Garret Asonza thanks Garret! I appreciate that, it was a bit of work but I’m so pleased with it, it plays better than my strats, think I’ll have to do some work on those now :)
I’ve just bought a similar kit from a different company but the same slimline telecaster ....... I love the stains your using also some great advice and who would of thought of using tea ..... fantastic ......well done mate 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Just ordered my own kit, especially as a left handed player I feel as though this may be a good way to avoid high prices while getting a great alternative to the standard guitars offered. After these two videos I'm excited to try doing out a full build! Also starting it during the harsh Chicago winter (nice CME shirt), so thanks for the at home tutorial! I'll see where my soldering skills are at as well, as this will be the first time I try to solder anything other than just some repairs here and there. And thanks for the tea staining tip! Looking forward to checking out your other videos!
Thanks for the comment and kind words! That’s a good point about left handed players, I didn’t think of that, good luck with your build during as you say the harsh winter! it’s a great process to go through and I still play mine and keep adding to it, cheers!
I love the color! My wife is getting me this kit in lefty and I’m going to definitely use your staining and finishing method for the body! Inspiring! Thanks!
Thanks for the comment! And awesome! It’s so enjoyable to build and make your own, the finishes I used were really easy to apply and gave instant results, I appreciate your kind words, cheers!
Well done, it looks and sounds great. I have just bought one of these thinline kits so this is a big help. I have seen a few people put ink and water on before the stain to bring out the grain. Not sure it's necessary now. Brilliant that you've done it without specialist tools either.
Thanks Bob, the grain pops out nicely with just a light stain so I wouldn’t think it’s necessary, and the wood isn’t a hardwood so was fairly easy to manipulate with hand tools :), enjoy your build! thanks for the comment and kind words, cheers!
@@DerekPaulGuitar Thanks Derek, so I think you're saying that a lighter shade helps the woodgrain stand out more? I am thinking about blue so possibly a sky blue or aqua might be better in this regard than say navy? The top is maple and back and sides are Ash.
@@bobw1511 if it’s a stain or translucent paint then it probably will be better if the shade is lighter, be awesome to see it when it’s done :) cheers Bob
@@DerekPaulGuitar Thanks again Derek. I will just take my time and try to keep it simple and get it right. I've gone for something called Denim Blue which is not too light or dark. It can be watered down make it lighter. I am going to put pictures on Instagram and will give your video a mention. So if you see a mention from Bob's Random Music and Booze that would be me. Thanks for the video and advice.
Hi Derek, that is a spectacular result. I'm amazed you did that with just a few tools and no workshop. Love the headstock shape and the fact that you included some cool details like the decal and the shielding that most people would have let go in the frenzy to 'get 'er done'. I never thought of doing an electric kit, but you have made me curious about it. The big bonus is that sounds great and that's coming form a guy who generally dislikes thinlines. Mega-cheers to you. P.S. laughed out loud at the 'belt and braces' comment. You might have to explain that one to some people that haven't spent much time in England. :)
Brad Laue cheers Brad! When I first started I though hmmm let’s get this together and get it done but in the second video I took the approach that it didn’t matter how long it took to complete I wanted it to be right as I didn’t want it buzzing and to be unplayable but I tell you what the action and stability is spot on, I did replace the nut with a graph tech XL and that only needed some light sanding at the ends to make it fit the width of the neck, no height adjustment needed and it makes an incredible difference for $11, lower action that my strats and the neck feels so good, I’m really loving it and at the moment it’s my go to because it resonates when not plugged in, haha the belt and braces approach is from back in the day when guys in the UK used a belt to hold up their trousers ‘pants’ but also wore over the shoulder braces attached to the pants to makes sure they stayed up, hence belts and braces (making sure) :)))) cheers Brad 👍
HAH! I've been watching your channel now for a bit & was like, OK this guy doesn't sound like a University of Illinois fan. :D Then you put Made in Chicago, and I was like, oh hey look he's in my neck of the woods. I really really really like the work you put in to it & the way it turned out. Great job!
haha thanks dude! i actually picked the jacket up in TJMaxx, i'm in the suburbs of Chicago, my wife had to explain to me what the symbol was (she's American) thanks for the comment Rich, really appreciate that, it was a lot of work, but really worth it :D
@@DerekPaulGuitar nice, yeah I'm out in the burbs as well. Nice finding another local guitar tuber on here. Big D Guitars is also local out in SW DuPage.
@@nixternal Oh wow! small world, sound like a meet up opportunity at some point, i'm also in DuPage 👍 i wasn't aware of BigD Guitars, i just subscribed to his channel.
