I’ve really been enjoying my fake Klein for the past year; it’s a solid guitar and incredibly comfortable to play. That said, I have this personality flaw where once I notice that something is less than ideal, it grates on me ….badly, until I fix it. Thus was the case with the bridge and factory frets.
Klein Copy: Part XII (Final!!)
So the project is complete and now I’d like to walk through the following questions:
- How does the guitar play & sound?
- What was the cost?
- Where are the gaps?
- Are these Chinese kits worth the amount of work and hassle?
Klein Copy: Part XI
The guitar is almost finished. Continue reading “Klein Copy: Part XI”
Klein Copy: Part X
Since I opened this kit, I’ve know that some fret work was going to be required. Historically this is an area I’ve avoided and sought professional help, but after spending some time on youtube, I decided I am capable of doing this. …….I just needed to acquire some tools first. The main videos I tried to model/emulate were this, this, and this. Most of the supplies came from Stewart MacDonald. I found a lesser expensive notched straight edge and fret rocker on Amazon, and the Meguiar’s polish and buffer wheel were from an auto parts store where I had a gift card.
Klein Copy: Part IX
The finish is now complete on the Klein. Ultimately, I’m happy with it, but in the grand scheme of things I’d rate it as a C- (or if you’re a Futurama fan a C minus-minus). Continue reading “Klein Copy: Part IX”
Klein Copy: Part VIII
My replacement JCustom headpeice arrived on Thursday from the good folks at HeadlessUSA. They were incredibly helpful with the few questions I had, and for a couple of reasons I’d recommend buying from them via phone rather than ebay like I did. While I’m not crazy about the extra length this will add to the guitar, the quality easily makes up for it. So far it’s easily been worth the money.
Klein Copy: Part VII
The whole time I’ve been working on this guitar the question in the back of my mind has been: is this cheap thing going to actually sound, play, and function like a “real” guitar? I’m at a point where I can’t make any real progress for a week or two but I this afternoon I thought maybe I should mount the bridge and neck, string it up, and see what she’s like. So I did.
Klein Copy: Part VI
I did a little wet sanding on the satin clear coat this week. …..and sure enough I went right through some of the clear coat and white stain. I was really frustrated when it happened, but honestly it’s not too bad and I’ve decided not to sand any further and re-stain the area.
Now it’s a relic!
Klein Copy: Part V
All of my hardware has arrived with the exception of the new pickguard. I took some time to make sure everything would install as expected. The main piece of the bridge fits in it’s route beautifully, but unfortunately once it’s fully assembled it overhangs on the top of the route.
……almost perfectly blocked tremolo by mistake.
Klein Copy: Part IV
The stain is complete and now begins the long process of the satin clear coat.
Klein Copy: Part III
After several coats of stain the neck and body are turning out exactly how I had envisioned. Each coat of stain raises the grain so it’s a slow process of stain, lightly sand, stain, lightly sand, etc. I’ve done 5 or 6 coats now and I’m getting close to moving to the next step. Hopefully tomorrow night I can start on the satin clear coat. Continue reading “Klein Copy: Part III”
Klein Copy: Part II
Opps. I forgot about the contour for the strap button! Luckily this one is quite simple compared to the last ones I did.
Continue reading “Klein Copy: Part II”
Klein Copy: Part I
The kit with the hardware laid in place
A few months ago I discovered that Alibaba distributes guitar kits for many, many, many different types popular guitars. Of course these are all Chinese knock-offs of the real thing, but they only cost a fraction of the real thing. I was leaning towards getting a Less Paul kit, but a good friend talked me into getting a Klein instead (he got one as well). For example an authentic Klein (when the company was still in business) would sell for between $2-3K (in early 2000 dollars). Currently on ebay they sell for between $5-10k. I had the pleasure of playing two different Kleins while I was in college and they are simply amazing instruments; worth every penny. However, I’m not in a position to justify that kind of money for a guitar.
….but for $89
Continue reading “Klein Copy: Part I”