How do they sound?

[highace10]

GDay everyone,

I've been looking at the kids offered here for a week or so and I'm about to pull the trigger on one but I'm interested to know how they actually sound.
I'm interested specifically in the LP1. There are alloy of comments about about how good they can look but not a lot on the quality of the sound.

Any help would be great

Cheers

[keloooe]

I am still building my LP-1, so I have no idea, there are videos of it and how it sounds

[GlennGP]

If you're looking for a guaranteed, authentic, brand-name sound for a particular model, you'd need to spend a lot more than you'd spend on one of these kits. However, for a very small fraction of what you'd spend on such a guitar, one of these kits can deliver not just an acceptable tone, but a massively pleasing one. Each model will have the "signature" tone of the corresponding branded model.

What you're getting here are the components for a great sounding guitar. As long as you're prepared to put in the yards making sure it's assembled well, that promise can be delivered.

I guess the reason there's a lot of chat about how things "look" and not necessarily how they "sound" here is that it's a bit more work to do an audio or video recording and post it, than it is to just take a photo. The other reason may be that a lot of the forum members are better builders than they are players! Doesn't mean the guitars don't sound good - my Tele sounds great, and it's getting better.

[Gavin1393]

The kid sounds pesty, but all up he's ok! However, since I know it's a typo and you are referring to the guitar kits I will direct my answer to that question.

You will find many of us talking about upgrades and such, but many times the terminology is wrong and what we are really doing is looking at alternatives.
For example, some of us throw away the plustic nut simply because we like to use Bone, Brass, Tusq (before the kid complains - )
Further, some of us are painting using a colour that doesn't go with the pickguard, and so we will order alternative colours..
Then there are those 'electronically minded' who will 'coil-split', throw in a switch or concentric pots, etc.
Now I have built, 2 Les Pauls, a Tele, a Strat, A tele Thinline with a 'bigsby', and IB-1, a Gibson 335 (still in therapy over wiring up that one) and a Gibson SG. Only the Les Pauls were immediately fitted with Pickups that weren't from the kit. Simply reason, I wanted to coil-split the humbuckers and being my first attemp stuffed up the process and so raced out and bought some 4 conductor wire pickups so that I didn't have to bother... (Since then I have learned how to wire my own pickups and these sit proudly inside my latest Les PAul.....
All -in - all, these Pitbull pickups are great value for the money. They typically measure over 10k ohms of resistance (around the 5 mark per coil in a humbucker). Hence they have not been underwound. In fact compared to some of the other brands out there these may even be considered a little 'hot'! So unless you are looking at something that is noiseless at $300 - $400 like Kinmans, or you are happy to pay $100 plus per Di MArzio's 4 conductor-wired pickups...these will do the job quite nicely.

There are some 'cheaper' options supplied by the likes of StewMac and Realtone....I have used these in other builds and they sound great.

[highace10]

ha, yes i did mean kits..i'll blame the phone.

I understand you can spend thousands (unfortunately my budget isnt that large) so my question was more targeted at the "getting your monies worth" side of the arguement.

Im in dire need of a new project and thought this would be a great way to get back into playing guitar again. All of my experience has been classical, so knowledge of the eletric side of things is close to zero. Slowly learning though.

Cheers

[Gavin1393]

Quote from highace10 on April 29, 2013, 13:45
Im in dire need of a new project and thought this would be a great way to get back into playing guitar again. All of my experience has been classical, so knowledge of the eletric side of things is close to zero. Slowly learning though.

Step away from the forum...don't look back.....

I decided to build a guitar as a way to get back into playing and as a new experience...that was 26 guitars and not yet 2 years ago....it's addictive, therapeutic, and the members on this forum are like the family you wished you had!

[keloooe]

Yep, I'm a bit pesty, just a bit... :P
Gav, with your pup winder, does it go in reverse??? Because normally buckers are wound forwards, then the other bobbin is wound in reverse (as I have read many, many times!)!

Oh and Gav, I'm actually starting to slide over to the "I love both bone and TUSQ nuts" line, TUSQ sounds great for nuts in trems, but not as good for an acoustic saddle...

[Gavin1393]

Quote from keloooe on April 29, 2013, 16:37
Yep, I'm a bit pesty, just a bit... :P
Gav, with your pup winder, does it go in reverse??? Because normally buckers are wound forwards, then the other bobbin is wound in reverse (as I have read many, many times!)!

Oh and Gav, I'm actually starting to slide over to the "I love both bone and TUSQ nuts" line, TUSQ sounds great for nuts in trems, but not as good for an acoustic saddle...

I use Bone in my acoustics....

Motor goes both forwards and reverse!!

[adam]

G'day Highace10,

You may not consider my opinion objective, but people around here know I'm pretty honest and straightforward about our kits.

The way I view our kits is this:

You can buy a completed guitar for $99 on eBay. I don't know if you've ever played one of these guitars. I have and they are awful. They look and feel (roughly) like a guitar but they sound terrible and you'd be lucky to get one that you could actually intonate and tune properly.

Our kits average around $150 and, if you take your time and are careful with the build, you will end up with a guitar that is the equivalent, in all aspects, of a guitar that you would buy for between $500-700.

It is unreasonable, however, to expect that you will end up with a guitar comparable to a USA Fender or Gibson, unless you upgrade all the components (pick ups, machine heads, bridge, etc)... although some of Dingo Bass's TL kits look as good, if not better, than my $3000 Fender Telecaster.

Remember, a lot of the price you are paying on a $700 guitar is for the paint job, assembly, set up and stringing. You save all these costs when you buy in kit form.

I can also say that I have sampled a number of kits from different suppliers and I believe that ours (even with their inherent flaws) are by far and away the best value for money.

Plus you get the added bonus of an instant Community to share ideas and experiences along the way.

[keloooe]

Quote from Gavin1393 on April 29, 2013, 16:56
I use Bone in my acoustics....

Motor goes both forwards and reverse!!

So that's what the mini toggle switch is for?!?!?!?!?