Who Is Guitar Kit World? (And Who We're Definitely Not)

Let's get something out of the way.

We are not Gibson. We are not Fender. We are not PRS, Ibanez, ESP, Rickenbacker, or any other guitar brand you've seen on a stadium stage. We don't have a factory in Nashville. Leo Fender did not found this company. We have never once been confused with Stradivarius, although we're a little hurt about that one.

We are also not that other website with a similar name. Or that one. Or the one your buddy's cousin ordered from on Facebook that one time. The internet has approximately 400 companies with the words "guitar" and "kit" in their name, and we understand the confusion. Truly. It keeps us up at night. (It doesn't. We sleep great. Our kits are very comfortable to build.)

So if you're here because you Googled "Is Guitar Kit World legit?" or "Guitar Kit World scam" - first of all, fair. Second of all, pull up a chair. We wrote this page specifically for you.

The 30-Second Version

Guitar Kit World was founded in 2013 in Australia and is now a U.S.-based company. We've been designing and selling DIY guitar and bass kits for over a decade - shipping unassembled, unfinished kits to people who want to build something with their own hands.

Website	guitarkitworld.com - the only place we sell
Founded	2013 (Australia), now U.S.-based
Based in	United States
YouTube tutorials	60+ step-by-step build videos
Customer reviews	500+ published, 4+ star average
Used by	Universities and schools worldwide (including Southern Arkansas University), professional luthiers across the U.S. and Europe, touring musicians, and thousands of DIY guitar builders in 100+ countries.

We are not a marketplace. We are not a reseller. We are not a mystery box from a social media ad. We design our own kits, choose our own tonewoods, and stand behind every single one with our name - which, for the record, is Guitar Kit World. One name. One website. One company.

Who We're Not (The Comprehensive List)

Since the internet has decided that any company with "guitar" and "kit" in its name must be us, let's clear the air once and for all.

We are not Guitar World. We are Guitar Kit World. Guitar World is a magazine. We are a guitar kit company. They write about guitars. We help you build them. Different word, different company, different everything. (Great magazine, though.)

We are not any major guitar manufacturer. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or approved by Gibson, Fender, PRS, Ibanez, ESP, Epiphone, Squier, Rickenbacker, or any other trademark holder. Our kits are original designs. If you're looking for an official brand-name instrument, you want their website, not ours. (They make great guitars. We make great experiences building guitars. Different thing.)

We are not any other "guitar kit" website. There are multiple companies out there with names that sound a lot like ours - different domains, different ownership, different countries of origin, different products. We have zero affiliation with any of them. None. If you had a bad experience with a similarly-named company, we're genuinely sorry to hear it, but that wasn't us. Our kits only come from guitarkitworld.com.

We don't sell on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Reverb, or AliExpress. If you see a "guitar kit" listing on any of those platforms, it is not from Guitar Kit World. We sell exclusively through our own website. That's it. One URL. You can't accidentally buy from us on a marketplace because we're not there.

We’ve been in continuous operation since 2013. We have hundreds of verified customer reviews with photos. Our kits have been built into guitars that are played on actual stages by actual touring musicians. We supply kits to university and school guitar-building programs (including Southern Arkansas University).

Images courtesy of Southern Arkansas University

Professional luthiers across the U.S. and Europe run workshops using our kits, and touring musicians take them on the road. There are also thousands of DIY builders using our kits in 100+ countries worldwide. We respond to negative reviews publicly. None of that is typical of a company with something to hide, but we’re biased, so keep reading and judge for yourself.

Okay, So What Are You?

We sell guitar kits. We teach you how to build them. And we make sure the building is as satisfying as the playing.

Here's what that actually looks like:

We design kits for real builders at every level. Every kit comes with a difficulty rating (1/10 to 10/10) so you know what you're getting into before you start. A 1/10 bolt-on kit is a fantastic weekend project. An 9/10 set-neck archtop will test your patience and your clamps. We're honest about both, because the last thing we want is for you to open a box and panic.

