Hi Darrell. Cool build. Check with stewmac. I bet they have pickup rings for carve top guitars that you can install without stressing cheap plastic and maybe get an even better fit. Other than that, I love the purple.
What's the scale length on this kit? Too often I find "prs style" kits that are made with Gibson's 24.75 inch scale length instead of the correct 25 inch scale length.
Studs should go in prior to pickups. All that pounding could damage your pickups! Also the 1 & 6 string should be temporary installed prior to the picks to make sure the pickups are mounted under the poles.😙
Studs and bridge an the 2 outside strings should be attached even before glue-ing the neck to check the alignment of the guitar. This way of building puts a lot of trust in the precision of the manufacturer of the kit....
Tip: Pickup rings can be sanded to contour by placing a piece of sandpaper on the guitar and sliding the rings gently back and forth to gain that exact curve.
@@timhallas4275 of course, however the arch does not always match the curve of the instrument and forcing the ring can cause it to fail or cause impressions on the wood even before finishing. I use the sand approach for all my arch top builds where the convex does not match.
A few things: 1. I'd string it before drilling for the pickups, to make sure that the pickup poles are directly beneath the strings and not off-center. Once you strung it up, looks like they sit a bit to the bass side. 2. I'd only tap in the tailpiece inserts themselves, not with the screws still in them. Wouldn't want to risk damaging those. Also, I don't recall if you mentioned, but how was the fretwork?
I built the same kit. Fret work was OK. Sharp ends and a couple high frets. I ended up leveling, crowning and polishing mine mainly for the experience. Totally worth it!
He was just rushing through the build to make YT content. Anyone thinking of building from a kit should do themselves a favor and read through the comments on this and the previous video for the numerous bits of advice.
Also: You can sand the pickups frames placing sand paper on top of the body and sliding the frames on the sand paper near the pickup place. This way it won't be bent. When you bend these cheap frames, as they get older and stiffer, they tend to crack.
Darrel, there seems to be a huge problem with scammers claiming you won something with your profile picture which are obviously fake. Even if you can’t fix it I would really like you to highlight it so that nobody falls for it! I would hate for your name to get tainted due to a scammer.
A tip for anyone trying to do the same: Install the tuners, place the bridge, and install the strings BEFORE drilling the holes for the pickups. This way you'll be sure the pole pieces are aligned with the strings (and not shifted to the bass side as Darrell's bridge ended up being).
Turned out pretty good, however in the future you might want to temporarily put your bridge and tail piece on to make sure your strings are going to land over the center of your pickup magnets seems like the bottom pickup could have shifted towards the controls of whisker, but I know time was of the essence came out pretty good otherwise 👍
I was thinking the same thing. LOL I'd never try to "instruct" Darrell. The guy is amazing. But just as an observation - I probably would have put the bridge and tail piece on first - but only 2 screws - and not all the way in. Put the tuners on next. Then string 1 & 2. Be sure my string lines were perfect. Then finish screwing down the bridge. Then I would have added the other 4 strings - with the pickups in place. Taped down - but not screwed. Then I would have gotten the pole pieces lined up perfectly with the strings (as perfectly as possible)... and then screwed in the pickup rings last. But that's just me!
It's not that big of a deal and nitpicky I know But something that would bug some people myself included . Just thought I'd mention it for those who are watching and thinking of building one of these guitars it would be a good idea just to make sure everything is lined up as best as it can be.
Next time, don't mount your pickups until you run the 1st and 6th strings. Then align the pickups to the body and strings. They look a like off towards the high E. Thankfully the low E is usually pretty strong so it can cover the signal strength difference.
So true. My first kit guitar is now one of my favorites with upgraded pickups. It's a strat with unfinished wood and an amazing neck that must have been a fluke.
I do like how this turned out. The one thing that truly bothers me though is the non arched pickup rings. Kinda painful to see the plastic bend there. Now, yes that's honestly on the company that sells the kit but still.
Darrell way to go it looks great. To me it looks new old like a beautiful piece of leather that has it's own look. The blend is way better than I thought it would be. I like your approach to the unknown things in life. You are not afraid to try. Great Job!
On the polish, if you don't have a disc, you can do it by hand. McGuire's polishing compound followed by polish, and just use strips of old blue jean denim in small circles. You'll be able to see see reflections in the finish. And of course, great job on the quick build!!!!
Looks great. I like the kind of aged appearance that it has from the imperfections and hand rubbed finish. Anyone who wants a "factory PRS" style finish needs to put a week aside for sanding and sanding and sanding and buffing and probably a bit of sanding and buffing.
I did a tung oil finish on a guitar project in the 90’s. Great finish. Easy to polish smooth with 0000 steel wool, and the tone was amazing. Friends with $5000 guitars loved the tone.
