Hey everyone! If the idea of assembling a guitar kit has ever crossed your mind, you've probably been inundated with videos that promise a super simple experience: you screw a couple of things together, no finishing required, and hey presto, it plays, it's wonderful! But let's face it, life is rarely that simple, especially when you're a bit of a skeptic like me.

That's why I decided to start assembling a Leo James Stratocaster kit and share the real experience with you. The goal wasn't just to have an instrument that makes sound, but a guitar that I would be truly proud of. We've already covered theunboxing, L'problem assessment, THE corrections necessary, and the finishing in the previous videos. Today is the moment of truth: we do thefinal assembly and we deliver it verdict! We'll do that right away.

Step 1: The Heart of the Beast – Assembly

Fixing the handle: a good fit

First step, we assemble the sleeve with the small plate and screws provided. We remember that we had a impeccable fit, which is an excellent basis.

• Pro tip (and anti-bruiser!): To make it easier to insert the screws and avoid breaking the heads, use a bit of soap on the screw threads before inserting them. It slides in by itself, and you have to force it much less.
• Attention! No need to overtighten at this step. Go by hand, just to make sure it's all the way in. Overtightening the neck screws can create a dent in the fretboard on the other side. Nobody wants that!

Cavity insulation: a matter of conductivity

The next step is thecavity insulation with the provided copper tape. I wanted to make sure the tape's glue was conductive, so I applied two overlapping mini strips and then tested for continuity with my multimeter. Verdict: no continuity! The glue is not conductive.

This means that you have to use a method where you ensure good conductivity between each strip of tape (I have a video that explains this in detail if it ever happens to you!). It's a fairly meticulous job, especially in the corners. I use a small tool to press down well without tearing the tape. The idea is to use the longest strips possible, because since the tape on the back of the pickguard is connected to ground, all this cage will be grounded once assembled. It's long, it's tedious, but it's essential to avoid unwanted noise. I even ran out of copper tape and had to end up with aluminum tape for the back of the pickguard. The important thing is the continuity!

Install the keys: perfect alignment

I didn't follow the order of the manual to the letter, it's just us, we know the pieces of a guitar! The installation of the mechanical (keys) is pretty standard: the key underneath, a washer, then a nut on top. I install them all, but without tightening them all the way.

For the align perfectly, I use a ruler. This ensures a straight line before attaching them. A 10mm socket tightened by hand is more than enough for this step.

Step 2: Electronics and Hardware

Connecting electronics: solderless, that's life!

The Leo James kit is great for this: the connections are seamless! There are only two connectors to connect. You just have to make sure to route the tremolo ground wire and the output jack connector through the cavity. All the connections for the volume, tone, and pickup switch pots are already made. All that's left is to attach the pickguard.

The jack plug is easy to plug in, with a nice satisfying 'click', and then secures with two screws.

Tremolo: Hardening the Anchors

Before fixing the tremolo, I noticed that the body wood was rather soft. So I decided to use cyanoacrylate (“super glue”) to impregnate and harden the perforations. Simply apply some and let the wood absorb it. It will harden into the wood and stabilize the tremolo anchors. I did the same thing for the strap attachments!

For the tremolo itself, we install the six screws. Attention : They are not screwed in fully to secure the tremolo in place, but rather to anchor it. There must be a slight amount of play so that it can move. The tremolo anchor system also has a solderless connection for grounding the strings, secured by two screws in the body.

For a Strat with a vintage tremolo and 9-42 strings (sometimes tuned to E-flat), I only use two springs of tremolo. Little anecdote: I realized that I had trapped the grounding cable while installing the springs. The beauty of solderless connectors is that they can be easily undone and remade!

Step 3: The Crucial Adjustment – Nut and String Height

Strings and Nut: The Art of Adjustment

The strings provided are of minimal quality for a test, but perfect for the setup initial. As soon as the strings were laid, I realized that the nut was terribly high. It made the guitar go out of tune when playing at the first few frets. Clearly, something had to be done!

