University
Southern Arkansas University, ART 4073
Seventeen weeks, blank kits to a campus Electric Guitar Exhibit and live jam. Every student shaped, wired and finished their own guitar.
Free courseFor first-time guitar builders
Watch a guitar kit built end to end before you start your first build.
296 videos, nine builds, wiring diagrams, manuals and community support.
For anyone who has thought about building a guitar and never started, because they were not sure they could do it themselves. You do not need a guitar kit to get started.
Watch first, then decide if building is for you.
Credit: Kalimar Maia · Fairfax, Virginia
Find the one closest to yours
Nine builds, so one of them is close to the guitar you want.
Solid body, semi-hollow, single cutaway, double cutaway, headless and acoustic-electric, each filmed through the same four stages.
Swipe to see all nine
Video course
Punk & Garage Rock
IndieBlues
Solid body, bolt-on neck, single pickup
The simplest of the nine. A flat single-cutaway body with the neck bolted on, and one pickup to wire.
- 36 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Blues & Funk
PopSurf
Solid body, bolt-on neck, three single-coil pickups
The only build with three single coils, so it covers more ground than anything else here.
- 38 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Country & Rock
IndiePop
Solid body, bolt-on neck, two pickups
Same bolt-on method as the three-pickup build, on a single-cutaway body with a sharper, brighter voice.
- 29 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Classic Rock
Blues rockHard rock
Solid body, glued-in neck, two humbuckers
The neck is glued in rather than bolted, so the joint is set once. Two humbuckers for a thicker sound.
- 33 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Indie & Jangle
Alt rockPop
Semi-hollow body, bolt-on neck
The only hollowed body here with a bolt-on neck: semi-hollow tone with the simpler joint to build.
- 28 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Jazz & Soul
BluesR&B
Semi-hollow body, glued-in neck
The only build that pairs a hollowed body with a glued-in neck. Warmest voice of the nine.
- 22 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Singer-Songwriter
FolkCountry
Acoustic body, built-in pickup and preamp
The only acoustic here, and the only one with an onboard preamp. Longest series at 56 videos.
- 56 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Prog & Modern Metal
FusionShred
Headless solid body, tuners at the bridge
No headstock at all. The tuners sit at the bridge, so the tuning hardware moves to the body end.
- 23 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Video course
Metal & Hard Rock
PunkMetalcore
Pointed solid body, glued-in neck, two humbuckers
Same glued neck and humbuckers as the classic rock build, on a pointed outline built to be seen.
- 31 videos, full series
- Parts list
- Wiring diagram
- Finishing guide
- Community support
Plus the builder community, where you can ask a question and get a real answer, from us and from people who finished the exact guitar you are looking at.
What a build actually is
Four stages, and you can watch all four before you try any.
The shape changes and the wood changes. The four stages do not, and every one is filmed on real builds.
1
Preparation and finishing
Check the body, dry fit the neck, then sand and grain fill. Finish it the way you want it to look: stain, paint, or a hand rubbed oil finish.
2
Hardware installation
Fit the tuners, the strap buttons, and the bridge, then mount the pickups. Pilot holes before any screw goes in.
3
Connecting the electronics
Run the pickups to the output jack, then wire in the pickup selector and the volume and tone controls.
4
Final setup
Set the neck relief, the action, the intonation, and the pickup height. This is the stage that decides how it plays.
What first-time builders ask
What you get, where to watch, what it costs.
What do I actually get?
Nine full build series, filmed start to finish. Plus the written assembly manuals, every wiring diagram and the finishing guide. The page opens straight away, and we email you the link so you can come back to it any time.
Is it really free? What is the catch?
No purchase required, no card, no trial. One email opens all nine build series. We do sell DIY guitar kits, more than 200 of them, and if you want to build one after watching, we will help you find the right one.
Do I need a kit to follow along?
No. Every stage is filmed on real builds, so the series make sense whether you own a kit or not. Watch first and decide afterwards.
Where do I watch, and do I need an account?
Any phone, tablet or laptop. The series are YouTube playlists, so there is no account to create, no app to install and no password to lose.
How long do I have access?
There is no expiry. We email you the link, the playlists stay up, and if you decide building is not for you, you keep every video.
Which series should I start with?
Start with the guitar you would actually want to own. The nine cover solid body, semi-hollow, single cutaway, double cutaway, headless and acoustic-electric, and the same four stages run through all of them, so nothing is wasted if you switch later.
How long are the series?
From 22 videos to 56, depending on the build. Every one covers the same four stages: preparation and finishing, hardware installation, connecting the electronics, and final setup.
What if I get stuck?
You ask, and we answer. Comment on any video and our team replies. Other builders who finished that exact guitar answer too.
If you decide to build
200+ kits, whenever you are ready.
Beginner friendly
Left-handed
Bass
Blank
Hollow body
Headless
Baritone
7-string
Offset body
Short scaleStart with the course. If you come back for a kit, we will help you choose it.
What first-time builders say about us
It was my first time building a guitar. The kit was very well made with a very tight neck joint. The neck was also very well made with polished frets. The electronics were easy to run with all the connections already soldered. The body was very nice and just needed minimal sanding before finishing.
· United StatesThis being my very first electric guitar build I am happy to report that the only tools required for this job were sandpaper, a soldering iron, a wrench, and a small screwdriver.
· United StatesThe parts were high quality, and the instructions were easy to follow... The build process was actually a lot of fun, and the finished guitar came out far better than I expected... If you’re thinking about building your first guitar, I highly recommend this kit.
· United StatesIn particular, customer support is excellent with Guitar Kit World. That’s what sets your kits apart from a couple of others that I have tried. Mostly the others have little to no support. But particularly on my first GLW kit, questions that arose were taken very seriously and the responses were excellent.
· United StatesWhy our kits
Built by artists. Taught at universities. Played on stage.
We put guitar building within reach of anyone who wants it.
Swipe to watch all three
On stage
Ken Pfalzgraf, Paul Mero Junkpile Guitars
Ken built his first guitar so his daughter Tami could feel rhythm. That became hundreds of builds, one of them on stage with Bob Log III.
Artist
Niko Rocha, Universe Carvings
Niko hand-carves geometric reliefs straight into Guitar Kit World bodies. A one-of-a-kind sculpture that is also a working instrument.
Workshop
Ohad Barbibay and Matt Rector
Four Saturdays in Baltimore, Maryland. “It really was a great experience dialing in the pacing, and we were thrilled with how the finished instrument turned out.”
Watch the builds before you spend anything.
Take the course, freeBuilders from these campuses use our kits
Take this free course now. Decide about building later.
296 videos, the written manuals and every wiring diagram are yours either way.
There is no downside to looking.