We give you more choices than anyone. 40+ body shapes. Multiple tonewood options - mahogany, basswood, ash, alder, walnut, and more. Fretboard inlays. Headstock shapes. Left-hand orientation. Binding. Our Custom Shop lets you spec out a kit that doesn't exist anywhere else on the planet. Good luck finding that level of customization from a generic marketplace listing.

We actually teach you how to build. Assembly manuals. Finishing guides. Wiring tutorials. Setup instructions. 60+ YouTube videos. A quiz that matches you with the right first project. We didn't just put some parts in a box and write "good luck" on the packing slip.

We ship worldwide from multiple warehouses. Some of our kits ship from U.S. warehouses, and some ship from our international warehouse in China. We serve builders in over 100 countries - this setup lets us get kits to you as fast as possible, wherever you are.

"But Your Kits Are Made in China..."

Yes. They are. We say so right on our FAQ page, because we believe in telling you the truth rather than hoping you don't ask.

You know what else is made in China? The phone you're probably reading this on. Your laptop. Most of the electronics in your house. The question was never where something is made - it's who designed it, who stands behind it, and what support you get when you need it.

Our kits are manufactured to our specifications. We choose the tonewoods. We choose the hardware. We choose the construction methods. We work with manufacturing partners we've built relationships with over more than a decade. We're not dropshipping mystery boxes from a catalog - we're designing products and making sure they meet our standards before they ship.

And here's the part that really matters: it's not about where the wood was cut. It's about what happens after you open the box.

No other company in this space wraps a kit in the support system we do. The 60+ tutorial videos. The build guides. The difficulty ratings so you don't bite off more than you can clamp. The community of 5,000+ builders. The Custom Shop. The responsive customer support.

That's what we call the guided building experience, and it's what turns a box of parts into a guitar you actually built - and a story you'll tell for years.

It's also why our builders come back for their second, third, and twelfth kit. (Yes, twelfth. We have a Trustpilot reviewer who's on build number twelve. At this point, we think he might be starting an orchestra.)

Who Builds With Our Kits?

This is the part we're most proud of. Our kits don't just sit in closets gathering dust. They end up on stages, in classrooms, in professional workshops, and in living rooms where families build something together.

On Stage

Ghalia Volt - the Belgian-born blues powerhouse - tears it up on an E35 semi-hollow built by Ken Pfalzgraf of Junkpile Guitars using our E35 kit. That guitar doesn't sit in a display case. It gets played under stage lights, in front of real audiences, night after night.

Bob Log III - the one-man blues-punk band known for playing in a motorcycle helmet - performs on a guitar that started as a Guitar Kit World kit, also built by Ken. When a touring musician trusts a GKW-based instrument for a live show, that's not a marketing claim. That's a fact you can verify by watching the performance.

Wade Evans of the Wade Evans Band built an LP-style kit and named it "Beverly June" after his grandmother. It's now his primary instrument for recording and live performances - a blues/jazz/rock fusion guitar with a story as powerful as its tone. Read Wade's story.

Tim Landis of Rustic Outlaw Guitars builds relic'd, distressed-finish guitars with a vintage cowboy aesthetic - and then plays them on stage with his metal band 2 in the Chest, where masked musicians in trench coats perform with GKW-built instruments. Not the typical guitar kit story. That's what we love about it.

In the Classroom

Southern Arkansas University runs a 17-week guitar-building course (ART 4073) in their Department of Art and Design. Students start with blank GKW kits and spend an entire semester learning design, woodworking, electronics, and finishing - then display their completed guitars at SAU's Electric Guitar Exhibit. Thirteen students. Thirteen one-of-a-kind, playable instruments. All built on our kits. Read about the program.

That's a university putting their curriculum on our products. Not a sponsored post. Not a paid endorsement. A professor looked at what's available in the market and chose Guitar Kit World as the foundation for teaching the next generation of builders.

