Building a HEADLESS Guitar! - Full Build and Tones!

[@thseed7]

Love building guitars. Hope you do more of these projects more frequently because you look like you're having fun every time you tackle one and add your own spin.

[@Acr0991]

I’m glad you finally made this! It’s that much more tempting to buy the kit. I was hoping you would show us the stringing process, I’m not familiar with this setup. Thanks for the videos!

[@rayschoch5882]

Can't tell anything about the tone - it's going through your setup, Darrell, then over the web, then through my computer and my speakers, etc. I agree about replacing the pickups - not only for tone, but also getting black pickup covers. The body didn't exactly turn out red, purple, blue, like you were anticipating, but I love that grain showing, so the color is not that big a deal for me. I don't mind it being headless and a bit unconventional in design. In fact, this might inspire me to try building one myself - a project for the upcoming winter.

[@brucelangsteiner4599]

Turned out really great, Darrell. I think black humbuckers without covers would look awesome!!

[@brusselssprouts560]

A push pot might be good too?

[@richarddwjensen]

How did the guitar suddenly get a clear coat? Video 2 left off with rough staining. I really wanted to see the finishing process for the stain/clear coat.

[@jeffbosch1697]

Agreed. I got the impression from part 2 that we would get to see that part of the process.

[@SerpentsBane1995]

I'd imagine he left it out of the video on account of his near-perfect record of always botching the finish. He mentions frequently that he is not good at finishing, yet seemingly he likes doing things the hard way by not looking up how to do even a basic oil or stain finish. BigDGuitars could help a lot if Darrell would check him out. Perhaps he never bothers to test things out a piece of scrap wood.

[@jeffbosch1697]

@@SerpentsBane1995 Maybe for him part of the fun is having no clue how it will turn out, but going ahead with it anyway.

[@BrentAdams]

I don't mind lower output pickups in the slightest. I was a little surprised on the color of you kit build. I was expecting a little more "color" from watching the first stage of the build..... you must have done a little more sanding before the clear coat. It looks nice! Just a little less "bold" than I was expecting. Well done.

[@acutemadness]

He just dials muddy tone I looked at the video of the v it’s not much tighter however the Volgoa headless guitars which look very similar to these come in various finishes instead of a kit and have different pickups that include a tone knob sound better but are poorly made so I’m replacing them with invader and p-90 style pickups

[@Tumblehome22]

I would appreciate hearing the actual clean tones of this guitar. The distorted tones you used in this demo mask the clean sounds making it impossible to evaluate the basic clean sounds on the various pickup settings. If it doesn't sound good clean, it would be a waste of money in my humble opinion.

[@willfowler8540]

agreed. just strum a basic chord even on each pickup setting then go to the overdrive

[@Nverinder716]

I dunno how I ever missed this build Darrell, but I built this same SBK-150 a few years ago! My second kit, and you're absolutely right about the pickups - I outfit mine with RailHammer humbuckers! Really killer guitar, and yours is great!

[@mbert]

Having a headless guitar myself I really love these designs. From watching the video however I see two more weaknesses in the one shown here that would bother me: (1) Lack of a tone pot I use them a lot, and I really see no reason to save on it (assuming this was mostly a price decision). (2) Also I think the output jack position is not ideal. One thing I love the Strandberg-ish designs for is the ability to place the instrument in different ways when sitting, including the "classical" position. If you use a cable with straight plug it will get in the way. I'm actually a big fan of having the plug on the top (like on the classic semi acoustic Gibsons) - plugs live longer and won't require occasional soldering.

[@jameyguitar]

I have an idea for a new vid, you take a bunch of different beginner guitars of different shapes, so like a glarry tele, a donner Les Paul and a squier strat and take the best parts on each and make it the best really strange guitar so like an lp body with a stray neck and tele pickups, I think it’s a brilliant idea

[@martyshwaartz971]

While that's a cool idea the parts probably wouldn't fit from different brands, I don't think you can even put a strat neck on a tele due to the neck pocket difference (?). Maybe with Warmouth parts it's possible though?

[@PaulCooksStuff]

@@martyshwaartz971 yup, and the scale lengths are different, so the frets will be in the wrong place on an LP

[@ACWraith]

@@martyshwaartz971 Correct. A strat neck will not fit on a tele neck rout. A tele neck on a strat rout generally works with a gap that can be covered by a pickguard assuming they are following standards (which some older guitar lines did not do well). A Les Paul won't match either. As for Warmoth, they make every 6-string (other than a Bass VI) with a strat or tele neck rout regardless of the body shape so you could get a non-Fender-like body but would still need a Fender-like neck. (Though you could get one with a 24.75 scale conversion instead of the default 25.5.)