@@jeffro. The tung oil finish allowed the wood to resonate more, which helped its natural tone to shine through because it was a light finish. The body was solid Michigan maple bought from a Mennonite tree farm. Maple bolt-n neck with an ebony board.
After watching your other kit build, i got an exp kit and recently finished it. I carved a hexagon pattern in the body and poured black epoxy into it, then stained it a dark brown. Turned out really nice. I replaced all the electronics, tuners, pickups, input jack, etc., etc. Had quite a few challenges along the way, but all in all, a nice kit
It turned out awesome! These kits are great for guitarists at all stages. I personally was not a fan of the sanding and staining, but you end up with your own unique instrument. Over time upgrade the electronics, pickups and tuners and you’re laughing ✌🏼
A tip for making the pickup surrounds fit nicely: tape a piece of 220 grit sandpaper right between the pickup routes. Then rub the surround on the sandpaper moving from the route towards the space between the routes. It won't be perfect, but when you screw them down, they'll look like they belong there.
Or put painter tape on the sides of those rings, force them on the guitar surface, mark the painter's tape with a pencil following the vurve of the top and remove the excess plastic and the rings will fit the guitar surface like gloves....
I missed Part I, but, just a suggestion, if you have a drill (I only say that because one person posting videos told me they don't have one) you can get a buffing wheel you can chuck in your drill made of foam fingers and will produce amazing results if you are so inclined. (Search for a headlight cleaning buffer.) If you aren't? Maybe those that are will find this information useful.
Darryl on your pickup rings they both need a slight sanding so the contour won’t be so straight. What I do I put a piece of sticky peel 230 sand paper on the middle area of your pickup holes. So all you have to do is pull the rings back and forth until your contour is established. Your build Is smoking!
Wow, did you come up with that sanding idea yourself? (Try reading the comments, you're only the 501st person to say that, lol! I'll bet DB is tired of reading it!)
I like it. Here is a trick for the pickup rings. Before staining it, tape a piece of sandpaper on carved body and sand the bottom of the pickup ring to the radius of the curve of the body. Or do without the rings and add mount the pickups to the body.
You did good with the finish. You gotta feel blessed. It's so easy to make a mistake in one of the many steps to a fine finish but, sometimes, as with my first attempt, it all works out. The next step in the progression of guitar building is how to deal with a finish that needs correction. Carry on, my wayward son. There'll be peace when you're done.
I had to go back and look closely at the pickup poles because I thought one of them was upside down, they're not. Am I the only one who thinks it looks weird having the white on the bottom of both pickups? Beautiful finish, I like it.
The pickups would normally be installed with the off-white halves away from each other. You can see on the wiring diagram that the polepiece screws on the neck picare close to the neck and those on the bridge pickup are close to the bridge. I'm surprised at how well the colors turned out. Great video, as usual.
I was also questioning the same thing, as my PRS SE has the white/cream side facing the neck and bridge respectively, but upon closer inspection you can see that the adjustable poles are in the correct position..
Good built ! (Not quite great because, Yeah you were in a hurry!) I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks Darrell !!! Many good tips in the comments made by faithful followers...I've modified almost all my guitars... Next step is assembling one from a kit, and i was watching Solo Music's stuff and you persuaded me! There are many Solo Music gear guitar kits i may build in the following years ! Thanks again!
That looks great! If it were me, I'd sand it a lil smoother and do a gloss finish to make that figuring and grain really pop! But I get it, not everyone has the time. I love that finish, reminds me of a PRS SE I have in the Whale Blue Poplar burl. And the sound is beautiful too!
I also have a SE in whale blue poplar burl. Its a custom 24 I got in 2020. I'm swapping the pickups out for a set with a more classic rock bite. The stock ones get some pretty tones though, Ill save em. The playing experience of the guitar is fantastic, I love it
@David P that's cool! I love the guitar but I've barely got a chance to play it..just bought it off a friend last week who hasn't used it in months. It was all out sorts in regards to the setup, mile high action, loose tuners and corroded strings. So I dropped it off to a local place in Toronto and I'm picking it up on Friday. Can't wait! My only issue with it is the finish isn't as smooth as I'd hoped. The top coat is a bit uneven on the more porous parts of the burl. It's only noticeable at certain angles and light so I'm not going to worry about it. I got a great deal and I've never played an SE that I didn't like.
It looks to me like the top needed lots of love before the dye step. I have been a furniture finisher most of my seventy two years and I would probably have suggested to any client to fill the top and give it a satin rat rod pinstripe finish. Can't say for sure just from the video, but yeah, right out of the box it looked like trouble. Anyway, pretty good job given what you had to work with and first time with the products and all. Thanks for the video!
