Guitar Chef...

Installment#2: I Want to Be A Luthier.
I once bought all the parts to a 1963 Strat on EBay... neck was $1700, Body Cost $1800, Original Green Pickguard was $700, Original Pickups were $1300, Bought all-original pots, and electronics. One guy told me the truss rod was shot, but then another said it was ok. I then took all the parts down the hill to a guy who used to work assembling guitars for Fender. He put all the pieces togther, and it rocked. vs...
I go to the grocery store, buy steak, vegetables, gravy, 'taters, etc. Take them all to Wolfgang Puck, and I get him to make me dinner.. guess what.... it probably rocks!
Any similarity? Not to push a point... we all have our specialties in life, and practice will make perfect (or as my Tae Kwon Do instructor used to say...'Will make you better than what you were yesterday'). It takes work...lots of it (not to sound like Mr Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver™) to get good at something... unless you are born gifted or something. If you want to buy all your parts on EBay (and take some risks there), and then have an EXPERT assemble them, that is one good way to enjoy 'making' your own guitar! Good news....I kept the 1963 'parts' Strat for a year, enjoyed played it a lot (it had major SRV mojo too), and then sold it for exactly what I paid for all the parts and the 'putting together'.