# New Solo Guitar Kits build



## Zenphobic

Hey Guys I just picked up 2 kits to try out. One is of course a LP kit:slash: The other one is ES style guitar with a trapeze bridge. I got lucky on these kits, the company that sells these happens to be local to me. They're located right by the Toronto airport. I went in and got to pick through a couple of kits to chose the tops I liked & so far I'm pretty happy. I'll keep you guys posted as the builds begins.
P.S. I got this from Solo Music, Solo Music Gear Ltd. - Largest Selection of DIY Guitar Kits

Here is a link to the pictures I've taken of the kits:


http://imgur.com/id%3Da%252FCAAUR%3Btype%3Dalbum


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## GTmaker

Waooo...very ambitious project....best of luck...
Are those "set neck" models?

If possible, I would assemble the complete guitars to make sure all is well...
Then I would take everything apart and do the wood finishing...
Speaking of finishes, what type of finish do you have in mind?

very interesting project...
G.


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## Guest

I'll be following these builds as well.
If I'm not mistaken, Solo sources parts from China?
Can you get just body kits without hardware/electronics?


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## Zenphobic

GTmaker-Yup both are set necks, I just ordered so titebond to glue them together. So far they seem to have a pretty tight fit, but lets see if they warp a little in the week it takes me to start. I haven't thought of a color yet. Maybe I'll do a just a clear coat on the ES one, I like the plain top. The LP is whole other animal I haven't even thought of yet.


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## Zenphobic

laristotle- Yeah they are straight from China. I know they will have just necks and bodies soon, they said late November. But if you want I would ask Ara(owner) if he can do anything for you. He seems like a pretty accommodating type of guy.


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## Rudder Bug

I bought two of their kits, a double-neck Tele and a J-Bass and both were pretty decent. The parts fit well, holes are drilled with precision. The hardware and electronics were nothing to write home about but these kits are really worth the price.


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## Araz

I'm curious about the LP... the neck pocket is off-center!? I assume the neck heel is also off-center with respect to the fretboard? That's a strange configuration!?


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## Zenphobic

Hey Araz, when I put the neck on it seems to all line up. Once I take it out of the clamps I'll take another picture so you can see.

Also update I have the guitars all glued up and I added another one to the mix.


http://imgur.com/id%3Da%252FPiJeR%3Btype%3Dalbum


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## Guest

I like the center (PRS ish) one.
I'm looking forward the finished projects.


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## keto

Mrs wants to buy me a kit, I'm holding out for a Firebird bass but they're not stocked yet. Following this thread for sure.


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## Araz

Zenphobic said:


> Hey Araz, when I put the neck on it seems to all line up. Once I take it out of the clamps I'll take another picture so you can see.


I'm sure it lines up fine, it has to! It's just a strange way to build a neck pocket and I'm wondering why they did it that way!?


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## gtone

Really happy with my Fast Guitars and Precision Guitars kit builds. They sound/play so great, I'm seriously considering selling my remaining electrics ('74 Gibson SG, '08 Gibson Firebird, '68 Gibson SG Jr's already gone). Guess that's what happens when you design and build a custom guitar that checks off all the boxes you want in a dream axe.

Good luck with your projects - really enjoyed mine!


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## Slooky

Got my Tele kit the other day! exciting times


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## Rideski

For the price it seems you can't go wrong even just for the wood. I'd probably dump the supplied electronics in favour of quality ones (assuming the wood is decent and worth the investment).


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## Tony9860

Zenphobic said:


> Hey Guys I just picked up 2 kits to try out. One is of course a LP kit:slash: The other one is ES style guitar with a trapeze bridge. I got lucky on these kits, the company that sells these happens to be local to me. They're located right by the Toronto airport. I went in and got to pick through a couple of kits to chose the tops I liked & so far I'm pretty happy. I'll keep you guys posted as the builds begins.
> P.S. I got this from Solo Music, Solo Music Gear Ltd. - Largest Selection of DIY Guitar Kits
> 
> Here is a link to the pictures I've taken of the kits:
> 
> 
> http://imgur.com/id%3Da%252FCAAUR%3Btype%3Dalbum


Is the ES you bought more like an ES-335 or ES-339? Can you tell me what the width measurement is?
I'm really interested in your progression


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## JustinL

Would love to see the final outcome of your builds! 
I've just ordered my first DIY Tele kit. Does anyone perhaps have any experience with shaping a DIY kit headstock? It is the only thing that is worrying me about the build.


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## Petriw

We built two of their J bass kits. One was a Christmas gift for my son-in-law. It turned out very well. Much better than expected. It intonnates (sp?) well and plays extremely well. The action is = to the real thing. We have a heirloom Fender Jazz, dearly loved, which we referred to for the set-up. The pick-ups and controls are low end but everything works like it should. The chrome finish on tuners, neck plates and control plates are what I would call inexpensive. Each neck is drilled to fit the particular body they ship with. Necks are maple and surprisingly good although I did note some small amount of adhesive overflow between fret-board and neck, (removed prior to finishing). The frets needed polishing but cleaned up nicely with 0 noticeable high spots. Necks are interchangeable between body pockets fit was tight so good. All in all a pleasant surprise for the price. If you buy one just beware that basswood is very soft and easy to damage if you are not careful. PM me if you want a picture.

Play on brothers and sisters.


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## alwaysflat

Araz said:


> I'm curious about the LP... the neck pocket is off-center!? I assume the neck heel is also off-center with respect to the fretboard? That's a strange configuration!?


Wouldn't that be for two possible reasons, reduce the risks during machine work of damaging some softer woods that may be in use, plus to have more meat for the under side of the joint ?


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## Wolfguitarman

I started to build kit guitars as a hobby last year when I retired. I have two Solo kits and have one from Precision Guitars based in Vancouver. 
There is a huge quality difference in these guitar kits, and that is reflected in the price. My experience is that the Solo kits are ok for a first kit as they are inexpensive and if you mess up, its not that big a deal. I have found the following issues that make them challenging and take longer. 
First and foremost, they spray them with a resin sealer. If you are going to stain (eg. I used Colortone stains from Stewmac), the guitar and then apply Nitrocellulose or use TruOil (as i did on my kits from Solo) you must make sure that all the sealer is removed. This is difficult as the sealer is not even throughout the body and if there are small indentations, you cannot easily get an even coat of stain. So it is best if you plan to paint the guitar in a solid colour or use tinted lacquers. For that reason, my suggestion is to start with a simple strat type kit that you can paint (without a fancy top). 
Second, veneer on the quilted maple top guitars (I suspect also flamed maple) is extremely thin. Its easy to sand through so you need to be extremely careful-another reason to use a solid or opaque spray. 
Third, while the parts (ie. tuner, pick ups) are okay for a first time, they are not high quality and if you want something better, buy separate parts. 
My suggestion is to maybe start with one of the Solo kits to learn about finishing, parts, etc and then move on to Precision kits if you want something that looks and feels better: Their quality is extremely high and the wood quality and routing can't be beat. You do however have to get your own parts for the build. The cost will however be 2 to 4 times the cost of a Solo kit when you add the parts.


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## Vally

gtone said:


> Really happy with my Fast Guitars and Precision Guitars kit builds. They sound/play so great, I'm seriously considering selling my remaining electrics ('74 Gibson SG, '08 Gibson Firebird, '68 Gibson SG Jr's already gone). Guess that's what happens when you design and build a custom guitar that checks off all the boxes you want in a dream axe.
> 
> Good luck with your projects - really enjoyed mine!


I ordered a kit from Precision back in December, hope I get it soon, getting a little nervous though because I messaged them a few times and did not get a reply.


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