Ok ok, it’s a lame regearference to an old song, so I might be down on my caffeine and protein, but sometimes, that’s the way things go here at the world headquarters of Solo Guitars (cue the Twilight Zone soundtrack). In discussing what this month’s blog should be, we all decided it would be a great idea to visit our stock selection of instrument kits.  We haven’t done that for a while and some things have changed… or may have changed depending on how often you scroll through.  I’m going to throw a few statistics in there for us as well.  I don’t like statistics usually, but they sound pretty good for us so yeah…throwing them out there.

Starting with our stock selection…we currently list 144 different kits online in 8 different categories (caveat here is that there might be some overlap on a few kits, but I did go to each page and add them up…surprising right?). That’s a lot of kits to begin with and offers you; our favourite clients an amazing selection to choose from. Currently we have about half of these models in stock, and possibly a bit more than half on-order.  This is a fluctuating number depending on when our shipments arrive.  One of the nice things about the Solo Guitars website is the ability for you the client, to review and give us your opinion on the kits.  So, of the 144 models we list, 122 have been reviewed, and the average I am very proud to say, is a resounding (drum roll please) 4.53 Stars!!!!  There is a lot of work in researching these kits, receiving/shipping them and checking them for quality control, so the guys in the back, get a big round of applause (ok, maybe the guys in the front too)

I thought I’d quickly do through the different categories and highlight some new or particularly cool kits. In the non-electric guitar/bass categories we start with the violin kits.  We have 2 currently, one requires some assembly and skill and the other is pretty much assembled for you.  Both require finishing and come complete with cases, strings, bows and resin.  These are really nice kits and you can end up with a very decent instrument.  We have just one ukelele kit at this time and it requires only a bit of assembly plus finishing, but again, with patience you will end up with a nice little uke that someone would appreciate as a gift. We have 3 banjo kits, all of which I assembled (without finish) when they arrived here at Solo Guitars. These require a bit more planning and thought, but aren’t extremely difficult to build, but I found the result to be very decent, in fact I thought the sound on these kits was much better than what the cost suggests. Finally in this category, we have the acoustic guitar kits.  We have the Hosco kits which are complete builds and not beginner kits.  They do boast Hosco quality and when I get to one, I am sure the final product will be great.  The Solo kits are mostly assembled, with just the neck and bridge to install, plus finishing and hardware.  I also assembled all these when they first came in and built and finished a parlour sized kit for my nephew. Quick note here, despite having many many years of experience with wood, guitars and repairs, I do my best to approach these test builds from the perspective of a beginner.  Not only did this little guitar surprise me with sound, but the intonation was pretty darned good. I found the assembly of these to be quite satisfying since acoustic building is considered the pinnacle of guitar building (even if you aren’t building from scratch in this case).

Now for the electric department at Solo Guitars… First the Double necks.  We don’t have much new but we do offer one in each main style, S style, T style, SG style, modern style and headless. Again, these take a bit more planning and patience to get everything right, but once you are done….well have you checked the price of double necks from the big manufacturers?  There’s also not too much new in the bass department, but we do carry all the major styles in a variety of pickup configurations and materials up to and including an ES style semi-hollow bass and the iconic Beatle bass! If you haven’t heard, Hofner (the original manufacturer) has gone out of business and there is a big question mark as to whether there will be any real Beatle Basses manufactured under that name again! One of the exciting products we carry now are the Solderless kits.  That’s right, for anyone not confident, or without the ability to solder, or perhaps for a younger builder, we have 18 kits that you assemble and simply plug and play. We have 2 of these kits as well that are pre-finished for you, plus a great selection of pickup layouts. There are also 2 kits I think are quite exciting, one in a T style and one in an S style made of our Engineered Zebrawood. This is a very exotic and custom look that will really catch an eye! In addition to the wide selection of body style, pickup configuration and top materials in the regular electric kits, we currently stock 5 prefinished kits that require a full build (including soldering).  There is literally something for everyone from Flying V styled kits to hollow-bodied kits. New this year, we have an Engineered Zebrawood TCKZEB T style kit and an STKZEB S style kit both with rosewood fingerboards that should be a real showpieces….and a new TCSSK-10 Short Scale Mini T style kit with a smaller body and a shorter scale length either for a younger player or perhaps as a handy travel electric!

Finally in this rather lengthy review, we have the Build Your Solo department where you choose between 5 unfinished or finished S or T-style bodies, 6 necks with different frets and fretboards, and finally a selection of 3 different hardware kits. These are also complete builds that require soldering (and possibly finishing) but will give you a slightly different experience without spending a great deal more.

Everyone here at Solo Guitars takes great pride in doing their best to supply you with quality kits, great advice and a selection of parts that is unrivalled.  Work goes on everyday to find new products that might catch your interest and better kits with higher quality that will let you achieve your building dreams!  If you need some inspiration from a fellow Solo builder, please check out the Share Your Solo section on the website. I have been in this business a long time and thought I had experienced every form of customization, but I am very often surprised by the vision that our customers have for their finished instruments…in fact I am now a fan of yours! Please take some time to check out our kits, especially if you haven’t for a while, and then take a wander through the rest of the website.  If you can, stop in the store here in Vaughan Ontario…we are now open on Saturdays!! www.sologuitars.com