Only done one but Crimson Guitars did an excellent custom kit for me. My spec throughout. Quality woods, accurate neck pocket, frets, inlays etc. all spot on.
I watched several of the Crimson Guitar videos I love the expert attention to details. He doesn't skimp and in today's modern world I appreciate it so much more. I usually try to buy all American-made products so Crimson Guitar is an exception because they are top-of-the-line.
My strat style Muslady kit I bought through Walmart of all places arrived in great shape and was a two piece mahogany body. The neck pocket was very good although I did have to drill my neck bolt holes but that's ok. The CNC work was very clean for a kit guitar and overall the quality was very good for 100 bucks. Would buy again
A friend of mine who is a player recommended Solo for my first DIY kit. It turned to be a good choice. Your "How To" videos were so helpful and I thank you for that. Two Tele Style builds, one Jazzmaster Style and a 12-string Strat Style have all been successes. I am now about to start my 5th build, their 335-Style semi-acoustic kit. I am looking forward to the task. You can learn so much by tackling a DIY kit. I would like to tackle a Harley Benton kit. I hear good things about their kits. Note: your opinions have always been well presented. Thanks.
Nice job covering kits you have used and are familiar with. I thought you were fair and honest in your discussed points. I appreciate reviews where the reviewer doesn't appear to be rehearsed, but just frankly speaks their mind...thank you!
Thanks for the video, it's just what I needed. I just finished a 335 kit from Stewmac, and am looking at my options for my next build. I agree that Stewmac's prices are a bit high, but I ordered when they were having a $90 off sale, so making the purchase was less difficult. The 335 turned out beyond my expectations, both by how it looks, and how it plays. I also learned a whole lot (by making mistakes). I had never painted a guitar before, not to mention doing a 3 color burst.
@@pugforce8315 It wasn't too difficult at all. I made mistakes due to lack of experience it being my first time. I learned things like that overspray can go all the way to the other side of the guitar, gotta mask off everything. Also, you can't fix paint defects when it's still wet, let it dry then fix it. For the painting, I didn't want a Tobacco sunburst, so I got the Cherry Sunburst paint kit from Stew Mac. I also wanted the sides to be Gloss Black, so I got a can that, and a can of Sunburst Black (to fade in from the edge). I made a YT slideshow video if you want to see the kit progress (it ends before I set the intonation and final polish which I will update soon). If I do a guitar again like this, I will get an extra can of Clear Gloss, because if you make mistakes you are going to need more.
BYO is my choice. Both their Import and Made in USA Custom Shop kits are great quality. Custom Shop Kits are some of the best, and they can be ordered with the options the builder selects. That are not cheap, mass produced. They are best-quality, USA made. Try one of each, you’ll fall in love.
Finishing my second Muslady. Learned a lot from your channel and created a beautiful looking green flame gold burst LP. After another hundred dollars for upgraded parts, she just ain't the first one I grab. My Tele is green birds eye maple with edge bindings and gold hardware. Kits are fun to do and marginally pleased with these two experiences
I built a Strat using a XGP body and Neck from Guitar Fetish. the quality and fit was far better than I expected. The body was Alder and the Neck Maple. fret ends were rounded and polished. I only wish they offered medium jumbo or jumbo frets. I found that they are often out of stock on items. (the hardware I used was from Solo Guitars - a Xmas gift from my son) I recommend at least the body and the neck from them!
Not really a kit per say but I've bought a couple unfinished bodies and necks from Warmoth and thought they were great !!! The roasted maple necks are especially beautiful in workmanship and the way they feel .
@@BradAngove There is no one higher - Warmoth guitars - the highest quality - it's a pity only for Fender products - I collected 6 guitars for myself and about 10 for my friends
Precision Guitar kits are great. You'll get very high quality wood and precision NC machining. Their fretwork is top notch. I've built two of their Les Paul Jr kits.
They're pretty much all built on precision CNC machines. Nobody's sitting around with hand saws and chisels building any of these things. Including the vast majority of the Big Name Brand guitars. The fretwork, binding if applicable, and wood is where the real differences are, for sure.
they have some great kits, but i can't see spending $600+ on a body and neck, when you can actually buy a USA strat for about the same money as doing one of their builds.
Precision Guitar Kits are the only brand I'd even consider. What is a person's time worth? I've repaired enough cheap-o kit guitars that its obvious that most cheap-o kits are a waste of a person's time and efforts. I'd place the Precision Guitar Kits at the quality level of Fender or Gibson concerning materials used and fret work.
I bought an offset headstock 5150 kit from KNE Guitar and everything came really nicely packaged, ready to finish and assemble. I bought most of the hardware and additional parts from Solo, and added a pariah 1986 pickup. The tremolo fit perfectly and everything was wonderfully aligned without any additional woodworking.
The Kit I came across was a book on how to chop down a tree and sweat out the water depending on how much water you want in the wood for the build. But now I would go on a Crimson guitar 5 day building course
Hi Brad, I wanted to mention Guitar Kit World. They make very nice looking kits. I recently purchased 2 from them. They had a BOGO sale. Great opportunity to get them. I haven't built them yet because I've been in the hospital. But I do look forward to building them soon!
I've priced Stew Mac and do agree they are a bit proud of their products and its reflected in the prices. Your better off buying a whole kit they suggest for what ever style your interested in. To go in and select parts individually your getting into new assembled guitar range.
I just completed a Harley Benton kit. I'm surprised how well it came out and how well it plays. Vey good quality. The more work you put in the greater the reward! I got cool guitar, that plays and sounds pretty good. Going to try a StewMac next. * * * * THANKS BRAD.... for the inspiration and sharing your expert knowledge with us new builders. Cheers! Markus
Built a Solo PRK-1, and for the most part it was a complete breeze to finish and assemble. Used leather dye for the back and sides, and an indigo burst with Rit dye on the flamed top. Finished with tru-oil and a paste wax finish. My previous experience included neck refinishing because poly necks are horrible, and regular maintenance of my own guitars.
Hi Brad, I have been watching your videos on various guitar kits, as a Christmas present this year 2023 my good lady bought me the Guitar Works Solo Telecaster Pro Kit from Guitar4Music here in the U.K. Wow, what arrived was not what i was expecting, the kit was well boxed, well presented and very much first class, everything fitted perfect, the drill holes was spot on and the hardware was good, from opening the box to completion of the build took just 3 hrs excellent for a first time, i would certainly give it my No1 build kit, ***** Thanks Brad, Keep up the Good Work.
