So, how did the guitar turn out in the end, and how would I rate the Hosco kit? Well, the guitar looks nice, plays well and sounds really good. I'm not the kind of guy who believes in magic, even when thinking about musical instruments. I'm pretty confident that if you give me an ergonomic guitar made of decent woods and having good hardware, with a simple fixed tailpiece and comfortable neck profile, and set it up according to my specifications, blindfolded I can't tell if it is a Squier or a Gibson. So to speak. Thus, my 250€ parts-a-caster is just as good an instrument as my Parker Fly, clocking easily a four figure bill. They are different, for sure, and the other has way higher manufacturing costs. Is one better than the other, as a musical instrument? No, if you ask me. So in this scale, this Les Paul Special stands there with the rest of them.
I learned a thing or two while putting this guitar together. Don't use that much stain as it will bloat the pores, and trust that the oil finish will make America great again. Scrape the glue better away from the neck joint. Be patient. Too high a nut makes the guitar ill mannered. Rough frets feel like you're playing a neck made of sandpaper.
For the kit, I would give a 10/10 if you think about the price versus quality. All the essentials are above the thershold. The woods play well, are of medium weight, and fit together nicely. They are playable as well out of the box (e.g. the neck is straight and the neck angle is as it should, etc.), which is the most important part to me. The hardware quality is good, it's not high-end stuff but better than what I expected. The P90:s leave nothing to be desired, they sound to me like P90s should. The pots are small and unbranded, and pre-wired, but man, no scratches or muddyness or any problems at all. The plastic stuff looks ok and feels sturdy. All bolts and nuts and pieces were there. The tune-o-matic works and plays well (you can ask the Fender guys about this and they might have another opinion). The tuners were ok. Maybe a bit on the heavier side. Yes, the wood was not the most beautiful and had a few minor dings. If this was a 500€ premium woods-only kit or a Custom Shop Gibson I would have been disappointed. Not with this price tag.
I'm on the verge of buying another kit and storing it for the summers to come. Not a Special, but something else.
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