Just finishing an LP kit from Solo as well. Finishing was the biggest learning curve especially if you don't have a spray booth or it's too cold in the garage. There are some hiccups in the finishing but the next one will be better. Thanks for the video! I was having an issue with fret buzz...I need a proper crowning file. Let's see some videos!🤘😎
Hey Darrell ! Man I think you did a very nice job on this kit. The whole kit and kaboodle looks and sounds great. It is YOUR guitar so you can tinker with it as you please and when you please. Enjoy breaking it in and playing the fruit of your labor. Take care up there in Canada !!
DB, A+ for your playing.. and C- for your luthier skills.. but A for effort.. we know that is not your specialty.. I am sure you were short on time to get this out.. but spending more time sanding the body and neck.. makes for a great finish.. and using cotton T-shirt patches to RUB the stains in and blend and sand back to get more vibrant color would have been best.. all that pre-sanding work also makes the finish sand that much easier.. the pickup rings also need to be cut and sanded to the carve on the top rather than stretched over the curves.. looks like a fun build.. you can always take her apart and work on that high gloss finish later.. or even change it up .. that is the beauty of a kit.. cheers..!
I like to use insolating paint in the pickup cavities and in the rear compartment for better grounding especially with higher gain. I built a double neck SG, headless strandberg style, and an Iceman style a few months back. I used concentrated dyes with distilled water for most the staining and tru oil with a bit more dye to darken in the finish. I'll probably go with a sanding sealer instead of tru oil for the body on my next build.
I built this same guitar a few years back. I spent a fortune on finnishing product and tools. It looks so good. If I had it to do over I would do like you and spend way less on the finnish.
Two products I recommend for guitar finishes.... 1. Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil Gun Stock finish. Rub it on. (Dries hard) 2. Solarez I Can't Believe Its Not Laquer. (Dries instantly when exposed to sunlight).
I took a JEM 777 build, shielded the pickup cavities and waxed the stock pickups for giggles, and the sound was more than impressive. I WAS going to put better pickups in it, but I kind of like it's tone as-is. If I get tired of it, I'll throw in some EMGs and call it a day.
I actually found out that Solo guitars are close to me, and went by there today. That place had everything! I'm currently piecing together a setup to build.
As a lefty, with there being so few options available at a music store, I now only buy kit guitars. It's the only way for a lefty to get the guitar I actually want. Also, they are so fun to build and customize.
I'm left handed as well, Went ahead and built a les Paul kit to noodle on when I didn't want to jam my acoustic. I started playing it more often because well, bends. You know?...Its a great guitar and I learned a hell of a lot during the build. But man, When I found a left handed guitar that was made by professionals from a legit company. There was a sweetness I don't think I could replicate.. Try and find something for yourself. They are out there man. Its a nice feel when you find one that sings for you man.. That lefty rarity man.
Awesome videos. I'd recommend not skipping so much between part 1 and 2, I would have loved to see you adding sheen and gluing the neck. Looks awesome.
Excellent Job Darryl. Considering you kept it super simple, it actually came out a lot nicer looking than I thought it would at the start, but it's really nice and sounds great.
I was a little worried at the end of the first video regarding the stain, as there were some lines and unevenness that I thought was going to look a bit amateurish. Whatever you did, you fixed that and knocked it out of the park. Congrats, the finish now looks totally Pro, and gorgeous! 👍 The guitar came together really well, and I love the color choices. Makes me want to buy that kit and stains. There's only one thing you probably should have done differently - Put in the bridge posts and the tune-o-matic bridge, then put on the two E-strings, then position the pickups so you can make sure the pole pieces are perfectly centered under the strings before drilling the pickup-ring holes. That way, you'll get the best possible pickup performance. Fortunately, pickup position/placement can be pretty forgiving. 😎
Great work Darrel, such a beautiful guitar you made here. One quick tip on the plastics is if you have flat pickup rings and an arch top you can put sandpaper grit up on the body and use it to sand the pickup rings to mate with the arrow smoothly, I know time was of the essence on this build and I think you did a great job tho
Hi Darrell, with the pickup rings being straight I would have removed the pickups from the rings and laid some sandpaper flat on the body, and rubbed them back and forth a little bit to get the contour of the body
Staining it black then sanding a bit before adding the color highlights the flame. If someone wants to build one an old rolled up T-Shirt does a great job for staining and finishing. I would have gotten rid of the switch and used an epiphone type one. On a kit guitar the finish is thin and the instrument resonates better and almost feel like nitro.
If you get a rotating sander you can get a polishing head for it and polish it with some white rubbing compound for cars. It worked great onthe truoil i used on my bass build.
Cool kit, not my favorite style & stuff but damn Darrell, you have a one of kind playing style that I always look forward to hearing in all of your videos. Looking forward to the next one. Cheers!
Besides some of the other comments. I’d make sure to get a roll of copper foil tape or stew Mack has conductive paint specifically made for lining control and pick up cavities. Didn’t sound like your had much if any noise, but a lot of that can be fixed just by lining your cavities.
