I've now built three of the Leo Jaymz kit guitars - the SG style (my first build), the T style (2nd build), and the Explorer (AX) style. Overall, I've hugely enjoyed them and I'm definitely addicted to these things :)
The good:
- Complete kits, at least for me everything fit together well
- Good quality woods. Maybe I just got lucky, but all three of my kits had nice grain, no knots, no issues with the woods. The maple neck on my T style has some quite impressive grain once stained. The AX kit had a small glue stain on the front, but since I was going for a "beat up, reclaimed wood" look, it was no big deal.
- Good fret boards - other than polishing the frets and cleaning up 1-2 sharp frets, there was nothing I had to do other than oil the necks.
- The price! My wife would tell you it was a relatively cheap way to keep me occupied for weeks :P
- The AX guitar had quick connects for the electronics. A welcome surprise!
The less good:
- The instructions, especially for the SG style, leave a lot to be desired in their clarity. There are definite suggestions on how to make instructions clearer to reduce mistakes. Because of my mistakes on the first guitar, I didn't make any on the 2nd, so that's a plus. The AX style guitar had no instructions at all. So don't do that one first.
The subjective:
- After the builds, both guitars are quite playable and sound very good. The SG has relatively tame pickups (~9.1k & 9.5k), so hotter than an under-wound PAF, but not super modern either. Sounds very good with some overdrive. I ended up swapping the TL pickups with an aftermarket set since there was a specific sound I was going for. I put an Alpha/Omega set in the Explorer, and they sound epic. I didn't bother checking the output on the stock pickups.
- Hardware is all serviceable. If you asked what I would replace, in this order: Tuners, nut, pickups, anything else. That said, both guitars stay in tune just fine.
Some lessons learned:
- Mock up all the components before you assemble or paint anything. On the SG style guitar, it turns out if you just use the measurements in the instructions, at least on mine, the neck gets glued too close to the pickup for the pickup ring to fit. It also means the intonation is slightly off now that it's all assembled. Similarly, on the T style, the aftermarket bridge pickup was slightly larger than the cavity in the wood. No big deal, i just shaved a couple mms of wood off and now it's a perfect fit.
- On both guitars, there's a ground wire that goes to the bridge. Forgetting it on the T style bridge isn't a big deal, since you can just remove the bridge with a few screws. On the SG guitar, you can't remove the bridge screw holes once they are in, so i had to get some conductive adhesive to make the ground wire work.
Now that I've built a couple, I will definitely build more. Particularly for guitars in a style of music I don't normally way, it's a great way to get an instrument you like at a good price, and get some good enjoyment along the way. If you are trying to do this to get a PRS 10 top instrument for $200, you'll probably be disappointed. If you are doing this for fun and to come out with a totally great playable instrument, you'll have a lot of fun doing this.
Leo Jaymz DIY Electric Guitar Kits with Mahogany Body and Maple Neck - Ebony Fingerboard and All Components Included (BC)
4.1 | 862 ratings
Price: 159
Last update: 07-28-2024
About this item
Bolt-on Neck BC style electric guitar DIY Kits
Beautiful mahogany body has been deeply polished and sprayed with the bottom varnish, which reduces the work of the buyer for body painting.
Perfect Solid mahogany body and Maple neck
All cavity drilled for pickups and control knbobs
Ebony fingerboard with Razor blade pattern inlay
3-3 Machine heads for an Beast headstock
A Fixed 6 string Tune-O-Matic bridge in chrome
The thickened single side can be pasted with copper foil paper, and the noise can be effectively reduced by sticking it to the positions such as the wires compartment and the pickup groove.
All the wire cable and screws are included in it.
Beautiful mahogany body has been deeply polished and sprayed with the bottom varnish, which reduces the work of the buyer for body painting.
