General
Model Number
STK-1M
Series
ST Style
Body Information
Body Material
Basswood
Body Shape
ST Style
Body Finish
Sealed Unfinished
Neck Information
Neck Material
Maple
Neck Shape
Modern C
Neck Finish
Unfinished
Scale Length
25.5" / 648mm
Fingerboard Material
Maple
Fingerboard Radius
12"
Number of Frets
21
Frets
Medium Jumbo, Nickel Silver
Nut Material
Plastic
Nut Width
42mm
Position Inlays
Acrylic Dot
Truss Rod
2-Way-Action
Truss Rod Nut
4 mm Hex
Hardware & Electronics
Finish
Chrome
Pickup Configuration
S-S-S
Pickups
Ceramic Pickups
Pickguard
3-Ply White - WBW
Controls
1V, 2T, 5-Way Toggle
Bridge
Tremolo bridge
Tuning Machines
Schaller Type
Potentiometers
Full Sized Pots
Misc
Includes all mounting screws, strap buttons, and plates
Accessories
Includes
Hex Adjustment Keys, Tremolo Arm & Instrument Cable
Rob Paxton (verified buyer) –
Over all, the product quality was as expected for this price point, however I did have to reshape the headstock to
replicate a Fender Strat. headstock. Fortunately I had the equipment to accomplish this. Many people might not.
Gerald Hayes (verified buyer) –
I had no issue with this product. I took my time with the build and was completely satisfied with the appearance, and performance.
I have since made several modifications and they were easy and everything fit well and again no issues and I was able to upgrade
the guitar with ease.
Chad Nevill (verified buyer) –
I received the product amazingly quick … I have found that the router work to be excellent and the quality of the overall wood cuts to be excellent. The neck/fretboard I found to have an excellent feel not to thick and I was able to sand it to such a nice smooth feel get some great speed and movement along the neck. I found the frets to be smooth and not sharp or rough. Only time will tell if there will any shrinking in the neck cause edges on the frets. As for the hardware hat comes with it I have only used the bridge plate changing the saddles and the jack boat. I upgraded all other hardware. The hardware that comes with the kit .. Appear to be comparable with a Squier Standard Strat… I have researched a lot of diy kits and found Solo Gear to be the best quality for the money. Just overall I enjoyed building the kits.
Skylar G. –
Got this in the mail and had a great time building it. Great guitar for the price and I learned a lot about doing a proper setup. Sounds decent out of the box! Neck fit into the body really nice. Neck profile is a bit thick, but could be easily thinned down. Quality kit at a great price!
Mathieu (verified buyer) –
This is Project no 2… it took 2 days to do it. First day was to paint the body and next day to assemble the parts and electronics. I had to shim the neck a bit to have a low action. I thought I had to upgrade the pickups but wow! They sound amazing. The only upgrade I’ll do is to change the nut probably graphtech xl. My next project….a les paul style! Enjoy!
William Pitcher (verified buyer) –
My intention for this build was to replicate the famous Hendrix Woodstock Strat. One of the most iconic instruments in rock history.
I was more than delighted to find a Maple capped, maple neck, without the truss rod “skunk stripe” on the back, just like Jimi’s 1968 CBS Fender.
I set it up with a “floating” tremolo bridge and it stays remarkably in tune when using vibrato effects. The quality of the tuneomatic bridge made setting intonation and action a breeze. The nut required some modification to get the action where I wanted it and with a minimum of fret dressing the neck now feels and plays great.
The pick-ups and five way switch, give me all the classic strat sound combinations. I shielded the cavities with copper foil keeping the electronics nearly” noiseless.”
Thank you for offering an incredibly affordable quality guitar with all the features of a guitar costing many, many times more.
Matthew Brown (verified buyer) –
So good I bought 2 of them! Easy to assemble and feel awesome to play. I changed out the electronics for fatter, hotter pickups but the stock single coils sounded really bright and crisp. I wanna build some more of these!
William Pitcher (verified buyer) –
I built my 2nd Solo Strat for a friend as a Christmas present. This time I went with the classic two tone sunburst of early 50s Stratocasters.
I gave it four additional coats of clear lacquer and polished it to a beautiful satin finish with 2000 grit wet sandpaper.
