwire, Bargain Musician and others. It would be more reasonable in the $350 range.

I got mine off the bay for 300, un molested in the box. I’m happy with it and the usa fender pickups.