Building BYOGuitar's Custom Shop 59 Kit.

[likea45]

That tops looking sweet.

[al112987]

definitely going to try to build one of these this summer once the semester ends

[silverkw]

You know what. Now that the top has color. I think I might need to do a bit more carving on the top.

The re-curve along the edge just does not show that well...

I think the one precision is offering is better at that:

[cooljuk]

Which part of the carve is the "re-curve" part? I've always wondered that.

Also - is it weird that the pocket is radiused on the body in that photo above?

[silverkw]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

Which part of the carve is the "re-curve" part? I've always wondered that.

Also - is it weird that the pocket is radiused on the body in that photo above?

It's the almost flat part around the edge, like the picture below.

The joint style in the pic above is precision guitar specific , there must be something good about it.

[BYOGuitar]

We will be making some changes to the '59 soon. We just got a digitized top contour from an actual '59 (with the re-curve). The shape we currently have is based on the StewMac plans. We are going to change the neck tenon to match the original and hopefully do the rear electronics cavity like the originals.

Hopefully we'll get a prototype cut this week. I'll post some picture when its done.

[al112987]

Do the tailpiece and control knobs match up like the originals do on these bodies (assuming one orders the body with the bridge and tailpiece pre-drilled)?

I really want to build one of these this summer if finances allow since I simply don't have the time, tools or skill to do a scratch build...

[silverkw]

Originally Posted by BYOGuitar

We will be making some changes to the '59 soon. We just got a digitized top contour from an actual '59 (with the re-curve). The shape we currently have is based on the StewMac plans. We are going to change the neck tenon to match the original and hopefully do the rear electronics cavity like the originals.

Hopefully we'll get a prototype cut this week. I'll post some picture when its done.

That's great news, vintage spec at a reasonable price.

[BYOGuitar]

Originally Posted by al112987

Do the tailpiece and control knobs match up like the originals do on these bodies (assuming one orders the body with the bridge and tailpiece pre-drilled)?

I really want to build one of these this summer if finances allow since I simply don't have the time, tools or skill to do a scratch build...

The control knobs are positioned like the original. The bridge holes are drilled to your specs. Some people like the small ABR posts. Others the larger modern posts. And some, not bridge holes drilled at all. Just let us know what bridge you want to use and will make sure it fits.

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by BYOGuitar

The control knobs are positioned like the original. The bridge holes are drilled to your specs. Some people like the small ABR posts. Others the larger modern posts. And some, not bridge holes drilled at all. Just let us know what bridge you want to use and will make sure it fits.

I think he means the tailpiece stud holes in relation to the control knob holes, not the bridge.

Thanks for making the effort to improve your design in vintage accuracy. I appreciate things like that, as do many here.

[al112987]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

I think he means the tailpiece stud holes in relation to the control knob holes, not the bridge.

Thanks for making the effort to improve your design in vintage accuracy. I appreciate things like that, as do many here.

Yeah, that's what I meant, very few kits seem to get this right as I've seen. And seconded on the appreciation for BYOG. Doing a ton to satisfy the nit pickiest of people.

Also, (and sorry to hijack the thread), how hard is building one of these for the complete novice? I have absolutely zero experience with this kind of hting outside of partscaster-ing, but I have a summer vacation coming up and want to take advantage of having some free time (well, outside of the 50 hour a week job).

[Cpt_Gonzo]

Originally Posted by al112987

Yeah, that's what I meant, very few kits seem to get this right as I've seen. And seconded on the appreciation for BYOG. Doing a ton to satisfy the nit pickiest of people.

Also, (and sorry to hijack the thread), how hard is building one of these for the complete novice? I have absolutely zero experience with this kind of hting outside of partscaster-ing, but I have a summer vacation coming up and want to take advantage of having some free time (well, outside of the 50 hour a week job).

Not that hard. Had no experience prior to building my first kit and it turned out well. Of course it depends on your basic woodworking skill, but you will learn a lot with every mistake you make. And pretty much everything can be fixed, look at what BCRGreg does.

[likea45]

They are also making some improvements to the SG kits. I'm excited to see the end result of this as well. I'm a finisher of moderate skill and mine turned out great. Patience and more patience.

[the passenger]

This kit looks pretty good. One-piece honduras mahogany back with a flawless flame maple top. One-piece neck as well.
Is this the standard top for the custom 59 body or you paid extra for more flames?
The fretboard also looks much better than the cheap looking Bulldog boards. Quality inlays as I can see. Does the neck have a 17-degree headstock angle?

