From kit to dream guitar: preparation is key!

Hey everyone! If you've been thinking about building your own guitar, but you're wondering what goes into the actual assembly, you've come to the right place. Recently, I unboxed and inspected a Leo James Stratocaster-style kitWe could have left it at that and put it together as is, but I wanted to give it a personal touch, to transform it into an instrument I would be truly proud of. And for that, preparation is essential!

Minor issues to resolve before assembly

When I unpacked the kit, I noticed a few things: a slight bend in the neck, a few frets that needed leveling, and even some minor flaws in the fingerboard wood that needed fixing. Not to mention the headstock shape that needed preparing! That's exactly what we did in this video, and we're going to break it down together.

Correct stubborn frets

As you might recall, it was the third fret that was the diva, a little higher than the others. Before bringing out the big guns, I tried to gently push it in with a piece of wood and a hammer. The goal was to avoid marking the fret with a tool that was too hard. The seventh fret got the same treatment. Good news, even if they were a little high, those frets were meant to be leveled anyway!

Concealing the imperfections of the key

There was a little bit missing in the touch, a little hollow. For that, I concocted a homemade mixture: walnut dust with a good drop of wood glueThe mixture may have been a little runny, but with a small spatula, I filled the hollow, overflowing just a little. Once dry, that's when the magic happens! With an exacto blade (or a scraper), scrape off the excess until the surface is super smooth. It's the kind of detail that makes all the difference.

Cutting the head: precision and patience

The headstock is your guitar's signature! I chose to follow the template provided by Leo James, a Fender Stratocaster-style headstock. After marking the oversized shape, I attempted to cut it with a jigsaw. It's quick, but far from the most precise or delicate tool. The result? A somewhat rough cut in the end.

To correct the situation, I set up outside with a good old wood file. Protecting the parts I didn't want to damage, I gradually shaped the head. It's a hardware store file, nothing fancy, but it does the job of carving smoothly and without too much noise.

Once the shape is rough, it is time to refine it! I used 120 grain paper wrapped around another file to create a flat, stable surface. It's starting to take shape, but it's still rough. The mantra here? Sand, sand, sand! This is an essential step, a reality of this type of project.

Precision work on the frets

Once the headstock was to my liking, we moved on to the frets. I had to file fret 3 and fret 7. I started by applying masking tape to protect the wood, then I marked the protruding frets. With a file with softened edges, I delicately filed the high points, going slowly, just with the weight of the tool. The goal is to approach perfection little by little.

When the fret rocker is stable on the frets, it means the fret is level and at the same height as the others. But be careful, the top of the fret now has a flat spot! It needs to be rounded. I went over the top with a marker again, then used a small file to round it off. The goal is to file until there is only a thin red line in the center, as thin as possible, without removing it to maintain our flatness.

For the last frets, I opted for a "fall away" method. This involves gradually leveling the last frets as you go up, to eliminate any possibility of a frieze. I put several layers of masking tape under a fret to tilt the level and file at an angle. Once that was done, another stroke of the file to round them off, until only a thin line remained.

Polishing: the final touch!

From there, we move on to sandpaper. I started with 400 grit wrapped around an eraser. It provides a rigid, but not too firm, surface and a good grip. This is when you start to feel your fingers and hands working! Sanding, sanding, sanding, polishing… it's all part of the process!

Next, we go up in grit: 600, 1000, 1500… The goal is to remove all the file marks from the frets. I finished with a product I showed you in a previous video: a kind of nail polishing sponge for manicures. One side is 2000 grit, the other 8000. It perfectly fits the shape of the frets and is great for polishing the curves. You can see the oxidation and metal dust going away! I also took the opportunity to go over the ends of the frets and the fingerboard.

For the finishing touch, I used metal polish. Some people apply it with a rotary tool, but I've had great results just applying it with a cotton swab, then rubbing it in with an old cotton t-shirt, elbow grease as they say! It cleans off the oxidation and really makes the frets shine. The result is actually quite a bit better than the original!

Finally, we remove the tape, and presto! We are ready for the next steps: finishing and assembly!

The adventure continues!

The kit's minor flaws are now fixed. The next step is finishing, which will involve more preparation and sanding. But I already have a good idea of what I'm going to do with this instrument, and I can't wait to show you the final result!

Please share your experiences building guitar kits with me, or what's holding you back from embarking on this exciting adventure. It's a great way to learn and improve your skills at a lower cost, rather than experimenting on more expensive instruments.

With that, I'm going back to work on this kit. In the meantime, let's play guitar, and we'll see you again very soon in another video!