BYO Guitar Semi-Hollow: The Impatience Build

[FrankenWashie]

Oh man that's nice. Very cool buy there Joe. I look forward to seeing how this one goes!

[Simon Barden]

I have basically the same guitar from Pit Bull. Adam had some examples in but they didn't have any bridge holes drilled and the pre-wired harness was for a set-up like yours, but the control holes were drilled for master volume + tone and two small toggle switches. People were returning them so I got offered one very cheaply. There were also issues around the neck pocket on mine with big gaps between the ply top and the main body (shades of cheap 70s Japanese copies). A not-great engineered wood fretboard. Drilling the post holes on a curved surface always put me off (no large pillar drill to hand) and the last straw was when I found that the neck was too twisted to use.

I may try taking the top off, putting a flat top on it and turn it into an acousticsonic Strat-style guitar, using a Tele neck I have spare. (I hope to round the horns off if there's enough wood to do so).

[Joe Garfield]

This one is as close to perfect as anyone could expect from a DIY guitar factory. The scale length is also spot on. There are a few blemished around the binding that need to be touched up. That’s really the only thing I can find ‘wrong’ with it. I’m amazed at how little there really is to do, especially if one were to use the stock wiring.

It’s very comfortable on the knee / in playing position. I really like it a lot.

[Simon Barden]

That's good. Looks like they were just practising on my earlier example!

[Joe Garfield]

Haha . I think its more likely a different factory trying to learn a ‘new’ or borrowed design. I actually had this kit in my wish list for several years - BYO’s been doing it quite awhile now.

The inspiration for the guitar came from the band Phish who I used to be really in to. And really his guitar came from a Fender Starcaster inspiration. The maple guitar was back in the mid 1990s and still is my favorite for tone (his later guitars are/were Koa) but the natural maple looks unfinished to me. So I still can’t decide what to do for a color.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

It looks really nice, I like the binding and grain a lot. Curious what you'll do with it =)

[Woltz]

I actually have a set of plans for a Starcaster. It's on my future build list.

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[Joe Garfield]

I think I’m leaning towards a natural finish with this one. To me that usually seems ‘unfinished’ but the natural maple guitar this was modeled after was such a big part of my life that it feels wrong to do anything else to it.

I’m not sure what the finish will be - maybe true oil, maybe nitro. I’d like to find something that somehow enhances or adds depth to the grain. The back and neck will get some kind of brown stain - maybe a walnut color. Something like the pic below. Also I’m not sure how I feel about the ‘end grain’ after looking at the above pics- looking at the body in playing position is like looking down at a tree stump with the rings. Maybe I’ll grain fill before staining - any thoughts or ideas? Here’s another pic of what I’m talking about:

[Simon Barden]

That could work well.

Easiest to mask the binding when staining. You'll only have to mask the sides, which is nice and easy and all straight edges compared to masking binding on the top, which is all curves.

[FergusonJes]

That knot is in the back anyway so I wouldn't even pay attention to it because the most beautiful part here is the guitar. I can tell how excited you are to receive it because you reminded me of myself when I got my first guitar. I read reviews for a very long time, and one day I found an article on https://www.happynewguitarday.com about the best electric guitars. It was very informative and so I decided to buy the ESP LTD EC-256FM Electric Guitar. I was mesmerized when I received it. I still have it, even though I already upgraded to The Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar.