Building a PRS Style Guitar Kit! - Full Build and First Tones!

Oh yes! It's time for an epic new guitar kit build! Welcome to Part II!
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GUITAR DYE:
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DARRELL'S GUITARS & GEAR LIST!
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DARRELL'S RECORDING SETUP:
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Torpedo Captor X - imp.i114863.net/RMJR2
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DARRELL'S AMPLIFIERS:
Marshall - imp.i114863.net/ZdQNJ1
Mesa Boogie - imp.i114863.net/xdVB1
Orange - imp.i114863.net/94MWE
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SOLI DEO GLORIA!

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Welcome to Part II - the Purple "PRS" 🎸 Enjoy 😊

[@irishuwubaby1696]

I enjoyed the video

[@K750Ric]

There are pickup ring for curve top, the manufacturer should have included those instead of the normal flat top pickup rings

[@TroyShahanMusic]

Is there a link to the kit?

[@jasonalmgren3050]

Hi Darrell. Cool build. Check with stewmac. I bet they have pickup rings for carve top guitars that you can install without stressing cheap plastic and maybe get an even better fit. Other than that, I love the purple.

[@domoniquebrooks816]

What's the scale length on this kit? Too often I find "prs style" kits that are made with Gibson's 24.75 inch scale length instead of the correct 25 inch scale length.

[@71guitarsmith]

Tip: Pickup rings can be sanded to contour by placing a piece of sandpaper on the guitar and sliding the rings gently back and forth to gain that exact curve.

[@TheEchelon]

True, but the contour here is much higher than the thickness of the pickup.

[@71guitarsmith]

@@TheEchelon yes, that can be an issue. Stew Mac has blanks that are made specifically for this process with a bit more height to work with

[@whoohaaXL]

Heat bro, heat. That plastic is probably as thin as paper. Take a hair dryer to it and get it nice and hot and let it cool to the contour.

[@timhallas4275]

@@71guitarsmith They make rings with arched bottoms. They are like 50 cents each. I have a box of them you can have for free.

[@71guitarsmith]

@@timhallas4275 of course, however the arch does not always match the curve of the instrument and forcing the ring can cause it to fail or cause impressions on the wood even before finishing. I use the sand approach for all my arch top builds where the convex does not match.

[@RevGerryRM]

Studs should go in prior to pickups. All that pounding could damage your pickups! Also the 1 & 6 string should be temporary installed prior to the picks to make sure the pickups are mounted under the poles.😙

[@randymccalla9995]

I saw that too...put pickups after bridge ?

[@McDreads]

Studs and bridge an the 2 outside strings should be attached even before glue-ing the neck to check the alignment of the guitar. This way of building puts a lot of trust in the precision of the manufacturer of the kit....

[@briank6789]

A few things: 1. I'd string it before drilling for the pickups, to make sure that the pickup poles are directly beneath the strings and not off-center. Once you strung it up, looks like they sit a bit to the bass side. 2. I'd only tap in the tailpiece inserts themselves, not with the screws still in them. Wouldn't want to risk damaging those. Also, I don't recall if you mentioned, but how was the fretwork?

[@lukehodgson5222]

I built the same kit. Fret work was OK. Sharp ends and a couple high frets. I ended up leveling, crowning and polishing mine mainly for the experience. Totally worth it!

[@ejej6934]

He was just rushing through the build to make YT content. Anyone thinking of building from a kit should do themselves a favor and read through the comments on this and the previous video for the numerous bits of advice.

[@fkun1156]

Also: You can sand the pickups frames placing sand paper on top of the body and sliding the frames on the sand paper near the pickup place. This way it won't be bent. When you bend these cheap frames, as they get older and stiffer, they tend to crack.

[@pbruteforce1]

Turned out pretty good, however in the future you might want to temporarily put your bridge and tail piece on to make sure your strings are going to land over the center of your pickup magnets seems like the bottom pickup could have shifted towards the controls of whisker, but I know time was of the essence came out pretty good otherwise 👍

[@jimmyz2098]

I was thinking the same thing. LOL I'd never try to "instruct" Darrell. The guy is amazing. But just as an observation - I probably would have put the bridge and tail piece on first - but only 2 screws - and not all the way in. Put the tuners on next. Then string 1 & 2. Be sure my string lines were perfect. Then finish screwing down the bridge. Then I would have added the other 4 strings - with the pickups in place. Taped down - but not screwed. Then I would have gotten the pole pieces lined up perfectly with the strings (as perfectly as possible)... and then screwed in the pickup rings last. But that's just me!

[@jahbrake9791]

Nobody cares

[@Nellil]

Doesn't do anything for the sound , only cosmetics...

[@pbruteforce1]

It's not that big of a deal and nitpicky I know But something that would bug some people myself included . Just thought I'd mention it for those who are watching and thinking of building one of these guitars it would be a good idea just to make sure everything is lined up as best as it can be.

