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    Build your own guitar?

    I know we have a few musicians on here.

    Wondering if anyone has used www.byoguitar.com and what they thought...

    Thanks!!

    #2
    I've been playing for 11 years and never heard of this site!!!! WTF I'm gonna get so many kits now dude! I want the SG and the explorer.

    I built all my guitars for other guitars. My favorite is a Mexican strat with an American neck, and 81/85 EMG's. I get great mellow clean tones with the 81, and super heavy distortion with the 85 at the bridge. It's like a Gibson fender.. Fenson? Gibder?

    Edit: get one and hydro dip it!

    Comment


      #3
      Yea I liked the exp and Tele. I can't wait till I can throw some money their way.

      I like that they let you upgrade certain components and use quality parts.

      Comment


        #4
        Just get EMG's with a quality tube amp. I've built guitars that cost me $50, and made them sound quality. SD black outs are awesome too.

        What music do you play?

        Comment


          #5
          These kits are not very good quality at all and you will definitely dump money into it to make it up to par but if you play metal throw in some blackouts (the mick thompson model sounds the best to me) or EMG (I prefer two 85s) actives and a tubescreamer to a good tube amp and its hard not to get a decent sound. If you play anything cleaner then you have alot of figuring to do. I built an explorer years ago and it ended up sounding very thin and "tinny" and a friend who built a strat felt the same. Theyre fun projects but id start with a better base if you want something more substantial.

          Edit: Guitarfetish has some amazing quality tremelos and bridges for stupid cheap and they sell kits too but I havent tried theirs. If you just want a cheaper solid guitar you cant go wrong with an agile brand sold at Rondomusic.com I have an interceptor with a GFS Floyd rose with one of their brass blocks and it sounds and plays amazingly.
          Last edited by MrTShoff; 01-03-2016, 11:12 PM.
          Looking for a new CB. Sell me yours!

          Comment


            #6
            Gfs is better IMO,

            But I've learnt there is no replacement for going into a music store and finding the right guitar for you.

            Yeah, its good fun building one. But the experts will always do it better .
            sold! But here's my build thread for those interested.

            http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=206864

            Comment


              #7
              That's pretty cool!

              But I with MrTShoff that they're likely not high quality.
              You can actually buy all of these parts individually from manufacturers, I believe. You might end up paying more, and you won't get the convenience of a kit... but you can pick and choose exactly what you want, and buy the highest quality bits you can find.

              For an electric guitar, the body isn't terribly important. People like to say "the wood matters"... but it really doesn't. At least not for anything but the most discerning player/collector. The only important part about the body is that it has all of the proper routing in the proper places. That, and that it is made of material that won't strip out after you've put screws in and out of it a few times.

              The neck is important. While you can buy official factory replacement necks (not cheap), there are decent non-factory necks out there. You just need a quality truss rod, wood that isn't prone to warping or denting, and frets (if you go fretted) that don't need to be filed down to avoid slicing your hands or strings to bits!

              Tuning machines and bridge... very few affordable guitars have stuff from the factory worth keeping (my Mexican Strat and Mexican Jazz Bass both have garbage... well, the bass's tuning machines are ok... but the bridges both suck.) Those would often need to be upgraded on a factory guitar, so sourcing quality parts when building one would be smart.

              Pickups and electronics... go nuts. That's where you get your sound. Use anything that your heart desires, as long as it fits (or you can make it fit.)






              Comment


                #8
                I play everything. I mostly like playing blues in the form of Hendrix/ SRV but I go through periods where I will play metal like Black Sabbath and Pantera and some days I will just play Beatles and Neil Young.

                Im all over haha.

                I like so many different types of music so I never really settled on one style.

                I just was browsing because I found two guitars about a month ago out on the street for garbage and I restored them and it got me thinking that It would be fun to build one.

                I had a buddy who built one years ago, painted it and everything. Came out good.

                Now that ive acquired a lot of tools with age and some skill, I think I could make something nice.

                I just found that BYOG site googling, as I never searched before. Ill check out GF site.

                Im thinking I just want a bare wood body and then I will clear it so it will always look like natural wood. I already have a white Fender Stagemaster and a Black Stratocaster.

                I have a blue Aria ProIII and the free electric I picked up was a sunburst epiphone les paul so I have a few body colors. I kind of want something that isn't usual and standsout but not something lame or cheesy.

                I think a natural wood finish clear coated would be nice.

                As far as electric bodies not having a major effect on sound, I don't agree. Hollow bodies are a good example. The material and makeup of the wood definitely has an impact on the sound but with electrics, since most of the sound is through the pickups, it doesn't really matter like you said.

                That is why I figured id pickup a cheap kit but upgrade most of the important parts like tuners/bridge/pickups.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Ralphie View Post
                  I play everything. I mostly like playing blues in the form of Hendrix/ SRV but I go through periods where I will play metal like Black Sabbath and Pantera and some days I will just play Beatles and Neil Young.

