How to Build a Kit Guitar - Part 1

I recently purchased a guitar kit from www.byoguitar.com . They have a variety of models/kits, but I went for the “Lunatic” which looks like an exact copy of a mid-80’s Kramer a la Eddie Van Halen’s 1984 guitar. I’ve always wanted a single pickup guitar with a maple fret board and the trademark banana headstock, so I pulled the trigger. It was $178 plus shipping (which was reasonable at $13) so it’s pretty inexpensive. George Lynch and all the olde 80’s cats would be proud. The box arrived and it contains the body, neck, and a big bag of parts. 

Upon close inspection, the body and neck will need a bit of sanding. The wood on both of them have been sealed with a clear coat or sanding sealer, but they’re rough. Usually when you apply the first coat of any kind of finish to wood it raises the grain. These parts are no exception. It is a “build you own” kit, so it really shouldn’t be surprising. The frets were nicely finished though and didn't have those little burr edges that a lot of kit guitars have.

I’m going for a flat finish look so I’m not too concerned, but I could see how you could get the body to a shiny finish, with some elbow grease. www.reranch.com has a ton of info and great products for refinishing if that’s the route you’re taking. 

Okay, back to my project. My first step is to sand the neck smooth. I took a sanding sponge that I had that was marked “fine” and “extra fine” and cleaned up the neck with the “extra fine” side. I’m not sure exactly what grit it is, but it’s definitely finer than 220 but not as fine as 400. I was able to get the neck to a nice “unfinished” feel, something like the Peavey Wolfgang's have.  The neck pocket is a little rough so I’ll need to work on the neck to body fit, but I was able to slide the neck in from the top. Next step, on to sanding the body and neck pocket clean up…

Rock on!

-Cutter Savage
Check out my music videos - Cutter Savage YouTube channel
Free guitar instrumental music - Cutter Savage on SoundCloud

 

Two Handed Tapping Lesson

Two handed tapping lesson from yours truly. This covers the basics of how to get started with tapping - the basic technique and how to get your tapping to sound solid. Oh, I also cover some wardrobe and stage prop tips at the end...