The Spalted Maple Top Les Paul Guitar Kit | Making some (massive) upgrades!
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- Опубликовано: 31 окт 2018
- In this video we take this beautiful spalted maple top Les Paul guitar kit and put in some major upgrades to make it look and sound better. This includes some new wilkinson pickups, goth tuners and bridge, tusk nut, and gibson knobs. Also, the new wiring harness from gun street wiring shop really ups the game for this guitar's electronics.
Pretty much everything I used for this upgrade including the kit itself is available here: www.solomusicgear.com/?ref=1512
Get that awesome wiring harness here: gunstreetwiringshop.com
Find some of my other favorite products: www.amazon.com/shop/bradangove
My favourite spray guns: www.warwickspraytools.com/dea... (Use coupon code: BRAD10%)
Don't forget to ask your questions in the comment section.
Thanks for watching.
To get in touch with me with your questions, photos, etc. use the links below!
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Хобби
When you're drilling out an existing hole, put your drill in reverse and push the bit down with more force. The reverse will keep it from ripping out and the pressure ensures the widening. Best way to keep from ripping out the holes and surrounding material.
Your face at the end truly shows how happy you are with this :)
Brad, I started watching your videos when COVID first struck and you were inspiring to me then and now, 18 months later, you still are. I ruined my first kit but got a second and have just glued the neck down - this time PROPERLY. I have some modified tung oil coming soon and will start the finishing. Thanks for all the tips and for your very well made videos. Cheers!
Thanks Robert. I hope the finishing work on your kit goes well.
Absolutely GREAT VIDEO !!! Way to go Brad !!!
Thank you!
Love the look of the gold over that wood. It looks sweet and sounds even sweeter. Really screams now with no words needs. Great job!
Thank you!
"It's just a 10mm socket, so if you have a socket set..."
...You've probably already lost your 10mm.....
Damn.
Hahaha too true.
Vary true. 😂
Great comment Mr. Feeley!
I would love to find the S.O.B that keeps stealing all my 10 mm sockets,. :-)
All the snap on trucks around here have a sign.. yes we have 10mm sockets
I had one here a minute ago? 🙄
Beautiful, great job on the LP!
Thanks Brad for all your video. I just received as a gift a Strat style kit from Solo music gear. You really give me confidance that we can achive something great out of a kit.
You certainly can! Keep me posted on how it’s going.
Love the gold pickups looks awesome Brad.
Massive improvement in tone. Nicely done.
Brad you are a credit to RUclips mate and give loads of advice on guitar related stuff without no bullshit... And your playing is getting better also.... the Les Paul does look good for a kit. And now sounds better.. well done brother...
Thanks Stu. That’s very kind of you.
Just starting my first kit from Solo, and find your videos informative ,and fun!!! I think building one, will turn in to several. Thanks!!
Glad you’re liking the content Bob.
Just stunning, now I want to build my owm guitar! Great job by the way :)
That's a beauty Brad!
Just went thru all the vids leading to this finale, great stuff.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Sounds so much better!
Beautiful guitar, both in looks and sound! Kudos!
Gorgeous instrument! Awesome upgrades. Very nice instructional series. I’m awaiting delivery of my Solo Tele kit, and can’t wait to get started. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Harry. I hope your build goes well.
I’ve watched all this build.I love it. Im going to make one now
I hope it goes well for you
Just finished entire series. It’s 6:05am. Looks like I’ll be sleeping in. Great series Sir. Well done! I subscribed as well.
Keep ‘em coming. Dusty.
Thanks Dusty. Glad you enjoyed it.
Definitely some fine upgrades!
Wow! I need a guitar just like that. Stunning work Brad.
Thanks Asim.
Sweet guitar you did an awesome job upgrading it. COOL playing toooooooo👏
Thank you
This came out awesome Brad.Love the Gold, perfect accent on this, mixed with the black.
Superb.
Thanks. Glad you like it.
Fabulous!!!! I have the same kit. Now I have to spend more money and then deal with all the carnage of boxes and old hardware. Great work you do!!
Haha thanks Paul. Best of luck with your upgrades?
Very nice brad !! The gold definately sets it off !! And the pickups & electronics change REALLY came out when you through the gain on it !! :)
Thanks Terry!
the gold goes perfect with that shade of wood man, and the black brings out the black wood grain... great choice and great video, THANKS!