                  Im all over haha.

                  I like so many different types of music so I never really settled on one style.

                  I just was browsing because I found two guitars about a month ago out on the street for garbage and I restored them and it got me thinking that It would be fun to build one.

                  I had a buddy who built one years ago, painted it and everything. Came out good.

                  Now that ive acquired a lot of tools with age and some skill, I think I could make something nice.

                  I just found that BYOG site googling, as I never searched before. Ill check out GF site.

                  Im thinking I just want a bare wood body and then I will clear it so it will always look like natural wood. I already have a white Fender Stagemaster and a Black Stratocaster.

                  I have a blue Aria ProIII and the free electric I picked up was a sunburst epiphone les paul so I have a few body colors. I kind of want something that isn't usual and standsout but not something lame or cheesy.

                  I think a natural wood finish clear coated would be nice.

                  As far as electric bodies not having a major effect on sound, I don't agree. Hollow bodies are a good example. The material and makeup of the wood definitely has an impact on the sound but with electrics, since most of the sound is through the pickups, it doesn't really matter like you said.

                  That is why I figured id pickup a cheap kit but upgrade most of the important parts like tuners/bridge/pickups.
                  I dont know what amps and things you use or how much experience you have but the wood of an electric does have an effect on tone to a fairly noticeable degree. For instance I have a friend who own an ibanez rg in mahogany and a few of the normal basswood models and he puts blackouts in everything but they sounded muddy and dulled in the mahogany one. We tried them in a les paul I owned at the time (mahogany with maple top) and they sounded slightly brighter but still not as good as the basswood models. So he ended up using an emg 81/85 combo (that he had in a basswood rg and we hated how thin and sterile they sounded) and they came to life in that mahogany rg. That was an experience with actives (which people generally say can make anything sound good) with passives it will be much more noticeable and you really should choose pickups based on what your current setup sounds like and whats "missing" to your ear and trust me the wood will definitely have an effect on that. As far as a project guitar why not buy a used mexican strat and mod that or possibly the les paul you already have? Its easier to pick up a cheap decent quality guitar to make top-notch than to make anything decent from one of those kits. I tend to pick a guitar that has the basic features I want like amount of frets, proper body routing, bolt on neck or neckthrough and then mod from there as far as color, eletronics, fret and nut sizes, tuners and possibly scallop the neck before im done.
                  Looking for a new CB. Sell me yours!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by MrTShoff View Post
                    I dont know what amps and things you use or how much experience you have but the wood of an electric does have an effect on tone to a fairly noticeable degree. For instance I have a friend who own an ibanez rg in mahogany and a few of the normal basswood models and he puts blackouts in everything but they sounded muddy and dulled in the mahogany one. We tried them in a les paul I owned at the time (mahogany with maple top) and they sounded slightly brighter but still not as good as the basswood models. So he ended up using an emg 81/85 combo (that he had in a basswood rg and we hated how thin and sterile they sounded) and they came to life in that mahogany rg. That was an experience with actives (which people generally say can make anything sound good) with passives it will be much more noticeable and you really should choose pickups based on what your current setup sounds like and whats "missing" to your ear and trust me the wood will definitely have an effect on that. As far as a project guitar why not buy a used mexican strat and mod that or possibly the les paul you already have? Its easier to pick up a cheap decent quality guitar to make top-notch than to make anything decent from one of those kits. I tend to pick a guitar that has the basic features I want like amount of frets, proper body routing, bolt on neck or neckthrough and then mod from there as far as color, eletronics, fret and nut sizes, tuners and possibly scallop the neck before im done.
                    Oh I agree that the wood has a noticeable effect on sound, I just think the importance of that difference is subjective to who is playing/buying.

                    Put it this way, id rather have an Acoustic with better wood than an Electric with top quality wood. I guess it is just a matter of opinion, but I agree wood quality and build has a definitive effect on tonal range.

                    As far as the kit, you make an interesting point. I could just mod out my current bodies but remember I posted that I wanted a "natural" wood finish body. Those kits ship with a body that is ready to be painted, and instead of painting it id just clear it so that it would retain that natural look. I do plan on upgrading parts of my current axes but I was just kind of checking out what kits are available online so I could see what options I had if I wanted to build one.

                    I guess its more of a "one of a kind" thing. Ya everyone else can buy the same kit but the odds of someone having a modified Mex strat or a modified les paul are better than having a modded kit guitar like mine.

                    My 85 Fender Strat has Duncan hotrails in the bridge position and my Fender Stagemaster has a Dimarzio supradistortion.

                    That is about the only mods ive done to my personal guitars.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      What!? Wood has to do with tone for sure! There's a reason you see blues players with fenders and hollow bodies all day every day. They have a mellow clean tone that works better for their music.

                      Same with metal. You'd want a dense guitar, so more mohogany biased.

