It's taken me a while but I think i'm finally done with this guitar! That's a very hard notion for an amateur DIY builder as there is a plethora of options out there to individualize your build. And it's very easy to go off course and lose control of your budget without tangible results. What if i told you I spent twice as much on this build only to come to the realization that 100$ would be plenty enough.
Well.. I started off to build the perfect telecaster for me. I couldn't come up with my own decal that looked appealing enough so I ordered a fender decal. At first the guitar looked rather appealing to me but that logo started to bother me. I don't like knock offs and while I had no intention of passing it off as the real deal It still got me a bit uncomfortable.
There were a few aspects of this build that I wasn't completely satisfied with.
I sanded off the logos and have decided to have a bare head-stock instead.
To get rid of the bling on the tuners, I tried vinegar and iodized salt for a couple of hours but that didn't work. Maybe I needed to wait longer but being impatient I decided on a quicker option. Toilet bowl cleaner! Yes that did the trick in two hours. Of course without a mention handle with care and make sure if you do attempt this that you clean off the chemicals once you're through.
Since the Tru-oil wasn't working. It was time to go cheap and see if I could do better. Guess what I used to get that rich vintage like color for the neck? And No the answer's not Photoshop :)
Brown shoe polish! Now bare in mind it's going to take a couple of weeks before that smell completely goes but the waxy smooth finish that you land up with is fantastic!
So there you go! For 75$ some woodworking tools and some products most households have lying around you can build yourself something that looks special and can give your those level guitars a run for their money.
If you want it to play as well as a mid level guitar then consider getting it professional setup cause that will make a tonne of difference as well. After a proper setup this guitar now has a low fast action with no fret buzz.
Here's what she looks like now
There were a few aspects of this build that I wasn't completely satisfied with.
- I didn't like the bling of the basic cheap chrome tuners and other guitar hardware that comes with these budget kits. I wanted to experiment with ageing the guitar hardware.
- I didn't like the color of the neck. Despite using several layers of that expensive Tru-oil It didn't work wonders on the neck and it still looked a bit pale.
I sanded off the logos and have decided to have a bare head-stock instead.
To get rid of the bling on the tuners, I tried vinegar and iodized salt for a couple of hours but that didn't work. Maybe I needed to wait longer but being impatient I decided on a quicker option. Toilet bowl cleaner! Yes that did the trick in two hours. Of course without a mention handle with care and make sure if you do attempt this that you clean off the chemicals once you're through.
Since the Tru-oil wasn't working. It was time to go cheap and see if I could do better. Guess what I used to get that rich vintage like color for the neck? And No the answer's not Photoshop :)
Brown shoe polish! Now bare in mind it's going to take a couple of weeks before that smell completely goes but the waxy smooth finish that you land up with is fantastic!
So there you go! For 75$ some woodworking tools and some products most households have lying around you can build yourself something that looks special and can give your those level guitars a run for their money.
If you want it to play as well as a mid level guitar then consider getting it professional setup cause that will make a tonne of difference as well. After a proper setup this guitar now has a low fast action with no fret buzz.
Here's what she looks like now
Guitar looks great, nice job. I've just started my own diy kit and am struggling with where to drill holes for the bridge and neck. May I ask, did you use a template or were your holes pre-drilled? Thanks!
ReplyDelete