9 reviews for Solo FVK-1 DIY Electric Guitar Kit

1. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   michaelmorris8 (verified buyer) – June 24, 2019

   Kit was incomplete (missing truss rod cover and screws). Prewired parts not per wiring diagram.

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     Matt McWaters – June 25, 2019

     Thanks for reaching out to us to let us know your DIY kit was missing parts.
     If you are ever missing parts or if any of the components in your kit are found to be defective, please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can replace them for you right away.
     Some variations in the wiring can occur, but if you make the connections as shown in our diagrams your instrument will function correctly. (this is why some diagrams show only the connections that need to be made by the builder).
     We encourage anyone who has any trouble at any stage of building our DIY kits to contact us for expert advice to get your DIY guitar or bass playing it’s best!

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   freimanispistol (verified buyer) – September 19, 2020

   Just finished building the flying V kit. Overall very happy with the results-did a dark stain with minwax and clear coated it with 2 part automotive polyurethane.
   2 things that went wrong-prewired parts did not match the diagram online. Customer service sent me a updated diagram and still was not the same as the prewired parts. Ended up buying a $15 prewired harness off amazon and soldered that in and it works like a charm now. The second thing is that the pickguard holes had to be drilled out larger for the bridge studs to fit.
   Once I got these sorted out, it plays great.
   Thanks solo!

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   kyleohara45 (verified buyer) – November 20, 2021

   Good for how much it is. The pickups on it are not the best for if you want distortion. But other than that it’s a great kit

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Lyle Siemens (verified buyer) – March 13, 2022

   Don’t expect a Gibson out of the box. I’ve spent months to get this kit to sound and play like a Gibson. Solo was quite helpful with questions and had some nice upgrades available to help bring it to a professional playing and sounding high end guitar. Kits require a fair bit of elbow grease. So be aware that you should have some knowledge of wiring and fretwork as well as finishing wood. Once done properly, this V really hits the spot. I’ve upgraded the tuners, pickups, nut, bridge and knobs. Turned out stunning and so easy to play. Very happy!

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Felipe Braz (verified buyer) – July 9, 2022

   Good cost x benefit ratio and solid foundation. Body, neck and pickguard were matched and fit tightly right out of the box. Neck was straight, frets leveled and no sharp ends on them.
   Only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is because of hardware quality. Tuners are terrible and the tune-o-matic rattles a lot. Very low quality and had to be replaced immediately. I don’t mind having to upgrade, just wish we had the option to do it with the kit, as Solo sells most of the parts anyway.
   Overall a nice kit, easy and fun to put together. But you’ll definitely end up upgrading everything that is not made out of wood.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Hugh Wilson (verified buyer) – September 2, 2022

   Nice kit and well thought out. Just started building so can’t comment too much. Neck fits the body well and all parts and pieces were there. Good online documentation available. Hardware is medium guitar quality. I’m going to try it out will probably look to upgrading some things. The neck looks good but I’ll definitely swap out the nut. If you’re planning on staining your guitar you’ll need to be much more selective on the wood you receive. My V is going to be painted and varnished so I’m able to fill in some of the small nicks. I’m already thinking about another kit and I haven’t even finished this one yet.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Thomas Gillispie (verified buyer) – September 16, 2024

   Quick shipping, arrived in perfect condition. We purchased it for our son’s 20th birthday. It was the best gift he ever received thus far and putting it together with his dad was a bonus. If I could add photos I would. It came out perfect and sounds amazing! The only issue was trying to find the pdf to put the V wires together, however, google had them so it worked out great. Would recommend putting links to each description so all you have to do is click what you purchased to find the link.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   bluesfan (verified buyer) – December 26, 2024

   Hi,
   This is my 24th Solo Kit. As always it was a vey fast and complete shipment. Packaging is great, all parts made the trip safely.
   Also purchased Solo vintage aged tuners and conversion bushings, Solo CTS pots, Bell shape trussrod cover, Switchcraft jack.
   The body is very nicewith clean routing of cavities and neck pocket. All drilling is spot on. The neck is very straight and the frets
   are smooth and levelled witout sharp edges, only a light polish will make them shine.
   At the dry fit test the tolerances revealed to be excellent, the neck angles is perfect as well as the alignment. All the holes are
   drilled in the right places, great.
   Body mods: aged the wood, did some wear pattern on the edges and belt buckle rash on the back. Added a few dent and scratches.
   Also routed a channel between the neck and bridge pickups end the bridge pickup and control cavity just like a strat. so I have a fully
   loaded pickguard. It is much easier for wiring and future maintenance and mocifications.
   Neck mod; only plugged the tuner screw holes to match the vitage kluson style tuners.
   Electronics:
   Pots, Solo CTS Imperial A500K volume and B500K tone, all with brass shaft and sleeve. Tone pot .022 cap.
   Jack, Switchcraft 1/4” mono.
   Switch, 3 way toggle Gretsch from Solo.
   Pickups: Alnico 5 Old School 8.0 K in the neck and 9.2 K in the bridge with nickel covers.
   Finish:
   I did age all the chrome and nickel finish with Ferric Chloride acid.
   On the wood I sanded off all the polyseal then applied 2 coats of Varathane Weathered Wood Accelerator
   to give a ”barn wood” look then added 4 coats of Saman flat water based varnish. The headsock face is stained black.
   I buff with grey 3M pads before, between each coat fo stain and varnish plus once at the end.
   The final assembly was very easy thanks to the close tolerances of fabrication.
   The final setup was a breeze I must say. The 2 way trussrod works great. I have a nice low action without fret buzz.
   Only had to file the nut slots down a bit.
   I love the look and she sounds great, very easy to play.
   Now she is ready for the next band practice!
   Thanks Solo, great kit again.

   Michel

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   grahamschneider9 (verified buyer) – January 31, 2026

   Got this kit for a Xmas gift for my son who’s been wanting a Flying V since he started playing. Everything was good quality, neck fits and the frets didnt need any work when we assembled it. We will definitely be getting more kits from Solo. Thanks again!