[@TFShaw]

@@jahbrake9791 Why did you comment? DB

[@moldypj]

Everyone should build a guitar at least once, to help appreciate the work that goes into every one at the factory.

[@xenophonkirby]

So true. My first kit guitar is now one of my favorites with upgraded pickups. It's a strat with unfinished wood and an amazing neck that must have been a fluke.

[@jacobseal]

I did a warmoth build in the early 2000's. It was a great experience and a killer guitar!!! Totally agree that everyone should try it.

[@danny_the_K]

Next time, don't mount your pickups until you run the 1st and 6th strings. Then align the pickups to the body and strings. They look a like off towards the high E. Thankfully the low E is usually pretty strong so it can cover the signal strength difference.

[@stevestocking333]

How high do you set your pickups?

[@MrUSFT]

These videos were a lot of fun, Darrel! The guitar looks great! I love those colors with the quilt top.

[@TheGovernanceNavigator]

Darrel, there seems to be a huge problem with scammers claiming you won something with your profile picture which are obviously fake. Even if you can’t fix it I would really like you to highlight it so that nobody falls for it! I would hate for your name to get tainted due to a scammer.

[@nazmoking3171]

Haha, and yet your only reply is the scammer here! His account is totally compromised for sure...

[@dappawap]

yup ask the scammer to show you a picture of the guitar you won and it is a picture of a box

[@TheMugen666]

I do like how this turned out. The one thing that truly bothers me though is the non arched pickup rings. Kinda painful to see the plastic bend there. Now, yes that's honestly on the company that sells the kit but still.

[@tarZenization]

Yeah, even my cheapo AliExpress kit gave me the right arched rings. But that one had a lopsided neck...

[@Jasonbova]

It hurts my soul

[@Jasonbova]

Is the neck pickup wrong? the zebraness

[@Xpyburnt_ndz]

Surprised they didn't give you the proper rings (arched top type) with that top!

[@YetiOnGuitar]

Yeah, surprised there aren't more comments about him having to bend the hell out of the rings to screw them in, looks so weird.

[@toasteroverdrive1097]

Staining it black then sanding a bit before adding the color highlights the flame. If someone wants to build one an old rolled up T-Shirt does a great job for staining and finishing. I would have gotten rid of the switch and used an epiphone type one. On a kit guitar the finish is thin and the instrument resonates better and almost feel like nitro.

[@aidaneckart5054]

That turned out awesome! Super glad you went with the purple and the burst was the perfect touch! Well done!

[@fkun1156]

A tip for anyone trying to do the same: Install the tuners, place the bridge, and install the strings BEFORE drilling the holes for the pickups. This way you'll be sure the pole pieces are aligned with the strings (and not shifted to the bass side as Darrell's bridge ended up being).

[@billthompson2860]

Darrell way to go it looks great. To me it looks new old like a beautiful piece of leather that has it's own look. The blend is way better than I thought it would be. I like your approach to the unknown things in life. You are not afraid to try. Great Job!

[@darvinreed2314]

Scam on this post

[@anthonynonya]

I had to go back and look closely at the pickup poles because I thought one of them was upside down, they're not. Am I the only one who thinks it looks weird having the white on the bottom of both pickups? Beautiful finish, I like it.

[@stevehuffman1495]

The pickups would normally be installed with the off-white halves away from each other. You can see on the wiring diagram that the polepiece screws on the neck picare close to the neck and those on the bridge pickup are close to the bridge. I'm surprised at how well the colors turned out. Great video, as usual.

[@destinyreturns4885]

I was also questioning the same thing, as my PRS SE has the white/cream side facing the neck and bridge respectively, but upon closer inspection you can see that the adjustable poles are in the correct position..

[@darvinreed2314]

Scam on here

[@apogeedata]

You really did a great job on saving the colors in it came out spectacular

[@bldallas]

Wow, really turned out great! I love the deep purple coloring. Sounds awesome. Great job!

[@s9plus20]

Great job Darrell!!

[@nazmoking3171]

This just might be the first guitar I've seen you review other than the Glarry's on your channel that I didn't want when you were done!

[@acidbran]

This summer. Nice job and I'm super impatient myself to get to the results. Will be ordering.

[@boogerz]

great job on the kit build! that color turned out pretty nice looking.

[@RsSquier51]

Nice job. Good thing to do would be to put on both E strings before mounting the pups for good alignment on the pole pieces.

[@mrfacephone]

Love the purple! Back when we got that first stimulus check I spent the whole thing on a Jazzmaster build from Warmoth and did it in the same color!

[@badolan]

Darrell is fun to listen to. He is a positive soul. I may have to try a kit in the future. As always, great job on the guitar and video!

