Remember the Clarksonesque Challenge?

asimmd

Fingers crossed for a PRS style Quilted body?

TTony

asimmd;251565" said:

Fingers crossed for a PRS style Quilted body?

The samples will be a 335 and LP Jr.

But they do a range of kits (one of the reasons that I chose them as a potential supplier) so as long as there's 5-6 people who want a specific design, we should be able to sort it out.

Bearing in mind that their Tele kit (cheapest option) was <$50 at the factory door, complete with all hardware, I'm not expecting a lot in terms of quality.  (The $50 factory door price will double by the time it's shipped here, duties are paid, and payment costs are all added in).

underdog

As long as the neck fits, routes are in the right place and the body can be covered with a solid colour then they should be perfect for this. Give us all something to try a fret dress on etc if a few of the builders on here give a how to. Should be bloody brilliant in fact.

ThePrettyDamned

underdog;251588" said:

As long as the neck fits, routes are in the right place and the body can be covered with a solid colour then they should be perfect for this. Give us all something to try a fret dress on etc if a few of the builders on here give a how to. Should be bloody brilliant in fact.

That's about it really - hardware can be upgraded if needed, assuming it's standard fit stuff.

@ttony really excited, keep us posted.

GuitarMonkey

TTony said:

The samples will be a 335 and LP Jr.

I hope the LP Jr is mahogany (or a close analog).

TTony

GuitarMonkey said:

TTony said:

The samples will be a 335 and LP Jr.

I hope the LP Jr is mahogany (or a close analog).

Guaranteed Chahogany.

usedtobe

Could maybe possibly be tempted by a Jnr.. Shouldn't, really, though..

guitarcookie1

TTony said:

sinbaadi said:

Any further info on this?  

3 enquiries sent to potential suppliers on Saturday - all Chinese with the apparent ability to be able to provide a number of different body shapes (so we don't all have to do a Tele) in the (low) quantities that we'd be interested in.

1 response received so far, offering to send me samples, but I'd have to pick up the $300 express shipping cost to be able to take a look at them (plus whatever taxes HMRC decides to impose).  And the PayPal surcharge.  If we order in bulk, I'd get them surface shipped so that the cost was not as silly, but I don't really want to wait 4-6 weeks for surface shipped samples to arrive before we decide whether to do it, or not.

So I'm waiting a couple of days to see if I get any more responses.  If not, I'll probably bite the $300 bullet to get samples in and assess whether they'd be good enough to use as the base for a build-your-own-kit challenge.

Might be worth giving HMRC a call to see if you can get them classified as "samples" for a larger order? If they agree then there won't be any VAT or duty to pay. 

asimmd

Tony,I noticed in one of your threads you do say that for $50 you weren't expecting good quality.

Fair comment,after all you get what you pay for.

I googled kits of various type,and my preference a PRS,and quite a lot of kits are available,but not @$50.

They seem to start at $150 and go up,but if the quality is so much better perhaps members who would like to take part

would like to buy their own kit from wherever.

The problems of finishing - nut cutting - fret dressing etc would still be there,and i am looking forward to some How to Do It

videos to hopefully give me the confidence to complete a kit to a reasonable level.

Just a thought.

underdog

asimmd;252008" said:

Tony,I noticed in one of your threads you do say that for $50 you weren't expecting good quality.

Fair comment,after all you get what you pay for.

I googled kits of various type,and my preference a PRS,and quite a lot of kits are available,but not @$50.

They seem to start at $150 and go up,but if the quality is so much better perhaps members who would like to take partwould like to buy their own kit from wherever.

The problems of finishing - nut cutting - fret dressing etc would still be there,and i am looking forward to some How to Do Itvideos to hopefully give me the confidence to complete a kit to a reasonable level.

Just a thought.

They are probably the same range of kits that you're looking at, Tony is saying $50 out the door of the factory, add shipping, taxes and the profit for whichever site you're looking on and it'd bring it up to the price of the ones you're looking at.