I have the same spalted maple LP that turned out outstanding from SOLO from your recommendation ! Thanks . I trashed all the chrome hardware and went with gold , Emerson electrics with a treble bleed I added , Lumberbucker p/ups ( sound amazing and fairly inexpensive ) Gohto locking tuners with amber pearloid tuners , I found amber knobs that go to 11 , stained and oil neck and gold mirror rear covers . Polyurethaned the top and head stock walnut stained the sides and back . Sounds and plays amazing .
I built 3 Harley Benton kits during covid lockdown. They are inexpensive and of decent quality, especially for folks like me who use my own pickups, tuners, etc to finish the kits. I did a PRS style a LP style and a Jaguar style.
Do you know from the guitar kit on the LP style of guitar, what is the comparsion on their line up, is it a lower grade like the 200 or 400 or like mid tier 450 or 500 kit or even the higher tier 550 and above?
I did a fret wire for my very first build. I was not happy with it, the laminate top was so thin, that I sanded right through it. It had a high and low spot on on the top and I tried to work them out but it didn’t work out well. I was really disappointed with it. I now prefer to build from scratch, but I do have a SRP crimson guitar kit that I’m waiting to get here. I’ve been waiting for a while now but I believe it will be here this month. Thanks for your channel I really enjoy it. Yes the CG kit was expensive.
I did a Mustang kit from FretWire as my 2nd kit build, and was a bit disappointed as well. The neck pocket was not right, and the placement of the bridge screws was questionable. (Manufacturers: we would rather you leave stuff like that to the builder if you can't do it absolutely correct yourselves!). My first kit was a Tele style from StewMac, which had great build quality in comparison, although I originally received an LP-style kit from them by mistake, so it took an extra week or so to get the product I actually ordered. For a couple hours I thought about keeping the (more expensive) LP style one, but I'm so happy with how the Tele turned out that I have absolutely no regrets.
Yeah, the veneers they use for figured tops are VERY thin. Be real, real careful sanding them. Like, don't do it normally, just go straight to the final grit and use an extremely light touch. You're not going to get the same smoothness as doing it properly, but you can sort of hide that in the finishing.
Thank you for you Brad for recommending Solo Guitars I am about to get a 335 kit from them and I agree with you on Solo one place I would recommend to you would be Guitar Kit World
Worth noting that shipping and currency plays a part in this. I’m in Canada so a $300 kit from the states becomes a $400 kit with duty and exchange. Solo has pretty much filled the stewmac market in Canada as they’re in Ontario and have almost as many cool tools and parts. Importing from the UK or Oz is another matter. But generally the mass-made Chinese kits are all the same. Solo does good quality control and offers seconds and a really good customer relations program. But I’d never pay exchange and duty for a MIC anything.
I've used two, and I've had great experiences with both. Solo provided me with my first kit (an SG) and probably my current favorite, which is their SBK-150 .strandberg*-like headless. I've also been picking up kits from Pitbull in Australia, and have been super happy with them, especially on my custom 335 which is just about finished up. Also, while I haven't used their kits, Guitar Fetish has a massive variety of the various hardware you need to throw together really unique kits. My 335 custom is fully kitted with GF parts including pickups, bridge and trem, and even a wiring harness.
i did not use pore filler, i did not get a squege, i did not get copper ground tape still weighting on S.M... i did sand the body first befor sealing it i could not get the nuts on thread on machine tunners iv got about 12 cote's of clear i did not use 360 sand paper i started off with 400 wet then went stright to 1000 then 2000 grit wet or dry .. the body is mohagny neck is maple the wood and routing im very happy with the quality of the wood i think is top shelf the frets them self are not jumbo frets hoping this is not going to be a big deal.. just wish they had a beter quality control on missing item's ...every thing i read about the kit said you probably have most of the tool .. well i did not expect to buy a hammer to knock the frets in, or a Nut file set or expencive fret files... they are very expencive and a one time kit build i could not see buying expencive tools ... i kust wanted a quality guitar like a gibson or fender to play.. pant and kit was over 300 dollars.. then pay to have it set up ... thanks
I had great luck with both Fretwire and Bad Cat. I did the Fretwire 12 string 335 kit and the Bad Cat Firebird. Pango Firebird was difficult as the wood was almost petrified but it came out great. I agree with Guitar Fetish who I love for their pickups and clearance section. They should really line up someone else to supply their kits.
Stew Mac is really Stewart MacDonald. I've had dealings with them over the years. They're mainly luthier tool dealers, kits are only a small part of what they do. They have excellent tools. As far as Warmoth goes, I bought a compound radius neck for my American "61 Strat over 14 years ago. It's a very nice comfortable neck. Give them a look. I've been a player longer than most who read this have been alive. I'm 71 years old and started playing in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I also taught over 27 years.
ive found sometimes its not just the quality, its the finishing. ive bought some cheap kits and very expensive kits. the only difference the expensive kit was finish sanded
I recently built a Haze Jazzmaster Kit. The neck and heel joint was really tight, the body required no extra sanding and the hardware was very decent when it came to quality. It came with no solder electronics and two P90 pickups that actually sound great. They had vintage spec brass back plates on them as well. Nice kit. Pitbull Guitar also sell some decent kits and have a good range of kits.
@@franknicastri9201 I imagine the QC isn't the best in the cheaper brands. Sometimes it's dependent on who's doing QC. You may have one person who's very meticulous and another who's not. I've seen that in name brand quitars too. I can't attest to others experience but the kit I got was great.
Solo Guitars. I have dealt with them twice now. I got my Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup for my ESP Eclipse and most recently a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for my US Strat. Customer service was fantastic -- thanks @ Dave Marocco for the freebie selector switch tip I asked for and also the picks and sticker -- looks great on my Strat case. Plus, I like that they are local (Markham, ON) and only took 3-4 days for deliveries to arrive in Toronto.
Got 2 GTS LP kits. 1st one I glued the neck rigth away, did came out great, nice frets. 2nd one I waited before gluing the neck. It develloped a small hump at the 15 fret. An Epiphone switch is better than the boxy ones. They both had slim 60 neck profile.
I can't say that I have much to compare to, but I've built 2 Guitar Kit World kits and was very happy with them. They were both set necks, and the necks fit great and aligned well without having to adjust the pocket. There was also virtually no sanding needed when I took them out of the box. They have nice verniers, decent hardware, and a variety of options, even within a single style if guitar. Also plenty of lefty options (which is great for me). The only flaw I noticed was a little bit of glue from the binding on the body of the Guitars that I didn't really notice until after i stained the guitars.
