marcelduplessis Hi there I was wondering if anyone has purchased a custom guitar kit from Blackbeards Den? http://www.blackbeardsden.co.za/ Have a look and let me know what you think, or if you have one, how they sound and play.
Neil-Nitro Hey man. I have actually bought a few. The cavity work on the bodies are great, necks fit nice and snug. I have had no problems with the electronics except for the pickups not being very great. Basswood is soft though so its really easy to dent when its unfinished.
Johnny-B marcelduplessis wrote Hi there I was wondering if anyone has purchased a custom guitar kit from Blackbeards Den? http://www.blackbeardsden.co.za/ Have a look and let me know what you think, or if you have one, how they sound and play. I have made two - a Telcaster and an ES335. I was surprised at the quality for the price. I had each one set up by Andy McGibbon so they play very well. Here are some pics of the Tele.http://www.guitarforum.co.za/index.php?topic=21597.msg238635#msg238635
Fumblefingers Hi. I have just bought an ES 335 from Blackbeards Den, and generally it seems to be well made. It does require some work beyond glueing and painting though. The neck appears to be good and straight, but the frets have not been pressed in all the way, and the ends are pretty rough and unfinished. None of this bothers me at all, as I bought the kit so that I could learn about guitar assembly and set up. Ultimately I would like to scratch build a guitar, and this seems like a good place to start learning. The neck is a little loose in the pocket and will require a very thin side shim, but the angle appears to be spot on as the strings land up at the correct height over the bridge when I clamp the neck in place. I am taking pics as I go, and will post them when I have finished IF I don't make a complete hash of it! There were a few bits of hardware missing when the kit arrived, but Dean attended to that efficiently and politely. A choice of hardware would have been good, as the gold that is supplied is not really to my taste, and on reflection I think I will fit a (Terry D) stop tailpiece rather than the trapeze that is supplied. It's a beautiful looking guitar, and I am looking forward to finishing it.
Lu22 I am so tempted to buy the Explorer kit and mod the hell out of it. Some sharper, pointier edges. Candy paint job. Sound like a ton of fun.
Jayhell I am assembling the telecaster now. I already screwed up the finish on the body and I am sanding it down again and going in a different direction. My neck looks freaking stunning though and I'm waiting for the Tru-Oil to cure before I do the final buff and polish on it. It all seems really good quality, I'm just nervous of how the pickups will sound when I'm done. We should actually start a thread; My Guitar Kit. we can all see what everyone came up with. Discuss the pitfalls etc. I'll post mine when I'm done and proud, but for now it's still a work in progress. In the end it is what you make of it. Slap it together and you got a crap guitar, spend the time and it will be something magnificent.
Neil-Nitro That's a pretty good idea. I think the most pitfalls are when finishing it though. Especially if its the first one you're building and you just wanna play the damn thing! Patience is definitely needed.
