i've been wanting to do a kit guitar for a while and when i saw these guys did an LP Jr i almost spoofed my dacks. And after some research confirmed these things seemed like decent quality, i pulled the trigger. I'm going to go a natural brown, possibly some tru oil or tung oil, almost every Jr i see is cherry red or painted white or tv yellow. So this will be slightly different.
I'm also thinking of swapping out the dogear P90 and using a P90 sized humbucker for more brootalz, possibly a Dimarzio P90 Tone Zone.
here's some pics of the kit from the site.
when it's done it should look a little like this, but slightly browner and with a black pick guard.
mrleisure wrote:Be carefull what type of Tung oil you use , some can have toxic additives I believe . How much for the kit ?
US$189 for the kit and another $93 to ship it here. I'm probably going to end up spending that much again upgrading some of the parts like the pickup and tuners, but it'll still be a fairly cheap guitar for what i'll end up with. It should be a fun little project.
Jr has turned up. They sent it on the 12th Dec and it got to my place on the 19th. That's pretty good considering it's going halfway around the world a week before xmas. I did pay the couple of extra dollars to get it sent quicker. So kudos to USPS.
Here's some pics
all nicely bubble wrapped. Instructions seem quite good and accurate.
3.1 piece mahogany body, it's not too obvious in real life so i think it'll work ok with a natural finish.
there's the .1 piece.
the original plastic nut is still on, the optional tusq nut i ordered was sent in a little plastic bag.
one nice surprise that i was worrying about, was the neck joint, but it's nice and tight. No shimming needed.
some small dents, not a huge concern, but i'll try and fix them. If not them i'll consider them it's birthmark.
scarf joint, not really a huge issue. It's much less obvious in real life, i got the right angle in the right light to make it really stand out for the sake of the pics.
another bit on the heel.
this is the main downside i could see, some fret ends are sitting a tad high. I'll try and get them to sit properly, fingers crossed. Otherwise i'll refret it.
one or two are even a bit high in the middle
tusq nut
pre wired. Pots are sorta stiff, but they'll probably get replaced anyway, so i don't care.
a quick mockup to make sure most of it fits.
the bridge is better than i expected. Not individually adjustable, but the screws on either side allow for a side to side adjustment. I was considering a different bridge but i'll install this one and see how it goes. So far i'm happy to use this one.
a toggle switch cover? Oh well, into the spare parts bin it'll go.
also it came with vintage style tuners that seem to be fairly smooth. They may stay, but undecided so far.
Im so so tempted.... yet I don't even play the guitars i own... I really shouldn't buy one. If I can withstand the temptation for a few days, it will pass.
The dings on the back can be fixed (depending on how old they are) with a drop of water in each left on a warm, not sunny place for a day or so, or with a gentle heat gun.
The wood will expand a fair bit to fill the dent if you're bothered.
Otherwise the build quality isn't not too bad. I'd take the neck along to someone who knows what their doing and get the frets hammered down a bit.
There is (or was) an adjustable bridge unit I've seen for this type of guitar.
But I'd be interested to see what it sounds / plays like with all the stock bits first.
If you're gunna replace some of them anyway, it would be good to get a first impression to see how things improve.
Dunno why. whenever I see this style of Les, (or TV) I always think slide guitar. I thought Pete Wells from Rose Tattoo had one I saw in concert once.
Cutter wrote:The dings on the back can be fixed (depending on how old they are) with a drop of water in each left on a warm, not sunny place for a day or so, or with a gentle heat gun.
The wood will expand a fair bit to fill the dent if you're bothered.
yeah steaming should do it.
Cutter wrote:Otherwise the build quality isn't not too bad. I'd take the neck along to someone who knows what their doing and get the frets hammered down a bit.
i'm going to have a go at the frets myself, the ultimate aim is i want to build a guitar from scratch at some stage, but i thought before i went out and spent a lot of money on tools, i'll do a kit first to see if i have the patience. That's why i'm not too bothered if it needs a refret. It'll give me some practice on a cheapy rather than something with more money tied up in it.
Cutter wrote:There is (or was) an adjustable bridge unit I've seen for this type of guitar.
There are some with individual saddles to adjust the intonation for each string, but i'll see how this one goes first. If i can get it right with just those side adjusters i'll leave it on.
Cutter wrote:But I'd be interested to see what it sounds / plays like with all the stock bits first.
If you're gunna replace some of them anyway, it would be good to get a first impression to see how things improve.
i was hoping the kit didn't come with the holes drilled for the dog eared P90's, and i could just put a P90 sized humbucker straight in there. The normal P90's have the screws in the middle of the pickups like this rather than outside the pickup route on the body.
but the dog eared P90's like the ones supplied are on the side like this
so it means i either have to fill the holes before i finish it, or commit to using dog eared P90's. I'm not totally against using P90's but as they tend to hum a lot more being a single coil, i'd rather the quietness and beef of a humbucker.
Cutter wrote:Dunno why. whenever I see this style of Les, (or TV) I always think slide guitar. I thought Pete Wells from Rose Tattoo had one I saw in concert once.
yeah i know what you mean, when i see a telecaster i always think of country. Even though they can rock as good as they twang. My love for the Jr was a gradual one but i think it finally hit when i saw this film clip.
My brother wants one now, thats the reason I asked you on FB if you were going to paint it. But he too is biting off more than he can chew like most people I know. He is studying Chinese, Mass Communication and spends none of his free time playing the guitars he has. Still I showed him your pics and his eyes lit up.
I am a noobie, I was given an acoustic guitar by said brother a few months ago. One of the frets is lifting but I haven't really had a look at it, how do I fix that Woodsy? Are they glued or pinned down?
Sounds a bit like me cj... I love my guitars and would never sell them... But just never find time to play anymore. I've forgotten alot as well and that frustrates me a bit. These still look tempting though, half of the reason I think is just the fun of building something. Maybe this would be the motivation I need to start playing again.
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