Perfect Solid mahogany body and Maple neck
All cavity drilled for pickups and control knbobs
Ebony fingerboard with Razor blade pattern inlay
3-3 Machine heads for an Beast headstock
A Fixed 6 string Tune-O-Matic bridge in chrome
The thickened single side can be pasted with copper foil paper, and the noise can be effectively reduced by sticking it to the positions such as the wires compartment and the pickup groove.
All the wire cable and screws are included in it.
Product information
| Item Weight | 10.98 pounds |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 31.95 x 22 x 3.25 inches |
| ASIN | B0969T5NS4 |
| Customer Reviews |
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars
804 ratings
4.2 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,336 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments) #15 in Electric Guitar Beginner Kits |
| Date First Available | June 1, 2021 |
| Back Material | Mahogany |
| Body Material | Mahogany |
| Color Name | Beige, Black |
| Fretboard Material | Ebony Wood |
| Guitar Pickup Configuration | H |
| Scale Length | 24.75‘’ |
| String Material | Metal |
| Top Material | Maple Wood, Rosewood, Mahogany Wood |
| Neck Material Type | Maple |
| Number of Strings | 6 |
| Guitar Bridge System | Tune-O-Matic |
Top reviews from the United States
Mr Amir D
You can build great-playing guitars
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2021
Mr Amir D
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2021
The good:
- Complete kits, at least for me everything fit together well
- Good quality woods. Maybe I just got lucky, but all three of my kits had nice grain, no knots, no issues with the woods. The maple neck on my T style has some quite impressive grain once stained. The AX kit had a small glue stain on the front, but since I was going for a "beat up, reclaimed wood" look, it was no big deal.
- Good fret boards - other than polishing the frets and cleaning up 1-2 sharp frets, there was nothing I had to do other than oil the necks.
- The price! My wife would tell you it was a relatively cheap way to keep me occupied for weeks :P
- The AX guitar had quick connects for the electronics. A welcome surprise!
The less good:
- The instructions, especially for the SG style, leave a lot to be desired in their clarity. There are definite suggestions on how to make instructions clearer to reduce mistakes. Because of my mistakes on the first guitar, I didn't make any on the 2nd, so that's a plus. The AX style guitar had no instructions at all. So don't do that one first.
The subjective:
- After the builds, both guitars are quite playable and sound very good. The SG has relatively tame pickups (~9.1k & 9.5k), so hotter than an under-wound PAF, but not super modern either. Sounds very good with some overdrive. I ended up swapping the TL pickups with an aftermarket set since there was a specific sound I was going for. I put an Alpha/Omega set in the Explorer, and they sound epic. I didn't bother checking the output on the stock pickups.
- Hardware is all serviceable. If you asked what I would replace, in this order: Tuners, nut, pickups, anything else. That said, both guitars stay in tune just fine.
Some lessons learned:
- Mock up all the components before you assemble or paint anything. On the SG style guitar, it turns out if you just use the measurements in the instructions, at least on mine, the neck gets glued too close to the pickup for the pickup ring to fit. It also means the intonation is slightly off now that it's all assembled. Similarly, on the T style, the aftermarket bridge pickup was slightly larger than the cavity in the wood. No big deal, i just shaved a couple mms of wood off and now it's a perfect fit.
- On both guitars, there's a ground wire that goes to the bridge. Forgetting it on the T style bridge isn't a big deal, since you can just remove the bridge with a few screws. On the SG guitar, you can't remove the bridge screw holes once they are in, so i had to get some conductive adhesive to make the ground wire work.
Now that I've built a couple, I will definitely build more. Particularly for guitars in a style of music I don't normally way, it's a great way to get an instrument you like at a good price, and get some good enjoyment along the way. If you are trying to do this to get a PRS 10 top instrument for $200, you'll probably be disappointed. If you are doing this for fun and to come out with a totally great playable instrument, you'll have a lot of fun doing this.
Images in this review
Amazon Customer
You'll have to understand quite a bit about guitars to get it playing well.
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024Tall T
Good guitar kit.
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024