Solo TCK-1SM DIY Electric Guitar Kit With Spalted Maple Top

(16 customer reviews)

$ CAD 229.99

Build Challenge Level. Learn more.

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SKU: TCK-1SM Category: Electric Guitar Kits Brand:
Frequently Bought Together
Solo Pro Black Conductive Shielding Paint
Container Size

In stock

from $ CAD 16.99
$ CAD 109.99
$ CAD 22.99

Description

This DIY guitar kit has everything you need for building your own TC Style Electric Guitar. You will only need some basic tools and finishing supplies. This kit includes all parts and step-by-step instructions to build a complete, playable custom guitar.  All challenging wood cutting, drilling and shaping has already been professionally done, as well as fret leveling and dressing.

Recommended tools: Solo Guitar Assembly Kit Bolt-on Neck

Kit includes:

  • Basswood body with spalted maple top
  • Unfinished maple neck with Rosewood fingerboard
  • Hex threaded peghead bushings with washers
  • String Retainers
  • Tuning Machines
  • Strings
  • Strap Buttons
  • Pickguard Assembly
  • Bridge Assembly
  • Neck Plate
  • Control Plate Assembly
  • Full size potentiometers
  • Jack plate (2 mounting screws included)
  • Cord
  • Hex wrench for truss-rod adjustment
  • Allen Key for saddle height
  • All mounting screws are included

PLEASE NOTE:  Spalted Maple Tops are all unique… consider them like a fingerprint… No two are the same… Design may vary from photo.

IMPORTANT (in addition to our standard return policy): due to their nature kits can be returned only in virtually untouched condition and in original package.

Additional information

DIY Kit Information
Finish

Style

Body Information
Pickguard

Thickness

Body Material

Binding

Neck Information
Fretboard

Construction

Frets

Inlays

Scale Length

Thick Nut

Width Nut

Hardware and Electronics
Hardware Color

Selector Type

Bridge

Controls

Electronics

Pickups

Tuners

Additional Information
Weight

11 lbs

16 reviews for Solo TCK-1SM DIY Electric Guitar Kit With Spalted Maple Top

  1. ron jowett (verified owner)

    This was my first guitar project.
    Guitar came and i did a partial prebuild.
    Body and neck was perfect and the neck fit was dead on.
    Customer service is great,I emailed,i think Matt over and over.
    He emailed with help right away.
    Great kit !!

  2. Rob (verified owner)

    First kit from Solo. Delivered to Canada very quickly. In good condition however still had a lot of glue remaining on the front center seam where the maple was glued together. I sanded my brains out from 400 grit to 600 to 1000 and still have not been able to remove the glue. Really shows when you then stain the wood and the spots stand out even more. Other than that neck fits well tuners don’t seem so bad as other’s have noted. Just oiling it up with Crimson guitar finishing oil (magic stuff) and ready to do the final assembly. Just need a little more QC when gluing. Won’t stop me from trying an LP kit once done this one. Thanks Solo!

  3. David F Calello (verified owner)

    First of all, I’m a drummer! If I can do this with my roughed up hands, you can too! A kit that comes with instructions for everything from finishing to electrical is impossible to find. Solo products are well made and not plain easy to do, but the instructions will do that for you. There’s no guess work here and if there’s a question, these folks help you. I have wood working skills that helped me, but the tuning was harder for me cause I’m not a guitar tech. If you are a tech…. buy this kit and you won’t be sorry. Setting up the strings and intonation would not have happened if Matt didn’t get me through it. The fine adjustments should be done with some expertise cause it makes the axe complete! I’ve done 3 guitars including the double neck. They all sounded bad until Matt gave me the info on some of the mistakes I made, and now I tuned a double neck 12 string and It sounds great! Don’t be afraid, get one and try it. You’ve got nothing to lose cause they WILL help you. Anybody who’s done the other generic kits that fly around like a bird(nudge, nudge know what I mean) land yourself in Canada with Solo guitars. I did and I’m doing it again as soon as I get some cash! Best kits out there……don’t believe a drummer? Buy one and you’ll agree. Visit Facebook for them and see what folks do. The two axes I made are there and the third is coming, then I will do a fourth. Fast shipping, exceptional customer service, and an instrument that really plays good, look no further your here. Thank you Matt and Solo. I’ll be back