I've built 3 from TheFretWire - a flying V, an ESP-type, and just did a paulownia & Maple resonator. They definitely have a good variety. The first two kits went together pretty well (within reason), and I did a lot of custom carving/engraving on them (all 3, actually). The last one (resonator) had all kinds of design issue in it - the resonator cone didn't have anywhere for the piezo pickup wire to go through, there was chipping around where the neck attaches on the body, the provided mini-humbucker pickup didn't fit in the neck pickup cutout (the end of the fretboard was in the way), and a few other things. I got it sorted out, but did not have good luck with setting the neck, so the action is super high - which is OK for the slide work I'm using it for but would otherwise be an issue. Support *used* to be amazing, but I wouldn't recommend at this point.
Crimson kits are fantastic and super top end quality and a great company and who uses the crappy hardware anyway? I built a hardtail strat for a friend from guitar build uk and it was top quality stuff and turned out great.
I bought a SG kit, Strat body and paddle neck from Solo. Well made, neck and body a good fit, good pricing as well. Easy going guys at Solo, great to deal with,a place to browse and shop for all your builds. Brad, thanks for all your tips and advice.
Yeah warmoth makes awesome partscaster stuff and diy parts. IM not sure they do kits per se, and I don’t really have any experience with them because of their price point, but I know their work is high quality.
I have done a few kits and have only once (the first time) used any of the hardware that they come with. Now I usually stay on the lookout for a model I want or an interesting shape that looks fun, or a really good mod platform and plan a build around a body and neck using some of the parts I already have. Since I stock up on parts a couple of times a year it's, so far, not a problem. I guess I just need a good, reliable, source for stuff I might need without long waiting periods. We shall see. Looking forward to your next build....
Kits are cool but it's really starting to look like HB and others' finished budget guitars are finally good enough that you may as well just buy one of those and paint it however you want. You can get models with good Gotoh hardware for under 300 bucks, and they get very good to excellent reviews. Makes it hard to justify going through the extra work of assembling a kit that comes with cheapo hardware you're going to replace anyway, and spend another hundy or two in the process.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 You are absolutely right. You kind of feel like a fool buying a cheap kit when you can buy the guitar cheaper from Glarry or of the sort and they throw in the cheesy soft case, strings, pics and crap. I do it for the fun, but the kits are getting to pricey.
The Best 2 - Crimson Guitars - Precision guitar kits - Solo guitar kits I put in a medium category. Stratosphere Guitars - is pretty much the holy grail of partscaster sites. My only problem is at some point you have to ask if you are building and customizing is it actually more economical to buy a Squire or Epiphone that has already been fitted/set up, and just sand it down and repaint it and swap off the cheap parts for better upgrades, Same with buying a MIM Strat or Tele body. Personally if you want an LP/SG/V/Explorer or even the early 2000s cheaper setneck Firebird I would go Precisionguitars, If you want to make something unusual the Crimson guitar kit uncut is the way to go, I love what he made at NAMM in under 3 hours.
I also just picked up a fade Gibson 60s 8.10 lbs solid body ,,,,, going to add the studs for a real Abr-1 .. Spray a thin coat of Period correct thin Nitro gloss . and put real aged celluloid inlays ...... the 60s faded series you can shave the binding on neck for a real vintage feel ,,,, so many options with the Gibson faded series . lots of light weight ones ,, The neck angles on kits are the problem for a Gibson style guitar they cannot copy gibson angles copy write protected
Yet another great video! I have built A Solo SG, very high quality, also a few Fretwire kits, and a. few Bargain Musicians kits. Solo was the best, although their prices have gone way up from before the Covid. Fretwire comes in 2 , then Bargain. As you state, they all have their challenges, but are fun to build! Thx Brad, I’ve mentioned your channel a number of times on my channel. Keep up the great work and informative videos 💥👍🤙
Hi im not an expert but i made one P bass guitar kit from harley benton. İt felt super cool the body the electronics and everrything. Especially for the price. İ recommend Harley benton and Thomann. But Crimson guitars as you mentioned like one of the best i think :) because i follow their channel just for fun. That guy is an awsome luthier. Thanks i like your videos
While I've never built one of their kits, I've actually built six guitars using Guitar Fetish's XGP bodies and necks. It's their top-of-the-line, and every one has been of excellent quality (especially for the price). I've had no issues at all. On the other hand, I ordered a neck and body from Solo and ended up sending them back. I bought one of their tele bodies, which was supposed to have black binding, but it was actually just a stripe of black paint, and the paint job was terrible. I guess it's luck of the draw.
I've built 3 and that is antidotal I saw a great kit built from GF Guitars' XPG line. But more than their Bodies or Necks, they sell good pickups via OEM overstock and etc. Their own brands are nice. I'd much rather Mod a half way descent finished model that build it from a kit. I will never build a Glued-In set neck again. Yet, the last bolt on Neck was pretty good, I let a buddy use it and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
Hey Brad. You mentioned Precision Guitar. I build Flamenco, Bossa Nova, Slack Key guitars. I've been playing down tune, big tube amp, crunch guitar for 40yrs. When I want an electric, I buy Precision. They are far, far better than a kit guitar company. You'll get closer to a classic Les Paul from Precision than you will from Gibson. You'll have to do the nibs yourself. I just ordered one of their 25.5" scale LP cutaway guitars. Wow!
you have a lot to learn dude, check out the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix ,you get to khow and learn the properties of exotix woods and how they contribute to stringed instruments and how they soound and resonate
just bought a HB LP model kit from Tomann (+-100$) , great quality/price ratio, and available not only in U.S. (which is actually the best part of it, yeah U.S. is not the only part of the world that exists)
I’ve bought from stratosphere & fret wire. Never a complete kit though. Good parts though. I’ve been especially happy with Allparts necks & stratosphere branded pickups.
In my humble opinion without a doubt. Precision guitar kits. First kit I ever purchased. And it was totally headache free. Everything that was supposed to have been done and then some. There was no scrimping to the detail. And I have used many some better than others. But as for me I am a guitar snob. Please forgive me. It’s a curse. But I am just used to really good quality. Veneers as a rule just don’t move me. But some are pretty nice.
Warmouth out of Washington is quite reputable and expensive. I bought a body from them and I had neck on hand from a Squire Strat. I subsequently changed my mind and ordered a new neck. The old yellowed maple neck didn't look good with the new body. When I got the new neck, either the neck pocket was too small or the neck was too big. I had to send the body back to widen the neck pocket after arguments and back and forth on the phone and email. I then had to use a luthier to finish the neck and get it lined up properly costing more money. It wasn't perfect when it was returned to me. I didn't have the tools to work on the neck myself.
