The Best Guitar Kits For Beginners

Guitar kits are a great way for aspiring luthiers to get into the hobby without having to invest in a 2000$ custom shop guitar. They typically come with everything you need to make a working instrument except for strings and an amplifier (you can also use a headphone amp). The kits usually have a wood body, fretted neck and nut, machine heads, pickups and the electric components like potentiometers, switches, knobs, capacitors and wires. Generally, the bodies will be cut and routed but not finished, so you’ll need to apply some paint or oil if you want to give it a nice finish. You can also opt for a solderless kit, which means all the electric components will be clipped together so you don’t have to do any tricky soldering.

The best diy acoustic guitar kits will be made of premium tonewoods and feature a dreadnought body shape that produces rich, deep tones with crisp highs. The Martin acoustic guitar kit is a good example of this, as it comes with a solid East Indian rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top. It also features a set neck construction, which many players claim results in increased sustain.

There are a lot of different DIY electric guitar kits out there, and the best one will be suited to your own skill level and preferred style. The Wilkinson Modern S kit is a fantastic choice for beginner luthiers, as it comes with some really great parts from renowned hardware company Trevor Wilkinson. Its humbucker/single-coil combination will give you everything from glassy and chimey tones to bigger, chunkier humbucker sounds at the flick of a switch.

Another great option is the BexGears Les Paul-style guitar kit. This offers budding luthiers the chance to build a classic singlecut guitar with a traditional okoume body and curved mahogany veneer top. A maple neck with a 24 fret jatoba fingerboard completes the look, and all of the wiring and pickups have been pre-fitted into the guitar’s body so there isn’t any tricky soldering to do.

If you’re looking for a more challenging kit, the Beechcraft G7L-S is worth checking out. Its maple neck has a 24-fret jatoba fingerboard and a set-neck construction that many luthiers swear by for its increase in sustain. Its dual humbucking pickups offer a versatile range of tones, and you’ll be able to tweak the tone with the help of the included potentiometers and switches. You’ll also have the choice of a hardtail tune-o-matic bridge or a Floyd Rose tremolo, so you can choose the set-up that suits your own personal preferences. With a bit of time and patience, you can put together an excellent guitar that will be the envy of all your friends and fellow musicians. A few basic tools and some know-how with a screwdriver should be enough to get you started. However, it’s always a good idea to check out some tutorial videos on YouTube before you start work.