re: What guitar(s) do you own?

Ovation acoustic
2001 Gibson Les Paul Studio
2014 Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro w/ Jimmy Page mod
Fender 12 string acoustic


And 3 Les Paul copies I made myself. Last one was a Custom Pro copy














Threw away all the cheap hardware and installed high-end hardware: Kluson tuners, Seymor Duncan Hotrod p'ups, CTS pots, Schaller roller bridges and Gotoh tailpiece

Cost of a Gibson Les Paul Custom: $4000.00

Cost to build copy?
BYO Guitars Les Paul Custom Kit $279
Schaller roller bridge $85.00
Kluson TonePros tuning machines $60
Gotoh tailpiece )39.00
Seymour Duncan p'ups $120.00
CTS pots 4 for $49.00

I feel my level of craftsmanship equals what is put out from Tennessee. Therefore I built a Custom Pro that sounds just as good as a real Gibson for a tenth of the price.

Yamaha fg730 acoustic. Wonderful guitar for the money.

1980's G & L electric with dual humbuckers and a rose tremolo. kind of a thrasher but i got a steal on it at a pawn shop cause they didn't know what they had.

'82 Ibanez Musician MC150FR, Candy Apple Red (main axe for 30 years.) Photo not of mine, but same as mine:



'00 Fender American Standard Strat, Blue, pearl pickguard, rosewood fingerboard.

Martin DC16RGTE Acoustic.

quote:

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I feel my level of craftsmanship equals what is put out from Tennessee. Therefore I built a Custom Pro that sounds just as good as a real Gibson for a tenth of the price.

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I've always wanted to do something like this.

On a scale of 1-10, how difficult is a build like this? Did the neck come fretted, etc?

This would be a fun project for me and my dad, but not if it's frustratingly difficult.

That's cool. It looks really good. Are those tough to build because I think I would be afraid of messing something up? How long does it take?

Do it!!!

Most gratifying thing I have ever done. Most kits are already fretted. eBay has a ton of them if you search "DIY Les Paul Kit". My experience is that a Kit in the $200-$300 range doesn't need any tweaking to make necks fit body properly. Most are "matched" before shipping. [link=(www.byoguitars.com)]BYO Guitars[/link] has a very good selection and the fit and finish of their kits is good. Get a Kit with a glue-in or "set neck" because the tonal qualities, i.e. sustain, is much better with the set necks.

The kits will come to you as unfinished and just off the CNC mills. Most locating holes are pre-drilled but some kits do require you to do the dimensions for bridge and tailpiece yourself. This isn't too difficult. You just use a straight edge to find your sight lines down both sides of neck and mark your scale length, 24.75 inches for most Gibson copies, and drill for your bushings. The necks already come fretted with dots, inlays and whatnot already glued in. Most necks are already fret leveled too.

The pots, pickup switches, pickups are included. I personally pitch these because they are cheap. Guitar Center sells upgraded components. I Always use Switchcraft switches for neck/bridge select, Switchcraft output plugs, CTS potentiometers and either epiphone '59 pickups or the hot rodded set from Seymour Duncan. If you can solder small components then this isn't difficult at all. Most radio shacks carry every tool you need for that. Most kits just require sanding with 220-320-600 grit paper then grain-filling. Then prime and paint anyway you want to. Wet sanding with 800-1000 grit then as many layers of clear coat as you can stand.

So overall, on a scale of 1-10 for difficulty I would put the average male at somewhere between a 4-7. Your biggest obstacle will be patience. It is time consuming to do but well worth the results in the end to get the best possible quality from one. You said you were wanting to do it with your dad and I can't think of any possible thing that is legal that could be more fun and rewarding to do with someone. It is an addiction. Once you build your first one you will go back for more. Each one you finish will be more awesome than the previous one as you gain confidence.

Basic Tools needed:
Wood files
Sand paper
Wood glue
Sanding blocks
Clamps
A drill press is nice but not essential. You can get a good one for $129 at Lowes to drill your bushing holes
Scroll saw to customize peghead
Soldering iron


That's really about it. PM me is your have questions because I could talk all day about it. YouTube has thousands of videos on people doing DIY kits. A very good resource especially for painting.

I'll look into it, sounds like a really fun project.

Not crazy about the painting part though. I could see myself really fricking that up.

2010 Custom Martin (no electronics)
'82 Gibson ES-335 DOT
'62 Harmony rocket
80's Japanese Tele

A few more guitars, banjos, mandolins.
My prize amp is a 1965 fender champ...... All original. Even the tubes.