Honestly speaking, that guitar is stunning. If all parts fits well together, and I saw on their site, they had alder and ash wood for body, which is great wood, maple neck also standard and great option in bolt on guitar world. If you want, you can put highly branded electronics in it, and I can not see diference betwen that and some highly branded guitar made in - anywhere. Everywhere in the world mashins do shaping, workers do asembly, so great job man, very nice aproach, very proffesional. Cheers 🇧🇦🇷🇸🙋♂️🎸
Great video Derek, clearly presented and of great help. I am currently doing my first build from a kit and was worried about finishing the neck. Well not anymore!
Wabin22 cheers dude! Yeah I am proud of it, and the way it plays, I’m so surprised at how low the action is and how easy it was to adjust the intonation when it was done, it was a lot of fun to do.
I didn’t put any poly on the fret board, that was just stained and left as it was, it feels like satin to play and I preferred it, thanks for the comment Aaron
A 70’s style strat headstock? If yes then I’m not sure, it certainly has a lot of blank ‘meat’ on the headstock and I would imagine it’s large enough, maybe there’s a template of the blank headstock online or I’m sure thefretwire.com could answer better than I can, they were very helpful when I contacted them, cheers for the comment and hope that helped a little
Derek Paul Guitar That took a lot less time than waiting for a reply back from the fret wire support lol. Just figured you might know so I might as well ask. Great video and an amazing looking guitar either way, thanks!
I'm a complete beginner and about to do the thinline telecaster as my first build! What did you mean by fretwork? Were the fret wires uneven and you had to hammer them down a bit? Also, you listed down a Graphtech Nut as one of the materials needed. Did the kit not come with one? Thanks! Really appreciate your videos especially for beginners like me.
Hi Kate, thanks for the comment, all i meant by fretwork is just polishing them really (a little steel wool will do it as the necks may have been sitting around for a while and get some gunk on them) yes it comes with a nut preinstalled so you won;'t need to worry about the graph tech nut (it was just something i upgraded) the standard nut will be fine :) cheers
Thanks for another really interesting demo, Derek. I've been repairing and setting up guitars for some time now and whilst I wouldn't call myself an expert, I have been considering a self build. It seems to be rewarding as you come out of it with a unique guitar built to your' own specs and accumulate a lot of knowledge and experience in the process. I think it's time to start pricing parts!. BTW, how did you end up in Chicago, if you don't mind me asking? Cheers. Gareth
Gareth Poole thanks man! It was very rewarding and it’s my go to guitar at the moment, you’re right you just gain so much knowledge and have the confidence to work on your other guitars, it just plays so good and sounds so good, even my mate in the UK said it’s sounds amazing, I priced the parts in the description :) I had to keep track as it could have got out of hand, I ended up in Chicago due to work, my day job is in international marketing and video marketing, there was an opportunity to work at the Chicago office and at that time I was on my own in my house in the UK and though why not, I have since met my wife and we got married this year, I’m really enjoying it here and the opportunities are greater than in the UK, cheers Gareth
Sweet! Love it! been building (more like murdering) guitars since 2008.. but i think it's time to try my hand at a kit! Also i can not place your lovely accent, although i do know it's not from Chicago usa LOL!
Soulful guitar and a unique singing tone, thinline a great choice btw. Thanks for sharing, Derek
Thanks for the comment Juan! Appreciate it
Excellent choices on the finish, headstock shape and decals. What a beautiful and inspiring build! Looking forward to the next one!
Garret Asonza thanks Garret! I appreciate that, it was a bit of work but I’m so pleased with it, it plays better than my strats, think I’ll have to do some work on those now :)
Great video and lovely guitar. I love your humble approach and presentation. Well done.
Thanks man! I really appreciate your kind words! Stay well my friend and glad you found the video
That's a wonderful job especially since it is your first. Time and patience is the most important thing. Great video!
Thank you sir! yes definitely time and patience, if you take your time it'll work out, thanks man!
I’ve just bought a similar kit from a different company but the same slimline telecaster ....... I love the stains your using also some great advice and who would of thought of using tea ..... fantastic ......well done mate 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Superb mate! And thanks for the feedback, yeah tea worked out really well, hope yours turned out nice!! 😁
So impressed with your camera work and editing. Very enjoyable to watch. Now I want to get one too!
Thank you!! I really appreciate that! It was a lot of fun to do
Just ordered my own kit, especially as a left handed player I feel as though this may be a good way to avoid high prices while getting a great alternative to the standard guitars offered. After these two videos I'm excited to try doing out a full build! Also starting it during the harsh Chicago winter (nice CME shirt), so thanks for the at home tutorial! I'll see where my soldering skills are at as well, as this will be the first time I try to solder anything other than just some repairs here and there. And thanks for the tea staining tip! Looking forward to checking out your other videos!
Thanks for the comment and kind words! That’s a good point about left handed players, I didn’t think of that, good luck with your build during as you say the harsh winter! it’s a great process to go through and I still play mine and keep adding to it, cheers!