  4. Andrew Beare (verified owner)

    Hi guys. This was my first. Quite the process depending on your finishing. Thanks for your support Matt , I got it done and it sounds great. I would make another one and recommend this product. The wiring is a bit tricky and better instructions would have helped.
    The staff is wonderful and are willing to help all along the way , ?

  5. snake_qc (verified owner)

    Hi everybody! This is my first kit and i’m really impressed!!! Wowww the top is simply stunning!!! The quality is there and the guitar sound great once built and setted! I have had no problems with this kit and I will buy another one in the future! The delivery was fast and well packaged!!! Thanks Solo Music Gear! I’m an happy customer!!! Buy with confidence!

  6. ahmarr

    This is kit #2… originally did a jazz bass ( you can see it on the SOLO site on FB), and really learned much from the experience…I decided on the telly with spalted maple top…..there is something truly magic about those first tones as your instrument comes alive, long after you unpack that box of parts…I decided to try a wipe-on poly finish instead of the spray on approach. After sanding with the 2000 grit, and buffing the finish, I was a bit disappointed as there was a cloudy appearance in the finish, probably from the mineral oil used to thin the poly. So, based on my experience here, if you are looking for a glossy finish, I would stay away from a wipe-on approach, and opt instead for the spray on method. Another bit of advice…be careful on the original sanding, as that spalted top layer is extremely thin, and it wouldn’t take much to sand through it. Overall, the body and neck fit well, electronics were easy to wire up and install, and with a bit of tweaking the bridge lined up properly with the body and neck. It’s all your fault SOLO, as I am now hooked and now eyeing another model to work on over the summer.

  7. jlarf (verified owner)

    Let me preface my review with a little personal information. I am a hobbyist guitar player and have been doing so since I was a teenager. I won’t say how many years ago that was, but more than you can count on all of your fingers and toes. I am not an accomplished wood worker, and this is my first kit.

    When I received my kit the box had been slightly crushed in transit, but there was no damage to the contents. I assembled the guitar to test fitment which turned out to be quite good. I would have liked the neck to body fitment to be a bit tighter, but it wasn’t bad. After screwing the bridge to the body and stringing the 2 E strings the alignment was very good. Solo’s website says that the frets had been leveled and dressed, however I did find that the truss rod required adjustment. I’m not sure how that would effect the leveling process so I did it anyway. Also the fret ends were a bit sharp so I rolled them over as well. My maple neck has a rosewood fretboard which I found to be a bit rough. That was taken care of with a little 1K and 2K sandpaper. The fretboard also had a very small crack that ran from the middle of the 8th fret in to the 9th.The body is basswood with a spalted maple veneer top. I found the routing of the body cavities to be a bit rough, but it did not affect the fitment of the electronic components supplied with the kit, and since all the cavities are covered by the pickguard, bridge, and control plate, I was not concerned about the cosmetics. I did run into some frustration. Along with the kit I ordered the Fender Tex-Mex pickups and from another source a vintage style compensated bridge. My hope was to improve tone and playability. Unfortunately, neither the pickups or the bridge would fit without some rework to the body. As I stated I am not an accomplished woodworker, so I’ve chosen to assemble the kit as purchased. Perhaps my body was an anomaly, but be prepared to do some modifications if you choose to upgrade from the kit components.

