Decent electric kits?

[Ronald_Handmade]

Hi all,

I got all excited about instrument building a few years ago (actually something like a decade or more) and joined up here, but never followed through because I felt more than a little intimidated and didn't know where to start.

I am once again getting interested and have been watching a ton of content around guitar making on good old YouTube and have decided that I want to build myself a custom Telecaster from a very well aged slab of Tassie Blackwood I have. (semi-hollow for weight saving, tassie oak neck, native olive fretboard, chrome hardware, a little carving on the body, a different figured timber for the cap perhaps...)

Now - I have been giving this a lot of thought, and I'm thinking that rather than jump straight in to scratch building, I want to start with a kit build to familiarise myself with the ideas in a hands-on way. My question is, can anyone recommend any reasonable quality Telecaster kits that aren't going to cost an arm and a leg? I want to have something that I can experiment with - play around with different pickups or wiring, finishes, practice setting up and experimenting with changes, etc etc - without messing with the custom that I want to make.

Can anyone suggest any kits that may be suitable? Preferably from an Australian seller as international freight is a bit terrible at the moment, but if there is anything that would be particularly suitable/good value from overseas I'm happy to consider that too...

[seeaxe]

My first Tele was a kit of electronics. I found a plan and made the wooden bits myself. Turned out ok to my untrained ear.

Knowing what i do now, if i wanted to build a kitset Tele i would pick a stewmac kit
https://www.stewmac.com/kits-and-projec ... uitar-kit/

Their shipping is second to none, literally days from Ohio to your door via Fedex so none of the USPS nonsense. Join the club if you havent already and shipping is pretty much free from then on. (Of course its not free but it feels like that. Genius marketing from SM)

Ive built a couple of their acoustic kits and the quality of the materials is very good.

The T style kits seem very cheap to me. You can spend much more than that on your pickups alone.

Good luck...and please post piccies. Not enough build pics on here atm. We need fresh meat!!!
Cheers

[kiwigeo]

Their shipping is second to none, literally days from Ohio to your door via Fedex so none of the USPS nonsense. Join the club if you havent already and shipping is pretty much free from then on. (Of course its not free but it feels like that. Genius marketing from SM)

Once you've done a few small orders where cost of freight would normally be significant proportion of total cost it pays for itself. The shipping time is lightning fast and the service from Stewmac cant be faulted.

[kiwigeo]

Not enough build pics on here atm. We need fresh meat!!!
Cheers

LOL..gimme a couple of weeks and I'll have pics of a couple of builds ready to post.

[Ronald_Handmade]

Had anyone tried the Pitbull kits? They look decent and the price is very good for a rough project...