Hi Darrall, cool done man! Looks so fine. Additionally put some copper or graphite coating inside of the housing at the PU's and elec. compartment. Nice Axes! Sounds real great for Metal! A bit like my PRS SE zepra. Love your'e Vids! 😎👍🏼😘🎸🇦🇺
humbucker guitars don't really need shielding. that's why they're called humbuckers. Single coil guitars can benefit from the process if done correctly.
If humbuckers don't need shielding... Then why does every guitar that I've bought (with HH) have shielded compartments (e.g. painted with conductive paint)? Yeah, I'm sure some really cheap ones don't come that way.... Explanation: The output of a guitar is low-level. Any low level electronics that are going to be amplified can certainly benefit from shielding. That's why the cables (that connect it to the amp) are made with coax. It does matter, that's why it's an industry standard.
Right off the bat I can't help but notice there's no black underneath the purple. Got to put some black stain under that color, and sand it back until it's just got the figured part showing. Once it's stained sanded and clear-coated, you'll see the figuring so much better. Still a very beautiful guitar.
Finish Sanding in steps to 1800 or higher. Will give you that high polish you may be looking. Also a thin black stain before your color would have made that grain really Pop.
Darrell, These colors are amazing and the tone sounded great! I watch your videos all the time. Thanks for the video. Louis (age 8 on my mom’s account)
Wow Darrel that top really come out awesome, I watched somewhere that if you were to lightly stain the quilted top black 1st then sand it over so the black only absorbs into the darker parts when you apply your colour it looks awesome Great job tho I’m impressed with that
I’m not usually a fan of the blueberry burst on Gibsons, but the fade you got on the front is really nice. I agree that a buffed finish would take it to the next level, but it is a sweet build. Great job!
Turned out awesome! Love solos products and their customer service. I built their les Paul style kit with flame maple top. I love it. I think this one is gonna be my next kit
That neck pickup sounded really Santana! I don't see any issues with them. The set neck is going to really give sustain. It looks really straight forward and you get to finish the way you want.
Thanks for the video. Great job on the build. Maybe next time put a sealer on the body before applying the stain. The sealer will fill all the grain imperfections and the result will be a smoother, less lumpy finish.
Welcome to Part II - the Purple "PRS" 🎸
Enjoy 😊
I enjoyed the video
There are pickup ring for curve top, the manufacturer should have included those instead of the normal flat top pickup rings
Is there a link to the kit?
Hi Darrell. Cool build. Check with stewmac. I bet they have pickup rings for carve top guitars that you can install without stressing cheap plastic and maybe get an even better fit. Other than that, I love the purple.
What's the scale length on this kit? Too often I find "prs style" kits that are made with Gibson's 24.75 inch scale length instead of the correct 25 inch scale length.
Studs should go in prior to pickups. All that pounding could damage your pickups! Also the 1 & 6 string should be temporary installed prior to the picks to make sure the pickups are mounted under the poles.😙
I saw that too...put pickups after bridge ?
Studs and bridge an the 2 outside strings should be attached even before glue-ing the neck to check the alignment of the guitar. This way of building puts a lot of trust in the precision of the manufacturer of the kit....
Tip: Pickup rings can be sanded to contour by placing a piece of sandpaper on the guitar and sliding the rings gently back and forth to gain that exact curve.
True, but the contour here is much higher than the thickness of the pickup.
@@TheEchelon yes, that can be an issue. Stew Mac has blanks that are made specifically for this process with a bit more height to work with
Heat bro, heat. That plastic is probably as thin as paper. Take a hair dryer to it and get it nice and hot and let it cool to the contour.
@@71guitarsmith They make rings with arched bottoms. They are like 50 cents each. I have a box of them you can have for free.
@@timhallas4275 of course, however the arch does not always match the curve of the instrument and forcing the ring can cause it to fail or cause impressions on the wood even before finishing. I use the sand approach for all my arch top builds where the convex does not match.
A few things: 1. I'd string it before drilling for the pickups, to make sure that the pickup poles are directly beneath the strings and not off-center. Once you strung it up, looks like they sit a bit to the bass side. 2. I'd only tap in the tailpiece inserts themselves, not with the screws still in them. Wouldn't want to risk damaging those. Also, I don't recall if you mentioned, but how was the fretwork?
I built the same kit. Fret work was OK. Sharp ends and a couple high frets. I ended up leveling, crowning and polishing mine mainly for the experience. Totally worth it!
He was just rushing through the build to make YT content. Anyone thinking of building from a kit should do themselves a favor and read through the comments on this and the previous video for the numerous bits of advice.
Also: You can sand the pickups frames placing sand paper on top of the body and sliding the frames on the sand paper near the pickup place. This way it won't be bent. When you bend these cheap frames, as they get older and stiffer, they tend to crack.
