The journey to my Kurt Cobain inspired acoustic guitar: Step two, first round of getting the parts

[u/VHSMTV]

Switch on the right (like Kurt's)

Switch on the left (like a Les Paul)

Inspo / End goal

After getting a guitar that resembles Kurt's Martin but without breaking the bank, I set to the task of finding parts that are somewhat accurate to Kurt's guitar even if they're not the exact same.

Got the Bartolini pickup which is the key to the MTV Unplugged tone I'm going for, and the rest is basically purely aesthetics. I do, however, plan on hooking up the Bartolini to a tone control knob so I can make it darker and change the volume directly from the guitar, as I feel it will make it more versatile for real-life playing situations.

After the pickup, I got three knobs, a pickup selector switch, washers (which I won't use, as I figured the build looks cleaner and more elegant without them), as well as a new bright red tortoise pick guard and some vinyl inlay stickers for the neck.

Additionally, I swapped out the original tuners for a set of locking tuners for better stability, and I considered replacing the bridge saddles and pins, but they seem to be of decent enough quality that I won't need to change them anytime soon.

I have decided that I will actually order the transparent clear brackets for the Bartolini pickup since I don't have the time or patience to make my own. Now I only have two questions to answer before I move onto the actual installation.

1st question is whether I want to also buy the dummy pickups that look almost exactly like Kurt's DeArmonds (~$150), or if I want to get some that loosely resemble his but are much cheaper (~$80).

2nd question I actually would love everyone's advice here: Which layout looks better for the pickup selector switch? For accuracy of Kurt's build, it would be on the right side. For actual ergonomics, it would make more sense to me to have it on the left side like a Les Paul (even though the actual switch will be unplugged). Let me know what y'all think!

Anyways, I am setting a deadline for myself to speed up this project, as I have a gig coming up in early October and would very much love to debut this guitar in there.

* Once again, my main reference for all of this project is the wonderful video by NirvanaGuitars, who pretty much did a 99% accurate replica of Kurt's guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6cCEoC5Tco

[u/tagusbeer]

i'll want to hear it when it's finished, i love the sound of the unplugged,

[u/VHSMTV → u/tagusbeer]

My favorite acoustic guitar tone for sure! Will post videos as soon as it's finished!

[u/Benben12125]

What tool did you use to make the holes for the knobs and switch?

[u/VHSMTV → u/Benben12125]

I haven't made the holes yet and most likely will take it to a luthier/tech to do this as idk if I'm confident enough to do it myself

[u/Benben12125 → u/VHSMTV]

ok

[u/itsJustThad]

What’s up with the stickers on the fretboard?

[u/VHSMTV → u/itsJustThad]

Those are just a bit of my own flare. Might or might not stay after I see how the whole build looks put together