Glad you like it.
An upgrade that this guitar deserve!
I like the roses on the back nice touch.
Great upgrade Brad, thanks for the video. To enlarge the pot holes with less chance of damage, a reamer is often a better bet than a drill.
Good point Phil. I need more experience with those to ensure I keep the holes the proper shape.
Thats one great up grade Brad, nice one, Cheers
Love this build!! Great work dude..
Glad you like it
Came out sick. Also, you're playing at the end there was nice man.
Thanks Michael.
A definite improvement in the tone.
Super Cool! Love the Wilkinson pickups. Not expensive and they sound great.
I like how you used bubblewrap when you were working on the guitar.
Excellent work with the razer blade. That wiring harness is cool. Good pots are so worth it.
Here's one cosmetic suggestion. For the speed knobs, you can use gold for one pup, and black for the other pup.
It's cool and it's functional. Great video and looking forward to more!
Ooooh that’s a cool idea. I’m going to try that out for sure.
I have this guitar kit, been working on the finish for a couple weeks. Thought I had it where I wanted , Danish oil then, a polyurethane top coat. It looked ok but not my vision. Sanded it all back , just going with an oil finish. If it gets messed up in the future, can just oil it up again. I found that with the oil, you can’t get ahead of yourself, there needs to be a roughness on the surface between coats, or you will get flat spots, and you can’t get those out unless you go back to a lower grit paper, and almost start the sanding process over again. Anyway , finally there, no flat spots, this thing looks amazing now. The grain pattern had a stripped look to it so I lightly stained them, one stripe cherry the other walnut. It looks ridiculously amazing. Will post on Solos page when done.
Looking forward to it.
Great man , looks fantastic🤘
Really great videos man, thank you
To enlarge the holes for the pot shafts, sandpaper around any slender dowel or round shaft(a poor man's reamer) works great. Though not as fast as a drill bit, it doesn't take long at all and more importantly, there"s no chance or worry of chipping your top. I enlarged the tuner holes in my headstock with coarse sandpaper wrapped around a round pencil and had all six done by the time Fresh Prince ended(about 30 mins).
Beautiful job!
Super nice all around, my next project is already decided, thanks!
Glad to be of service haha.
Turned out sweet looking Brad! & maybe your right about the pickup rings at least on this one.
Well, sure looks good. Nice work!
Gorgeous!
Sweet looking guitar and sound really nice.
I will be using a Gotoh 510 on my present build. Great wrap around.
Hey Brad wish you visit ENGLAND one day , great channel keep the good work !
It came out great. One tip I'd like to mention: when scraping the pickup rings(or any scraping) a pair of old scissors works great. It gives move stability and a larger area to hold. I have scraped many bindings that way.
Nice. I like to use scissors for relic work because of the curved surface.
Looks and sounds really nice. Steelers colors are always a good choice. I don't remember you playing that well before, kudos bro.
Thanks Brian.
This Really is Nice !
Nice video man!
sounds as good as it looks.
nice work
Thanks Mark.
I'm ordering one asap, great job!
Great timing. They just came back in stock.
Gorgeous change over
Thank you Jeff.
great build, good sounding , nice play
Thank you
looks nice...congratulations
Over all I would say it's a 90% improvement! The looks went up 80% the sound however went up 100%👌
Im sorry..but I actually thought it was someone else playing after the upgrade!! It IS that much better!! A good tool just like all others make a BIG difference in the job sir..this is PROOF of that being true.
One hell of a job! Thank you.😁👌✌
thanks Gary!
Very nice! Spalted seems to be the flavor of the month if not the year so far and although they look awesome natural, the way that black grain/spalt shows through that would be killer in a wine/blood/candy Red with that gold hardware. A Gold Truss Rod cover with a Rose engraved on it would be a sweet touch as well. Great build Brad, thanks for sharing it. Peace!
That would be really cool.