[@jimmyz2098]

Fantastic guitar! What a nice project. Good build. Good looking guitar. And it sounds great too. I dig it, and now I want to do one like it!

[@marclevesque4710]

Looks great Darrell, I did a SOLO Jazzmaster kit and loved the result.

[@Conch582]

After watching your other kit build, i got an exp kit and recently finished it. I carved a hexagon pattern in the body and poured black epoxy into it, then stained it a dark brown. Turned out really nice. I replaced all the electronics, tuners, pickups, input jack, etc., etc. Had quite a few challenges along the way, but all in all, a nice kit

[@MarkEaster]

Nice very nice. Always fun to watch you. ❤️

[@edgardouglas6485]

WOW!! DB....that turned out quite nice.....I really like the satin look and the sound from the kid pups is quite nice....thanks for the ride....

[@reeling-in]

Looks and sounds great Darrell. I enjoyed following this.

[@GKQcfan]

Good built ! (Not quite great because, Yeah you were in a hurry!) I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks Darrell !!! Many good tips in the comments made by faithful followers...I've modified almost all my guitars... Next step is assembling one from a kit, and i was watching Solo Music's stuff and you persuaded me! There are many Solo Music gear guitar kits i may build in the following years ! Thanks again!

[@skidudek2]

Definitely need to replace or shape the pickup rings, they look weird, but cool build.

[@blackbirdpie217]

Excellent Job Darryl. Considering you kept it super simple, it actually came out a lot nicer looking than I thought it would at the start, but it's really nice and sounds great.

[@klauswigsmith]

Looks and sounds great, Darrell!

[@herbiehill2215]

Great job Darrell, it looks amazing brother well done 😎

[@cmdrsocks]

Looks great. I like the kind of aged appearance that it has from the imperfections and hand rubbed finish. Anyone who wants a "factory PRS" style finish needs to put a week aside for sanding and sanding and sanding and buffing and probably a bit of sanding and buffing.

[@wesleymorris1]

You put the neck pickup in backwards, screw pieces usually point towards the bridge and towards the neck. So cream bobbin should point towards neck.

[@Juno58]

No, he did it right, screw poles of neck PU points towards the neck.

[@UToobSteak]

They're in right, but the bobbins were put together backwards on one pickup

[@rickmathis8590]

Looks really good, actually. Well done!

[@nrh3567mpmj]

Plus wow that result reached is really awesome cheers sir ,, Mark

[@sgtmac62]

Now THIS is a great DGB video! Awesome.

[@Levelheadd]

It turned out awesome! These kits are great for guitarists at all stages. I personally was not a fan of the sanding and staining, but you end up with your own unique instrument. Over time upgrade the electronics, pickups and tuners and you’re laughing ✌🏼

[@anthonyward8587]

Brilliant Darrell , nice colour as well.

[@Ra-gv6lx]

Enjoyable series 👍

[@boppermacca9346]

I like how it looks , you did a great job. And it sounds ok. The pickups could be upgraded later. But all in all a great kit build

[@tommykesterson416]

Wow! I really like that dye job! Cool looking and sounding guitar. Great job!

[@claudioscaglioni4473]

Well done Darrell !! Thank you for the tips to take home. 💪💪

[@RByrne]

I actually found out that Solo guitars are close to me, and went by there today. That place had everything! I'm currently piecing together a setup to build.

[@robbysguitars8223]

You did good with the finish. You gotta feel blessed. It's so easy to make a mistake in one of the many steps to a fine finish but, sometimes, as with my first attempt, it all works out. The next step in the progression of guitar building is how to deal with a finish that needs correction. Carry on, my wayward son. There'll be peace when you're done.

[@aarontom700]

That's beautiful how it turned out! Love the color!

[@resofactor]

Great job. Congrats!

[@irishuwubaby1696]

So beautiful man keep up the good work 🎸

[@oldrrocr]

glad you shared that with us!

[@mickwells9431]

Hey Darrell ! Man I think you did a very nice job on this kit. The whole kit and kaboodle looks and sounds great. It is YOUR guitar so you can tinker with it as you please and when you please. Enjoy breaking it in and playing the fruit of your labor. Take care up there in Canada !!

[@darrell3368]

Looking great Darrell I can’t wait to hear it

[@thethesaxman23]

Looks and sounds fantastic!!! Great work Darrell!!!

[@trevorreniger5670]

Super fun series and that color turned out *great!*

[@ChrisMartinStudios]

Fantastic review. Definitely purchasing a bass kit because of your video.

[@garylanzer6506]

Nice job. Has a nice look to the finish colors.

[@charlesmigneault7918]

Great build

[@neverenoughguitars8276]

Wow it looks really great. Good job!

[@charliemcgrain]

Blown away. Well done, man! Sounds great and looks the business.