Darrel, there seems to be a huge problem with scammers claiming you won something with your profile picture which are obviously fake. Even if you can’t fix it I would really like you to highlight it so that nobody falls for it! I would hate for your name to get tainted due to a scammer.
Haha, and yet your only reply is the scammer here! His account is totally compromised for sure...
yup ask the scammer to show you a picture of the guitar you won and it is a picture of a box
A tip for anyone trying to do the same: Install the tuners, place the bridge, and install the strings BEFORE drilling the holes for the pickups. This way you'll be sure the pole pieces are aligned with the strings (and not shifted to the bass side as Darrell's bridge ended up being).
These videos were a lot of fun, Darrel! The guitar looks great! I love those colors with the quilt top.
Turned out pretty good, however in the future you might want to temporarily put your bridge and tail piece on to make sure your strings are going to land over the center of your pickup magnets seems like the bottom pickup could have shifted towards the controls of whisker, but I know time was of the essence came out pretty good otherwise 👍
I was thinking the same thing. LOL I'd never try to "instruct" Darrell. The guy is amazing. But just as an observation - I probably would have put the bridge and tail piece on first - but only 2 screws - and not all the way in. Put the tuners on next. Then string 1 & 2. Be sure my string lines were perfect. Then finish screwing down the bridge. Then I would have added the other 4 strings - with the pickups in place. Taped down - but not screwed. Then I would have gotten the pole pieces lined up perfectly with the strings (as perfectly as possible)... and then screwed in the pickup rings last. But that's just me!
Nobody cares
Doesn't do anything for the sound , only cosmetics...
It's not that big of a deal and nitpicky I know
But something that would bug some people myself included . Just thought I'd mention it for those who are watching and thinking of building one of these guitars it would be a good idea just to make sure everything is lined up as best as it can be.
@@jahbrake9791 Why did you comment? DB
Next time, don't mount your pickups until you run the 1st and 6th strings. Then align the pickups to the body and strings. They look a like off towards the high E. Thankfully the low E is usually pretty strong so it can cover the signal strength difference.
How high do you set your pickups?
Everyone should build a guitar at least once, to help appreciate the work that goes into every one at the factory.
So true. My first kit guitar is now one of my favorites with upgraded pickups. It's a strat with unfinished wood and an amazing neck that must have been a fluke.
I did a warmoth build in the early 2000's. It was a great experience and a killer guitar!!! Totally agree that everyone should try it.
I do like how this turned out. The one thing that truly bothers me though is the non arched pickup rings. Kinda painful to see the plastic bend there. Now, yes that's honestly on the company that sells the kit but still.
Yeah, even my cheapo AliExpress kit gave me the right arched rings. But that one had a lopsided neck...
It hurts my soul
Is the neck pickup wrong? the zebraness
Nice job. Good thing to do would be to put on both E strings before mounting the pups for good alignment on the pole pieces.
Love the purple! Back when we got that first stimulus check I spent the whole thing on a Jazzmaster build from Warmoth and did it in the same color!
Darrell way to go it looks great. To me it looks new old like a beautiful piece of leather that has it's own look. The blend is way better than I thought it would be. I like your approach to the unknown things in life. You are not afraid to try. Great Job!
Scam on this post
On the polish, if you don't have a disc, you can do it by hand. McGuire's polishing compound followed by polish, and just use strips of old blue jean denim in small circles. You'll be able to see see reflections in the finish. And of course, great job on the quick build!!!!
Looks great. I like the kind of aged appearance that it has from the imperfections and hand rubbed finish.
Anyone who wants a "factory PRS" style finish needs to put a week aside for sanding and sanding and sanding and buffing and probably a bit of sanding and buffing.
I did a tung oil finish on a guitar project in the 90’s. Great finish. Easy to polish smooth with 0000 steel wool, and the tone was amazing. Friends with $5000 guitars loved the tone.
What, you think tung oil changed the way it sounds?! Ha.
@@jeffro. The tung oil finish allowed the wood to resonate more, which helped its natural tone to shine through because it was a light finish. The body was solid Michigan maple bought from a Mennonite tree farm. Maple bolt-n neck with an ebony board.
After watching your other kit build, i got an exp kit and recently finished it. I carved a hexagon pattern in the body and poured black epoxy into it, then stained it a dark brown. Turned out really nice. I replaced all the electronics, tuners, pickups, input jack, etc., etc. Had quite a few challenges along the way, but all in all, a nice kit
❤❤❤ the way you play you don't need no fancy guitar but that sure is a beauty the semi-gloss is just fine
It turned out awesome! These kits are great for guitarists at all stages. I personally was not a fan of the sanding and staining, but you end up with your own unique instrument. Over time upgrade the electronics, pickups and tuners and you’re laughing ✌🏼
A tip for making the pickup surrounds fit nicely: tape a piece of 220 grit sandpaper right between the pickup routes. Then rub the surround on the sandpaper moving from the route towards the space between the routes. It won't be perfect, but when you screw them down, they'll look like they belong there.