Brad - much appreciate your channel and advice. I'm in the UK and I've built some 15 or so kits. I don't disagree fundamentally with your advice but in my view, the high-price/high-value names you mention aren't good buys - the professional Asian guitar producers are so good and so inexpensive, it is simply bad economics to buy an expensive kit UNLESS you really know your luthiery. For example, Cort builds for a number of really big names but is ridiculously inexpensive. Guild has just released a solid body guitar very highly praised by the main critics that list for less than £400! EART guitars have the most beautifully made stainless steel frets I've seen on ANY guitar - less than £300! Build your own by all means but unless you're very clever or experienced if you want a better guitar buy one. Appreciate your channel hugely,
I built a tele kit from BYO Guitars. Budget friendly. Body and neck were great. Pickups were pretty cheap and sounded just OK. Build was a lot of fun. The do have options to upgrade hardware, pre drill holes, etc. I'll likely get my next kit from them when I'm ready.
@@pv6505 I had great luck with mine and was happy the way it came out. Built it with my oldest kid and he LOVES that guitar. I personally think they're reasonable depending on which body style you like. Would recommend a bolt on model if it's your first go.
@sydwynd I've got a few I've built through Warmoth already. Looking to mix it up though. Was debating a BYO Custom Strat that THEY painted (I'm impatient and you can tell in my pain jobs).
BTW, I play bass and Dabble with the Guitar. I love Warmoth but if you are not a pro and your Axe isn't making you money, hey! Stew Mac sucks a big one. At least the end product at Warmoth is worth every penny.
Precision Guitar Kits in Vancouver is by far the best. They are actually also a subcontractor to well known guitar makers that need extra capacity. It's possible that a top end Music Man guitar may have been made buy Precision. I have a SG Jr. that was neck fitted and finished from their factory. I own 2 dozen high end Gibson SGs and Les Pauls. It's one of may favorite guitars. I also assembled one of their other SG kits. Amazing wood. Amazing quality of CNC machining of the body, neck, and neck cavity. Great fret work and inlays. They are expensive and worth every penny. Also, if I'm not mistaken, PGK has worked out a deal with Gibson. They were sued by Gibson a few years back and had to change their designs to prevent trademark violations. I seem to recall that this has been resolved.
@@2216sammy You can't judge a book by it's cover as they say. Bad photos and bad quality are two different things. The quality is very high and each neck and body is a pair so that the neck joints match perfectly. And they have the best wood of any kit manufacturer. As I had mentioned, Precision is a subsidiary of a large guitar subcontract manufacturer. Their stash of wood may not be as good as Gibson or PRS, but they're not far behind. I've had two of their SG kits and both had one piece bodies. Both had killer grain. And one of them is actually some river reclaimed mahogany from Honduras. The wood might be as much as 100 years old.
Only done one but Crimson Guitars did an excellent custom kit for me. My spec throughout. Quality woods, accurate neck pocket, frets, inlays etc. all spot on.
Awesome!
@@asimhussain8716 it wasn’t cheap but it was custom spec.
I watched several of the Crimson Guitar videos I love the expert attention to details. He doesn't skimp and in today's modern world I appreciate it so much more. I usually try to buy all American-made products so Crimson Guitar is an exception because they are top-of-the-line.
I built a Telecaster from Solo and was very impressed.
Glad to hear it
My strat style Muslady kit I bought through Walmart of all places arrived in great shape and was a two piece mahogany body. The neck pocket was very good although I did have to drill my neck bolt holes but that's ok. The CNC work was very clean for a kit guitar and overall the quality was very good for 100 bucks. Would buy again
Hey Brad! I feel like Warmoth definitely needs to be mentioned here, they have so much customization and basically you can piece together a kit
Yeah, and end up spending two grand on a guitar nobody else will ever want.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 Yep. You buy a Warmoth, you buy it for life, or take a huge hit.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 why.? Whats wrong with Warmoth?
Yeah, warmoth was definitely worth mentioning. High quality for sure. And of course high price point.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 not sure where you are getting 2 grand from, I spent $600 for my mahogany Flying V body and maple neck w/ ebony board.
A friend of mine who is a player recommended Solo for my first DIY kit. It turned to be a good choice. Your "How To" videos were so helpful and I thank you for that. Two Tele Style builds, one Jazzmaster Style and a 12-string Strat Style have all been successes. I am now about to start my 5th build, their 335-Style semi-acoustic kit. I am looking forward to the task. You can learn so much by tackling a DIY kit. I would like to tackle a Harley Benton kit. I hear good things about their kits. Note: your opinions have always been well presented. Thanks.
I’m glad to hear your solo builds have gone well.
Nice job covering kits you have used and are familiar with. I thought you were fair and honest in your discussed points. I appreciate reviews where the reviewer doesn't appear to be rehearsed, but just frankly speaks their mind...thank you!
Thanks Paul. You may have noticed this over time, but for better or for worse my videos are never rehearsed haha.
Hey Brad, I just got one of StewMac’s offset kits. Definitely worth picking one up while they are on sale for $185. Cheers!
Nice!
Thanks for the video, it's just what I needed. I just finished a 335 kit from Stewmac, and am looking at my options for my next build. I agree that Stewmac's prices are a bit high, but I ordered when they were having a $90 off sale, so making the purchase was less difficult. The 335 turned out beyond my expectations, both by how it looks, and how it plays. I also learned a whole lot (by making mistakes). I had never painted a guitar before, not to mention doing a 3 color burst.
what kind of finish did you use? was it too difficult for a first time?
@@pugforce8315 It wasn't too difficult at all. I made mistakes due to lack of experience it being my first time. I learned things like that overspray can go all the way to the other side of the guitar, gotta mask off everything. Also, you can't fix paint defects when it's still wet, let it dry then fix it. For the painting, I didn't want a Tobacco sunburst, so I got the Cherry Sunburst paint kit from Stew Mac. I also wanted the sides to be Gloss Black, so I got a can that, and a can of Sunburst Black (to fade in from the edge). I made a YT slideshow video if you want to see the kit progress (it ends before I set the intonation and final polish which I will update soon). If I do a guitar again like this, I will get an extra can of Clear Gloss, because if you make mistakes you are going to need more.
I've bought 3 or 4 Precision kits and they are the best I've come across by far.