Again, I shielded all the cavities with grounded copper tape and it makes the pickups nearly noiseless. By polishing the nut notches and lubing them with synthetic lube gel and graphite, I can swing the “floating” tremolo bar way up and down and it will always return to pitch.
I spent a lot of care in dressing the frets and adjusting the truss rod and neck shims, and it paid off with an incredibly low / fast action without any buzz at all. Intonation adjusted perfect and easily.
I am very pleased with the sound, look and play-ability of this, my second Strat build.
My friend who received the guitar as a gift is also impressed and pleased with the instrument’s performance and look.
Thank you Solo for offering this level of affordable quality in a kit guitar.
Blair Turner –
I am about 50% complete and I am very impressed with the quality and the workmanship. I would like to see some options available when you order such as upgraded tuners, pickups, pick guard colors etc. To reduce costs and increase what I invest, I would like the option of doing all the wiring myself.
I will likely order another model in the future as I really enjoy this type of work. I would like to do more of the woodwork but without the tools and a formal workshop, this is a perfect fit.
weddy98 (verified buyer) –
Very good kit. Neck is very good. A nice grain pattern and feels very solid. Some of the hardware is kind of cheap, but I expected that.
Good packaging and good shipping time. I’d recommend this kit.
carsonjschick02 (verified buyer) –
Building a guitar for a friend. saw this kit from YouTube, figured why not? For $100, this is so worth it. The shipping was out of Canada, I live in Wisconsin so it was no big deal. Shipping took about a week. Someone in the further down states might have fun with the shipping. Comes in nice, recoverable box easy for storing its parts when your painting the guitar or something along those lines. As for the guitar itself, it was 3 piece wood glued together, dont know why that matters, but I see YouTube people make it a big deal. Rough when you first take it out of the box, but sands down really nice. Anyone looking for a strat kit, I personally highly suggest this kit. This is my first guitar build and I will for sure get some more from this website.
rollie396 (verified buyer) –
This is my first attempt at a kit guitar but,everything looks good. There is definitely some fret leveling required with mine,but for the money,I’m not complaining. I’ll be buying another kit.
metalal (verified buyer) –
This is my 1st guitar kit. Having no experience, I found Solo on the internet and upon reading the favorable reviews, decided to pull the trigger on a Strat with a maple neck and fingerboard. The craftsmanship of the body and neck is stellar. The fit of the neck and body is tight and aligned with the basswood body perfectly which sanded nicely with minimal effort. The neck is straight with no need for a truss rod adjustment. The frets are fairly level (I had one that was a little elevated) and rounded over nicely to avoid discomfort and blood-letting. I used copper shielding tape on all the cavities and have had no nasty feedback or scream. I’ve used all of the stock parts; even the strings. I’ll probably install some Nickel Wound D’Addario 10s to see how much of a difference a set of good strings make.
All in all, it has been a fun project; I had a blast! If I may offer some advice to those considering a guitar kit build for the first time; TAKE YOUR TIME…IT ISN’T A RACE. Pay attention to the little details no matter how insignificant they may appear at the time. Think of this as a learning experience and not necessarily getting a guitar for cheap. Invest in a comprehensive publication when it comes to finishing the body and follow their directions/suggestions. I will definitely try another Solo guitar project in the near future.
cnbrown75 (verified buyer) –
I ordered my guitar kit from Solo after watching Brad Angove’s how-to videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/BradAngove. This was my first build and everything went remarkably well. Fit and finish of all the pre-drilled parts was excellent. I replaced the stock pickups with DiMarzios and thought I might have to replace the pots as well but they are completely noiseless. I also lined the pickup cavity with copper foil tape. I initially lined the jack cavity as well but found the plug tip contacted the foil and created a ground fault. Was not sure what to expect in terms of tuning stability but have been pleasantly surprised. Setup and intonation were extremely quick and easy and my neck required no adjustment or shimming,
My two wish-list items would be: option for a reverse headstock and a thinner neck profile
vkmayfield (verified buyer) –
I was very impressed with the quality of the parts I received. This was my first guitar kit build ever and it turned out amazing. I really can’t wait to buy another kit and do it all again.
