Members OldBluesGuy Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 I'm just curious if anyone's tried out any of the various kits on the market. I've heard a couple of good things about the Carvin Bolt kit, but I've seen some other offerings out there - International Luthiers Supply has some nice looking kits reasonably priced, Torres has kits, etc. I tried searching on this topic, but it's now a no go on words under 5 characters so I couldn't search on kits or DIY. I'd like to thank the brainiac who thought up that rule. Any opinions on this subject are appreciated. Thanks, OBG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bowlingshirt Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 Carvin makes the best ones I know of. I've heard some of the cheaper ones may require additional woodworking (i.e. pre-drilled holes may not properly line up with the hardware). Good luck to ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daveski Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 Why do you want a kit guitar? Do you want to save money? Do you want custom features on your guitar that aren't offered on production guitars? Do you want the feeling of accomplishment by doing it yourself? I investigated all the kit guitars awhile ago and came to the conclusion that I was better off to just buy something close to what I wanted and modify it to suit. For the $300 that a decent kit would cost, there are one hell of alot of very good used guitars out there. The $300 spent on a kit guitar is almost money gone because nobody is gonna want to buy your project. The reviews on the cheaper kits are not very good. If you have wood and metal working skills then you can usually make them right, but why bother. There are a ton of pretty decent import strats and tele copies at the same price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldBluesGuy Posted October 26, 2006 Author Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 Originally posted by daveski Why do you want a kit guitar? Do you want to save money? Do you want custom features on your guitar that aren't offered on production guitars? Do you want the feeling of accomplishment by doing it yourself? I investigated all the kit guitars awhile ago and came to the conclusion that I was better off to just buy something close to what I wanted and modify it to suit. For the $300 that a decent kit would cost, there are one hell of alot of very good used guitars out there. The $300 spent on a kit guitar is almost money gone because nobody is gonna want to buy your project. The reviews on the cheaper kits are not very good. If you have wood and metal working skills then you can usually make them right, but why bother. There are a ton of pretty decent import strats and tele copies at the same price point. I'm looking to do a DIY tele and was just shopping around for options. My first choice is to get a premium body and neck from either USA Custom or Warmoth and then build using upper end hardware. Since the risk increases somewhat with the cost, I was thinking of doing a kit first just to get my feet wet so to speak. I agree about the cost versus buying a decent player and upgrading and I'm going to add that to my list alongside the kit option. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maxnew40 Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 Carvin bolt kits will give you a better guitar than a MIM Fender. The saga kits are just junk, dont waste time on those. You just aren't going to get any quality for $100-$150 on those cheap kits. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pacer6string Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 I made one of the Carvin Bolt Kits. The instructions were pretty good and it went together rather easy. I had no experience building guitars prior to this kit and was able to make a nice sounding and playing guitar. The bridge and neck plate is a little light weight but other than that the parts were pretty nice. I did a Tung Oil finish on the neck and body because it is easy to apply and at the time I was living in an apartment and didn't really have access or the equipment to spray a finish. I am really pleased with the looks and feel of the Tung Oil and would recommend the kit if you are looking to practice or get start into guitar building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldBluesGuy Posted October 26, 2006 Author Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 Originally posted by pacer6string I made one of the Carvin Bolt Kits. The instructions were pretty good and it went together rather easy. I had no experience building guitars prior to this kit and was able to make a nice sounding and playing guitar. The bridge and neck plate is a little light weight but other than that the parts were pretty nice. I did a Tung Oil finish on the neck and body because it is easy to apply and at the time I was living in an apartment and didn't really have access or the equipment to spray a finish. I am really pleased with the looks and feel of the Tung Oil and would recommend the kit if you are looking to practice or get start into guitar building. Thanks for the reply. What are the necks like profile-wise on those Bolts? I have carpal-like problems with thinner neck profiles. I can't play a Strat now for even a couple of minutes, but I'm fine with LP style guitars. Thanks again. OBG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members maxnew40 Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 You can get a pro looking finish with spray cans of nitro. Check out reranch.com I learned all I know about finishing on the reranch forum. If you really dig natural wood the tung/tru oil works well. I am just not a fan of the natural wood finishes. I like to see colors:freak: Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pacer6string Posted October 26, 2006 Members Share Posted October 26, 2006 The neck is thin and wide, but suprisingly comfortable. I play with my thumb over the top so I prefer the neck on my Wolfgang. But it is very playable for me. I was going to use a Reranch color on it, but at the time I lived in an apartment and it was winter. I love the feel of tung oil on the neck and with the Ash body (I upgraded) it actually looks really nice with the grain. Kind of an amber color as it aged. Check it out if you want. The picture is about halfway down the page http://homepage.mac.com/ericbaranek/PhotoAlbum7.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mindwave Posted October 27, 2006 Members Share Posted October 27, 2006 just in case it hasnt been mentioned, i know that many of the 'kits' (carvin excluded) come with the bodies already sealed. most folks find themsekves hand sanding the sealer OFF the guitar so they can get a good finish, if youre looking for a natural wood grain look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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