Building your own Strat

[Matt]

Hey guys, I'm in the process of selling my Vintage VS6 SG copy, and so I'll have some spare money, so I think I've found my summer project

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw2_harley_benton_eguitar_kit_prodinfo.html

Its increadibly cheap, which means the electronics are going to be less than low quality, however, with it being so cheap, it means I could upgrade it with it coming to about the same cost as a Squier, and have it in my own colours! now that is a funky idea. What I like even better is the fact that it seems to come with all the elctronics doen for you. all you need to do it paint and bolt together :R Just wondered if anyone had any experience with this 'Harley Benton' make.

Alternatively, I could just go for this Squier Strat:

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw2_fender_squier_std_strat_rw_ab_prodinfo.html

Looks sorta like SRV's! very pretty if you ask me

Tell me what you think

regards

Matt

 

[Spudman]

Matt
A lot of work will go into building that kit. It's a cool experience if you have the tools to do it. The headstock will need to be shaped, the body painted or sealed somehow. Hopefully everything lines up perfectly. These kits should only be done if you have the power to make absolutely sure that it comes out perfect and you LOVE it for ever and ever. Why? Because they have very little resale value.
On the other hand I just bought two Squier Strats like the one you posted and I feel they are very good for the money. They come with alnico pickups. I'm not crazy about the bridge pup myself but for another $35 US I can put another new beefier pup in there. The finish on the neck is good, the tuners hold well. With 9's mine stay in tune very well. Plus the finish is done well.
Your choice. I just wanted to share my thoughts with you.

 

[Matt]

Yeah I know it would take alot of work, but hey, got to try once right? Im leaning towards the Squier, and it will either be a Strat like the one I posted or a Tele Custom with the P90's. Thing is, I dont find teles comfortable to play whereas Strats are the bee's knees. In an ideal world I would have a Jaguar. I've always loved the look and sound, but they are way too expensive and the Squier Jazzmasters only come in humbuckers

 

[ZoSo65]

I say go for the build, I had a blast doing mine, but that's just me, you can see it in my introduction thread here.
It was definitly a learning experience for me, and I learned a lot.
Granted mine wasn't in a kit form so I had to do a little more work, plus I have access to the tools needed to do it, but the kit your looking at won't need that much tooling, except for the headstock, as Spudman pointed out, but that's not hard to do at all, just take your time.
If you have any questions let me know.
Good luck to whatever direction you choose :R

 

[marnold]

I say "Go fer it!" too. The knowledge you gain from it will be applicable for repairs, upgrades, etc. on all your axes (axen?)

 

[duhvoodooman]

Yeah, go for it! This is something I'd like to try myself at some point. Just seems like it would be both enjoyable and educational. Would like to try either an LP type build w/ P90's or a Strat with some vintage single coils. I'd definitely want to try a natural wood finish.

 

[Katastrophe]

I'd say go for it, but I would make sure that 1) you plan on keeping the guitar forever, and 2) the kit is made from good parts, so it doesn't sound dead or fall apart on you after assembly...

 

[r_a_smith3530]

Matt, sorry to get into this so late. A lot has been going on here, and I just haven't been as punctual as I might otherwise be. That kit looks just like one of the Saga kits sold by OnlineGuitar dot com.

OnlineGuitar Dot Com

Here's Saga's URL just for reference.

Saga Music

In addition to these kits, Saga also makes the Blueridge acoustic guitars that are becoming popular. They are VERY high quality knock-offs of Martin guitars, built in China. I have seen and played a couple and I'm seriously impressed. I've also seen a couple Saga kits (unassembled), and from what I can tell, they appear to be worth the price.

I don't know how much 77 Euros works out to be in American dollars. Onlineguitar has that kit at $69.95, and they also have several other styles to choose from as you can see.

If you decide to go this route, and want to juice your project up a little bit more, on the cheap, then check out the accessories at Guitar Fetish. Here's their URL.

Good luck with this. Keep us posted, with pics!

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Granted mine wasn't in a kit form

Well, if it was, it would have been from Home Depot!

I am quite impressed with you guys who build your own, whether it is from a kit or not. It must build a lot of confidence for mods & repairs. Good luck, if you decide to go that route.

 

[Bloozcat]

I've assembled two Strat clones and I'm currently working on my third.

It's not a bad idea to start with a kit to get your feet wet, so to speak. Once you learn a bit you'll become more discerning in your preferences. Since I had been playing guitar for a long time before attempting my first project, I knew that I wouldn't be happy unless the finished product had all of the bells and whistles I wanted in a guitar. That definitely caused more problems and increased the cost significantly over what a kit would have cost.

Assembling a guitar (or actually building one from scratch) is a labor of love. You'd be lucky to get the cost of materials back in resale, and more than likely, none of your labor. Still, it is imensely gratifying to build your own guitar. You'll not only learn a lot about how to assemble/build a guitar, but also everything that goes into proper set up for optimum tone.

If you have that builders gene where you just love making things, then this is a great way to combine two hobbies...building and playing. It works for me!

 

[Matt]

Cheers for the replies. I think I will go for the kit- but what Ive been looking to go in it seem to cost 5 times the kit- EMG DG-20s anyone? :R

regards

Matt

 

[Bloozcat]

Cheers for the replies. I think I will go for the kit- but what Ive been looking to go in it seem to cost 5 times the kit- EMG DG-20s anyone? :R

regards

Matt

A little overkill I'd say. A good candidate for consideration that would be more cost appropriate might be GFS. They offer great bang-for-the-buck pickups that could really upgrade your tone without downgrading your finances too much...

 

[Matt]

Overkill? proove it lol i suppose i would better to see the quality of the hardware before such a purchase. I can imagine having to upgrade the tremelo and tuners, the nut etc. probs easier to buy the Squier and put better pick ups in that

 

[ZoSo65]

,,,,,probs easier to buy the Squier and put better pick ups in that

But then you miss out on all the fun of building one, not too mention what you will learn during the process

 

[Spudman]

That would be my suggestion.

 

[Matt]

Ah true. how about both? That way I can insure that I get at least one quality instrument

Matt

 

[warren0728]

i think it would be cool to build my own guitar....i need more things to do!!

ww