                      Most of the things sold on that site look to be maple wood. That's why it sounds tinny, because that wood is known for bright tone quality.

                      Honestly, do what most do and have said. Mexican strat with quality hardware.

                      Orrrr. Through neck Jackson with SD Blackouts. For le metals. Just get one without that Floyd Rose bullshit. Fucking hate those things.

                      Edit: you have to cut the body up if you want to put humbuckers in a fender.
                      Last edited by F22Chris; 01-05-2016, 05:11 PM.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Ralphie View Post
                        Oh I agree that the wood has a noticeable effect on sound, I just think the importance of that difference is subjective to who is playing/buying.

                        Put it this way, id rather have an Acoustic with better wood than an Electric with top quality wood. I guess it is just a matter of opinion, but I agree wood quality and build has a definitive effect on tonal range.

                        As far as the kit, you make an interesting point. I could just mod out my current bodies but remember I posted that I wanted a "natural" wood finish body. Those kits ship with a body that is ready to be painted, and instead of painting it id just clear it so that it would retain that natural look. I do plan on upgrading parts of my current axes but I was just kind of checking out what kits are available online so I could see what options I had if I wanted to build one.

                        I guess its more of a "one of a kind" thing. Ya everyone else can buy the same kit but the odds of someone having a modified Mex strat or a modified les paul are better than having a modded kit guitar like mine.

                        My 85 Fender Strat has Duncan hotrails in the bridge position and my Fender Stagemaster has a Dimarzio supradistortion.

                        That is about the only mods ive done to my personal guitars.
                        A natural finish is going to be almost the same amount of work for either route. Sand it smooth (you WILL have to do this with the kit guitar too), apply a stain, apply a lacquer. Only with your current guitar your sanding step will take a little longer. Odds are youre going to see more modded guitars than kits because no one wants to put that work into a guitar for it to still sound like crap. Remember I have been there and done that and the only thing I can say about it was im glad someone just hired me to do both of theirs rather than spend the money on em myself to see what they were worth. I own a $100 squire affinity strat that sounded better than both those guitars stock and now that its modded and both the kits ones are too (same pickups btw seymour duncan invader in the bridge and jb at the neck) its still obvious which plays and sounds better. Thats my $0.02 on the matter. These are not bargains by any means.
                        Looking for a new CB. Sell me yours!

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by F22Chris View Post
                          Just get one without that Floyd Rose bullshit. Fucking hate those things.

                          Edit: you have to cut the body up if you want to put humbuckers in a fender.
                          Thems fightin' words boy! I must say though I will never understand why people hate them. Even on guitars I dont use them on I put a huge brass block on it then block it off set the action and tune it then lock it all down. Sustain for days and no worries about it going out of tune.

                          You also dont have to cut fenders to put humbuckers in. Only the high end ones come not routed for them in my experience. Even my mexis and standard fenders are routed for them. Change the pickguard and drop em in.
                          Looking for a new CB. Sell me yours!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by MrTShoff View Post
                            Thems fightin' words boy! I must say though I will never understand why people hate them. Even on guitars I dont use them on I put a huge brass block on it then block it off set the action and tune it then lock it all down. Sustain for days and no worries about it going out of tune.

                            You also dont have to cut fenders to put humbuckers in. Only the high end ones come not routed for them in my experience. Even my mexis and standard fenders are routed for them. Change the pickguard and drop em in.
                            Haha! It's more of a picking hand preference thing for me. I don't like the way they feel when muting stings, and I can't really feel the strings on my hand. I tend to not mute when needed and it seriously fucks with my sweeping.(no bueno)

                            I had to cut mine a bit. The pickups were too deep, and the neck pickup area had to be trimmed a little bit. Either way, it's metal. I'm thinking about hydro dipping it something fancy soon. After I get a new jack for it. Old one pooped out on me a few months ago so I've been playing my RG. It was a Gibson jack too, super tight for some reason.. I'll take a picture of what I did to the body when I get ready to paint it. If I remember.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by F22Chris View Post
                              Haha! It's more of a picking hand preference thing for me. I don't like the way they feel when muting stings, and I can't really feel the strings on my hand. I tend to not mute when needed and it seriously fucks with my sweeping.(no bueno)

                              I had to cut mine a bit. The pickups were too deep, and the neck pickup area had to be trimmed a little bit. Either way, it's metal. I'm thinking about hydro dipping it something fancy soon. After I get a new jack for it. Old one pooped out on me a few months ago so I've been playing my RG. It was a Gibson jack too, super tight for some reason.. I'll take a picture of what I did to the body when I get ready to paint it. If I remember.
                              Have you tried a high end ibanez? I consider the edges to be better than the Floyd Rose actually. Im a self aware ibanez fanboy but I mostly own fenders and an ltd nowadays. When I used to play more seriously all I had was RGs and still if I ever find a team j craft that doesnt cost as much as a motorcycle im buying it.
                              Looking for a new CB. Sell me yours!

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