As I already wrote in the last article, there are guitar kits available aplenty. The Internet offers lots of possibilities; online sellers like Amazon, online auction sites like Ebay … most have guitar kits. In most cases, a search for “guitar kit” is sufficient to get … well, dozens of variants of the same Stratocaster or Les Paul copies in various quality and shape options.
This is my first ever guitar kit. I don’t expect it to turn out great (although a dear friend of mine aptly calls me a “practicioning perfectionist … so it’s either going to turn our great or it will never be finished ;-)” – and she’s right), so I’m taking the “if I fail, minimize the cost” route.
So it’s going to be a cheap guitar kit. Of course, this means that I can’t expect high quality; neither the wood nor the work have a high standard. Can’t have – a good preparation takes time, which makes it more expensive. On the other hand, exactly this offers the possibility to learn quite a lot about the process of building and repairing a guitar. Leveling the frets, for example, or circumnavigating constructional flaws – things that somebody else already did in a more expensive kit, but which mean fun to me. I’m that kind of guy.
But which one? A Stratocaster copy? No … I got a Fenix Stratocaster copy since many years (one with the original Strat headstock from the days before they were sued by Fender), and a Mexico strat. Not really tempting to get “more of the same.” Telecaster – OK, but I don’t really like the design. Les Paul? That would be a possibility. But kits that come close to the original (i.e., mahogany body and glued in neck) are relatively expensive. SG? Same problem. Hmmm … what haven’t I got at all, but can find it in the cheap segment? A 12 string guitar! HA – let’s take it! 🙂
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