In Professional Workshops

Kalimar Maia - builder, educator, and maker - runs hands-on Electric Guitar Building Workshops at Nova Labs in Fairfax, Virginia. Small groups. Two days. Students walk in with zero experience and walk out with a fully playable guitar they built themselves. The kits? Ours. Kalimar's builds have also been performed live by Dan from the indie rock band Toledo. Read about Kalimar's workshop.

Image courtesy of Kalimar and his students

Barbibay Guitars and Pickups has teamed up with Matt Rector of Rector Guitars to host a guitar-building workshop at The Node in Baltimore. They're using GKW "uncut" T-style kits - blank canvases that give builders total creative freedom to shape the body and headstock to their own vision, with two professional luthiers standing over their shoulder to make sure the result is pro-level.

When professional luthiers choose your kit over cutting raw blanks from scratch, that tells you something about the quality of the starting material.

Around the Kitchen Table

Some of our favorite builds are the ones that never make it to a stage - and don't need to. Grandparents and grandchildren building together. Parents and kids learning something new side by side. A GKW kit called "Faith Guitar" was built by a grandfather and grandson - a story about patience, skill-sharing, and creating something meaningful across generations. Read the Faith Guitar story.

And Then There Are the Repeat Builders

Many of our customers don't stop at one. They come back for different body styles, more challenging builds, Custom Shop orders. Our review section is full of people on their third, fifth, and twelfth kit.

At some point, it stops being a hobby and starts being a collection. We're fine with that.

How to Know You're Buying From the Real Guitar Kit World

We sell exclusively through one website: guitarkitworld.com

That's it. One URL. If you're buying a kit and the URL in your browser doesn't say guitarkitworld.com, it's not us. Doesn't matter what the Instagram ad said. Doesn't matter what the forum post linked to. If it's not guitarkitworld.com, it's not Guitar Kit World.

Every genuine Guitar Kit World kit includes our branding in three places:

1. On the packaging - our logo, front and center
2. Inside the neck pocket - branded into the wood
3. On the back of the neck heel - one more for good measure

If your kit doesn't have these markers, it didn't come from us. And if you're not sure, email us. We actually reply. (We know that's a low bar. We clear it anyway.)

What Our Builders Say

Don't take our word for it. Here are real reviews from real builders - names, photos, and all.

"Get your own DIY custom guitar soon so you can feel this way too!"

 - Billy B., JE-style with Quilted Maple Veneer

"It took me months of hard work but when it was done, I had created something that felt like me and that felt like home. It's not just a guitar - it's an extension of myself made out of wood and metal and strings."

"Merry Christmas To ME!"

 - Michael C., WR Bass Kit

A novice 50+ year old bass player whose son got him a GKW kit for Christmas. When it turned out to be a guitar instead of a bass, he emailed GKW - and Billy got back right away to swap it. Paulo helped with wiring diagrams. "I can't tell you how happy I was... After painting it, putting it together and getting the wiring done it looks and plays great."

"Great Kit at a Great Price"

 - Christopher B., S-style Ash Kit

A Christmas gift from his wife. "All the parts were there and looked good. I was very happy with the grain of the wood." He used a torch to lightly burn the wood, making the grain pop - a unique finish you won't find in any store.

"Great Build!"

 - Guy C., Spalted Maple T-style Kit

Tung oil finish on spalted maple body. Satin spray on the neck, gloss on the headstock. Upgraded with aftermarket pickups and bridge. "This T-style build came out really well! I am so happy with it."

"Pure Fun, Super Low cost and satisfying sound"

 - Naoki O., 7-string Semi-Hollow Kit

A jazz player from Japan who reshaped the neck to a V-profile, refretted with jumbo frets, replaced the pickup, and applied a nitrocellulose lacquer finish over 3 months. Includes a sound sample video.

"Acoustic Electric T-Style kit"

 - Aruyne E., Acoustic Semi-Hollow T-style Kit

"It has been a learning experience. Pretty happy overall though. Neck fit perfectly... It's been a lot of fun and who knows... I might build a solid body."

"Very nice kit!"