Nice job👍
Thank you
intonation is off pretty good
Hi Brad. I love this guitar! Watched the videos multiple times and decided to purchase my own and make a build video as well! One thing that really helped sell me on it was Darrell's video of how it sounded through his Mesa Boogie. Please take this as constructive criticism: please do a DIY build on a Fender 5E3 tube amp. I know you say you're not the best at soldering; but it's really easy if you buy the TubeDepot 5E3 kit. I made one as my first build and had zero problems. This paired with a lowly SM57 would drastically improve the sound quality of your videos with regards to your guitar playing. It's not your playing that's holding back he quality, it's your amp and microphone. All the best, Kahn
Thanks for the feedback Kahn.
Always loved Wilkinson pups. For the price they are great pickups. The 12k vintage bridge is so beautiful.. hard to come by here in Australia
Glad you like them. I believe Solo ships worldwide if you really need some.
You have been practising!
Haha never
great guitar
I have the keystone version of those tuners. Excellent 18:1 ratio and locking!
You took that kit guitar from a beginner level to intermediate/professional level. Just WOW!
Thanks Chris!
Same
Looks sweeeet
Great job Brad. You could have used a reamer to open out the pot holes (I had to do this on my LP kit when I upgraded the hardware).
Yes, that definitely would have been an option.
Looks Great! Sounds Great! Wouldn't a tapered reamer be safer to expand the control holes?
Possibly. Both options are safe as long as you’re careful.
I'm old and forgetful Brad....Is that a Solo guitar kit? It's beautiful!
That’s correct. The spalted maple top Les Paul from solo.
This series videos are awesome. Is the neck 50 style, 59 style or more 60's slim taper? Thanks!
Glad you like the videos. I found the neck relatively thin, but I don’t know the styles off the top of my head.
Hello Brad, just want to say , I’ve completed my Spalled Les Paul. There were a few issues, but not many. Obviously it’s to be excepted that putting something like this together is going to take some research, and trial and error. It took me a little over a month, 3/4 of that time was working on the finish, which turned out amazing ( after a few major screw ups). I didn’t upgrade ( other than replacing one pot that was faulty, I think I toasted it while soldering). It sounds amazing, ( although the bottom E and A strings are pretty muddy, but I have the supplied strings on, which are more for set up than for actual playing). Haven’t intonated or adjusted the Truss Rod, done anything with the nut, etc, etc.
But ,that said, I played it for the first time, and three hours later, I found it hard to put down. It played and sounded better than almost every guitar that I’ve owned, borrowed, etc. And I’m talking real Fenders and Gibson’s.
I really didn’t expect much from this kit, but am mind blown by what I ended up with. Of course results might vary, but I managed to get it right. And although I don’t think it’s necessary, I will be upgrading .
Posted the finished guitar on Solo’s Face book page.
Oh ya, Thanks, your postings helped a lot.🎸👍
Very glad to hear that you’re so pleased with the result.
Also note that if you're drilling into an already-finished surface, you can *start* the hole with the drill in reverse, to get at least a little bit down in the material, without *nearly* the risk of chip-out.
Interesting tip. I’ve never tried that one haha.
Heh heh. What about a *really* unique technique:
Didn't have the right bit size for some bass tuning machines. But I *did* have a socket that was the right size.
So, you start with a slightly undersized hole.
...And, with that socket when spun fast enough, and pressed hard enough, it creates enough friction to kinda crisp the immediately-touched wood, letting you essentially burn your way through.
Very sub-optimal, and you gotta worry about actually starting a fire. BUT it works.
You’re a lunatic. That being said, if you spent a few minutes with a file you could probably turn a socket into a really poor version of a hole saw haha.
First, yes, a few minutes with a file would probably make a poor man's hole saw. But I didn't wanna compromise the original purpose of the tool. Heh.
Second, I prefer the terms "eccentric" or "creative." LoL.
And third, c'mon. Burning things, and a chance of fire. Who *wouldn't* take that opportunity?
You’ve got a point there... it’s an “eccentric” point, but yet I totally agree.
So amazing! For the money how do you feel like it compares to what you could get in an epitone as far as sound and build quality? I'm not sure if if should build something like this or buy something. Love how this looks. Just learning guitar and it'd be neat to build my own guitar to begin it all but maybe I should focus on learning to play and build later?
I think you could make something of comparable quality. Possibly better depending on the hardware you choose. But it would depend somewhat on your skill level and/or your level of care and attention when doing the build.
Can you provide specifically which of the gun street wiring harnesses you used on this build? There are many to choose from and as they say "imitation ( or in this case duplication ...) is the highest form of flattery ! Great video and great guitar !