I love the color! My wife is getting me this kit in lefty and I’m going to definitely use your staining and finishing method for the body! Inspiring! Thanks!
Thanks for the comment! And awesome! It’s so enjoyable to build and make your own, the finishes I used were really easy to apply and gave instant results, I appreciate your kind words, cheers!
Great Merci from France
Thank you!!
Absolutely love!!!! Great color
Sarah Peterson thanks I appreciate that!
Awesome job! Thinking about purchasing one of these kits!
Go for it man! It’s a lot of fun 👍
What a nice work you did there man, cheers
Kevin Spriggan thanks man! I appreciate that, cheers
Well done, it looks and sounds great. I have just bought one of these thinline kits so this is a big help. I have seen a few people put ink and water on before the stain to bring out the grain. Not sure it's necessary now. Brilliant that you've done it without specialist tools either.
Thanks Bob, the grain pops out nicely with just a light stain so I wouldn’t think it’s necessary, and the wood isn’t a hardwood so was fairly easy to manipulate with hand tools :), enjoy your build! thanks for the comment and kind words, cheers!
@@DerekPaulGuitar Thanks Derek, so I think you're saying that a lighter shade helps the woodgrain stand out more? I am thinking about blue so possibly a sky blue or aqua might be better in this regard than say navy? The top is maple and back and sides are Ash.
@@bobw1511 if it’s a stain or translucent paint then it probably will be better if the shade is lighter, be awesome to see it when it’s done :) cheers Bob
@@DerekPaulGuitar Thanks again Derek. I will just take my time and try to keep it simple and get it right. I've gone for something called Denim Blue which is not too light or dark. It can be watered down make it lighter. I am going to put pictures on Instagram and will give your video a mention. So if you see a mention from Bob's Random Music and Booze that would be me. Thanks for the video and advice.
@@bobw1511 that does sound really nice, look forward the pictures!! And thanks :) I will give you a follow so I don’t miss out, cheers Bob
Hi Derek, that is a spectacular result. I'm amazed you did that with just a few tools and no workshop. Love the headstock shape and the fact that you included some cool details like the decal and the shielding that most people would have let go in the frenzy to 'get 'er done'. I never thought of doing an electric kit, but you have made me curious about it. The big bonus is that sounds great and that's coming form a guy who generally dislikes thinlines. Mega-cheers to you.
P.S. laughed out loud at the 'belt and braces' comment. You might have to explain that one to some people that haven't spent much time in England. :)
Brad Laue cheers Brad! When I first started I though hmmm let’s get this together and get it done but in the second video I took the approach that it didn’t matter how long it took to complete I wanted it to be right as I didn’t want it buzzing and to be unplayable but I tell you what the action and stability is spot on, I did replace the nut with a graph tech XL and that only needed some light sanding at the ends to make it fit the width of the neck, no height adjustment needed and it makes an incredible difference for $11, lower action that my strats and the neck feels so good, I’m really loving it and at the moment it’s my go to because it resonates when not plugged in, haha the belt and braces approach is from back in the day when guys in the UK used a belt to hold up their trousers ‘pants’ but also wore over the shoulder braces attached to the pants to makes sure they stayed up, hence belts and braces (making sure) :)))) cheers Brad 👍
Amazing !
Thank you! and thanks for watching!
HAH! I've been watching your channel now for a bit & was like, OK this guy doesn't sound like a University of Illinois fan. :D Then you put Made in Chicago, and I was like, oh hey look he's in my neck of the woods. I really really really like the work you put in to it & the way it turned out. Great job!
haha thanks dude! i actually picked the jacket up in TJMaxx, i'm in the suburbs of Chicago, my wife had to explain to me what the symbol was (she's American) thanks for the comment Rich, really appreciate that, it was a lot of work, but really worth it :D
@@DerekPaulGuitar nice, yeah I'm out in the burbs as well. Nice finding another local guitar tuber on here. Big D Guitars is also local out in SW DuPage.
@@nixternal Oh wow! small world, sound like a meet up opportunity at some point, i'm also in DuPage 👍 i wasn't aware of BigD Guitars, i just subscribed to his channel.
Honestly speaking, that guitar is stunning. If all parts fits well together, and I saw on their site, they had alder and ash wood for body, which is great wood, maple neck also standard and great option in bolt on guitar world. If you want, you can put highly branded electronics in it, and I can not see diference betwen that and some highly branded guitar made in - anywhere. Everywhere in the world mashins do shaping, workers do asembly, so great job man, very nice aproach, very proffesional. Cheers 🇧🇦🇷🇸🙋♂️🎸
Thanks for the kind words, it honestly plays like a dream too, a fantastic kit and I still play it all the time, cheers 👍
If I build another guitar from a kit which one would you chose?
