Greetings /diy/ !
Recently got interested in customizing and making guitar myself. Because my lack of experience and due the availability and pricing of parts in my lovely overtaxed Scandinavian homeland, I thought it'd be easier to start of with one of those standard type (lp, strato, tele etc.) kits. That way I'd have reference parts to play around with and learn. Sure enough, there's a trustworthy online store that offers those at a relatively low cost of around 90 euros with postage and some degree of quality assurance though definitely not expecting much.
But being the cheap bastard that I am, I scouted for cheaper alternatives and ended up finding kits like the headless one (pictured) and even knock of Jem's and other models with Floyd Rose type floating tremolos. These were offered in some "specialized" European webstores for around 200 - 400 euro ranges. Which would be a bargain if it was genuine factory parts but I see the same kits offered on Alibaba in Bulks for half the price from China.
So to the point: Has anyone ever dared to build one these headless model kits or knockoff Jems or knows a way to order this shit from China without breaking the bank with middle men?
>>970726
I would just buy a used guitar which is what I did. With musical instruments, especially guitars, buy one, learn to play a few chords, learn 'Smoke on the Water' get bored with it and either let it sit collecting dust or they sell it. Most used instruments are barely-used and relatively cheap. I dunno if there is some weird tax on guitars where you live but a used, basic Squier Strat should'nt cost much more that 200-400 euros. I bought my in Alaska used at a music store for $170 and it included an amp.
If a kit is incomplete don't be surprised if the cost of the piece that's missing doesn't sum up to be about what you'd have paid if some guy in China assembled it for you.
>>970734
"Recently got interested in customizing and making guitar myself."
>>970743
Sorry I tend to skip the first few sentences of whatever I read.
That being said, I don't know why you'd try to assemble a custom electric guitar with the cheapest possible parts from some made-in-china kit from online unless you just want a cheap guitar.
Just get a good guitar that's used.
>>970726
I've built a few midrange kits.
The first thing they do to cut the price down is use cheap electronics and hardware, which isn't much of an issue, as it can all be replaced bit by bit as needed.
I've never played with a super cheap kit like what I assume you're looking at, but I would guess the next step would be the craftsmanship on the wood. Most of these kits of any range come with the wood fairly unfinished, and part of the fun is sanding it down, doing some minor shaping and all that, but you'll come into issues if the neck and pocket aren't mated properly. A bolt-on neck will never feel or sound as solid if it's not properly fitted. Look for people talking about this in reviews before you drop too much money. Having to shim it would be bad enough, but if you've never done this before, sanding around that area is pretty tricky and can make a big difference in the quality of the finished instrument.
These headless setups and Floyd bridges are not something I'm that into. I've had a decent Floyd on a beater guitar before, and it's a tuning nightmare, even compared to a stock Fender tremolo, but that's your personal preference.
I'd go with a Stellah kit for a good entry level. Quality's generally good enough to play in front of people, the hardware it comes with is cheap but not bad, the electronics sound alright, easy to upgrade.
>>970726
I have a kit I have yet to assemble...it's a Saga ST-10 Strat, I bought from some dead guys son unassembled...
Anyway, got it home, looked at it, the parts like the tuners, bridge, pu's etc suck ass...so I put it all back in the box...
Someone had a set of Fender Texas Specials for sale on Kijiji (canada), so I bought em...guy had an American Strat Maple neck, so I bought it...guy had an American Strat Alder painted body, so I bought that...
A couple of days ago I bought a Pearl 20" bass drum for like $75, and I'm converting it into a gong bass drum for my Peart kit...
Try story Bro...
>>970765
>True
>>970765
sagas are supposed to be OK for the price, obviously they have to cut corners somewhere
Not to hijack the thread, but anyone have any recommendation for an easy to fine blue wood dye? I want something vibrant, and rich.
>>970789
Analine (sp) dye is the way to go...also shoot it with ngr stain first...lightly...
>>970734
There's a pretty decent market for second hand Squiers and others.(In fact, recently even pumped into an Ibanez ST-50 that some insane person sold for 50 euros. Someone else got it before me and popped it up on another site for 6 times as much day later) but then we're talking about 21-22frets and and one-way tremolos for parts not to mention having to strip down the body for the finish I want to try to make.Gio's and Dinky's rarely go below 100's.
OP here, lost my name tag
>>970763
Nice tips, I'm looking at Stellah though and these pics don't stand out much from the other kits besides actually offering FRose's too. There's gotta be a place where they get them cheaper than they sell too. But yeah, if this thread doesn't yield a solid alternative I'll be reverting back to a hard-tail 90 euro LP kit from the online store mentioned.
gentle bump