Honestly, if you shoot them a message and ask for the one they made for me they’ll give it to you. They know my name haha.
It’s the modern wiring Les Paul replacement.
Holy shit dude tune that thing 😂
Where’s the fun in that?
No need to worry about tuning stability if you never tune *thinking black guy meme*
i think its more intonation problem :D
That's gorgeous, love the gold!! I didn't see the buld video (and can't find it), so which specific kit is this?
It’s the spalted top Les Paul from solomusicgear. I actually have a whole playlist for this build on my channel.
@@BradAngove Solomusicgear wasn't loading right at first, so I didn't see all the extra pages. But it finally did, and I spotted this one. I may have to get one myself. And I'll definitely check out your build videos
Hi I wanted to thank you for this excellent series. I decided to make a similar one myself! Please can you tell me if a Les Paul original hardware eg bridge and tailpiece, would fit in the pre drilled holes in the guitar body? Thank you
The Gibson tunomatic bridges have smaller posts, so they don’t fit right out of the box.
These PUPs sound much better! I was hoping you’d install P90s but that’s just my preference.
Thanks Raymond. I should really throw some p90s into a build one of these days.
Curious what the resistance was on both sets - the original set didn't seem very matched output-wise - the one was quite a bit louder than the other. On the new set there's still a bit but not nearly as before. Anyway - great upgrade - looks great - - my LP kit is still in the box - gotta get off my duff and get started...
The imbalance on the others was likely due to the substantial difference in the distance from the strings.
Wow! I’m totally getting one of these! One thing I could not figure out, is the body completely flat or does it have a belly? The bolt on type you guys built looked flat. I would not necessarily want that.
It’s a carved top and flat back. If you want a belly carve in the back, you can definitely do one. It’s solid wood in that area.
Love the series. One question: I just ordered their LP SPECIAL kit today. I want to get a wiring kit like you have in the upgrade video. Did you have to remove any more material in the control cavity other than just drilling out to fit the imperial shafts? Planning on going with an Obsidian kit. Thanks!
I didn’t have to remove any other material, but I don’t think the obsidian kit will fit. It’s on a plate that fits the original LP shape. I don’t think the knobs are in quite the same spot on the kits.
Thanks Brad I'll get in touch with Gun Street.
I seem to remember seeing that the Gunstreet Guitars harness you used was the Modern Wiring. They also sell a '50s Wiring and a Volume Bleed. Have you tried either of those and if so, what are your impressions of them? Thanks,
That’s correct. I haven’t tried the other ones yet.
Think you could do a series on different camouflage techniques using rattle cans?
Yes. It’s already on my list haha.
Good upgrade. It would have been very helpful to include the part SKU's for Solo and Gunstreet, as I would just order the body and neck from Solo, and all the upgrade parts from the start. Maybe that's a market opportunity for yourself, to kit the upgrade version ???
Upgrade kits? That’s a pretty solid idea.
I emailed Solo to see if they could supply an upgraded kit based on what you put in. They would need to offer a wire harness that they did not supply. So .... do we get the parts list from you ?
@@davidbrown2806 The only part I didn't get from Solo was the wiring harness from gunstreetwiringshop.com
If you want to see the parts from Solo, I go through them in this video: ruclips.net/video/PZ8lbeaVoCs/видео.html
Kind of amazing how a little distortion can mask anybody's playing ability...just a bit.:)
Haha no kidding.
Hello Brad, you know after watching the comparison of a stock Solo build against a real Les Paul, I have to say that the stock Solo sounded amazing. I thought it sounded better than the LP. On certain tracks. I was shopping for new pickups, and decided to give your comparison another look. Crap or not, I’m sticking with the Solo stuff, it actually had a a pretty good LP sound.
On another note , is shielding really necessary for this build? Can’t find the copper tape anywhere,(don’t want to wait two weeks to get it from Amazon).
It’s not really necessary with the humbuckers.
Brad, did you use the long shaft pots. I assume it is not the short ones.??
I believe it was the long ones.
I have a sanding sealer question. I am getting ready to build a les Paul kit guitar. Should I use sanding sealer before or after stain in the mahogany?
After
Is that a large glob of finish on the lower part of the horn near the binding....? Might just be me, but looks a bit rough. Still a great job, looks and sounds great.
