Ive never seen anyone sand wood like that 😂..i personally dont think its fair to add decal prices or taking the guitar to your tec guy..that seems like ALOT..they sale guitars for the price you paid your guy...but great job!...good vid
This is along the lines of what I was going say. Good on ya dad, you two make a great team. I'm preparing for my first build and my kids will be involved. Also planning the first to be for my youngest daughter, so I'm watching intently and sure do appreciate you sharing this. And sorry to the commenter, just thought I'd tag on to your thoughts. Thanks!
Found this video after ordering my own tele kit. I’d say this was worth it just for all the quality time sharing an interest with a family member. The amazing guitar is icing on the cake
Have fun building yours! Here's me taking the Lassocaster for its first ride: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C24mMSAV7wM.html Yee-haw!
That can be true, Brandt. It's all a balance, and whether you value the experience of building and finishing a guitar. This kit was only $200, and after all costs, the total was under $500. And I will say (and my daughter agrees with me), the experience of doing it together was priceless. I have a special affinity for this "Lassocaster" that feels different than ANY other guitar in our collection, regardless of price!
My son gave me the same kit with a maple neck as a gift. Haven't started it yet, but after watching this, I'm ready to go. I have several guitars but have always wanted to make one. Time to get started. Thanks for the great video and honest comments.
Hmmmm....upgrade the pickups....switch and bridge and it will sound better than anything you buy in the store....use copper foil in the cavities....and put my name on the headstock....
Making it a string through would be a pretty easy affair. See if your luthier could do that. It'd improve the tone and intonation. The guitar is a pretty good looking guitar.
I’ve been thinking about building a guitar since I retired last September. After seeing your video, I think I might go ahead and dive in! Thanks for the inspiration
Go for it, Walter! the investment in a StewMac kit is quite small, and if you budget for a pro setup by a luthier, you're almost certain to like the final result.
So true, Moshe! I treasure any projects I do with my kids. I also treasure conversations where we get to hear each other’s opinions and learn intergenerationally!
You can hear it in the video that followed this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C24mMSAV7wM.htmlsi=eQjNTaIx5ybMdScD Tell me what you think!
Thanks, Kellan. Indeed they did. I caught them at the tail-end of their business life, and I assume that's why the poor communication and having to fight to get my money back.
I got one from Leo Jamzyes on Amazon. Tele dual humbucker kit with a Strat style temelo. $109. The only thing I upgraded was the pick ups to a set of Wide Range clones from Guitar Madness on Ebay, $38 for the pair. I did the finish, cut the headstock. I was really impressed with the quality. Once assembled, it quickly became my favorite guitar. It sound fantastic, plays great, stays in tune, even with the trem system. I own 11 other brand name guitars, and this one is as good, if not better then the rest of them. I didn't expect much for $109 as far as tuners and the trem system and it's stability but have been blown away. The project itself was really fun to do as well.
I've been a stew Mac customer for a long time. Been wanting to know about these. Could also pony up more money for the Wilkinson kit. Good to know the pickups sound decent on this one.
The kit we bought was such a bargain…and I’m very pleased with how playable the guitar turned out. I’d be curious to know exactly what items are upgraded in the Wilkinson kit.
@@RobertCassard Trev Wilkinson has a RU-vid video where he goes through the whole process. .I'm pretty sure his pickups are alnico and accurate to Leo fenders specs
@@kirbonite I found that video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AcM54PJIIag.htmlsi=0r7cuwHiwoaD_hrs That's enough to convince me that his kit is likely worth the extra cash...
Fair enough, Mike. I’m sorry they’re not an “equal opportunity kit maker.” In lots of cases, decisions like that are purely economic, and StewMac is a relatively small company. I hope you find a great lefty kit!
Kudos to AC!! Very original and well done. I’m in the process of building a partscaster. I’ll have 500$ in it at least. I had purchased Fender custom shop 62’ tele pickups and then decided to do A Baja 60’s type build so ordered the 4way & S1 switch. I put the control plate together with CTS 250k pots 4way & S1 and dropped in my really cheap monoprice Tele my nephew bought me. I put the controls & pickups in so he could do a tone check and loved them. He had just bought a Squier 40th Anniversary Tele on Mocha and he said he’d like the pu’s and 4way switch in his Squier. So I did that the other day and sounds much better. I reordered the switch on Amazon and the pickups on eBay. Got the switch but pu’s are MIA. I think you’d like the 4way switch mod the S1 not so much. The 4 way gives you both pickups in series and boost the volume and tone. Job WELL DONE!!!
Thanks for the kudos. I’ll pass ‘em along to Avalon. Sounds like you’re doing so some cool DIY projects. Come back and tell me how they turn out, or better yet, make some videos!