[@jameyguitar]

But that’s why I think it would be a cool experiment

[@Rockerrobin]

Not a bad platform for a project guitar not only would I replace the electronics I would also add even more beveling to the body.

[@rocnrobyn]

Nicely done! Love the colors and that you kept the grains! Thank you 🙏

[@andrewjackson9417]

Great built, I love how you left the grain structure apparent, very Warwick-esque. I agree the pups don't look right there, a set of Duncan Designed should do the trick. What did you use for the clear coat, it looks great.

[@mileswatkinson8135]

That was fun to watch. I have the first color stain coat (dark red) on my own solo t style kit. I'm going to sand it back so the dark red sits in the grain, and follow with a lighter shade of red before clearcoating. You've really got me excited to see the final outcome.

[@leonardhirtle3645]

That is a beautiful guitar. The colour blending and the wood grain are sweet.

[@boxerfencer]

I have no issue with low output (humbucker) PUs. In fact i prefer them. Theyre warmer and touch sensitive, in comparison to high output that push the amp, no matter what your guitar volume is set at or how delicately you strike the strings. Besides, theyre humbuckers; they cant be any lower output than the single coils youve celebrated endlessly with a multitude of teles.

[@DavidOakesMusic]

Yep. I lowered the pickups on my kit-tele as far as they would go and now it sounds so punky and playing rhythm on it is so much fun - plus you can just back off the volume a bit to clean it up.

[@ElvesvsShinyRocks]

I would get a set of GFS Power Rails for this. They sound great (in my opinion), come in black, and won't break the bank. Loved this build! Cheers!

[@I.M.Guitar-Nerd]

I like your revised choice on the finish. 👍

[@-GuitarZero]

I generally like your videos but I think you should've showed soldering the pickups to the pots for new builders. I know it's not the sexiest footage but it would be useful to show how it's not rocket surgery.

[@davefoster1915]

Love it, sounds nice, love the wood grain, I agree that the pick ups can be improved on , but loved the build

[@davefoster1915]

Hey there

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: Either you are really lucky, or I am unlucky. Anytime I have mounted a new neck on a non Fender guitar, the sting alignment was never right. I have always mounted the bridge and used the "E" strings as alignment guides before drilling and mounting the neck. You are right about the pickups, I would have cut the chrome covers off, maybe soldered black covers on. A black selector switch too. Cool guitar, Good job Sir. Thanks for all your posts.

[@WrinkledPlatypus]

Is this kit basically the same as one of the eart headless guitars? Seems close

[@KingLoopie1]

I like the subtle tints you used on the finish! Looks like a nice simple kit!

[@victorbeebe8372]

Aloha and Mahalo. Great series. Currently I am bedridden due to a motorcycle accident. My guitars are too heavy to lay on my chest. Those affordable headless guitars might be what the doctor orders.

[@rexrathtar3893]

What happened at 6:55? Flub cut? The guitar as whole looks better than I was expecting. Colours ended up being very understated, which is a bit underwhelming, but the grain is nice.

[@chainduck]

I'd like to see how you actually put the strings on and adjust this bridge.

[@REDW1NG94]

Some of those bare knuckle pickups that are covered but still have all the poles exposed would look pretty sharp, not to mention sound incredible

[@mattuw82]

With the black bridge and knobs, I wonder if it would look better with black pickup covers.

[@txkflier]

No details on the clearcoat? If the action was too high, were the pickups too far from the strings as well? That cordless drill gives me the heebee-jeebees..

[@OilCanHarry2U]

The Darrell “Off With His Head” Braun model

[@johnpatitucci7919]

How was the intonation though? Was the final setup good?

[@bobafett4889]

Shredder guitar with grunge pups. Lol Looks like a fun mod platform though. I want either one of these or an explorer kit. Great video as always! Thank you sir.

[@mickthompson5245]

That turned out really nice that colour

[@Z1ldjian2785]

Nice, wish you would have shown the stringing of it. Especially since you said it had a hassle to put it nicely

[@mariasaha8303]

Will you please show us how you adjust the bridge to improve the action?