    Finishing is; of course, and individual preference. I didn’t think the basswood had much to offer in its’ natural state so I rattled canned the sides and back with a color complimentary to the spalted top. Like a previous reviewer I used wipe on poly after painting the sides and back. Also like that reviewer, had an issue with clouding on the top. Thanks to lemon oil and the internet that problem was fixed. I am very pleased with high gloss finish I achieved. The guitar looks far more expensive than the money I spent on it. I do recommend that potential builders research their projects thoroughly before committing. The internet is your best friend for all things guitar and woodworking/finishing. I’ve enjoyed this project and will do another in the future. The Solo DIY kit is solid and I recommend it.

  8. cam.young (verified owner)

    A little disappointed, glue soaked through veneer all over the place making it hard to take any stain. Wasn’t able to take advantage of the splayed maple and was forced to change my design. Otherwise, guitar was in good condition, neck fit great and bridge was aligned well.

  9. rhooks (verified owner)

    really nice spalted maple top , the fit & finish were acurate ,good quality wood , a few glue spots that were difficult to remove so the stain would take
    overall good quality for price point !
    two things stopped from giving it five stars, 1.fingerboard wood is not very dense while upgrading to a bone nut the fingerboard splintered ,replaced many over the years , have the proper tools & a steel guard to clamp on the fingerboard for safety & it still splintered
    2. the bridge routing would not fit a standard or aftermarket pickup without more carving …….not nice to discover after you have already put the finish on ,
    Having said that , I will build another & now know what to look out for ……live & learn

  10. jchovan (verified owner)

    I love my spalted maple tele… did the project with my son… great program..sounds great.. looks fantastic.
    Now, that said.. i wish some details improved such as.. missing one scratch plate screw, saddle screws way too long.. had to replace them immediately, and the input jack is really cheap.. works ok but will be replaced asap.. the rest even though stock-cheap.. works fine, sounds fine. I will probably upgrade tuners soon and eventually pickups.. but that is not necessary really.. it works and sounds ok, will very likely buy another model in the future.. a semihollow..?
    great experience. thanx.

  11. kleinj83 (verified owner)

    First kit build! Everything fit beautifully out of the box, the neck joint was nice and snug. It took me quite some time to get a finish I was happy with but boy was it worth the struggle! It came out beautiful! I ended up replacing the stock nut, saddles and pickups although I’m sure they would have worked just fine. I recommend this kit to anyone looking to add a Tele to their collection!

    I docked 1 star for excessive glue holding the original plastic nut in place. it was a nightmare to remove and I ended up having to cut it out in the end.

  12. briterone (verified owner)

    Excellent kit. The spalted maple top sets this guitar off. The neck was straight and need very little work to make it playable. The entire guitar comes with sanding sealer applied so a bit of sanding is required if you want to stain it our use oil finishes. Low grade hardware but the pickups aren’t bad. Yes you can build this guitar as is, but like many I replaced components to match my needs. Could you buy a finished guitar for less? Yes. But if you want to build your own I highly recommend doing a kit guitar and making it your own.

  13. H.Wiggs (verified owner)

    This was my first build and I am very happy with how it turned out. The main reason I got this kit was the spalted maple top, I put a grey/black dye on it instead of stain so you could still the the spalting and the grain. I sealed the top with a spray can gloss, I wasn’t 100% happy with the spray can Finnish so if you want something smooth and glossy I don’t Recommend a spray can. You defiantly need to do your research on what tools to buy, if you don’t know what you need, look up a Luther kit and you will get some of the stuff you need. The reason I took off a star is because when I was soldering the diagram that is linked from a page in the box was confusing, it wasn’t clear and I was doing the connections wrong for a while, but I went on YouTube and found the perfect how to video done by a solo guitar employee for this exact kit so I got everything in the right spot pretty quick after that. I am also looking for a good tool to file the nut down, the action is currently too high but once I get that done I will be able to play it like my other guitars. If you don’t think you can do this kit, trust me you can, I’m only in high school and I put it together and had a lot of fun doing it!

