indieinked Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I'm thinking about getting one of those SAGA kits to build my second guitar... since I have no experience in building whatsoever. The guitar I have is still the first one I've had, a cheap phony strat... and I havent gotten a new guitar even though my playing is more intermediate now than beginner... So, should I just try to modify my current guitar (it IS quite heavy though, probably because of the body) or buy one of those kits?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Irizarry Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Perform a search on saga and you should come up with several threads related to these kits. (In case you haven't noticed it, the search link is at the upper right of the page). Here's one where a poster indicated that the hardware was less than ideal: Saga Thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indieinked Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Perform a search on saga and you should come up with several threads related to these kits. (In case you haven't noticed it, the search link is at the upper right of the page). Here's one where a poster indicated that the hardware was less than ideal: Saga Thread I'd most likely end up replacing most of the hardware anyway... If I had the money I would be attempting to build my own custom guitar... but I have no idea how much that roughly costs for the wood and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Irizarry Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I'd most likely end up replacing most of the hardware anyway... If I had the money I would be attempting to build my own custom guitar... but I have no idea how much that roughly costs for the wood and everything. I understand. I'm new to this game as well and if you don't already have the tools, building gets expensive very quickly - at least in terms of up front costs. That's part of my ramp up right now as well. As far as body blanks, there are many vendors out there. I was very happy with my purchase from Mammoth Guitars. The blank looks great, the price was excellent and I was very impressed with their level of service - very attentive and responsive. They are also an Allparts dealer and participate on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indieinked Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I understand. I'm new to this game as well and if you don't already have the tools, building gets expensive very quickly - at least in terms of up front costs. That's part of my ramp up right now as well. As far as body blanks, there are many vendors out there. I was very happy with my purchase from Mammoth Guitars. The blank looks great, the price was excellent and I was very impressed with their level of service - very attentive and responsive. They are also an Allparts dealer and participate on this forum. That does seem a lot easier than joining peices yourself The only problem I have with my guitar now is the weight. It gets very tiring to hold while playing for a while, I think the body's solid....plastic If I could somehow pick up a tele or something with a thinner body I'd be good to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I've bought a PRS and a Tele saga kit before. The hardware on the PRS was fine. Stays in tune, pickups sound good, and everything else is great. (pickups were potted by the person I bought it off for no extra charge) The tuners on the tele were cheap and needed replacing and the bridge isn't string-through like a real tele. Otherwise fine though. Sounds good. The fretwork on the PRS was great. On the tele it was worse. They seem to vary a lot from kit to kit. I really liked the guitar I got from the PRS one, and the tele wasnt bad either, but I've read some very damning reports from other people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Like Ben said, the kits seem to vary quite a bit. I bought a saga kit a few weeks ago (LP style) so I can talk from experience. You said that you are most likely going to replace the hardware, so that solves the problem of cheap tuners, etc. (although mine aren't actually that bad). My only complaint is that the electronics didn't work with mine and I'm still trying to get it to work. Some people say that the pickups are low quality, but for the price you can't expect perfection. Overall though I am happy with my kit and especially like being able to modify/paint it myself. If you do decide to get one, get it from Universal Jems. They check to make sure it has all the parts and everything is ok before they ship it to you. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indieinked Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Thats why I'm not so sure about getting a kit. I want to get something better, not worse than what I have now. I mean, I'm used to the frets on my guitar now... there doesnt seem to be a problem with them. The most I'd have to do to modify mine is replace the pickups. Unless I wanted a wood body...which I'm not so sure is possible... It has a bolt on neck... so changing the body may be another option? As I said, it's too heavy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Thats why I'm not so sure about getting a kit. I want to get something better, not worse than what I have now. I mean, I'm used to the frets on my guitar now... there doesnt seem to be a problem with them. The most I'd have to do to modify mine is replace the pickups. Unless I wanted a wood body...which I'm not so sure is possible... It has a bolt on neck... so changing the body may be another option? As I said, it's too heavy Changing