Guitar Kits Creating a Wave of Home Luthiers

The “do-it-yourself” craze ranges from construction to ice cream in the present day. Only twenty years ago, professionals were sought out when it came to art or artisanal. With websites like Etsy, commoners are becoming more and more artistic and are allowed a platform to share their arts and crafts. This is also true in the guitar industry. Guitar kits are allowing non-luthiers to construct their own guitars and customize them to a certain point. Electric guitar kits seem to be the most popular although they come with the most pieces. But guitar kits, once looked at as a hobby, are increasing in popularity and are resulting in some decent sounding instruments. Acoustic guitar kits come with the fewest pieces due to the electrical components usually only consisting of a basic pick-up, but their popularity is climbing slowly because of many acoustic players being “purists” and still trusting in a professional luthier to construct their instruments. Bass guitar kits (although bass being not as popular as electric guitar) are also on the rise in popularity.

DIY guitar kits are offered by major guitar manufacturers and smaller outfits alike. If instructions are followed properly, the guitar kits can turn into a nicely constructed guitar. Guitar kits are mostly popular due to their ease of customization. Builders can easily swap out parts while assembling their instrument instead of having to take their instrument into a shop for new parts. And once the instrument is assembled, there is a sense of a connection between the builder and the instrument because each step was involved, other than the actually construction of the wood and wiring. In the future, if the owner wants to make changes to the guitar, the process is relatively easier because the owner, having built it, knows the guitar well.

…with “do-it-yourself” projects still on the rise, we may see more guitar kits in the hands of the next wave of professional musicians.

Guitar kits used to only mean starter kits, as known as a guitar starter pack which usually consists of: a guitar, an amplifier, a strap, strings, picks, etc. These guitar kits or start-up packs continue to be popular with novice players. However, intermediate and professional players are becoming more and more interested in the construction of their instrument and not just the way it plays. If the instrument is poorly constructed, it can result in a disastrous sound, but if the instructions are followed, the instrument can sound as great if it was picked off of the wall of a music store, and the player can have the satisfaction that the instrument is a product of his or her own hands. Completed guitars will always be the easiest option for purchasing, but with “do-it-yourself” projects still on the rise, we may see more guitar kits in the hands of the next wave of professional musicians.

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