An ES-335 would be a great!
I was thinking the same thing! thanks for the comment
Great video Derek, clearly presented and of great help. I am currently doing my first build from a kit and was worried about finishing the neck. Well not anymore!
Thanks man! I’m so glad that this will help out, it’s a lot of pleasure to build and once your done it really is a decent guitar to play! Cheers
Hi. Where did you get your fret files? (Looks like a kit?)
It was a kit from Amazon, only cost around $20 plenty out there, cheers
Damn beauiful guitar you made there, you should be proud of yourself!
Awesome work dude :)
Wabin22 cheers dude! Yeah I am proud of it, and the way it plays, I’m so surprised at how low the action is and how easy it was to adjust the intonation when it was done, it was a lot of fun to do.
Not seeing the links for the tools nor the parts. Can you list them again? Thanks.
Ah sorry Randy, not sure what happened there, I added them, let me know if something is missing, cheers.
great video
Hey CADS!! Cheers my friend
Did the kit come with the white binding on the top edge or did you add that yourself?
It came with the white binding already on it, cheers!
What wipe on poly did you use? I love the color you got on the back and sides
Tuvalu! I used a Watco wipe on poly, worked well!
Would you say this kit needed any grain filling before finishing?
Not in my case, the wood was very smooth and cut really nice!
Curious. How did you clean up the frets after the poly?
I didn’t put any poly on the fret board, that was just stained and left as it was, it feels like satin to play and I preferred it, thanks for the comment Aaron
How's the guitar doing after 1yr?
Still play it and still love it! It’s still a great guitar, cheers!
Do you think they leave enough material for a 70’s style headstock? Hard to judge just from pictures.
A 70’s style strat headstock? If yes then I’m not sure, it certainly has a lot of blank ‘meat’ on the headstock and I would imagine it’s large enough, maybe there’s a template of the blank headstock online or I’m sure thefretwire.com could answer better than I can, they were very helpful when I contacted them, cheers for the comment and hope that helped a little
Derek Paul Guitar That took a lot less time than waiting for a reply back from the fret wire support lol. Just figured you might know so I might as well ask. Great video and an amazing looking guitar either way, thanks!
Thanks man lol, at a guess I’d say yes as it was a meaty old headstock to start off with :) cheers dude
I'm a complete beginner and about to do the thinline telecaster as my first build! What did you mean by fretwork? Were the fret wires uneven and you had to hammer them down a bit? Also, you listed down a Graphtech Nut as one of the materials needed. Did the kit not come with one? Thanks! Really appreciate your videos especially for beginners like me.
Hi Kate, thanks for the comment, all i meant by fretwork is just polishing them really (a little steel wool will do it as the necks may have been sitting around for a while and get some gunk on them) yes it comes with a nut preinstalled so you won;'t need to worry about the graph tech nut (it was just something i upgraded) the standard nut will be fine :) cheers
Thanks for another really interesting demo, Derek. I've been repairing and setting up guitars for some time now and whilst I wouldn't call myself an expert, I have been considering a self build. It seems to be rewarding as you come out of it with a unique guitar built to your' own specs and accumulate a lot of knowledge and experience in the process. I think it's time to start pricing parts!.
BTW, how did you end up in Chicago, if you don't mind me asking?
Cheers.
Gareth
Gareth Poole thanks man! It was very rewarding and it’s my go to guitar at the moment, you’re right you just gain so much knowledge and have the confidence to work on your other guitars, it just plays so good and sounds so good, even my mate in the UK said it’s sounds amazing, I priced the parts in the description :) I had to keep track as it could have got out of hand, I ended up in Chicago due to work, my day job is in international marketing and video marketing, there was an opportunity to work at the Chicago office and at that time I was on my own in my house in the UK and though why not, I have since met my wife and we got married this year, I’m really enjoying it here and the opportunities are greater than in the UK, cheers Gareth
What kind of tea did you use?
Turtle haha PG Tips tea bags
Sweet! Love it! been building (more like murdering) guitars since 2008.. but i think it's time to try my hand at a kit! Also i can not place your lovely accent, although i do know it's not from Chicago usa LOL!
Chicago born and raised! Haha joking, I’m from the U.K., been here 3 years now, a kit is the way to go, it’s a lot of fun :)) cheers man!
@@DerekPaulGuitar Yep i got it locked down that far... LOL!!! (i used to do impressions vary badly LOL) so when i hear a cool accent my ears perk up!
Haha I don’t know about cool, but it’s an accent :)
@@DerekPaulGuitar Hey it's better than mine LMBO! Cheers Bro! Looking forward to part 2 of the LP!
@@JonRaffety haha no worries man! Enjoy part 2 :))