Nicholas Fuentes (verified buyer) –
This is my second Solo kit. I had so much fun with the first one (a Tele) i had to do another! The Strat is going to be for my daughter. I stained it with Unicorn Spit Purple dye and used some silver Rub n’ Buff to add some subtle silver streaks and highlight the grain. I finished the body with many of coats of wipe on gloss urethane, lightly sanding the body every few coats. I finished with 1000 and 1200 grit sandpaper and then used automotive rubbing compound and finally automotive polish (very) gently with my buffer – looks great! I took the pick-guard apart and did the pick-guard, pick up covers and rear cover in an aluminum paint with a dusting of Krylon glitter blast. I then sprayed on coats of clear until it was all smooth. I also silver Rub n’ Buffed the knobs, switch tip and tremolo arm tip. Overall I think my daughter is going to be pleased with the colors! I checked the neck thoroughly and out of the box it was straight and the frets were super smooth. The neck and the body match perfectly too with a nice, snug fit. I finished the neck with tung oil – about 20 coats applied alternately with a soft rag and then next time with a 0000 steel wool. The neck is now silky smooth and has some incredible figuring in the wood. I have not completed the final assembly (strings, intonation and other setup), but I know from test fitting that everything will go together perfectly. I know the pick ups, pots and wiring are fairly entry level – but it will be perfect for my daughter who plays ukelele and is learning guitar. When she is ready, we can upgrade anything that slows her down. I cannot recommend these kits enough! I have had so much fun and am constantly learning new things as i go. So – which one do I make next? Thank you Solo!
keeganrhadley (verified buyer) –
I received my guitar on time, everything fits perfect and it works great
jlowth2 (verified buyer) –
The kit was complete and all components fit well. The neck is better than expected. I did have to level one fret that was very high. Frets had a lot of scratch marks that needed smoothing/polishing. The neck and body fit together very well enabling a setup with low action. The main issue I had is the poly coating on the body. Seems it may have penetrated pretty deep into the soft basswood. Even with quite a bit of hand sanding, I was unable to remove all the coating to enable a smooth application of stain (I finally used an acrylic paint). A smaller issue is the lack of a parts list which could be a problem for a first-time builder.
The finished guitar plays well and would be a nice starter guitar for anyone. IMO it is good enough to justify upgrading tuners, electrics, and pickups.
Kurtis Miller (verified buyer) –
Overall, the kit came together really well. I had to do very little to the neck other than dress the fret ends. There were a couple of minor issues, but nothing that affected the build. A couple of the predrilled holes were slightly out of place (less than 1mm), and the pickguard neck cutout was a little inconsistent. All the important stuff was in the right place. Need to finish setting it up, but it plays pretty well right off the bench.
MathewL (verified buyer) –
Ordered this guitar kit for my very first project. I did a test-fit of the entire thing and everything was well made. However, only two issue arose that required some additional work.
The heel on the neck and the neck pocket on the body was a little misaligned. However, nothing a little sanding couldn’t fix, now they fit perfectly snug. Also, a few frets on the neck required some filing as they were a touch too high. Again, very minor and only an hour’s worth of work to make the neck perfectly playable.
My advice for anyone reading this: Take your time. Do your research. Practice some patience and you’ll be proud of your work.
After your done, you’ll probably order another one of these because I most likely will be.
win (verified buyer) –
Quality as expected for the price point. The neck didnt fit well into the body though, and a decent amount of work was needed to be done to get a fit. When I contacted Solo about this issue, I never heard back.
joshak_762 (verified buyer) –
I didn’t have real high expectations with a $129 kit and I’m glad I didn’t. Three frets are short, I had to epoxy a piece of broken wood back in place that was damaged while they drilled a pickguard hole. You could see they wood glued it once and when they put the pickguard on for shipping must have rebroke it. Finish on some of bridge saddles is very rough as if the finish was applied to rusty saddles. I wish i could add photos. You get what you pay for. It was a gamble I was willing to take and hopefully the guitar plays well when I get it finished. I wasn’t expecting a high end guitar by any means but the issues I found would have been taken care of with better quality control. I will try a different brand for my next build.