WIZARD OF AUS
I live in Queensland, Australia, and thought I’d tell you about the guitar kit I bought from Hillsound and put together just after last Christmas. I was looking for a Les Paul-style guitar but came across this semi kit and fancied the look of it. It cost the princely sum of $129, but I spent nearly as much on finishing materials as on the kit itself! I filed the fret ends a bit smoother – I had to file out the openings on the tailstop as the holes for the posts were too far apart and one of the pots was faulty. However, a phone call to the suppliers resulted in them sending me a replacement.
I am very pleased with the resulting instrument, which sounds good, except for a slight buzz. The instructions told me to fix the earth wire to the bridge but there was no way to do that without the wire coming out onto the face of the guitar – but, at the low volume I play at home, the buzz is okay. I would like to sort it out, though!
I really enjoy your magazine, keep it up.
(PS: A scratchguard was supplied with the kit but I think it looks better without.)
Richard Hawes, via email
Thanks for sending in the pics of your wonderful kit-build all the way from Aus, Richard – it looks like a real no-messing tone machine and we hope it’s given you lots of pleasure already. The nice thing about building your own guitar, either from scratch or from a kit, is that not only do you get the enjoyment of a new instrument but also the extra interest and satisfaction of undertaking the build. The earthing issues you’ve encountered sound like a good topic to explore in a future Mod Squad, too. In the meantime, we wish you every joy of your hollow (bodied) victory in the homebuilding game.