Or put painter tape on the sides of those rings, force them on the guitar surface, mark the painter's tape with a pencil following the vurve of the top and remove the excess plastic and the rings will fit the guitar surface like gloves....
You really did a great job on saving the colors in it came out spectacular
That turned out awesome! Super glad you went with the purple and the burst was the perfect touch! Well done!
I missed Part I, but, just a suggestion, if you have a drill (I only say that because one person posting videos told me they don't have one) you can get a buffing wheel you can chuck in your drill made of foam fingers and will produce amazing results if you are so inclined. (Search for a headlight cleaning buffer.) If you aren't? Maybe those that are will find this information useful.
Darryl on your pickup rings they both need a slight sanding so the contour won’t be so straight.
What I do I put a piece of sticky peel 230 sand paper on the middle area of your pickup holes.
So all you have to do is pull the rings back and forth until your contour is established. Your build
Is smoking!
Wow, did you come up with that sanding idea yourself?
(Try reading the comments, you're only the 501st person to say that, lol! I'll bet DB is tired of reading it!)
I like it. Here is a trick for the pickup rings. Before staining it, tape a piece of sandpaper on carved body and sand the bottom of the pickup ring to the radius of the curve of the body. Or do without the rings and add mount the pickups to the body.
You did good with the finish. You gotta feel blessed. It's so easy to make a mistake in one of the many steps to a fine finish but, sometimes, as with my first attempt, it all works out. The next step in the progression of guitar building is how to deal with a finish that needs correction. Carry on, my wayward son. There'll be peace when you're done.
great job on the kit build! that color turned out pretty nice looking.
I had to go back and look closely at the pickup poles because I thought one of them was upside down, they're not. Am I the only one who thinks it looks weird having the white on the bottom of both pickups? Beautiful finish, I like it.
The pickups would normally be installed with the off-white halves away from each other. You can see on the wiring diagram that the polepiece screws on the neck picare close to the neck and those on the bridge pickup are close to the bridge.
I'm surprised at how well the colors turned out. Great video, as usual.
I was also questioning the same thing, as my PRS SE has the white/cream side facing the neck and bridge respectively, but upon closer inspection you can see that the adjustable poles are in the correct position..
Scam on here
Wow, really turned out great! I love the deep purple coloring. Sounds awesome. Great job!
I like how it looks , you did a great job. And it sounds ok. The pickups could be upgraded later. But all in all a great kit build
WOW!! DB....that turned out quite nice.....I really like the satin look and the sound from the kid pups is quite nice....thanks for the ride....
This summer. Nice job and I'm super impatient myself to get to the results. Will be ordering.
Good built ! (Not quite great because, Yeah you were in a hurry!) I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks Darrell !!! Many good tips in the comments made by faithful followers...I've modified almost all my guitars... Next step is assembling one from a kit, and i was watching Solo Music's stuff and you persuaded me! There are many Solo Music gear guitar kits i may build in the following years ! Thanks again!
and there is that face on the guitar again by the bridge awesome! great job looks great. gun stock oil makes a great finish
That looks great! If it were me, I'd sand it a lil smoother and do a gloss finish to make that figuring and grain really pop! But I get it, not everyone has the time. I love that finish, reminds me of a PRS SE I have in the Whale Blue Poplar burl. And the sound is beautiful too!
I also have a SE in whale blue poplar burl. Its a custom 24 I got in 2020. I'm swapping the pickups out for a set with a more classic rock bite. The stock ones get some pretty tones though, Ill save em. The playing experience of the guitar is fantastic, I love it
@David P that's cool! I love the guitar but I've barely got a chance to play it..just bought it off a friend last week who hasn't used it in months. It was all out sorts in regards to the setup, mile high action, loose tuners and corroded strings. So I dropped it off to a local place in Toronto and I'm picking it up on Friday. Can't wait! My only issue with it is the finish isn't as smooth as I'd hoped. The top coat is a bit uneven on the more porous parts of the burl. It's only noticeable at certain angles and light so I'm not going to worry about it. I got a great deal and I've never played an SE that I didn't like.
Looks great Darrell, I did a SOLO Jazzmaster kit and loved the result.
You put the neck pickup in backwards, screw pieces usually point towards the bridge and towards the neck. So cream bobbin should point towards neck.
No, he did it right, screw poles of neck PU points towards the neck.
They're in right, but the bobbins were put together backwards on one pickup
Fantastic guitar! What a nice project. Good build. Good looking guitar. And it sounds great too. I dig it, and now I want to do one like it!
It looks to me like the top needed lots of love before the dye step. I have been a furniture finisher most of my seventy two years and I would probably have suggested to any client to fill the top and give it a satin rat rod pinstripe finish. Can't say for sure just from the video, but yeah, right out of the box it looked like trouble. Anyway, pretty good job given what you had to work with and first time with the products and all. Thanks for the video!