[@apisdude]

with that bridge you have to remove all the saddles to get to the screw holes. these bridges work well

[@garettturbettmusic]

How come you didn’t also show what you used to finish the body and neck after staining it. Idk what the best thing to use is

[@olecodger3907]

Turned out very nice. Love how the grained body looks, nice job.

[@siegmac3267]

Muddy neck deserves indeed an upgrade..

[@garys.4789]

I wish you showed us how to tune it

[@zinhosalaverry8294]

Really nice video! We need an upgrade video for this guitar (pickups, electronics, etc).

[@SevasGuitar]

I know where this color idea comes from, thanks for the experiment.

[@JungYT]

How do you decide on the correct orientation of the pickups? I've heard that they need to mount a certain direction. Also, do you need the crank to tune the guitar?

[@Roy_Gaber]

Nice. Now tell me, what chair do you use?

[@jeffscarff1655]

Here's a tip for your coloring. Give it a white base coat first, otherwise your colors will be overwhelmed by the color of the wood. This would have looked more like what you envisioned with a white base.

[@ScrubDaddy265]

Got one of these kits. Are the pickups just low output? Not microphonic? Cause I like low output for use with FX.

[@WeAllFloatHere]

Currently building a kit and have a random question. I'm using leather dyes for the finish, should I dye and/or seal the inside of the neck pocket? I did finish the heel of the neck with tru oil but plan to sand down pretty good when going to put it in the pocket. I have not seen a proper answer for this. I don't want any visible bare wood, so I'm thinking if going for no finish, I can run over it with a sharpie on the inside to make it black like the back (the top is purple). Any thoughts would be super helpful

[@shanesanko1408]

The colour turned out great. But you're right about pickups but I'm sure you'll change them but looks great good job

[@shaneglackin]

Looks great, but did you sand off most of the stain?

[@timreid9980]

So what happened to the purple, it was supposed to be blue red and purple not gray? Also how did you get the clearcoat on there? From what I hear clear coat is a pain to work with would have been nice to actually see that. It also sounds like the guitar was not intonated because they were several parts that were out of tune.

[@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1]

Good build for sure...love to see a pair of black Seymour Duncan Invaders on there...

[@kjv-public-domain]

I'm curious. Did you solve the high action problem on the higher frets? It doesn't look like the bridge is very adjustable. I'm just wondering because if the kit needs more work to make parts line up then I don't want it. I'm hoping that it dials right in after putting it together. I absolutely hate getting it together and having to dismantle it to sand or rout it out more. It's a nice looking instrument.

[@dvpzy]

I think the bare metal pickups are ok unpainted. Because people will probably cutomize everything in this kit. I would cut everything and leave a perfect slim rectangle.

[@BTAJoe]

Forgot shielding paint? (Or copper tape, etc.)

[@kurdtjohn]

This would look kick-ass with those black chrome Fishman Fluence pickups.

[@jonlennon3348]

Could you show how it strings up?

[@davidrees1840]

Wow, that came out beautifully! Very cool, maybe for my next build. Solo could offer this as a doubleneck -it would solve a lot of weight and balance issues.

[@LilSirAxolotl]

The bridge is on tight enough so it just holds the ground wire in place?

[@itsjustayd]

i had gone to a guitar store not long back, grabbed a headless guitar and the person after me grabbed a LesPaul from above (Something like it may have been a Copy) i had a spin on the guitar then placed it expecting the headstock to be there..... i'm glad that the store owner was cool about it :/

[@MB57]

Great stuff, I'm going to get their thinline tele kit when I've got some free time!

[@edlicari3909]

That is one awesome looking guitar. Pretty much exactly like the Grote/Volgoa headless guitar! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@grankvarsvik4153]

Think black chrome pups would look nice on this one.

[@Buddy000691]

I think if I built one, I would have to put EMG's in this guitar and of course add an extra hole for the tone control. I wonder how well it stays in tune.

[@WattchomanBrandySavage]

That finish turned out really flippin' nice! what did you use as a clear coat? also, did you have to finish the neck?

[@numbersabcdefg]

DOES PALM MUTING mess with the tuning?

[@brendan1888]

Please do a longer video on tones!

[@amca755]

Does the lack of mass in the neck make the guitar easier or harder to play? I could imagine that the lack of headstock could require a lighter touch?

[@century2077]

Love the vid, but looking at the diag. It appears the pick ups were put in upside down, does that make a differance?

