Hey all. I am thinknig about buidling a guitar for myself eventually and was wondering if anyone else has. I've seen kits that have the complete setup of everything i'll need (body, neck, humbucker, etc) and curious if any one else has used one of these before. If so can you shine some light on the quality of these kits? I'm sure they are all different but i'm curious why you can build a Les Paul style guitar for under $200, but buying one brand new costs much more. I'm sure the pickups and wiring has a lot to do with it, but i'd still kinda like to know for sure. Thanks.

welcome to the forum. a buddy of mine built his bass out of warmoth stuff and it sounds and plays really well. as for being cheaper... names cost alot of money,that has alot to do with it, if the guitar didn't say gibson or les paul on it it'd be alot cheaper. under 200 dollars for an LP copy though still sounds a bit too cheap.

About 3 years ago, when I decided to dabble in bass for a while I didn't want to tie up too much money but wanted a quality instrument so I did some research and went with a Carvin BK4 bass kit. The assembly was really easy, the quality is excellent as is the playability and despite my lack of finishing experience, it turned out ok if I do say so myself (see below). It has a solid walnut body and a maple neck with an ebony board and walnut headstock overlay. I ordered it with the "no fretboard inlays" option because I think it looks classy. Anyway, I've heard equally good comments about their guitar kits but never built one of those.

A couple of years back, I put together a guitar from Warmoth parts. (Some people around here don't like Warmoth, but I didn't have problems the stuff I bought.) The assembly was pretty straight forward. As far as equipment goes, aside from your basic tools, you really should have a drill press, but if you're careful, a hand drill will do the job. I used a hand drill when I assembled my Warmoth. Some kits (like the Carvins) have all holes pre-drilled, so this isn't an issue.

I don't know what kit you're referring to, but I'd be suspicious of something that cheap. A good body or neck can cost $200 and up. I imagine the quality can't be good if the entire kit is $200.

The finish is the most difficult part if you're assembling a guitar yourself. If you're want anything other than a simple oil or stain finish, you're better off having a professional do it.

Hobophobic, did you finish that bass yourself? It looks pretty nice. I'm tempted to get one of these kits now.

Yeah, I finished it. I did a lot of careful prep sanding and used a clear gloss poly thinned with mineral spirits to a wiping consistency. I wiped on about 8 thin coats then sanded it back to the wood which worked as a grain filler. Then I wiped another 8 thin coats on wet sanding between each. I did one coat per day during both stages to allow thorough drying. The 8 filler coats weren't necessary for the maple neck but the walnut was a little porous. I'm happy with the results.

Cool. Was it difficult or the sort of thing anyone who's reasonably handy and (very) patient should be able to do?

Is the stuff you used relatively non-toxic?