I've upgraded Fender MIMs with Wilkinsons before - their 'classic vibe' neck humbuckers give a sound I can only describe as "Modern Billy Gibbons" Subscribed!
I don't understand all the negative comments. I haven't read one yet where someone has actual experience with these kits. I look forward to your next vid. I want to see the finished product and hear your opinion after you play it.
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I just checked the price and it seems to me I can do a much customized order from Warmoth, for example.
@ I checked the price and this kit shipped to me with exchange rate is $740. That's a crazy price for a kit guitar. Although your not getting too much further ahead with warmoth. Last time I priced a guitar out with them I think the thing was $1500
The neck from Warmoth alone with cost you at least $300. You going to stretch $150 to cover a body, pickups, bridge and hardware? If you did that would be one crap guitar. I don't think you go this route for cost savings. It's a kit for those who WANT to build a guitar.
Cool dude. I subbed. I want to build a guitar, but I don't want it to be crappy. I keep wondering if just buying a cheap guitar and fixing it is a better ROI. I guess it depends on my intentions. Really nice video.
The path of the neck through to the bridge needs as much mass as possible, in my fairly well educated opinion. If the neck doesn’t sit tight against the inside surface of the neck pocket that is opposed to the neck pickup slot, there is a massive decrease in sustain. It’s not even subtle. So I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that a swimming pool route’s decrease of the mass between bridge and neck pocket would impact sustain to a degree. A guitar is a complex interdependent system, not a single line between good and bad tone, or good and bad playability.
Thanks for making a unboxing of this kit. I have been wondering how much better the quality of these kits are as compared to other StewMac and Solo kits. I have built the regular stewmac strat kit and the LP one as well. I’ve looked at these new stew Mac kits and wondered if the increase in price was worth it. I kinda of doubt that it is. I am sure it’s a lot less sanding which is great plus. Too bad it’s not a one piece body. With the kits I build i end up spending about 500 or so with upgrades total. If I was to buy one of these I would definitely lean hard on the Tele kit. Anyways great vid.
I think that the wood and neck are substantially better than a Solo kit. Fender uses 2-piece bodies for a lot of their American made strats, so that didn't bother me. I can't compare it to other StewMac kits, but I have built kits from BYOGuitar.com, and they wood is of similar quality. I think that the biggest upgrade is in the hardware. Of course, I won't know how well I like the pickups until I get it all assembled.
I use 500k pots in everything.. even single coils sound better to me. Brighter is better. Someone else might want dark muddy sounding pickups. Just ONE guys opinion.
If this was my build I'd use either 300k or 500k pots and if you find the middle and neck too bright use the tone control knobs to tame it. Sound advice lol
I have another HB kit coming. My last one was a sc and it turned out really good. This next one is the CST 24, I'm going to make it a string through double roller with locking machine heads, just to see if it works?
@@GranvilleGuitars I've bought tools years ago that are still going strong for half what stewmac charges. hardly worth the money . $103 for a notched straight edge? I paid $30 for mine years ago and it still works great. Sorry. Their tools and most of their parts and kits are outrageously priced.
I had not noticed that discrepancy. I don't have really accurate tools to measure, but I do have a set of understring radius gauges. I think that it's 10", but the difference is very small and my eyesight is not what it was!
Stew makes great stuff,but 839.00 is a blatant rip-off, a 2pt. Wilkenson bridge,locking tuners and the 3 pickups ,I priced on eBay,new all for 117.59 ,so why is it double the price of the standard strat kit,
michaeladam caira stew mac is over the top expensive, on everything, they must be smoking the laced shit, but in a sales training I took there’s no such thing as too expensive if he’s willing to pay it. People get ripped off all the time. Look at how much we are will to pay for a cell phone. Mine was 900.00 and that was 3 years ago, and how much does that cost to make it.i bet under 100. They put it in a nice box. That cost 800.00 loose the packing and what do you have just another paper weight in a couple years! A guitar at least last a lifetime. But most musicians I know are broke as a joke.
There are lots of cheap kits out there, but the only one that I have experience with is from Solo Music Gear. They aren't bad kits, although if you're thinking of a project guitar that you want to actually play then you'll want better hardware and pickups. Also, $200 doesn't include the cost of finishing supplies.
