Stew-Mac Strat Kit

[JLT]

I got one of these kits for Christmas. It's the one that was on sale for $100, not the ones that used to be offered there for $500 or so. In quality, it seems to be comparable to other kits in the low price range.

On receiving it, I checked it against the published specs and found that the fingerboard radius was 12" and not 14". And the shape of the peghead "blank" was not quite the same as the one that you can get a print-out for, but the difference isn't great. Otherwise, the kit's wood looked very good, and it doesn't look like the finished fretboard, which comes with frets installed, will need much further work. As is usual with Stew-Mac kits, the instructions seem pretty clear.

I've re-shaped the peghead to my taste and will finish the neck with Tru-Oil. As for the body, I've already described what I have in mind in this thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=10294&p=62341#p62341

I just got some mahogany scrap from Exotic Tonewood (sold in strips for practice bending, which I'll use for that purpose when I build my next two acoustics, both of which employ cutaways). So I'll test the wipe-on poly first on that before I start with the body.

I'll keep y'all posted on the progress of this kit.

[JLT]

I got one of these kits for Christmas. It's the one that was on sale for $100, not the ones that used to be offered there for $500 or so. In quality, it seems to be comparable to other kits in the low price range.

I'll keep y'all posted on the progress of this kit.

Well, I lied. But the reason I haven't posted is because there isn't much to post. I should first note that Stew-Mac has discontinued all the electric kits they used to sell, so the question is now moot. But I did finish the guitar, and can report that I'm very satisfied with how it turned out. I took it to a friend of mine who used to play professionally and has had experience with the Fender Strat and the Fender Squeier, which is a low-end version put out by Fender, as well as some other Strat clones. He played it and found that it played better than most of the clones he's used, and favorably even when compared to the original Strat, as far as he could remember. "Hey, I like this guitar!" he said. That was good enough for me.

[JLT]

Update:

After being strung up for three months or so, the neck had a distinct bend to it, which I corrected with the truss rod. Curiously, I read a book on the development of the Stratocaster and Telecaster and found that neck warp was a real problem on the earliest models, the penalty for a thin neck. Adding a truss rod solved that problem.

Otherwise, I'm happy with what I have. I can't really comment on the quality of the pickups because the only amp I have is a Peavey that I picked up at a thrift store. I realize now that an amp is as critical to the sound of an electric guitar as the bow is to a violin, and should represent at least half the outlay of an instrument. So it's time to go shopping. Any recommendations?