For what it's worth I made a £90 junior kit a few years back, electrics were cheap but wood was fine, neck was good and all played lovely. Here it is today, still playing fine.

asimmd

Nice Guitar

I know i am slightly biased but here is the link to the PRS style kits,just to illustrate 

what i was meaning.

http://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-prs-guitar-kits.html

TTony

asimmd said:

Nice Guitar

I know i am slightly biased but here is the link to the PRS style kits,just to illustrate 

what i was meaning.

http://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-prs-guitar-kits.html

Yup, seen plenty of options like that.

The problem we (or, to be more specific, *I*) have, is in finding something that works for everyone, as well as for theFB.

Those kits at $175 plus duty, will end up c£150 cost.  To cover the cost of prizes and to raise a little cash for theFB, and cover within-UK delivery, we'd have to charge them at c£225.  Add in the costs of finishing and any upgrades that you want to do, and you're easily over £350 for the finished guitar.

Which is beyond the budget of many potential entrants.

I'm aiming cheaper so that we get as many people involved as possible, accepting that there will be a compromise in quality to hit the price.  If anything the lower quality should give more opportunities to learn stuff (ie more problems to solve), which should make the process more interesting and community-building, as well as creating more story interest for any PR that we get done.

But I will see if the current pole-position supplier does a PRS body shape option, and maybe that'll be one of the three, if there's enough demand for it.

SNAKEBITE

A bit late to the party on this one!

I built a kit a few years back and was happy with the quality, worth the money.

Finished with rattle cans it looked good but the flames added by a mate who was into airbrushing really finished it off nicely.

It never really played that well though, it needed a professional set up, something I didn't want to spend out on and couldn't do myself.

In the end I gave it to a friend who then had a professional set up with new bridge added, he went onto play it at a charity gig with a cd of the gig being sold.

Interestingly he kept the original kit pickups as he really liked the dirty sound they gave off, and this was someone who has a vast Telecaster collection of just about every configuration you can imagine.

asimmd

Thanks Tony

I am not trying to do your job for you,it was just an example.

I understand about the cheaper option giving more problems to solve,I'm all for

that as i know absolutely nothing about building or setting up a guitar.

Really looking forward to this now,i hope there is no time limit for finishing.

ThePrettyDamned

asimmd;252103" said:

Thanks Tony

I am not trying to do your job for you,it was just an example.

I understand about the cheaper option giving more problems to solve,I'm all forthat as i know absolutely nothing about building or setting up a guitar.

Really looking forward to this now,i hope there is no time limit for finishing.

Best to take your time and get it right.

I've done a few parts casters, and each one has been better than the last in terms of finishing, and the sense of accomplishment is huge.

I'd definitely say cheaper =better on the first one, so when you do a more expensive one, you can get it right.

I did a fairly pricey warmoth one first, and I may sand the finish back and redo, because it could be better.

sinbaadi

Thanks for going to the trouble (and expense) TTony.  A kit for less than a hundred, leaving perhaps £50-100 for optional upgrades/finishing would strike a good balance for me between a (hopefully) decent result, and cheap enough to not be too gutted if it went tits up or I just didn't like the finished guitar

I'd certainly rather a little profit margin went to the fretboard than a random online retailer too, so if we can avoid random kit buying from here there and everywhere and all go for same kits from one supplier, then I'm game for that.

Perhaps a poll with price bracket options might give a good idea of how many would be prepared to join in.

GuitarMonkey

Any news from Cathay?

Octahedron

Hmmmm I was just looking at cheap old guitars this morning and I was tempted. Saw a 3p/u Yamaha Pacifica on the cheapo... but is this all about the kits, this challenge? 

kelvinburn

This is probably stupidly obvious but would the LPJ be bolt on? This will be my 1st ever attempt. I've never even used a soldering iron so I'm guessing setting a neck would be beyond me. Also would it be routed for HB?

Octahedron

@kelvinburn - yeah most of the kits you're seeing here feature a bolt-on neck. I think that's the beauty of "kit" building, get to experiment... whack a Tele neck/headstock on an LPJ body? :P 

Nah that'd be crap!

I don't know that there's many kits out there that would be set-necks? It's not something that seems particularly easy to do without experience and knowing how exactly to position everything. Think twice glue once!