@@eddycurrent413 for real! I don't see the point of doing it this easily! Theres no challenge to it! And design wise why would you go to the expense and hassle of "building your own guitar" only to end up with a strat! And a dark green one at that! I like the colour and all it's just even if you were to sell it it isnt even a real strat you know? Who would buy it?
This thing is now $529 (supposedly reg. $650) at StewMac! Holy crap! Why not just buy an EVH Wolfgang standard from Sweetwater that looks great and plays great right out of the box? Don't get me wrong, I build a lot of project guitars, but the price on this is crazy. I can build a beautiful flame or quilt top tele or strat with top hardware for $600 total - dye, finish, hipshot tuners, good pickups, tusc nut etc... StewMac is a ripoff and their shipping charges are BS.
Ok so the ceramic humbucker is brighter than the Alnico magnet so it sounds better on 250k pots with single coils? Good to know. Ok I looked at price. StewMac have lost their minds to charge that much.
Hmmm.....way too expensive for me. Just get a used Vintage v6 (I paid £130 for a really nice one just to play), gut it and rebuild it to your taste. All Wilkinson hardware there.
I don't understand these kits you are just paying the same price but you have assemble and finish everything? If you're going to make something you might as well make something different that you can't get anywhere else.
When the kit costs more than a completed guitar (Look at Fret-King and Vintage for guitars designed by Trevor Wilkinson using his parts) I find it hard to justify.
here is a dual pot that fender made that is a 500k pot, and a 250k pot in one. You can find wiring diagrams to use this pot several places on the internet.. www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/0990847000
Maybe it's just me, but I really don't like kits that have preshaped headstocks since I like to give them my own design depending on what I'm going for with a given project. If I wanted a Fender headstock, I'd grab my Fender.
For that kind of money ($450) you can get a great used MIM Fender or a really nice new Yamaha Pacifica. There is no way in hell I'd pay more than 150 bucks for a kit guitar, no way. Shame on Stew Mac. You can also track down Made in USA bodies and necks and then source your own hardware and 'tronics.
Just got this kit today. Great I came across your channel. Will follow your build. You're the man, man!
Your walls make me want a surf green axe
It's nice putting your own guitar together. They're a lot less complicated than slot cars were in the sixties.
I've upgraded Fender MIMs with Wilkinsons before - their 'classic vibe' neck humbuckers give a sound I can only describe as "Modern Billy Gibbons"
Subscribed!
they have a lot of sales lines, but what they really specialize in is charging more per unit of value than anyone else.
I’m actually going to have the Stratocaster style lol and thank you for getting it, my birthday is The 28th of January. You just made my day :)
I've used both wudtone and crimson finish products. I'd recommend them both.
Check to see if there is a hole leading to the post holes for the trim , it doesn't have to connect to the tremolo claw it can go to the Post.
Only buy from stew mac when absolutely necessary. $450 bucks? That's simply crazy.
That's up there in the crimson kit prices minus shipping anyways
It would be nice if they made a one-piece, neck and center body, set-through guitar.
I don't understand all the negative comments. I haven't read one yet where someone has actual experience with these kits.
I look forward to your next vid. I want to see the finished product and hear your opinion after you play it.
I just checked the price and it seems to me I can do a much customized order from Warmoth, for example.
@ I checked the price and this kit shipped to me with exchange rate is $740. That's a crazy price for a kit guitar. Although your not getting too much further ahead with warmoth. Last time I priced a guitar out with them I think the thing was $1500
For the price of that kit he could have got a entry lvl Jackson or a Kramer or even got a decent body and kneck from warmoth
The neck from Warmoth alone with cost you at least $300. You going to stretch $150 to cover a body, pickups, bridge and hardware? If you did that would be one crap guitar. I don't think you go this route for cost savings. It's a kit for those who WANT to build a guitar.
I have the same boombox! Great minds.
Me too! First thing I noticed, ha!
Cool dude. I subbed. I want to build a guitar, but I don't want it to be crappy. I keep wondering if just buying a cheap guitar and fixing it is a better ROI. I guess it depends on my intentions. Really nice video.
