Are Saga Guitar Kits Good?
Depends On What Are Your Expectations
“Are Saga guitar kits good?”
In just a few words, the answer is “Yes.” It depends on your expectations, as always in this type of situation.
In my humble opinion, it has three advantages:
- It is fun to make your own guitar.
- If you have enough patience you may get a nicely playing and good-looking instrument with the minimum of work involved.
- It is cost-effective compared to already made instruments.
But don’t expect to have REALLY cool guitar ready to big gigs.
The electronics in Saga guitar kits are pretty cheap. So if you want a bigger sound you’ll probably will want to invest a bit more into pickup replacement…
Tip #1. Painting.
Be careful with it. If you don’t have enough time or patience I would strongly suggest to use any transparent acrylic paint.
The body in the Saga guitar kits comes already sealed and prepared for the final painting.
And the wood structure looks very good.
I tried once to play with colors without good thought and preparation and I failed big time at the start.
This is a good topic for another post. But for now, I just want to say that the sanding after each coat is a very tricky operation.
And about the coats regardless of whether it’s colour or transparent:
More coats means more hard sanding and polishing work.
I have covered my TC-10 with 3 coats and it was way far from looking like a mirror.
But I liked to keep the wood structure visible.
Tip #2. Shielding.
Nobody likes an ugly feedback sound which often occurs when you plug your guitar into amp.
You can not avoid this sound due to the nature of the way the electronics work.
But you CAN reduce it significantly!
There are a few factors provoking the feedback sound:
Pickups quality.
As I have mentioned above you can invest a bit more to replace the original pickups with something better. Find it on Amazon as I did.
Question: what to do with the leftovers?
Well. If you are so passionate about making guitars why don’t you try to build a Cigar Box Guitar?
The good thing about it is that the cigar box doesn’t need expensive pickups.
Trust me, this is another sort of fun in building guitars.Cable quality.
The rule of thumb here. The shorter and more expensive cable is always better than the longer and cheaper one.
Cavities shielding.
Radio interference can significantly contribute to the feedback sound. In simpler terms, the radio waves emitted from any nearby electronic device, such as a radio or TV, can impact the electrical components of your instrument. This is where the shielding comes in – it acts as a protective barrier against external radio waves.
Take a look at Project Tele TC-10 for details.
CONCLUSION:
“The Saga Guitar Kits can help you build a decent quality instrument.
However, it’s important to note that these kits cannot compete with industry leaders in terms of quality.
The parts provided and lack of tools and experience may limit the final result.
Nevertheless, with patience and dedication, you can still create an instrument that you can be proud of.
Good luck!
