BUILDING A SAGA LP-STYLE

Note from GuitarAttack:  This is a great story and a very nice-looking guitar.  Check out the killer mod below....THIS IS AWESOME!

From Brandon Moose

GuitarAttack -

Sorry - I didn't take any photos as I was building it, however I did take photos of the finished project.

I purchased my kit off eBay for $165.00 and received it in about two weeks. I was very excited about the prospect of having a Les Paul but couldn't afford the real thing, so I had to settle with what I could afford. I'm sure this is a common story around here.

Anyways, I ordered the aerosol lacquer from Stewart-Macdonald and finished the flame top cherry red. I finished the back, sides, and neck gloss black and sprayed about 12 coats of clear over everything.

I really like the Gibson style headstock shape so I did my best in reproducing it. Once the finish was dry, I wet sanded and buffed everything and assembled the guitar.

The nut was a little high and the truss rod needed about half a turn, but other than that setup was a breeze. Intonation took less than ten minutes.

For the price, I found the electronics and pickups to be very impressive.

The pickguard took a little modification because it didn't fit between the pickups, but nothing major.

I play this guitar quite often and find it to be one of my favorites. I own quite a few guitars but this one has a certain feel to it.

I play at church and have no problems playing this one without a backup. It feels very much like a real Les Paul. I couldn't be happier with it.

I had an old 50's model Kay Speed Demon guitar under my bed because the neck was in three pieces and probably wasn't worth saving. One day, I decided to use the pickups and complete wiring harness to make a very unique guitar.

First, I updated the tuners with a set of Schaller's. Then I routed a third pickup cavity in the body and made the necessary adjustments for everything to fit. Once everything was installed, the guitar turned out really cool, and the sound is absolutely incredible.

You wouldn't believe how well a set of 50 year old DeArmond speed bump pickups would sound until you heard this guitar. The original wiring harness (pots, caps, everything) adds to the genuine vintage sound. I would submit a sound bit, but I don't think it would come close to doing it justice. The guitar takes you back to the old Gibson Custom three-pickup model with it's stunning looks. I also made a truss rod cover to match the headstock shape. Anyways, hope you all enjoy the picks.
 

Back to Top