Interesting video. Thank you
Awesome I subbed
I'm serious looking into the vintage 60's kit that's on sale for $500 hoping the quality is close to fender .
The path of the neck through to the bridge needs as much mass as possible, in my fairly well educated opinion. If the neck doesn’t sit tight against the inside surface of the neck pocket that is opposed to the neck pickup slot, there is a massive decrease in sustain. It’s not even subtle.
So I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest that a swimming pool route’s decrease of the mass between bridge and neck pocket would impact sustain to a degree. A guitar is a complex interdependent system, not a single line between good and bad tone, or good and bad playability.
I agree on swimming pool routes, however...I do not like pickguards (aesthetically), so I won't play a swimming pool route guitar.
You building this guitar Todd Rundgren? Kidding. Have fun.
Look into vintage guitars. Apparently it consists of Wilkinson parts. Vintage guitars is the name of the guitar company.🎸🎵🎶🤔good guitar hunting.
Thanks for making a unboxing of this kit. I have been wondering how much better the quality of these kits are as compared to other StewMac and Solo kits. I have built the regular stewmac strat kit and the LP one as well. I’ve looked at these new stew Mac kits and wondered if the increase in price was worth it. I kinda of doubt that it is. I am sure it’s a lot less sanding which is great plus. Too bad it’s not a one piece body. With the kits I build i end up spending about 500 or so with upgrades total. If I was to buy one of these I would definitely lean hard on the Tele kit. Anyways great vid.
I think that the wood and neck are substantially better than a Solo kit. Fender uses 2-piece bodies for a lot of their American made strats, so that didn't bother me. I can't compare it to other StewMac kits, but I have built kits from BYOGuitar.com, and they wood is of similar quality. I think that the biggest upgrade is in the hardware. Of course, I won't know how well I like the pickups until I get it all assembled.
I use 500k pots in everything.. even single coils sound better to me. Brighter is better. Someone else might want dark muddy sounding pickups. Just ONE guys opinion.
I won’t buy Solomusic kits anymore because of the sealer they put on the wood.
If this was my build I'd use either 300k or 500k pots and if you find the middle and neck too bright use the tone control knobs to tame it. Sound advice lol
I have another HB kit coming. My last one was a sc and it turned out really good. This next one is the CST 24, I'm going to make it a string through double roller with locking machine heads, just to see if it works?
That swimming pool rout is a killer for me...no thanks.
Stewmac. Where everything is highly over-priced.
Two Otters - and worth every penny.
their prices don't bother nearly as much as their shipping costs
@@GranvilleGuitars I've bought tools years ago that are still going strong for half what stewmac charges. hardly worth the money . $103 for a notched straight edge? I paid $30 for mine years ago and it still works great. Sorry. Their tools and most of their parts and kits are outrageously priced.
@@Myfukinusername Both bother me...lol Maybe if I were such rich guy it wouldn't bother me but when you're on a budget skip stewmac.
@@twootters7433 I didn't believe you, but it's true. 103 dollars hahaha.
Enjoy your new build, sadly, it's not up my alley.
That hat though. 😳
Is this a 10 or 12" radius fretboard? Their instructions say one thing and the site says another.
I had not noticed that discrepancy. I don't have really accurate tools to measure, but I do have a set of understring radius gauges. I think that it's 10", but the difference is very small and my eyesight is not what it was!
very nice kit... but, at $450 on sale! NO WAY. Ill buy the $89 kit, and add the electronics of my choice, not asian made Wilkonsons.
@Noble Failures I AGREE the older ones made in Japan were a good quality for the money... but not any more. IMO
Stew makes great stuff,but 839.00 is a blatant rip-off, a 2pt. Wilkenson bridge,locking tuners and the 3 pickups ,I priced on eBay,new all for 117.59 ,so why is it double the price of the standard strat kit,
michaeladam caira stew mac is over the top expensive, on everything, they must be smoking the laced shit, but in a sales training I took there’s no such thing as too expensive if he’s willing to pay it. People get ripped off all the time. Look at how much we are will to pay for a cell phone. Mine was 900.00 and that was 3 years ago, and how much does that cost to make it.i bet under 100. They put it in a nice box. That cost 800.00 loose the packing and what do you have just another paper weight in a couple years! A guitar at least last a lifetime. But most musicians I know are broke as a joke.