[@UpliftingRiffs]

Nice looks pretty slick good job.

[@ZinoAmare]

Would be cool if you do a upgrade video ^^

[@InsomniacMatt]

I think it would be neat if they did something like this, with cavities drilled in for EMGs/Active pickups in general

[@neartheend666]

Can this bridge support something like 11-56?

[@RolandZertuche]

What was the final weight sir?

[@brucelangsteiner4599]

Looks really great, Darrell. I think black humbuckers without covers would look awesome!!

[@gregb6387]

Great project guitar. Looking at a tele kit and only using a Seymore Duncan P90 Bridge pickup only. This video series has inspired me. Cheers.

[@richardtaylor2361]

does it have a truss rod?

[@JohnnyArtPavlou]

Yes…it is accessed from the top end.

[@jamesshaw476]

Nice job om this build👍

[@jaysigma]

Like the "Whisky-barrel" look, though I would have had a different colour scheme on my mind. The chrome covers are definately a point to change. The sound, hmm- seems like you have to squeeze her through some pedals to get a "decent" sound. Nice job anyway, Darrell! Maybe it would be out of interest which settings you have used at your amp and how she holds the tuning? Anyway- was a pleasure (as usual) to watch you!

[@JohnLloydDavis]

Great build, demo and kit. Couldn't help noticing that Canadians say sodder (saw-dur) like Muricans! We can't say Aluminum (which is correct byw) and we (UK) say solder as in sole-dur.

[@b6y8n]

Awesome build I always wanted to try one of the Kits never owned or played a headless guitar I would put in Seymour Duncan pickups

[@RByrne]

That looks great!

[@doctoribanez]

How can it play really nice with the strings and nut not set up. I would have liked to see it set up. Then you would know how level the frets are

[@minkorrh]

Nice ! I'd have gone with black pickup covers. Just me. I'm in the middle of a Solo Tele build.

[@drogers5511]

2 points: Solo did not provide my build the correct wiring diagram. The other is that this wood body looks like a discard of a coffee table. I enjoy these build videos. Beware that Solo is a starter.

[@Shlak-5sj5]

Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!how did you found guide book to the building I can't find it

[@SiaHmac]

Great job Darrell! Thanks for the video. How much was the weight?

[@WalkenDead]

You could just take the chrome covers off the pickups. Most are black underneath with the poles exposed of course

[@queen4334]

Hey Darrel, have you ever thought about doing a gear4music guitarworks kit? They cost very little and are actually not too bad for around $120-$140 I personally have one of the Les pauls and the only problems I found was the frets needed sanding and so did the neck as it didn't fit fully

[@queen4334]

I should also add all the electronics are clip together so they are very very friendly towards beginners who can't solder or are afraid to

[@scottdavis8811]

What kind of strings are you using and how do you tune the thing???

[@nataliebeach6148]

I like the chrome, though I would've preferred a more PAF style pickup with the row of screw slugs.

[@mister_syre]

Even when considering to switch the pickups on this one, the price point for a fully custom guitar is really low. I'll definitely try a Solo kit someday, maybe the Firebird one.

[@Nate_P]

Glad you scrapped that red/blue stain. Natural wood looking MUCH better.

[@robertburgess5273]

Are you planning a later video to mod this guitar? You mentioned the pickups. Some have mentioned a tone. Maybe change out the pots, or add shielding paint? What are your plans for this guitar? 🎸 🎸 🎸 🎸

[@georgewoelfel4691]

I really thought you messed up the stain and finish combinations in the first 2 episodes. I guess that green tape threw me off. It looks awesome! Who helped?

[@KovertCorteX]

how many frets are on this?

[@louislahayepht2137]

Nice job Darrell. Again always a pleasure and so informative watching your channell. I am curious how much the final product /guitar weigths? On the site it says 11 lbs but it seems too far off even with the box. Thanks

[@wadeteach]

I wish I had soldering skills (even though you get quick connects). That would save me all kinds if money on pickup and pot swaps.

[@jamesdiehl8690]

Gotta another goofy for you to check out Darrell: Rockin' 1000 Bittersweet Symphony - Excellent - The Verve. Enjoy!

[@gabrielnevesnascimento667]

I actually think the cromed pick ups gives a nice contrast with the black hardware It would look kinda boring if it were black and black

[@jonathanvargas7543]

I would change it for some Fishman classic o modern humbuckers or for a of EMG 56 - 66.