  14. rick.mcisaac (verified owner)

    Beautiful guitar. The spalt top is amazing. After sanding I put on 25 coats of tru-oil and couldn’t be happier with the look. I didn’t use a pick guard because I the wood finish was so good. I upgraded a few parts and the guitar plays very well.
    The only problem was the neck fit. The pocket was too small or the neck was too big but after a lot of sanding it eventually fit. As usual the Solo quality, delivery, value and support was outstanding.

  15. François Beauvais (verified owner)

    This was my first build and I started with the intension of upgrading parts and see how close I could get to a real fender. 3 things did not go how I wanted area so far. Genuine Fender locking tuners will leave pre-drill holes exposed. I wish they would simply not pre-drill these holes. I also had to widen the neck pickup pick guard cut out for a standard pickup to fit through. And lastly, the 4 neck screw holes don’t line up with a Fender neck backplate.

    The original back plate is fine but ends up a little crooked against the body. The frets are really bad and need much work. One fret is considerably lower then the others. Two frets are playing the same note. That’s how low it is. You can visually see it even without using a fret rocker. That fret might need to be replaced. The front of the bridge tilts about half a millimeter up. it does not rest flat against the body.

    The spalted maple looks great and I’m happy with my finish. I used a cricut and the gimp software to craft a gold vinyle sticker of the a Fender Telecaster logo and it ended up looking awesome with a ton of coats to soften the touch of the not so thin vinyl sticker. I used 12 coats of wipe on poly on the headstock and body and used boiled linseed oil for the playable portion of the neck.

    In conclusion, I this it’s a great kit to learn how to work, it will end up being a decent instrument but if I would not buy buy it again. I might go for the higher priced “made in japan” bodies and hope that they’re more compatible with genuine parts. And I would go for a Warmoth neck. The neck I got is salvageable but needs a lot more work than expected. I’d and skip on all the crappy parts as I’m replacing most of them anyway.

    I have no regrets but I would not buy it again. I had fun and learned a lot from it but am ready for a better kit.

  16. Mike Wing

    I came across Solo through several reviews saying their guitars were excellent and all the routing was impeccable, and they all said they were impressed with the quality. I don’t want to go as far as saying I’m disappointed, but I’m certainly not impressed. I got this kit for Christmas, and I don’t know if mine just squeaked through quality control or if I’m just much pickier than most. I had a few issues with mine, and some really bother me.

    I’ll start with the minor issues. The first thing I noticed was the pick-guard. At the horn, the pick-guard was pretty janky. Whoever sanded and shaped that area didn’t do a great job. I could correct that with a bit of sanding, so it didn’t bother me so much. The hole for the bridge pickup was a touch wonky, too, but it’s not as noticeable with the pickup in, so I just left that one. Also, a couple of the pick-guard screw holes were drilled too close to the edge, so it doesn’t look very uniform, and one screw was placed so close to the edge that the screw head hangs over the edge of the pick-guard. I’ve looked into fixing that, but there’s no easy way, and I run the risk of making it look worse, so I’m going to live with that for now.

    Now, onto the more severe issues. The neck hole was in rough shape, the fit was quite loose in my mockup, and there was a decent-sized chunk out of the bottom edge. I had to use a sizable shim and fill the gap and some spot sanding as it wasn’t a uniform error. On top of the neck not being a great fit, the holes to attach the neck were a mess! Not only were they not drilled square to the edges, but they were drilled on an angle, so when they’re screwed in, they pull the neck on an angle instead of directly back into the body. I missed this until after I had finished the guitar, so filling the holes and redrilling doesn’t seem like the right call at this point. The build is done, and it sounds okay, but obviously, I wish some things had been a little more refined. I learned a lot, and for my first ever build, I’m proud of what I could accomplish. I still believe the particular item I received could have justifiably made the B-Stock list, but it is what it is.

    I still had a lot of fun with the process, and I will be buying another kit; I think I may look into other suppliers, however, before pulling the trigger.

Add a review

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