I'm sure its to good to be true, but Stew Mac offering these Les Paul copy kits for super cheap ($199) is tempting. Has any one messed with them at all? Seem like a good deal if the body and neck are decent. If I were to buy one of these, I'd probably upgrade electronics and hardware.

Stew Mac is so fucking weird. You can spend $199 on a complete Les Paul kit or $77 on a wiring kit for a Les Paul (4 pots, jack, switch, 2 caps).

Every time I start an order on their site I end up getting exasperated before checkout and buying the parts elsewhere.

I couldn't tell without downloading the instructions, is it a bolt-on or set neck? I'd be skeptical of a set neck project for that cheap. I've done maybe half a dozen bolt-on builds and I often do the actual bolting on more than once. Whether it's because the neck needed a little shim or just some sanding or realignment or what. Things don't always fit even when using nice, name brand parts and I like having the opportunity to readjust.

All that being said, a friend of mine did a super cheap set neck LP project a couple years ago and was happy with how it turned out.

Take the plunge! I'm sure it would be a fun project.

Tom Wanderer wrote: Fri Oct 08, 2021 10:53 am I couldn't tell without downloading the instructions, is it a bolt-on or set neck? I'd be skeptical of a set neck project for that cheap. I've done maybe half a dozen bolt-on builds and I often do the actual bolting on more than once. Whether it's because the neck needed a little shim or just some sanding or realignment or what. Things don't always fit even when using nice, name brand parts and I like having the opportunity to readjust.

Fortunately that can all be very easily remedied by adding a mere $750 of highly specialized tools to your order!

Tom Wanderer wrote: Fri Oct 08, 2021 10:53 am Stew Mac is so fucking weird. You can spend $199 on a complete Les Paul kit or $77 on a wiring kit for a Les Paul (4 pots, jack, switch, 2 caps).

Every time I start an order on their site I end up getting exasperated before checkout and buying the parts elsewhere.

That's the truth. There was a time when they were the only place I could get even basic stuff. These days, they are still great for key items or tool, but I look elsewhere for most common parts. The tools really are neat if you do the work so often that minutes saved amounts to money saved, but that's not everyone. I do love how most of their things started as custom improvised tools from shop experience. You can find details about this and that tool scattered around books and internet and make your own. Their Youtube channel is pretty great for inspiration too. I love seeing stuff really good craftsmen create in the field.

So I looked at these kits and they look a lot like a BYO kit I bought off Ebay a while back. They are set neck with an offset tenon, similar to an Epiphone. Electronics aren't going to be top-shelf but they will be adequate.

I don't think these are the same kits as I bought (the shape has definitely been modified "just enough" on the StewMac kits, especially in the cutaway), so the fit will probably be different, but I didn't have too much trouble with the kit I assembled. The only problem was that they did not take the 2mm veneer into account when they set the depth of the mortise, so I had a big gap that I ended up filling with the stuff I use for peghead veneers. Some chiseling and fitting will probably still be required. It was a fun project.

It's important to note that StewMac sells several different grades of parts and that's why you can end up with wiring kits that are $70 and guitar kits that are $200. Their wiring kits come in "standard" and "premium" flavors. The $40 "standard" kits use generic (but perfectly adequate) parts and are metric (alpha pots). The $70 "premium" kits use name-brand parts (i.e. Switchcraft) and are SAE (CTS pots). I always like to keep both "standard" and "premium" parts on-hand because some of the guitars in the house are metric and some aren't. Things like switch tips and knobs won't be interchangeable and guitars made to use alpha pots will need to be bored out to accept CTS.

ErickC wrote: Sat Oct 09, 2021 3:50 pm It's important to note that StewMac sells several different grades of parts and that's why you can end up with wiring kits that are $70 and guitar kits that are $200. Their wiring kits come in "standard" and "premium" flavors. The $40 "standard" kits use generic (but perfectly adequate) parts and are metric (alpha pots). The $70 "premium" kits use name-brand parts (i.e. Switchcraft) and are SAE (CTS pots)...

Yeah but therein lies the rub. I just looked at that $43 dollar generic LP wiring kit and calculated shipping just for the hell of it. Shipping is $10 for some reason. So now you're looking at spending $53 and change for 4 generic pots, their cheapest switch, 1/4" jack and 2 caps. That is still way too expensive. That's why I never make it through checkout.

this is assembly, not quite building from scratch, I think tuning up an existing low end axe would be more rewarding . usually the low end stuff is not interchangeable with more costly parts so there is skill required to marry up pickups or a neck pocket. getting frets and nut right and doing a setup is hard enough.
building an acoustic or hollow body is a whole 'nother level

Tom Wanderer wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 10:42 am

ErickC wrote: Sat Oct 09, 2021 3:50 pm It's important to note that StewMac sells several different grades of parts and that's why you can end up with wiring kits that are $70 and guitar kits that are $200. Their wiring kits come in "standard" and "premium" flavors. The $40 "standard" kits use generic (but perfectly adequate) parts and are metric (alpha pots). The $70 "premium" kits use name-brand parts (i.e. Switchcraft) and are SAE (CTS pots)...

Yeah but therein lies the rub. I just looked at that $43 dollar generic LP wiring kit and calculated shipping just for the hell of it. Shipping is $10 for some reason. So now you're looking at spending $53 and change for 4 generic pots, their cheapest switch, 1/4" jack and 2 caps. That is still way too expensive. That's why I never make it through checkout.

Point taken, yeah. I don't really buy kits, I generally just buy orders of parts I commonly blow through once every few years, so it's never bugged me much, but for a project or two it's definitely worth it to try sourcing elsewhere. I commonly order parts from Philadelphia Luthier Supply because they often have things StewMac doesn't and sometimes they're cheaper.

For the next tools on my wish list, I've been thinking of ordering from Crimson. They're cheaper than StewMac and I have gotten so much enjoyment out of watching Ben build guitars on YouTube (it's part of my Saturday morning routine - make breakfast, tune in to Plainly Difficult and Crimson) that I really like the idea of supporting his business in some small way.

Not a guitar kit question, but a continuation of "Stew Mac has what I want, why is it so expensive..."

I'm working on a 70s Fender amp and I may need to replace some of the wiring in the chassis. Stew Mac has this;

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/com ... --50-feet/

Which sounds like the ticket, but, surprise, it's expensive. And I know they'll get me on shipping, too. Is there a quality, lower cost solution that anyone could recommend? Looks like I'll need 18 or 20 gauge. The amp uses stranded core, but solid core sounds like it might be a better choice, if only because it holds it's shape. Trying to research amp building wire online is a steep descent into rabbit holes. The word 'mojo' is being tossed around.

Thanks!

There's no real reason to use cloth wire, unless you're really trying to go for a certain aesthetic.

Solid core is more likely to break in something that gets moved around, like an amp. Stranded is probably a safer choice, but I know a lot of older amps used solid core. Maybe it doesn't matter. The EE part of me says Design for Reliability needs to be taken into consideration.

I would just get the cheapest plastic-jacket stuff at mouser or digikey. You could just buy a variety kit on amazon or something also, if you want different colors, like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Electrical-CBAZY ... 0791BXD6Q/