This guide provides step-by-step instructions to build your Acoustic Electric DIY guitar kit, equipped with a 4-band EQ and piezo pickup.
This guide walks you through every step from prepping your body to final setup.
Recommended Tools Guide: Luthier Tools for DIY Guitar Kits
Every kit includes:
To complete your guitar kit safely, also ensure you have the following on hand, and a well ventilated work space to work in.
Use protective safety glasses or a genuine face shield, not regular prescription, reading, or sunglasses.
Use disposable gloves if applying stains or oil finishes directly to the guitar.
Use an N95 rated dust mask for sanding and an R95 rated particle mask for finishing. If using water based finishing products an N95 dust mask may suffice for both sanding and finishing, but be sure to check the finishing suppliers recommendations first. Paint fumes are dangerous.
Ensure your work space is well ventilated, especially when finishing to prevent a build up of potentially toxic fumes.
There are four stages to building a great kit guitar, these are:
The finished surface appearance of your guitar e.g. staining, painting, or applying a hand rubbed oil finish.
Fitting the tuners, strap buttons, bridge, and pickups.
Connecting the pickups to the input jack, and incorporating a pickup selector and volume and tone potentiometers.
Adjusting the neck relief, action, intonation and pickup height.
We’ll cover each of these below, starting with preparation and finishing.
Mock install the neck to check neck fit. Align it in the pocket and ensure it’s straight and snug. Use a steel ruler to measure from the nut to the 12th fret, then double that distance. This is your scale length (~25.5”). Mark the centerline and bridge position — center should fall between string holes 3 & 4 on the bridge.
Steps:
See reference image for visual guide.
Use the dot inlay on the neck as a vertical guide for bridge centerline alignment.
Push the neck into the pocket and ensure snug fit.
If your kit comes with a blank headstock, you can create your own custom shape.
Once shaped, move on to sanding and finishing the neck.
Before starting, it’s important to properly sand, clean, and finish your guitar body and neck.
For complete step-by-step guidance, including how to prep, sand, stain, and apply clear coats (especially on veneer tops), follow this detailed guide: Guitar Finishing 101: The Highlighted Grain & Stain Finish.
For specific techniques and finish styles, also see:
This section walks you through installing the hardware after your finish is fully cured.
Your kit features a Piezo Pickup + Master Volume + 4-Band Equalizer system. Good news — the system is pre-wired and plug-and-play, so there’s no soldering needed.
Refer to the image below or download PDF wiring diagram here: Wiring Diagram (PDF)
1. Mount the EQ module on the side of the body.
2. Insert the 9V Battery
3. Connect the piezo wire to the EQ input.
4. Attach the volume knob and confirm it’s wired to EQ output.
5. Test by plugging into an amp and adjusting EQ sliders.
No soldering required — plug-and-play.
EQ won’t work unless a 9V battery is installed and a cable is plugged into the output jack (activates circuit).
Once your hardware and electronics are installed, it’s time to fine-tune your guitar for playability and tone. This includes adjusting the neck, string height, and intonation.
Use a fresh set of acoustic guitar strings.
Install them one at a time, threading through the bridge and tuners.
Tune to concert pitch (E A D G B E) before proceeding.
You may not need to make any adjustments, but if needed:
Hold down the first and last fret and tap around the 7th–9th fret. You should see a slight gap (~0.25mm). No gap = too flat.
“Action” refers to string height above the fretboard:
Be sure to sand evenly and test often. Removing too much will make it buzz.
Acoustic guitars don’t have adjustable saddles like electrics, but you can still:
For significant intonation issues, consult a tech or luthier.
Once strings are on and tuned:
No sound output?
Check battery and cable connection. Ensure piezo is seated flat under saddle.
Strings buzzing or action too high?
Adjust truss rod or lower the saddle.
Bridge placement feels wrong?
Re-check your 12th fret measurement and centerline.
Reach out to our Builder Success team anytime (support@guitarkitworld.com) or comment below your question.
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