I just checked. There aren’t any globs, but there are definitely various little indents from the spalted maple. I did this one in a thin finish with no sealing or filling to preserve some of the character of the wood. It’s not a full, even, gloss by any stretch.
Brad Angove Great, it might have been a reflection, that’s why I asked. It’s definitely a nice build. And sounds like a $3000.00 Gibson. Well done. Can’t wait for your next video..
So if you were really nervous about enlarging holes on a finished guitar, would it work well if you took a stepped drill bit and insert it into the whole by hand and trace the step on the drill bit touching the body with a fresh x-acto blade to score the finish before drilling? Just wondering if its a good option in case you wanna go a little slower or don't have a really sharp bit.
Yes actually that should work fine.
@@BradAngove Cool thanks Brad!
You had the pup selector upside down.
Before? Yeah, you’re not wrong haha.
Solo didn't send you a tuner?...lol...
It does look nice.
Haha nope. No tuner. Strings still need to stretch and settle a bit haha.
The P/U selector works is wired backwards.
I don’t think so, but I’ll check haha.
this whole set of videos was great. I must be the only person that doesn't like gold hardware.
I’m sure you’re not the only one haha. Would you have stuck with black, or something else?
@@BradAngove black or chrome. or black chrome. always and forever. :)
You should have dyed the fretboard black while you were at it
Regarding the modern wire harness from gun street wiring shop, which of the 6 listed modern wiring harnesses is the one you used in your upgrade? Thanks
Oh, I have no idea haha. I told the owner that I like metal and he chose one for me.
Brad, were the pot you used a 3/4th length long shaft or 3/8th length short shaft? Both types have a shaft that is 3/8th wide , hence you had to widen the holes. But how long?
I believe mine were the short shaft, but it’s safest to get the long ones and just use an extra but or washer if they’re too long.
I've laid a spalted maple veneer over an SG shape that I've built. I ordered Crimson Guitars stains. A red and black. I was going to try to do a very subtle dark burst over the red stain. I'll finish it up with Crimson Guitars oil finish. What do you think? Thanks for all your information. I listen to yours and Crimson Guitars all the time!!!
Sounds like an awesome project
@@BradAngove Sorry, my question wasn't very clear. How will red stain look on spalted maple? Should I apply black stain over the spalted veneer then sand it back to help the black colors on the spalt pop? I know it's hard for you to make a judgment without seeing the guitar. It's pretty plain for spalted, actually. Wish I could send you a pic...
@edrosenquist6541 I wouldn’t try doing the black and sand back on a veneer. Just go straight in with the stain. I assume the veneer isn’t sealed, so the stain should work well. The crimson stains are (if I recall correctly) highly transparent, so the grain should accent nicely.
@@BradAngove thanks for the reply Brad! Ben from Crimson Guutars has a vid where he cuts their staln with water then adds a few drops of black to the 50/50 mix of red and water. Then he sprays the edges with the darkened stain, after doing the entire guitar with red. Then he applies their finishing oil. I'll try that. Let you know how it goes.
@edrosenquist6541 sounds awesome. I hope it goes well for you.
Hey Brad nice video ! Can you stain a top like this one ? Thanks ! 👍
These burl tops often come with sealer on them, which prevents your from being able to really stain them. It’s a fragile wood, so it’s tough for them to ship without the sealer unfortunately.
Brad Angove gotcha thanks for the reply ! Keep up your good work i really like your channel !
Thanks Seb
Hello. I have similar guitar, with same top. Your neck volume know is so close to tailpiece ? ...I installed Wizz pickup on neck and EMG pickup on bridge, but in "out of phase" way..so I have unusual Peter Green sound...
That’s where the hole was drilled haha.
@@BradAngove you dont find it strange?..:)
Maybe a little.
Just a suggestion but might not want to make those pot holes too tight to give the wood room for expansion.
Thanks for the suggestion.
@@BradAngove Gorgeous guitar for the money. That spalted top is off the charts. Great videos.
Thanks Jim. I’m glad you like it. I really enjoyed the project.
Which wiring harness did you end up going with from those guys?
From Gunstreet? I just asked them for a recommendation. I believe I said “I like metal” and they said “ok, we’ve got something for you” haha.