BYO is my choice. Both their Import and Made in USA Custom Shop kits are great quality. Custom Shop Kits are some of the best, and they can be ordered with the options the builder selects. That are not cheap, mass produced. They are best-quality, USA made. Try one of each, you’ll fall in love.
Thanks for the tip.
Finishing my second Muslady. Learned a lot from your channel and created a beautiful looking green flame gold burst LP. After another hundred dollars for upgraded parts, she just ain't the first one I grab. My Tele is green birds eye maple with edge bindings and gold hardware. Kits are fun to do and marginally pleased with these two experiences
I built a Strat using a XGP body and Neck from Guitar Fetish. the quality and fit was far better than I expected. The body was Alder and the Neck Maple. fret ends were rounded and polished. I only wish they offered medium jumbo or jumbo frets. I found that they are often out of stock on items. (the hardware I used was from Solo Guitars - a Xmas gift from my son) I recommend at least the body and the neck from them!
I love my Precision Double cut Jr kit
"stew mack ovrcharges for evrything" is an understatement😂
Not really a kit per say but I've bought a couple unfinished bodies and necks from Warmoth and thought they were great !!! The roasted maple necks are especially beautiful in workmanship and the way they feel .
I've built five or six kits, mostly basses.Two were Solo and they're pretty good.
Thanks again, Brad! Appreciate your time involved with making your videos. Even the comment section is good!
😀
Thanks Rick
@@BradAngove There is no one higher - Warmoth guitars - the highest quality - it's a pity only for Fender products - I collected 6 guitars for myself and about 10 for my friends
@alar7743 awesome. That’s a lot of guitars.
Precision Guitar kits are great. You'll get very high quality wood and precision NC machining. Their fretwork is top notch. I've built two of their Les Paul Jr kits.
They're pretty much all built on precision CNC machines. Nobody's sitting around with hand saws and chisels building any of these things. Including the vast majority of the Big Name Brand guitars.
The fretwork, binding if applicable, and wood is where the real differences are, for sure.
There are definitely different levels of CNC machining out there though.
they have some great kits, but i can't see spending $600+ on a body and neck, when you can actually buy a USA strat for about the same money as doing one of their builds.
Precision Guitar Kits are the only brand I'd even consider. What is a person's time worth? I've repaired enough cheap-o kit guitars that its obvious that most cheap-o kits are a waste of a person's time and efforts.
I'd place the Precision Guitar Kits at the quality level of Fender or Gibson concerning materials used and fret work.
I bought an offset headstock 5150 kit from KNE Guitar and everything came really nicely packaged, ready to finish and assemble. I bought most of the hardware and additional parts from Solo, and added a pariah 1986 pickup. The tremolo fit perfectly and everything was wonderfully aligned without any additional woodworking.
Great to hear
The Kit I came across was a book on how to chop down a tree and sweat out the water depending on how much water you want in the wood for the build. But now I would go on a Crimson guitar 5 day building course
That would be awesome. I’d love to take Ben’s course one day.
Hi Brad, I wanted to mention Guitar Kit World. They make very nice looking kits. I recently purchased 2 from them. They had a BOGO sale. Great opportunity to get them. I haven't built them yet because I've been in the hospital. But I do look forward to building them soon!
I hope your build goes well once you get it.
You are right...Stew Mac prices are quite high, and they do not give discounts, that is why I buy from All Parts in Texas....
I've priced Stew Mac and do agree they are a bit proud of their products and its reflected in the prices. Your better off buying a whole kit they suggest for what ever style your interested in. To go in and select parts individually your getting into new assembled guitar range.
I just completed a Harley Benton kit. I'm surprised how well it came out and how well it plays. Vey good quality. The more work you put in the greater the reward! I got cool guitar, that plays and sounds pretty good. Going to try a StewMac next. * * * * THANKS BRAD.... for the inspiration and sharing your expert knowledge with us new builders. Cheers! Markus
Cheers Markus. I’m glad it came out well.
@@BradAngove Thanks to you!!! You ARE a great teacher! Love your channel. Gonna try a SOLO branded one as well....
Built a Solo PRK-1, and for the most part it was a complete breeze to finish and assemble. Used leather dye for the back and sides, and an indigo burst with Rit dye on the flamed top. Finished with tru-oil and a paste wax finish.
My previous experience included neck refinishing because poly necks are horrible, and regular maintenance of my own guitars.
Hi Brad, I have been watching your videos on various guitar kits, as a Christmas present this year 2023 my good lady bought me the Guitar Works Solo Telecaster Pro Kit from Guitar4Music here in the U.K. Wow, what arrived was not what i was expecting, the kit was well boxed, well presented and very much first class, everything fitted perfect, the drill holes was spot on and the hardware was good, from opening the box to completion of the build took just 3 hrs excellent for a first time, i would certainly give it my No1 build kit, ***** Thanks Brad, Keep up the Good Work.
Thank you, that’s good to know.
I think the company is Gear4Music
Solo are really good, i m building my second one tomorow🤙
all the parts I've every bought Musiclily has been of good quality and more importantly always fit!
I have the same spalted maple LP that turned out outstanding from SOLO from your recommendation ! Thanks .
I trashed all the chrome hardware and went with gold , Emerson electrics with a treble bleed I added , Lumberbucker p/ups ( sound amazing and fairly inexpensive ) Gohto locking tuners with amber pearloid tuners , I found amber knobs that go to 11 , stained and oil neck and gold mirror rear covers . Polyurethaned the top and head stock walnut stained the sides and back . Sounds and plays amazing .
Nice! That sounds like an awesome project.
I built 3 Harley Benton kits during covid lockdown. They are inexpensive and of decent quality, especially for folks like me who use my own pickups, tuners, etc to finish the kits. I did a PRS style a LP style and a Jaguar style.
Do you know from the guitar kit on the LP style of guitar, what is the comparsion on their line up, is it a lower grade like the 200 or 400 or like mid tier 450 or 500 kit or even the higher tier 550 and above?
Just recently built a leo jaymz guitar. Got the BC beast style. And it wasn't bad for the price. Definitly didn't use the strings that came with it.
Purchased two StewMac kits, strat and tele. Both were on sale and worth every penny.
Excellent
I did a fret wire for my very first build. I was not happy with it, the laminate top was so thin, that I sanded right through it. It had a high and low spot on on the top and I tried to work them out but it didn’t work out well. I was really disappointed with it. I now prefer to build from scratch, but I do have a SRP crimson guitar kit that I’m waiting to get here. I’ve been waiting for a while now but I believe it will be here this month. Thanks for your channel I really enjoy it. Yes the CG kit was expensive.
