Best DIY guitar kits: self-assembly project guitars for every budget
What could possibly make the bond between player and their guitar even stronger? By building it yourself, of course! No longer are the days where you’d have to source every individual part of the instrument yourself to craft your own axe – the instrument market is now flush with some of the best DIY guitar kits that we’ve ever seen.
DIY guitar kits contain everything you need to build or assemble your own guitar from scratch, meaning that your new pride and joy was put together from your own blood, sweat and tears (hopefully not literally). Building your own instrument brings with it a massive sense of pride and achievement, making it even more fun to play once it’s completed. What's more, at a time when we're all feeling the cost of living, building your own guitar can represent a significant saving on buying a ready-built guitar from a big brand.
You’ve also got the chance to really tailor it to you – from cutting the headstock shape how you want, to finishing it in whatever colr you can dream up, there are loads of options when it comes to personalizing your new DIY axe. You also don’t need to be an expert luthier to put these DIY guitar kits together – there are various levels of build difficulty. Many of them come with the electronics already soldered so you can just have loads of fun assembling it all.
You will need some tools, and a bit of know-how with a screwdriver won’t go amiss, but most of these kits will come with instructions, plus there are loads of helpful tutorial videos on YouTube.
For more guidance and our tips on building your own guitar, scroll to the bottom of this page. Some kits are only available in certain territories, so we've split the product round-up into US and UK sections to help you find the best options where you are.
Best DIY guitar kits: Guitar World Recommends
For budding luthiers in the US and Canada, we really like the Stew Mac 335. It might not be the simplest build, but the look of the wood and the finish of the body helps make for a really beautiful guitar that sounds great too.
For those across the pond in the UK and Europe, we’d have to go with the Wilkinson Modern S DIY guitar kit. With some fantastic parts made by Trev Wilkinson, you can put together a guitar that will resonate, intonate and play well, plus the combination of a humbucker and two single coil pickups makes for a really versatile set-up.