I used a trick to spread the strings without tension, which makes it easy to work on the nut. My first attempt to remove it? A square screwdriver and a hammer... a bit of a brute, I admit! It didn't budge. So I opted for a very thin precision screwdriver to pry and lift the nut. And there it is, neatly, without any chips!

I measured the gap: about 4.3 mm between the bottom of the nut and the notch, while the fret is about 1 mm. That told me about 1 mm to remove. I decided to sand from underneath with sandpaper, because the notches were already well done. It's much easier to remove material flat. I went gradually, testing often, until I got an acceptable height. I also took the opportunity to soften the edges of the nut for more comfort.

The rope guides and the initial setup

Like any self-respecting Stratocaster, with a straight headstock, you need small rope guides to add downward tension to the strings. Without this, you risk having a bit of a "stard" effect on the strings, because they would not press hard enough against the nut.

Then we move on to the initial setup.

• Neck curvature: I was lucky, it was perfect, no adjustments needed!
• String height: Using a 12-inch fretboard radius as a reference, I raised all the strings. I lowered the 6th string to my desired height, then the 1st string to a reasonable height. Then, I adjusted all the other strings (2 through 5) to follow the fretboard curve, using the 6th and 1st as references.

Step 4: The final touches and the verdict

Microphone height and strap attachments

For the microphone height, it's a matter of taste. Too low, the output level is weak. Too high, and the magnets can pull on the strings and prevent them from vibrating freely. I went by trial and error, by ear, to find the happy medium.

THE belt anchors were cured with cyanoacrylate, and I installed straplocks supplied with the kit on a strap. A nice touch!

Intonation: the essential finishing touch

Finally, the intonation adjustment. We compare the note at the 12th fret with the harmonic at the 12th fret. We use the screws on the saddles to adjust the string length so that these two notes are the same, either by ear or with a tuner. This is what allows us to be in tune across the entire neck, even when playing high. (I have a video that explains this in more detail if you're interested!)

I installed the small plate on the back to complete the whole thing. And of course, since we're done assembling, we remove the protective plastic! It's almost ASMR! (I could have done it before installing the strings, it would have been easier, but oh well!)

The final verdict: a solid foundation for learning

So, this series on assembling the Leo James Stratocaster style kit? Interesting? Definitely yes! Simple? Relatively.

In the end, I'm really happy with the result. This guitar compares very well to other instruments I have, like my little Peavey Raptor, in terms of playability and features. Could it benefit from a upgrade In terms of pickups and tuners? Absolutely! Is that necessary to enjoy it? Not at all! It's perfectly playable as is, and I can keep it that way or improve it later.

This affordable kit (the cheapest I found online!) doesn't offer the "miraculous" experience you sometimes see online. Personally, I wouldn't have been happy assembling it as is and playing it. It probably would have been unplayable, especially at the lower frets, because of the nut height.

This is the big lesson: these kits are a excellent basis for learning. They allow you to solve problems, get your hands on adjustments, corrections, fret work, etc. I realized that the "feeling" of a guitar, its playability, depends not only on the shape of the neck, the weight of the body and the balance of the instrument, but also on a a very large part (three quarters, I would say!) comes from the frets and the nut.

Ironically, these are elements that require human time to refine and perfect. Therefore, one should not expect an instrument quickly released from a factory to reach a high level of playability without this human intervention. Either the factory already has humans to make these adjustments, or one must learn to do them oneself. This is all the added value one can obtain from an instrument, and it is also what justifies the cost of higher-end guitars where this human time has been invested.

Feel free to leave me your thoughts on this project in the comments! Have you ever tried to assemble a guitar kit or simply tinker with your instruments? This is just the beginning, because I already have plenty of other projects piling up and I can't wait to show them to you!

While we wait for the next video, we play guitar and tinker with our instruments. I'm going back to work on the next videos, and I'll see you again very soon!