[@rijosigns]

and there is that face on the guitar again by the bridge awesome! great job looks great. gun stock oil makes a great finish

[@stevenielsen3102]

I love it! Good job Darrell!

[@joshuaandtheruins8580]

On the polish, if you don't have a disc, you can do it by hand. McGuire's polishing compound followed by polish, and just use strips of old blue jean denim in small circles. You'll be able to see see reflections in the finish. And of course, great job on the quick build!!!!

[@saltymakerreed5983]

Cool kit, not my favorite style & stuff but damn Darrell, you have a one of kind playing style that I always look forward to hearing in all of your videos. Looking forward to the next one. Cheers!

[@briannelms158]

Turned out really good Darrell! Nice job!

[@briannelms158]

People are wise to your SCAM !!!!

[@richardroe6177]

Aw mate! Really nice guitar, good effort!! Love your content, and I'm always excited when I see a new vid from you!

[@charleshuguley9903]

The color looks great.

[@fotog04]

Just finishing an LP kit from Solo as well. Finishing was the biggest learning curve especially if you don't have a spray booth or it's too cold in the garage. There are some hiccups in the finishing but the next one will be better. Thanks for the video! I was having an issue with fret buzz...I need a proper crowning file. Let's see some videos!🤘😎

[@cesarherediaaguirre4419]

That top color looks amazing! Better than most common top colors.

[@jonstout7635]

I did a tung oil finish on a guitar project in the 90’s. Great finish. Easy to polish smooth with 0000 steel wool, and the tone was amazing. Friends with $5000 guitars loved the tone.

[@jeffro.]

What, you think tung oil changed the way it sounds?! Ha.

[@jonstout7635]

@@jeffro. The tung oil finish allowed the wood to resonate more, which helped its natural tone to shine through because it was a light finish. The body was solid Michigan maple bought from a Mennonite tree farm. Maple bolt-n neck with an ebony board.

[@perkins1439]

❤❤❤ the way you play you don't need no fancy guitar but that sure is a beauty the semi-gloss is just fine

[@Krullmatic]

You did an excellent job on that stain! It looks really nice.

[@shanewalton8888]

Wow. The stain job came out great!

[@HigzyTeflon]

Daaaaamn... that turned out nice. Sounds pretty decent too. Nice work!

[@zetaminor77]

love the color of your finish! the burst came out very good

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Darrell, you nailed it 😄

[@musiqueurbaine]

You did great Darrell. Very nice kit also. I love the result you did with these Solo dyes. I wonder the end result if you had taken an extra week or two? I’m sure you would have been surprised in the finish. No matter! It looks great as it is. Well dun 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@larrystumph524]

Looks and sounds great 😎

[@doughnut3639]

Turned out awesome! Love solos products and their customer service. I built their les Paul style kit with flame maple top. I love it. I think this one is gonna be my next kit

[@bradconklin2878]

Looks great!

[@ronboff3461]

excellent work!

[@74dartman13]

I think it looks and sounds awesome!👍😎🎸🎶

[@ColinWatters]

The end result is a lot better than i expected after the first video. Very nice.

[@pskemster]

Darryl on your pickup rings they both need a slight sanding so the contour won’t be so straight. What I do I put a piece of sticky peel 230 sand paper on the middle area of your pickup holes. So all you have to do is pull the rings back and forth until your contour is established. Your build Is smoking!

[@jeffro.]

Wow, did you come up with that sanding idea yourself? (Try reading the comments, you're only the 501st person to say that, lol! I'll bet DB is tired of reading it!)

[@willgreaves3839]

I love the finish

[@benpowersguitar]

That came out really nice. That finish is awesome.

[@kowalguitarlife9119]

oh man this was soo fun to see thanks foor the awsome vid

[@chrisautrey5051]

If you get a rotating sander you can get a polishing head for it and polish it with some white rubbing compound for cars. It worked great onthe truoil i used on my bass build.

[@DavidHBurkart]

That top came out great!

[@donciseau]

What a beautiful guitar you have!

[@electricmak7298]

wow,congrats, it's beautiful👌🏻

[@steveoneal5257]

good job Darrell

[@NOMADCREATIVESOLUTIONS]

Good job!! The fade looks good and the top is a winner

[@mikkooijala1683]

I wish these would come with 25 inch scale!!!

[@DougGarrett]

Looks killer!

[@alxflip7]

It turned out great, man! Good job!

[@robbysguitars8223]

A tip for making the pickup surrounds fit nicely: tape a piece of 220 grit sandpaper right between the pickup routes. Then rub the surround on the sandpaper moving from the route towards the space between the routes. It won't be perfect, but when you screw them down, they'll look like they belong there.

[@GKQcfan]

Or put painter tape on the sides of those rings, force them on the guitar surface, mark the painter's tape with a pencil following the vurve of the top and remove the excess plastic and the rings will fit the guitar surface like gloves....