Quick Start Guide
Congratulations on your guitar kit purchase!
Thank you and welcome to the new guitar revolution – thousands of Australian's are now opting to build their own guitars, from school students and amateurs right through to renowned guitar techs and professional makers and players.
Why GME?
Guitar Makers Emporium is Australia's largest and longest running online supplier of DIY guitar kits and guitar stuff. Unlike many other suppliers, we are a full-time lutherie (guitar maker/repair) business, servicing many of the worlds most renowned guitar brands (including Fender, Gibson, Maton and many others). Our team builds and repairs high end guitars (some up to $35,000) for many well known musicians and clients and we stand by every product in our range regardless of pricepoint.
Where do I start?
First thing to know, these guitar kits are not snap together projects ready for paint and strings straight from the box, they are the raw product from the same factory that produces guitars for
some of the world’s best known brands. It is up to YOU to get the absolute best out
of the kit you have received.
Preparation is key!
Yes there may be the odd imperfection, which any luthier would also usually have to deal with. Most can be filled or sanded out easily without affecting the guitar's tone. Please let us know immediately after receiving of any large cracks or freight damage.
In order to achieve a great finish, you must put some time and effort into preparation. We recommend sanding with every grit from 120 all the way through to 2000 grit. Any glue marks must be sanded, especially if you're going for a transparent finish. Subtle imperfections become more more obvious once finished is applied, so best to deal with them early.
Instructions
With over 50 different models in our range, and as many of our kits are designed for the pro market, we are unable to supply an Instruction Manual for every kit. We do have assembly instructions for the main models (Strat, Tele, LP and Hollowbody) as well as wiring diagrams for every model and some basic finishing instructions, which in the interests of reducing waste we have available on the website. This page is now password protected.
The password as of March 2015 is: gme
Am I on my own?
Absolutely not! We are here to support you through the entire build process, whether its providing wiring diagrams or phone/skype instructional sessions (often termed “crisis sessions”), we will do everything in our power to ensure that you complete your project. We don't have a forum, mainly because we would rather you obtain advice from a qualified professional, rather than sift through often inaccurate and misleading advice offered by hobbyists and sales reps online.
Send us some pics of your project if you'd like us to share them on our Facebook page.
Good luck with it!
Anthony and the GME Team
www.guitarmakersemporium.com.au
www.facebook.com/guitarmakersemp