If you’re into pedals next time the StewMac Ghost drive goes on sale build that pedal kit. Awesome Klon clone. I bought the fuzz pedal when it was on sale for Father’s Day and put in transistor sockets to try different NPN transistors, external trim pots and a digital voltage display to see how the controls ( mostly bias) control the collector voltage on Q2. However the smooth trim pot and tone pot also affect the collector voltage. That surprised me! StewMac has good products in my opinion
Great job👍😀 good choice using StuMac too, I love the way you took full advantage of the opportunity to customise-brilliant! It upsets me a little when I’m asked how much similar guitars I’ve made might be worth ... it really misses the point, for example a weekend introduction to luthiary course would not be cheap and you’ve completed one by taking this on, to say nothing of the chance to do a project with your Dad...priceless bonus! Well done Avalon and congratulations, whether you realise or not you have now learned so much about how guitars work/are made that for the rest of your life you will be able to recognise,assess and appreciate any guitar ( or other handmade thing) - again priceless, well done 👍🎸😀🇬🇧
Thanks so much, John! Interesting perspective as someone who’s hand-made some beautiful 🎸 guitars. I hadn’t thought much about the educational value of this process. But just yesterday, I was a on a prominent local guitar repair shop’s site. I saw they offer Guitar Setup classes for $300. When I was young, our family owned a cottage and I helped my Dad with countless DIY projects. Everything from digging post holes and building a split-rail fence, to paneling rooms with old barn wood 🪵, to building and wiring a garage. I also spent a Summer doing exterior and interior painting at the office building my father owned. I learned from the old guard how to prep, paint and clean up the right way. Those experiences were so foundational to me, and as you say, priceless. These days, what parents neglect in the way of experiential education for their kids, RU-vid often provides. My children have seen me tackle hundreds of odd jobs, so it’s normal to DIY around here. I love seeing them do the same, with or without my help. But doing these projects together? Unforgettable. And in the case of the Lassocaster, Avalon gets to keep a magical souvenir along with the knowledge gained!
Totally agree! And thank you for the kind words ❤ As someone who’s never been afraid of the “I could do that myself” mentality, it’s allowed me to dip my toes into tons of cool and fun activities and get a great education along the way - the creation of this guitar included. It was really fun and informative to learn how to grain fill wood, apply custom decals, solder together all the components, and more. And now I’ll have a momento forever!
@@RobertCassard I have not finished the Harley, but the StewMac LP is hands down a quality kit. I subbed new strings and pots , but everything else was 100% quality. I also subbed a three point jack, and wanted to use Seymour Duncan’s but the stock humbuckers were too good to replace. @darrellbraunguitar has the upgrade hardware. Oh, and a tusk nut.
Thanks, Jack! It was an awesome building experience (especially with the support and help of my dad ❤️) and a really cool chance to create something fun and unique that also has playable value.
@@RobertCassard I have recently done two frett levels for my self taking my time and they turned out very well , you guys have inspired me to build a guitar
Stewmac is the best. I've been buying parts and tools from them for decades and they have always been fantastic. Be sure to watch their RU-vid videos on repairing guitars. They literally have the best luthiers in the business and their videos are amazing.
It looks great. You did a good job taping everything. I’ve wanted to build my own for a long time, but I don’t have the knowledge to do it. Thanks for sharing with us!
As you can see from watching Avalon's process, you can do it Michael! The kits make it surprisingly easy, and if you plan on taking the finished guitar to a luthier, then it's a low-pressure process.
Howdy from Texas, I bought a kit a month ago and I got it off Amazon . It was $89.99 bucks plus tax under 100 dollars total. I sanded and stained it with Tru-Oil because I had it laying around . and I had blue spray-paint for my car . so I didn't spend a penny extra . I plan on making my own water decals off my printer.. I took a week in a half because I only worked on it a tiny bit each day I set up my own guitars as I play them and see what they need. so I am very happy with the little kit. it was fun. nice thing about doing one yourself is as you want to make it better you can always tear it down and start over . sanding and sanding . again :)
Awesome…what a price! I’d love to hear your new guitar in action. Putting a kit together demystifies the whole building process, even if it does give you a big head start!
Good day. I think it's worth doing. The guitar is very cool, in my humble opinion. It is also very inspiring watching the process. It's a custom Tele. Well done.
I like the way you put that, Lavender Jr. It IS a custom Tele! Glad you got inspired by watching the process. My final thought is that building guitars is a fun pastime, and you get a result that’s even MORE fun. Cheers!
Thanks! We had a lot of fun with the process, and such a gratifying outcome… ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C24mMSAV7wM.htmlsi=phiVk8LexWcQ1b0K
Thanks for the positive feedback and the suggestion, Chad. I'll pass your comments along to Avy. She's very meticulous about her "arts and crafts" projects!
Yeah I really enjoyed seeing Dad and Daughter working together on this. I think most ladies wouldn’t want to mess with a guitar kit. She’s a good Daughter. You can just tell. Nice job guys ❤️