The end result is a lot better than i expected after the first video. Very nice.
Just finishing an LP kit from Solo as well. Finishing was the biggest learning curve especially if you don't have a spray booth or it's too cold in the garage. There are some hiccups in the finishing but the next one will be better. Thanks for the video! I was having an issue with fret buzz...I need a proper crowning file. Let's see some videos!🤘😎
That top color looks amazing! Better than most common top colors.
Hey Darrell ! Man I think you did a very nice job on this kit. The whole kit and kaboodle looks and sounds great. It is YOUR guitar so you can tinker with it as you please and when you please. Enjoy breaking it in and playing the fruit of your labor. Take care up there in Canada !!
Now THIS is a great DGB video! Awesome.
DB, A+ for your playing.. and C- for your luthier skills.. but A for effort.. we know that is not your specialty.. I am sure you were short on time to get this out.. but spending more time sanding the body and neck.. makes for a great finish.. and using cotton T-shirt patches to RUB the stains in and blend and sand back to get more vibrant color would have been best.. all that pre-sanding work also makes the finish sand that much easier.. the pickup rings also need to be cut and sanded to the carve on the top rather than stretched over the curves.. looks like a fun build.. you can always take her apart and work on that high gloss finish later.. or even change it up .. that is the beauty of a kit.. cheers..!
Darrell is fun to listen to. He is a positive soul. I may have to try a kit in the future.
As always, great job on the guitar and video!
I like to use insolating paint in the pickup cavities and in the rear compartment for better grounding especially with higher gain. I built a double neck SG, headless strandberg style, and an Iceman style a few months back. I used concentrated dyes with distilled water for most the staining and tru oil with a bit more dye to darken in the finish.
I'll probably go with a sanding sealer instead of tru oil for the body on my next build.
That guitar DOES NOT look like anything else out there, and that is a good thing.
Well done!
I built this same guitar a few years back. I spent a fortune on finnishing product and tools. It looks so good. If I had it to do over I would do like you and spend way less on the finnish.
Two products I recommend for guitar finishes....
1. Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil Gun Stock finish. Rub it on. (Dries hard)
2. Solarez I Can't Believe Its Not Laquer. (Dries instantly when exposed to sunlight).
Looks really good, actually. Well done!
Blown away. Well done, man! Sounds great and looks the business.
I took a JEM 777 build, shielded the pickup cavities and waxed the stock pickups for giggles, and the sound was more than impressive. I WAS going to put better pickups in it, but I kind of like it's tone as-is. If I get tired of it, I'll throw in some EMGs and call it a day.
Wow love the color with the zebra pickups. Color turned out really great.
Nice very nice. Always fun to watch you. ❤️
Looks and sounds great Darrell. I enjoyed following this.
Great job Darrell, it looks amazing brother well done 😎
I actually found out that Solo guitars are close to me, and went by there today. That place had everything! I'm currently piecing together a setup to build.
As a lefty, with there being so few options available at a music store, I now only buy kit guitars. It's the only way for a lefty to get the guitar I actually want. Also, they are so fun to build and customize.
I'm left handed as well, Went ahead and built a les Paul kit to noodle on when I didn't want to jam my acoustic. I started playing it more often because well, bends. You know?...Its a great guitar and I learned a hell of a lot during the build. But man, When I found a left handed guitar that was made by professionals from a legit company. There was a sweetness I don't think I could replicate.. Try and find something for yourself. They are out there man. Its a nice feel when you find one that sings for you man.. That lefty rarity man.
Awesome videos. I'd recommend not skipping so much between part 1 and 2, I would have loved to see you adding sheen and gluing the neck. Looks awesome.
Excellent Job Darryl. Considering you kept it super simple, it actually came out a lot nicer looking than I thought it would at the start, but it's really nice and sounds great.
Looks like a Blueberry Burst for that finish, Darrell. And I was surprise for the top became quilted.
But impressive 😄
I was a little worried at the end of the first video regarding the stain, as there were some lines and unevenness that I thought was going to look a bit amateurish. Whatever you did, you fixed that and knocked it out of the park. Congrats, the finish now looks totally Pro, and gorgeous! 👍 The guitar came together really well, and I love the color choices. Makes me want to buy that kit and stains.