In your opinion, where would one buy a good kit for under $200
There are lots of cheap kits out there, but the only one that I have experience with is from Solo Music Gear. They aren't bad kits, although if you're thinking of a project guitar that you want to actually play then you'll want better hardware and pickups. Also, $200 doesn't include the cost of finishing supplies.
This is basically just an unpainted guitar, There are very few choices left for you to make here. I don't get it. Very expensive too!
in my day a guitar kit was called a tree and a chain saw
@@eddycurrent413 for real! I don't see the point of doing it this easily! Theres no challenge to it! And design wise why would you go to the expense and hassle of "building your own guitar" only to end up with a strat! And a dark green one at that! I like the colour and all it's just even if you were to sell it it isnt even a real strat you know? Who would buy it?
Interested to know what you think about the Harley Benton kit guitars?
I've never tried them, so I can't offer an opinion. Perhaps I'll check them out.
@@mancaveguitarpedalmania4008 I think for the money it might make a great comparison to tne Wilkinson kit.
This thing is now $529 (supposedly reg. $650) at StewMac! Holy crap! Why not just buy an EVH Wolfgang standard from Sweetwater that looks great and plays great right out of the box? Don't get me wrong, I build a lot of project guitars, but the price on this is crazy. I can build a beautiful flame or quilt top tele or strat with top hardware for $600 total - dye, finish, hipshot tuners, good pickups, tusc nut etc... StewMac is a ripoff and their shipping charges are BS.
And where's the nut ?
Most people put a link to where they purchased something from, in the description, in a video like this. Just a friendly hint. Cool video, thanks.
Oh golly! Another stained guitar kit. Will one of you people learn how to paint already.
Ok so the ceramic humbucker is brighter than the Alnico magnet so it sounds better on 250k pots with single coils? Good to know. Ok I looked at price. StewMac have lost their minds to charge that much.
Hmmm.....way too expensive for me. Just get a used Vintage v6 (I paid £130 for a really nice one just to play), gut it and rebuild it to your taste. All Wilkinson hardware there.
I don't understand these kits you are just paying the same price but you have assemble and finish everything? If you're going to make something you might as well make something different that you can't get anywhere else.
I'd much rather get a guitar body from crimson guitars (in the UK) than stewmac.
Even guitar kits are becoming unattainable. And this one has a swimming pool middle
10 year old kid from China didn't get to put this together🤣
Looks like a nice kit but they seem a little overpriced.
It's stew mac, that's their specialty. They had kits like the $75 cozart kits with the chinese string coil and all for about $330.
When the kit costs more than a completed guitar (Look at Fret-King and Vintage for guitars designed by Trevor Wilkinson using his parts) I find it hard to justify.
03:50 Perhaps you'd have preferred to pay less but have it arrive smashed to bits?
:-(
for the price I could almost get a brand new fender player...
Is that a knock-off Albert Lee I see on the left? Didn't know EBMM/SbMM ever used a skunk strip.
Or checked Ebay
here is a dual pot that fender made that is a 500k pot, and a 250k pot in one. You can find wiring diagrams to use this pot several places on the internet.. www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/0990847000
Maybe it's just me, but I really don't like kits that have preshaped headstocks since I like to give them my own design depending on what I'm going for with a given project.
If I wanted a Fender headstock, I'd grab my Fender.
I’d be disappointed
For that kind of money ($450) you can get a great used MIM Fender or a really nice new Yamaha Pacifica. There is no way in hell I'd pay more than 150 bucks for a kit guitar, no way. Shame on Stew Mac.
You can also track down Made in USA bodies and necks and then source your own hardware and 'tronics.
If it has Wilkinson hardware they already shot them self in the foot
All the money was spent on the box,stewmack is a rip off
This is not a modern guitar!
Only 22 frets? No flamed neck? Oh come on...
That's not a cave. That's a yuppie add-on. Clickout.
#FakePandemic
You are past boring just get to the point of the kit.