Guitar Kits WTF?

[pipelineaudio]

I've been looking for 7 string guitar kits with floyd rose routes and its been dismal. Used to be there were shops wit bodies and necks like Rondo and such, and I DO see some great six string kits but holy hell!

What is up with the 7 string kits? They all seem to be the same kits with various rebrandings and the worst part of all is these like tiny circular electronics cavities

Here's pitbull with the two donuts:

DIY Guitars with the same two donut holes, and no routing for the tremolo cavity cover

Guitar kit world with the same barf donuts

JE 7 String Guitar Kit

Build your own JE 7 String Guitar Kit. Customize guitar bodies, necks, timber, hand-orientation and more for your taste and playing style. Free delivery to most countries!

guitarkitworld.com

And Electricguitar city with the same crappioca

Am I missing some kit companies? They all seem to have the same stuff. Any with a decent electronics cavity and a route for the tremolo cavity cover? I've like one I could put a battery in, even if its fishman's universal one

 

[Sascha Franck]

and the worst part of all is these like tiny circular electronics cavities

Why would you need a bigger cavity for a 3-way switch and a volume pot?

Anyhow, how much is this kit?

 

[pipelineaudio]

Theyre mostly pretty cheap, sub 200. There appear to be the exact same kits, sold by other shops for quite a bit more, but they seem to be the same "quality" parts.

I'd like a bigger cavity if I need to put a battery in

It seems weird that ALL of these use the same dinky donut cavities (though I suspect they are all from the same place). There were some different kits out there, with decent cavities and routed plates, but those didn't have floyd routes

 

[Sascha Franck]

Thing is, these round cavities can be made easily. All you need is a diameter and no exact routing measures. These kits are all about saving money.

 

[Achilles]

Thing is, these round cavities can be made easily. All you need is a diameter and no exact routing measures. These kits are all about saving money.

True, but they are already routing the rear of the body for the trem - they could easily route for controls too. I don't get the donut holes either.

 

[DrewJD82]

I think the pricing kinda explains any irregularities, these aren’t exactly high end kit builds. I’m in a couple FB groups for kit builders and sometimes they pop up in the partscaster groups, if you’ve got some experience working with tools/guitars, I’ve seen some guys do some really great work with these. Sometimes they’re re-drilling/routing and almost all of them are doing a good amount of fretwork and leaving the hardware/electronics in the box.

 

[Sascha Franck]

True, but they are already routing the rear of the body for the trem - they could easily route for controls too. I don't get the donut holes either.

Each additional routing requires extra measurements, routing layouts and CNC router instructions per instrument type (!) whereas a vibrato routing is standardized. For these circular routings you probably don't even need a CNC router but just 2 drills like this ("Forstnerbohrer" in german), one slightly larger size for the cavity cover, one for the actual hole:

All this also pretty much explains why they have no recessed frame for the vibrato cavity cover - as that would actually mean to have the CNC router go over it twice.

 

[Achilles]

Each additional routing requires extra measurements, routing layouts and CNC router instructions per instrument type whereas a vibrato routing is standardized.

I don't think you understand how computerized routing works. Whether the trem cavity is standard or not, someone still has to program in the X, Y, and Z numbers the first time. Programming in an additional two sets of coordinates for control cavities would be nothing. The guitar body is already secured face down to the CNC table for the trem route - the cavity routes could be done in the same process easily.

 

[Sascha Franck]

The guitar body is already secured face down to the CNC table for the trem route - the cavity routes could be done in the same process easily.

So, then why are they not doing it?

 

[Achilles]

So, then why are they not doing it?

Because sometimes people do dumb things?

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Not all trem cavities* are recessed? My Ibanez AZ isn't..

Edit: cavity covers

 

[Achilles]

We see control cutouts, tremolo cavities, pilot holes for bridges, etc.

The CNC machine sees.

 

[Iron1]

I looked into kits a few years back just for fun and kept seeing the same complaints of garbage parts and bad routes, etc.

So, I went the way of buying old, cheap guitars and treating them like kits. The Hamer Slammer, Peavey Predator, early Ibby Gios, etc can all be had used for under $200 and at least you start off in a far better place than the average kit. Need to take time to remove the finish, but that’s a better option that having to replace all the hardware and electronics, if you ask me.

This was a Slammer:

 

[Achilles]

The best 82 seconds you will spend today.
Mesmerizing!

 

[Iron1]

The best 82 seconds you will spend today.

Just great - now I’m GASing for a CNC machine…

 

[Achilles]

Ever wonder how they glue very thin veneered tops onto guitar bodies with relief areas?

 

[pipelineaudio]

I think the pricing kinda explains any irregularities, these aren’t exactly high end kit builds. I’m in a couple FB groups for kit builders and sometimes they pop up in the partscaster groups, if you’ve got some experience working with tools/guitars, I’ve seen some guys do some really great work with these. Sometimes they’re re-drilling/routing and almost all of them are doing a good amount of fretwork and leaving the hardware/electronics in the box.

I'm happy to look at more expensive ones, but the only two I could find, one warmoth, has the dogshit block heel neck joint and no options for the routes I want and the other, Precision Guitars, has no floyd rose mount. Do you know of some others?

 

[pipelineaudio]

So, then why are they not doing it?

I think for the same reason that when the chinese copy mics, even if THEY are the OEM for properly made mics, given that they don;t understand them, they don't see a need to fit the function they are designing for.

A GREAT example are clip on mics they make, the way sennheiser and others do for snare and tom mics, and then in their copies, put the XLR jack under the mic so that EITHER the clip can be put on the mic OR a mic cable can be plugged in, but not both. The electronics of the mic work perfectly, but it cannot be plugged in, and therefore is useless

 

[Achilles]

I'm happy to look at more expensive ones, but the only two I could find, one warmoth, has the dogshit block heel neck joint and no options for the routes I want and the other, Precision Guitars, has no floyd rose mount. Do you know of some others?

BYO Custom Shop ST Body - Guitar bodies and kits from BYOGuitar

www.byoguitar.com

???

 

[pipelineaudio]

Not all trem cavities* are recessed? My Ibanez AZ isn't..

Edit: cavity covers

I realize that, but I'd like one that is. My Carvin isn't recessed either. Drives me nuts...and now with Fishman's trem cover battery, not being recessed would be a lot more painful