[acrossthesirion]

I'm looking into possibly doing a telecaster build kit. Does anyone have any recommendations or good (or bad) experiences with them?

Also, I've never done a built-it-yourself thing before, how difficult are they?

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by acrossthesirion

I'm looking into possibly doing a telecaster build kit. Does anyone have any recommendations or good (or bad) experiences with them?

Also, I've never done a built-it-yourself thing before, how difficult are they?

I would not get a kit as most of the kits are rather vastly inferior than a good partscaster.

What is your budget?

I'd use a warmoth or USACG neck. Body is preference.

[roscoestring]

I tend to agree with Bill. A kit is cheap. It's made cheap and it sounds and plays cheap. From all of the reviews that I've heard there are no good kits. Even those that have had success with kits have not put them together as a kit but as partscasters adding to or replacing the kit parts with better parts. Start assembling parts that you can get from ebay or similar places. My best kit type build (partscaster) was a body that came from GFS (Guitar Fetish Store) with a neck that came from ebay. The electronics I got in trades.

What kits have you looked at? A kit would be very easy to assemble. Most don't even require soldering of the electronic parts. Just snap them together. So at most you'd only be learning how the guitar goes together and maybe how to finish (paint) it.

[acrossthesirion]

Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq

I would not get a kit as most of the kits are rather vastly inferior than a good partscaster.

What is your budget?

I'd use a warmoth or USACG neck. Body is preference.

The warmoth site looks promising.

Budget wise, around or under $300 is ideal.

Thanks for the help.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by acrossthesirion

The warmoth site looks promising.

Budget wise, around or under $300 is ideal.

Thanks for the help.

warmoth usually puts out quality necks for around 150. Warmoth has routine screaming deals on tele necks premade. Those are pretty awesome.

I bet you can get a body for $50-$75.

Then electronics... not a whole lot, even for good stuff.

I think I could help you source it for around $325 honestly with top shelf parts.

[Tim Possible]

I made a partscaster....warmoth neck. Fralin pickups. Wilkinson bridge. And a body that came from a three hundred year old barn. All ebayed, and all for about $550. And the neck body and pickups made up the majority of that. My body was $250 alone, so if you got a more budget friendly body that would already put you close to $350.....should be easy to do with some patience. Pics as you go!

[acrossthesirion]

Thanks for all the help guys.

If it does happen, it won't be until sometime next year once our financials settle down. I wanted to get some idea about how doable it would be at that price.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by acrossthesirion

Thanks for all the help guys.

If it does happen, it won't be until sometime next year once our financials settle down. I wanted to get some idea about how doable it would be at that price.

You know, if you do it over time and just jump at the best deals...

You should be able to do it within budget. Personally, 325 would be my target budget.

What specs are you wanting?

[roscoestring]

I saw a tele neck for sale just yesterday. Rosewood board. It had been cleared over with something and was extremely shiny in the pic. I didn't care for all the shiny. But it was for sale for $65. That included shipping. Someone beat me to it.

[rockerjeff]

I've prepared custom build-it-yourself kits for several people. All the hardware and electronics I typically purchase from top-brands, then the neck and body I have made to order. And for your budget, it is very feasible. Assembling a kit guitar is a lot of fun, especially if you have some good tools and you're good with your hands!