I did a Mustang kit from FretWire as my 2nd kit build, and was a bit disappointed as well. The neck pocket was not right, and the placement of the bridge screws was questionable. (Manufacturers: we would rather you leave stuff like that to the builder if you can't do it absolutely correct yourselves!). My first kit was a Tele style from StewMac, which had great build quality in comparison, although I originally received an LP-style kit from them by mistake, so it took an extra week or so to get the product I actually ordered. For a couple hours I thought about keeping the (more expensive) LP style one, but I'm so happy with how the Tele turned out that I have absolutely no regrets.
Yeah, the veneers they use for figured tops are VERY thin. Be real, real careful sanding them. Like, don't do it normally, just go straight to the final grit and use an extremely light touch. You're not going to get the same smoothness as doing it properly, but you can sort of hide that in the finishing.
Ty! Excited to get started.
Cheers
Thank you for you Brad for recommending Solo Guitars I am about to get a 335 kit from them and I agree with you on Solo one place I would recommend to you would be Guitar Kit World
Thank you for the recommendation
Worth noting that shipping and currency plays a part in this. I’m in Canada so a $300 kit from the states becomes a $400 kit with duty and exchange. Solo has pretty much filled the stewmac market in Canada as they’re in Ontario and have almost as many cool tools and parts. Importing from the UK or Oz is another matter. But generally the mass-made Chinese kits are all the same. Solo does good quality control and offers seconds and a really good customer relations program. But I’d never pay exchange and duty for a MIC anything.
Makes sense
My last build was a PVX kit. Came out great with a really nice flame top.
Nice; those look like good kits.
I have built Crimson's Fan Fret uncut kit. What a fantastic build. Kit was great. It was actually my 2021 GGBO Kit Build entry.
Nice! I can’t wait to do mine.
Good video, I look forward to learning more about the kits mentioned and have begun following your channel
I've used two, and I've had great experiences with both. Solo provided me with my first kit (an SG) and probably my current favorite, which is their SBK-150 .strandberg*-like headless. I've also been picking up kits from Pitbull in Australia, and have been super happy with them, especially on my custom 335 which is just about finished up. Also, while I haven't used their kits, Guitar Fetish has a massive variety of the various hardware you need to throw together really unique kits. My 335 custom is fully kitted with GF parts including pickups, bridge and trem, and even a wiring harness.
I actually did the same thing as you. i started with the SG kit from Solo, and now im using a Solderless Ash top Telecaster kit.
i did not use pore filler, i did not get a squege, i did not get copper ground tape still weighting on S.M... i did sand the body first befor sealing it i could not get the nuts on thread on machine tunners iv got about 12 cote's of clear i did not use 360 sand paper i started off with 400 wet then went stright to 1000 then 2000 grit wet or dry .. the body is mohagny neck is maple the wood and routing im very happy with the quality of the wood i think is top shelf the frets them self are not jumbo frets hoping this is not going to be a big deal.. just wish they had a beter quality control on missing item's ...every thing i read about the kit said you probably have most of the tool .. well i did not expect to buy a hammer to knock the frets in, or a Nut file set or expencive fret files... they are very expencive and a one time kit build i could not see buying expencive tools ... i kust wanted a quality guitar like a gibson or fender to play.. pant and kit was over 300 dollars.. then pay to have it set up ... thanks
Bargain Musician is the only one I've done and I love it. Flying V kit sub $200 usd
Nice. That sounds like solid value.
I had great luck with both Fretwire and Bad Cat. I did the Fretwire 12 string 335 kit and the Bad Cat Firebird. Pango Firebird was difficult as the wood was almost petrified but it came out great. I agree with Guitar Fetish who I love for their pickups and clearance section. They should really line up someone else to supply their kits.
Glad to hear you’re experienced with them were good.
Big fan of the wilkinson kits, Quality build, pickups, and have the patented fender headstocks. (not bad for price)
Stew Mac is really Stewart MacDonald. I've had dealings with them over the years. They're mainly luthier tool dealers, kits are only a small part of what they do. They have excellent tools. As far as Warmoth goes, I bought a compound radius neck for my American "61 Strat over 14 years ago. It's a very nice comfortable neck. Give them a look. I've been a player longer than most who read this have been alive. I'm 71 years old and started playing in 1961 when I was 9 years old. I also taught over 27 years.
Stewmac does have great tools. Expensive, but they are excellent.
ive found sometimes its not just the quality, its the finishing. ive bought some cheap kits and very expensive kits. the only difference the expensive kit was finish sanded
I have three Pitbull kits, one of them is total custom work from Pitbull. Very nice work and fit.
Nice! Glad to hear they do custom.
Glad I watched this. Waiting on 2 Solo kits
Nice
I recently built a Haze Jazzmaster Kit. The neck and heel joint was really tight, the body required no extra sanding and the hardware was very decent when it came to quality. It came with no solder electronics and two P90 pickups that actually sound great. They had vintage spec brass back plates on them as well. Nice kit. Pitbull Guitar also sell some decent kits and have a good range of kits.
Interesting you had a great experience with Haze. In my experience they're terrible.
@@franknicastri9201 I imagine the QC isn't the best in the cheaper brands. Sometimes it's dependent on who's doing QC. You may have one person who's very meticulous and another who's not. I've seen that in name brand quitars too. I can't attest to others experience but the kit I got was great.
Look into BYO.
Solo Guitars. I have dealt with them twice now. I got my Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup for my ESP Eclipse and most recently a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails for my US Strat. Customer service was fantastic -- thanks @ Dave Marocco for the freebie selector switch tip I asked for and also the picks and sticker -- looks great on my Strat case. Plus, I like that they are local (Markham, ON) and only took 3-4 days for deliveries to arrive in Toronto.
Yeah they’re a great company. Almost everyone I talk to about them says the customer service is awesome.
Thanks, Brad
my 1st kit was an Aeirsi kit and honestly despite the crappy hardware.. the body has been amazing. One of the best players I own
Glad to here it. I’ll have to check them out
Got 2 GTS LP kits. 1st one I glued the neck rigth away, did came out great, nice frets. 2nd one I waited before gluing the neck. It develloped a small hump at the 15 fret. An Epiphone switch is better than the boxy ones. They both had slim 60 neck profile.
my first kit was a solo way back in 2011. then a guitarfetish LP which wasn't too bad but I had to shim the neck pocket.