 - Mark G., S-style Basswood Kit

Kit arrived within a week. Color-change paint that shifts from green to turquoise in different light. "Everything fit great!"

"My favorite build yet."

 - Gary C., Double Cutaway Kit

"I only ordered it because I could not find another company that offers a double cutaway styled guitar like this." Gary offers his builds to clients with locking tuners, hand-picked pickups, and custom wiring mods. His verdict? "Will I use GKW again? Hell Yeah!"

"Best S-style kit on the market period!!"

- Eric F., S-style Kit with Flame Maple

This is my second kit within a few months and i must say im very impressed with Guitarkitworld. They have the best guitar kits hands down! The flamed top is pretty nice with good figuring. The ash...

"Great little self-indulgent T-style project"

- Gabe G., T-style Kit

As the light hits it at different angles it goes from sparkly emerald green to sparkly royal purple (and a quick flash of cyan in between) Only thing still to install and are currently in the mail...

"Good for a starter 7-string"

- Gabe G., RG-style 7-String Kit

Pros: + Always good customer service. + Body was shaped and cut very cleanly, neck was smooth and no sharp edges on frets. + Fits standard RG hardware. Cons: - Hardware is junk. Definitely don't...

"It's a great kit!"

- James L., W-Bass Kit

I had a lot of fun assembling and finishing this bass kit. I chose to upgrade the tuning machines and the pickups. The ones that came with it were obviously cheap quality. The Maple laminate had...

"Homage to Hollow Body"

- Guilford P., Guitar Kit

Great blues full body electric. Colortone blue burst, Colortone red mahogany. 25 coats of wipe on poly. Headstock design by my daughter. Wiring harness from TV Jones - CTS pots, Switchcraft toggles....

"An Amazing kit with perfect spot on action and playability!"

- Michael B., JE-style Kit (3 photos)

I purchased three JE-style kits from three different manufactures, for a shootout on my Youtube channel ( Fulton Street Beats) and GKW exceeded all of my expectations. The guitar came exceptionally...

"Very nice kit."

- Stephen S., Lefty T-style Kit

Very solid build kit. All the parts fit together as they should, pickups are very responsive and clean, and the fret board is gorgeous. My only criticism is that the volume/tone/selector switch came...

"Love my new T-style!"

- Harlan B., T-style Mahogany Kit

Bot the TE kit all mahogany body and neck. First, packing it came in was great. Next, the mahogany the body and neck are made of was very good. Also, the instructions and resource material at the...

Those are just a handful of our 500+ published reviews. Read the rest on our Reviews page.

The numbers behind the reviews:

• 500+ published reviews on our website
• 200+ reviews with photos - builders love showing off their work, and honestly, so do we
• 900+ product Q&As answered on our site
• 4+ star average across all products

We're also the only DIY guitar kit company with a claimed and actively managed Trustpilot profile in this niche. Not our main competitors. Not the lookalike companies. Just us. We figured that if we're going to ask you to trust us, the least we could do is show up on the platform that literally has "trust" in the name.

You can also find builds from our community at:

• r/GuitarKitWorld on Reddit - real builders posting real builds
• YouTube - 60+ build videos on our channel, plus independent builder content
• Instagram @guitarkits - builders, workshops, and stage performances
• Our Reviews page - with photos, star ratings, and our responses
• Trustpilot - our claimed and actively managed profile

Still Have Questions?

Good. You should. Spending money online on something you've never bought before deserves some due diligence. Here are the questions we hear most:

The Bottom Line

We're Guitar Kit World. We've been here since 2013. We're a U.S. company that designs its own kits, teaches you how to build them, and shows up when something goes wrong.

Our kits are in university classrooms, professional workshops, and on stages with touring musicians. They're also in garages, basements, and kitchen tables where people are building their first guitar and having the time of their lives.

If you're still on the fence - good. That means you're doing your homework. Read the reviews. Watch the videos. Check out the subreddit. Look up the builders we mentioned. And when you're ready, pick a kit that matches your skill level.

We'll be here. We've been here for over a decade. We're not going anywhere.