[Bob1]

The neck is one piece, does that mean it does not have the correct 'ears' on the headstock?

[silverkw]

Originally Posted by Bob1

The neck is one piece, does that mean it does not have the correct 'ears' on the headstock?

No ears on mine. One piece.

Originally Posted by the passenger

This kit looks pretty good. One-piece honduras mahogany back with a flawless flame maple top. One-piece neck as well.
Is this the standard top for the custom 59 body or you paid extra for more flames?
The fretboard also looks much better than the cheap looking Bulldog boards. Quality inlays as I can see. Does the neck have a 17-degree headstock angle?

Neck angle I didn't measure, but it's pretty close to my r7.

I did pay 100 extra for this mild flame top. The back is chambered for less weight. I think without chamber it's gonna be around 9.5 pounds, which I think is a bit heavy for my build.

[silverkw]

Couple of more, the progress has been a bit slow lately. The weather is too nice to stay in...

Scraping binding is a lot of fine work...

Also scraped the edge of the holy headstock veneer. I think it would look really sharp once finished.

[al112987]

Definitely see what you mean about the top carve, it is not particularly pronounced without the recurve.

Still, this is coming along great though. Question, did you add any more color to the back after grain filling? The back looks black here compared to the dark brown that the grain filler was.

[silverkw]

Sprayed dark brown on the back

[silverkw]

Sprayed clear coats on the guitar and gotta wait for 10 days before wet sanding.

Oiled the fretboard, it looks darker in person.

Beautiful.

[likea45]

Yeah my board darkened up very nicely after an oiling. I think they do great fretwork on these to be honest...

[silverkw]

Yeah the fret work is pretty good, I think mine only need mine fret polish to be perfect.

[al112987]

About what level of quality do you expect from the finished product. Would it be closer to a Historic, or say, a standard? I have a chance to buy an R8 that I'm really digging, but can't really afford without major cuts to my budgeting, or try my hand at building this.

[silverkw]

Shawn at byo guitar told me that they are adjusting the tooling to make the kit more vintage spec. It should be closer to historic after. Email them and find out a time frame.

I am happy with the quality of it.

Then again, whether it becomes a guitar better than an r8 would depend on the person who put it together.

I did the kit because it's fun, not to save money.

[silverkw]

Some more updates.

I pretty much finished up the guitar. I did some wet sanding and polishing over the weekend, and got the parts installed.

The guitar plays nicely and rings even nicer, I'd say more vibrant than my R7. Plus it looks really sharp, even with the mild top carve.

I am very happy with how the guitar turned out. I will play it for a few days, and do a fret polishing next weekend and bring it to optimum playing condition. Only 1 fret is slightly lower at upper register, plus i will bevel the edges a bit more.

I'd build another one of these if I had the chance...

Here are some pictures. Current parts list:
- Gibson CS tuners
- Gibson CS output jack plate
- Gibson CS truss rod cover
- Gibson CS bell knobs (might change to amber speed knobs)
- Gibson Burstbuckers #1 and #2. The only BB set I kept because they sounded the best out of the 4 or so sets I had
- No name vintage Japanese pickup covers, these look great. I might take them off though to give it more characters with the double black BB's.
- Gil Yaron M-69 rings
- Mojoaxe pickguard, slightly modified
- TonePros wraptail locking bridge/TP
- Switchcraft jack & toggle switch
- CTS pots (need to be upgraded as I don't like the tapers)
- Orange Drop caps (sound great so I am not sure if I will update these)
- Graphtech nut
- Schaller strap locks
- Stewmac poker chip

[al112987]

Incredible. Glad it compares so favorably to your r7.

[silverkw]

Originally Posted by al112987

Incredible. Glad it compares so favorably to your r7.

I think the stop tail bridge does make a difference, and it being chambered instead of solid mahogany back. And of course, different pickups (R7 has a Duncan Ants set)

R7 does sound "woodier" on lower strings, I think because of the solid body. But the kit guitar just rings at higher register, and the PU's has a scooped mid, made it sound more "hollow" in the mid and more "biting" on the treble notes.

[al112987]

Did you double stain the top by any chance? And also, what color did you use, vintage amber?

[silverkw]

I will get some sun shots in a few days.

[silverkw]

Originally Posted by al112987

Did you double stain the top by any chance? And also, what color did you use, vintage amber?

No double stain, just a few (I think maybe 3) amber coats over sealer coats.

You can see that the amber is a bit lighter than my R7, also because R7 had more top coats as well.