I can't say that I have much to compare to, but I've built 2 Guitar Kit World kits and was very happy with them. They were both set necks, and the necks fit great and aligned well without having to adjust the pocket. There was also virtually no sanding needed when I took them out of the box. They have nice verniers, decent hardware, and a variety of options, even within a single style if guitar. Also plenty of lefty options (which is great for me). The only flaw I noticed was a little bit of glue from the binding on the body of the Guitars that I didn't really notice until after i stained the guitars.
I’ll have to check them out. Haven’t seen anything from there before.
I've built 3 from TheFretWire - a flying V, an ESP-type, and just did a paulownia & Maple resonator. They definitely have a good variety.
The first two kits went together pretty well (within reason), and I did a lot of custom carving/engraving on them (all 3, actually). The last one (resonator) had all kinds of design issue in it - the resonator cone didn't have anywhere for the piezo pickup wire to go through, there was chipping around where the neck attaches on the body, the provided mini-humbucker pickup didn't fit in the neck pickup cutout (the end of the fretboard was in the way), and a few other things. I got it sorted out, but did not have good luck with setting the neck, so the action is super high - which is OK for the slide work I'm using it for but would otherwise be an issue.
Support *used* to be amazing, but I wouldn't recommend at this point.
Crimson kits are fantastic and super top end quality and a great company and who uses the crappy hardware anyway? I built a hardtail strat for a friend from guitar build uk and it was top quality stuff and turned out great.
Excellent!
Very informative video, thank you Brad - Cheers
Crimson Guitars and Precision Guitars are my go to for kits, always perfect.
Indeed
I built a harley benton jazzmaster. First class.
Good to hear
Not sure if they sell kits but Warmoth is a killer company.
Yeah they do awesome work. Not kits per se, but same idea.
Trevor Wilkinson, Stew Mack, Grizzly.
Ben at Crimson is my favorite person!
Yeah he’s great
I used a Solo Les Paul neck to build a Rickenbacker 350V replica. About 75% into the build...great neck.
Glad to hear it
Thanks Brad, a very useful steer from someone who knows👍
Cheers Michael
I bought a SG kit, Strat body and paddle neck from Solo. Well made, neck and body a good fit, good pricing as well. Easy going guys at Solo, great to deal with,a place to browse and shop for all your builds. Brad, thanks for all your tips and advice.
Cheers. I’m glad your kit looked good.
Great video, thank you. The other brand you didn’t mention, but imho invented the DIY guitar is Warmoth.
Yeah warmoth makes awesome partscaster stuff and diy parts. IM not sure they do kits per se, and I don’t really have any experience with them because of their price point, but I know their work is high quality.
Bian Xuebin real flame tops
Yes, I have definitely heard of that guy. Or is that a company?
@@BradAngove idk if hes a company but you go thru FB to contact him.
I have done a few kits and have only once (the first time) used any of the hardware that they come with. Now I usually stay on the lookout for a model I want or an interesting shape that looks fun, or a really good mod platform and plan a build around a body and neck using some of the parts I already have. Since I stock up on parts a couple of times a year it's, so far, not a problem. I guess I just need a good, reliable, source for stuff I might need without long waiting periods. We shall see. Looking forward to your next build....
Kits are cool but it's really starting to look like HB and others' finished budget guitars are finally good enough that you may as well just buy one of those and paint it however you want. You can get models with good Gotoh hardware for under 300 bucks, and they get very good to excellent reviews. Makes it hard to justify going through the extra work of assembling a kit that comes with cheapo hardware you're going to replace anyway, and spend another hundy or two in the process.
@@dogslobbergardens6606 You are absolutely right. You kind of feel like a fool buying a cheap kit when you can buy the guitar cheaper from Glarry or of the sort and they throw in the cheesy soft case, strings, pics and crap. I do it for the fun, but the kits are getting to pricey.
I bought all parts from Amazon got what I wanted
The Best 2 - Crimson Guitars - Precision guitar kits -
Solo guitar kits I put in a medium category.
Stratosphere Guitars - is pretty much the holy grail of partscaster sites.
My only problem is at some point you have to ask if you are building and customizing is it actually more economical to buy a Squire or Epiphone that has already been fitted/set up, and just sand it down and repaint it and swap off the cheap parts for better upgrades, Same with buying a MIM Strat or Tele body.
Personally if you want an LP/SG/V/Explorer or even the early 2000s cheaper setneck Firebird I would go Precisionguitars, If you want to make something unusual the Crimson guitar kit uncut is the way to go, I love what he made at NAMM in under 3 hours.
+1 for Precision. Their kits are simply amazing.
I also just picked up a fade Gibson 60s 8.10 lbs solid body ,,,,, going to add the studs for a real Abr-1 .. Spray a thin coat of Period correct thin Nitro gloss . and put real aged celluloid inlays ...... the 60s faded series you can shave the binding on neck for a real vintage feel ,,,, so many options with the Gibson faded series . lots of light weight ones ,, The neck angles on kits are the problem for a Gibson style guitar they cannot copy gibson angles copy write protected
I have to say Warmoth. Their kits are my go to when I want a custom guitar. The best woods and construction,you can feel the quality.
Yet another great video! I have built A Solo SG, very high quality, also a few Fretwire kits, and a. few Bargain Musicians kits. Solo was the best, although their prices have gone way up from before the Covid. Fretwire comes in 2 , then Bargain. As you state, they all have their challenges, but are fun to build!
Thx Brad, I’ve mentioned your channel a number of times on my channel. Keep up the great work and informative videos 💥👍🤙
Sounds like you’ve got quite the list of kits under your belt.
Hi im not an expert but i made one P bass guitar kit from harley benton. İt felt super cool the body the electronics and everrything. Especially for the price. İ recommend Harley benton and Thomann. But Crimson guitars as you mentioned like one of the best i think :) because i follow their channel just for fun. That guy is an awsome luthier. Thanks i like your videos
Thank you Emre
can say that pitbulls customer service has been amazing. and the kits have turned out really nice
That’s good to hear.
Very interesting, what about bass ?
Good question. I’ve never done one. Dan from Guns and Guitars could probably give you a better idea of who
Does a good bass.
While I've never built one of their kits, I've actually built six guitars using Guitar Fetish's XGP bodies and necks. It's their top-of-the-line, and every one has been of excellent quality (especially for the price). I've had no issues at all. On the other hand, I ordered a neck and body from Solo and ended up sending them back. I bought one of their tele bodies, which was supposed to have black binding, but it was actually just a stripe of black paint, and the paint job was terrible. I guess it's luck of the draw.