There's only one thing you probably should have done differently - Put in the bridge posts and the tune-o-matic bridge, then put on the two E-strings, then position the pickups so you can make sure the pole pieces are perfectly centered under the strings before drilling the pickup-ring holes. That way, you'll get the best possible pickup performance. Fortunately, pickup position/placement can be pretty forgiving. 😎
Great work Darrel, such a beautiful guitar you made here. One quick tip on the plastics is if you have flat pickup rings and an arch top you can put sandpaper grit up on the body and use it to sand the pickup rings to mate with the arrow smoothly, I know time was of the essence on this build and I think you did a great job tho
The rattle can varithane is a pretty nice product. It really does a good job on a horizontal surface
Hi Darrell, with the pickup rings being straight I would have removed the pickups from the rings and laid some sandpaper flat on the body, and rubbed them back and forth a little bit to get the contour of the body
Nice Job! That’s a beautiful shade of deep purple so this guitar is perfect for playing “Smoke on the Water”
Staining it black then sanding a bit before adding the color highlights the flame. If someone wants to build one an old rolled up T-Shirt does a great job for staining and finishing. I would have gotten rid of the switch and used an epiphone type one. On a kit guitar the finish is thin and the instrument resonates better and almost feel like nitro.
If you get a rotating sander you can get a polishing head for it and polish it with some white rubbing compound for cars. It worked great onthe truoil i used on my bass build.
Cool kit, not my favorite style & stuff but damn Darrell, you have a one of kind playing style that I always look forward to hearing in all of your videos. Looking forward to the next one. Cheers!
Fantastic review. Definitely purchasing a bass kit because of your video.
Huh that actually does look pretty darn good! I’d like to get some of that dye. And I’d like to even build one of those kits. Very cool
Scam
Besides some of the other comments. I’d make sure to get a roll of copper foil tape or stew Mack has conductive paint specifically made for lining control and pick up cavities. Didn’t sound like your had much if any noise, but a lot of that can be fixed just by lining your cavities.
Every time you do a build video, you inspire me to do a build. One of these days...
Cool. Between the holes for the bridge it looks like a man with a mustache and goatee! The color turned out very nice!
Super fun series and that color turned out *great!*
Hi Darrall, cool done man! Looks so fine. Additionally put some copper or graphite coating inside of the housing at the PU's and elec. compartment. Nice Axes! Sounds real great for Metal! A bit like my PRS SE zepra. Love your'e Vids! 😎👍🏼😘🎸🇦🇺
Yeah, im surprised he didn't..
humbucker guitars don't really need shielding. that's why they're called humbuckers. Single coil guitars can benefit from the process if done correctly.
@@pedraw Exactly. Humbuckers do not need shielding. Waste of time.
If humbuckers don't need shielding... Then why does every guitar that I've bought (with HH) have shielded compartments (e.g. painted with conductive paint)? Yeah, I'm sure some really cheap ones don't come that way....
Explanation: The output of a guitar is low-level. Any low level electronics that are going to be amplified can certainly benefit from shielding. That's why the cables (that connect it to the amp) are made with coax. It does matter, that's why it's an industry standard.
Right off the bat I can't help but notice there's no black underneath the purple. Got to put some black stain under that color, and sand it back until it's just got the figured part showing. Once it's stained sanded and clear-coated, you'll see the figuring so much better. Still a very beautiful guitar.
SUPERB work, I'm inspired to do a similar project. Seeking "best kit for the money" and this was super helpful.
Finish Sanding in steps to 1800 or higher. Will give you that high polish you may be looking. Also a thin black stain before your color would have made that grain really Pop.
Darrell, These colors are amazing and the tone sounded great! I watch your videos all the time. Thanks for the video. Louis (age 8 on my mom’s account)
This just might be the first guitar I've seen you review other than the Glarry's on your channel that I didn't want when you were done!
So beautiful man keep up the good work 🎸
Wow Darrel that top really come out awesome, I watched somewhere that if you were to lightly stain the quilted top black 1st then sand it over so the black only absorbs into the darker parts when you apply your colour it looks awesome
Great job tho I’m impressed with that
I’m not usually a fan of the blueberry burst on Gibsons, but the fade you got on the front is really nice. I agree that a buffed finish would take it to the next level, but it is a sweet build. Great job!
Looks and sounds great, Darrell!
Turned out awesome! Love solos products and their customer service. I built their les Paul style kit with flame maple top. I love it. I think this one is gonna be my next kit
That neck pickup sounded really Santana!
I don't see any issues with them. The set neck is going to really give sustain.
It looks really straight forward and you get to finish the way you want.
Wow! I really like that dye job! Cool looking and sounding guitar. Great job!
Damn I’m really excited to build one of these puppies! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Turned out really good Darrell! Nice job!
People are wise to your SCAM !!!!
Thanks for the video. Great job on the build. Maybe next time put a sealer on the body before applying the stain. The sealer will fill all the grain imperfections and the result will be a smoother, less lumpy finish.
Plus wow that result reached is really awesome cheers sir ,, Mark
I really like the way the chrome accents look against your chosen color. Very cool indeed.
Well done Darrell !! Thank you for the tips to take home. 💪💪
That's beautiful how it turned out! Love the color!
Great job Darrell!!
Aw mate! Really nice guitar, good effort!!
Love your content, and I'm always excited when I see a new vid from you!