the body is definitely an option and could be a great way to introduce yourself to guitar making. Are you sure the body isnt already wood? My mum thought for ages that my guitar was plastic, just because there was no wood on show under the thick black poly lacquer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indieinked Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 Changing the body is definitely an option and could be a great way to introduce yourself to guitar making. Are you sure the body isnt already wood? My mum thought for ages that my guitar was plastic, just because there was no wood on show under the thick black poly lacquer. I just looked it up, and it is indeed wood. But it doesnt say what kind of wood. Just 'hardwood'. Possibly the wood it's made of is just heavier than others? Because I have picked up other guitars that were much lighter than mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inisheer Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 What guitar is it? Maybe we can help you find out what wood it's made of. And I agree that making a new body would be a fun project. You could use alder or basswood, that would make it a lot lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indieinked Posted July 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 What guitar is it? Maybe we can help you find out what wood it's made of. And I agree that making a new body would be a fun project. You could use alder or basswood, that would make it a lot lighter. It's a "Baja" beginner guitar that I've had for two years now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwhiteandthemaple Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 I would guess basswood for anything that says "hardwood" and are at the low ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badsnap Posted July 21, 2006 Report Share Posted July 21, 2006 There are many vendors that sell bodies at a resonable price (Warmoth, Stew Mac etc) that are of very good quality. You could purchase one and customize your finish and electronics (good quality second hand pick ups are abound) and indoctrinate yourself into this addicting world. I would be willing to wager that most of us on this site started off that way...Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwhiteandthemaple Posted July 22, 2006 Report Share Posted July 22, 2006 Oh yea I forgot to mention.. I have a Saga Strat style. I first custom painted so that there was a face of this girl in the front I really hated the feel of the guitar and the playability So recently I took it all apart. I profiled the neck to a cross between C and a D, (I like it this way) And I hollowed (semi hollow) out the basswood body, it has about 10 little chambers in total with a gigantic one right in the bass side for the "f" hole I then capped it with maple and now it's waiting for the final sand down, control cavitiy route, and finish, which will be natural in the front, and solid brown in the back and sides. And got 'em the 'buckers, whole new hardware (the bridge, tuners, electronics, etc) I think I spent about an additional $100CAD on this project. I bought it for $70 last August so, it ain't too bad. The wood is salvagable, certainly not my pick, but yea, salvagable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotgoalie11565 Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 I did one over the winter as my first build. The body is OK as long as you plan on doing solid colors. I'm quickly becoming disenchanted with the neck; I'm just not overly thrilled with the neck contour. My thought is to go with more of a v contour rather than the contour it currently has. I'm toying with the idea of doing one from scratch. My limited experience would concur with what others have said. The hardware is craptacular at best. I had a couple of the tuners fall apart on me. But that was OK because my original plan was to replace them with kluson-style tuners anyway. I also replaced the pickguard, knobs and p/u covers. As long as you're not looking for a custom shop level guitar you'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cknowles Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 I've been playing acoustic for 33 years and in the words of Neil Young "When I grow up I'm going to get me an electric guitar". So I guess I've grown up (Maybe not) At any rate I had a choice between an el-cheepo or a kit. The kit sounded like more fun, plus maybe I'd learn something along the way. I picked up a Saga Les Paul copy from Universal Gems. I spent 2 days trying to soak the sealer off the body with no effect. SO I graduated to sanding which took about 6 hours. At least the epoxy (1/8" thick in some places) is now off the body, and the maple veneer actually does have some figure. The front will be natural. I've applied an ebony stain to the bass wood since it's grain was way too wild for anything but basic black. Dark walnut on the mahogany back makes a nice contrast. So far I'm pleased with how this kit is coming along, I did give in to the temptation of putting it all together and giving it a basic set up before starting the finish on it. I was at least pleased that the electronics worked and gave a somewhat pleasing tone... I know most on this forum are building custom guitars, and kits are not in the same league, but I figured I have to start somewhere. At the very least it's akin to modifying/customizing an original guitar. I've taken some pictures and may post as I progress through the build. I must say, I am having a lot of fun with it which is the whole point really. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.