Wow. I’ve never seen one with just a stripe of paint. That’s ridiculous. I’m sure they took that back immediately.
I've built 3 and that is antidotal I saw a great kit built from GF Guitars' XPG line. But more than their Bodies or Necks, they sell good pickups via OEM overstock and etc. Their own brands are nice.
I'd much rather Mod a half way descent finished model that build it from a kit. I will never build a Glued-In set neck again. Yet, the last bolt on Neck was pretty good, I let a buddy use it and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
Hey Brad. You mentioned Precision Guitar. I build Flamenco, Bossa Nova, Slack Key guitars. I've been playing down tune, big tube amp, crunch guitar for 40yrs. When I want an electric, I buy Precision. They are far, far better than a kit guitar company. You'll get closer to a classic Les Paul from Precision than you will from Gibson. You'll have to do the nibs yourself. I just ordered one of their 25.5" scale LP cutaway guitars. Wow!
Indeed they are excellent.
you have a lot to learn dude, check out the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix ,you get to khow and learn the properties of exotix woods and how they contribute to stringed instruments and how they soound and resonate
I’m talking about solid body electric guitars where that doesn’t change how they sound.
Precision Guitar Kits for Gibson style stuff, and Guitar Mill ( not kits but bodies and necks) for Fender style stuff for me.
just bought a HB LP model kit from Tomann (+-100$) , great quality/price ratio, and available not only in U.S. (which is actually the best part of it, yeah U.S. is not the only part of the world that exists)
Haha I feel you Curtis. I’m not in the US either.
Bailey Guitars in Scotland. Kits for those who want to build a guitar completely from scratch.
I want a neck-thru Baretta or a neck-thru Soloist. A San Dimas, neck-thru, of course, would be cool too. I like neck-thru guitars.
I ise Warmoth gor fender style builds, but as far as kits go....PGK hands down makes the best I've built! And I've built quite a few!
I’ve bought from stratosphere & fret wire. Never a complete kit though. Good parts though. I’ve been especially happy with Allparts necks & stratosphere branded pickups.
Allparts certainly has some good options.
I said out loud that StewMac was overpriced a half second before you did. I've been trying to find a very inexpensive kit to build. GO CANADIA!🇨🇦
In my humble opinion without a doubt. Precision guitar kits. First kit I
ever purchased. And it was totally headache free. Everything that was supposed to have been done and then some.
There was no scrimping to the detail. And I have used many some better than others. But as for me I am a guitar snob. Please forgive me. It’s a curse.
But I am just used to really good quality. Veneers as a rule just don’t move me. But some are pretty nice.
Warmouth out of Washington is quite reputable and expensive. I bought a body from them and I had neck on hand from a Squire Strat. I subsequently changed my mind and ordered a new neck. The old yellowed maple neck didn't look good with the new body. When I got the new neck, either the neck pocket was too small or the neck was too big. I had to send the body back to widen the neck pocket after arguments and back and forth on the phone and email. I then had to use a luthier to finish the neck and get it lined up properly costing more money. It wasn't perfect when it was returned to me. I didn't have the tools to work on the neck myself.
That sounds like quite the process. Yikes.
BYO custom shop guitar kits are supposed to be pretty good. Their Les Paul jr double cutaway is popular..
Brad - much appreciate your channel and advice. I'm in the UK and I've built some 15 or so kits. I don't disagree fundamentally with your advice but in my view, the high-price/high-value names you mention aren't good buys - the professional Asian guitar producers are so good and so inexpensive, it is simply bad economics to buy an expensive kit UNLESS you really know your luthiery.
For example, Cort builds for a number of really big names but is ridiculously inexpensive. Guild has just released a solid body guitar very highly praised by the main critics that list for less than £400! EART guitars have the most beautifully made stainless steel frets I've seen on ANY guitar - less than £300!
Build your own by all means but unless you're very clever or experienced if you want a better guitar buy one.
Appreciate your channel hugely,
Thank you David, and thanks for your input!
I built a tele kit from BYO Guitars. Budget friendly. Body and neck were great. Pickups were pretty cheap and sounded just OK. Build was a lot of fun. The do have options to upgrade hardware, pre drill holes, etc. I'll likely get my next kit from them when I'm ready.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the build.
I've been looking into a Custom kit from BYO. Are they worth it?
@@pv6505 I had great luck with mine and was happy the way it came out. Built it with my oldest kid and he LOVES that guitar. I personally think they're reasonable depending on which body style you like. Would recommend a bolt on model if it's your first go.
@sydwynd I've got a few I've built through Warmoth already. Looking to mix it up though. Was debating a BYO Custom Strat that THEY painted (I'm impatient and you can tell in my pain jobs).
Warmoth parts are so expensive you might as well buy a nice high end guitar .I have great playing guitars that cost less than a Warmouth neck .
Building with a kit is like building with IKEA and pretend you're wood working.
So don’t pretend you’re woodworking then. Just build the kit, enjoy it, and call it what it is.
BTW, I play bass and Dabble with the Guitar. I love Warmoth but if you are not a pro and your Axe isn't making you money, hey! Stew Mac sucks a big one. At least the end product at Warmoth is worth every penny.
Hard to beat Warmoth necks and bodies
True.
Precision Guitar Kits in Vancouver is by far the best. They are actually also a subcontractor to well known guitar makers that need extra capacity. It's possible that a top end Music Man guitar may have been made buy Precision. I have a SG Jr. that was neck fitted and finished from their factory. I own 2 dozen high end Gibson SGs and Les Pauls. It's one of may favorite guitars. I also assembled one of their other SG kits. Amazing wood. Amazing quality of CNC machining of the body, neck, and neck cavity. Great fret work and inlays. They are expensive and worth every penny.
Also, if I'm not mistaken, PGK has worked out a deal with Gibson. They were sued by Gibson a few years back and had to change their designs to prevent trademark violations. I seem to recall that this has been resolved.
Glad to hear it. Everything I have heard about them has been good.
@@2216sammy You can't judge a book by it's cover as they say. Bad photos and bad quality are two different things. The quality is very high and each neck and body is a pair so that the neck joints match perfectly. And they have the best wood of any kit manufacturer. As I had mentioned, Precision is a subsidiary of a large guitar subcontract manufacturer. Their stash of wood may not be as good as Gibson or PRS, but they're not far behind. I've had two of their SG kits and both had one piece bodies. Both had killer grain. And one of them is actually some river reclaimed mahogany from Honduras. The wood might be as much as 100 years old.