Hey guitar builders. I've been wanting a strat for a few years now and I've decided to start saving up and selling some old gear so I can get one. I'm going to be on a very tight budget, like $500ish so it's going to be a Mexican strat or a partscaster. The latter sounds way more fun, but every time I look into it, it doesn't seem to pencil out. Am I wrong? Can I build a good partscaster for the same price I can buy a new Mexican built strat?
I've looked at warmoth and I would definitely go that route if I could afford it. I've also spent time looking at the parts on STRATosphere, but even there it adds up quick. Part of the issue is that I've decided to be a little picky. I tend to get something and stick with it so I want to get it right the first time.
So, my perfect strat would look something like this:
- non-relic
- Lake Placid Blue
- nitro would be great but poly is fine for me
- white pick guard & pickups
- vintage-y single coils, not noiseless or humbucking
- tremolo bridge
- standard 5 way switching
- maple fretboard
- Fender logo on the headstock or blank headstock
- decent tuners
- quality nut
Send me any and all advice. I want to know if I should go for it or save myself the headaches and buy the Mexican strat. Also, any and all advice about building is welcome. I know next to nothing about fitting the neck pocket or setting the neck angle etc. And you can feel free to tell me why my color/fretboard choices are wrong. ;D (For me the only thing cooler than lake placid blue would be lake placid blue + rally stripe!)
A warmoth strat is gonna cost around $700 to $900 if you use decent new pickups and hardware. I doubt you could beat the price of a new mex strat, and very good condition mexi strats, with upgraded pickups and hardware can be had for way less if you shop wisely. This is the route i'd take.
you could find a decent playing strat and you could swap parts out as you go or have work done. like having the frets expertly finished and a bone nut installed...locking tuners. upgraded trem bridge or saddles. And PICKUPS! the pickups will have hand's down the biggest effect on tone. And finding the right ones can be a lifetime pursuit. I just installed some bare knuckle '63 venneer single coils in my mjt relic and they have been the best gear purchase I've ever made. you may have to compromise a bit at first but you can take your time to get exactly what you want without bankrupting yourself doing it. and with a lot of research you can learn how to build a strat that smokes just about anything off the shelf.
If you're planning on painting the guitar yourself, you can probably get it done for less than $500. Neck is going to run you somewhere in the $120 - $170 range from Warmoth, Stewmac, Mighty Mite, etc. I'd pick from the first two, the two MM necks I have purchased both had serious issues, the worst of which was a heel that was not symmetric and therefore unuseable.
Body wise, you can get good unfinished bodies from either Warmoth or Stewmac for about the same price as the neck, depending on your options. I'm pretty sure Stewmac also still sells there flame top burst bodies for about $240. Warmoth finished bodies will run you in the $300 range, though you might find one in the Screaming Deals section for less if you're lucky.
Hardware wise, go with Guitarfetish. Solid block brass bridge is $35, a good set of vintagey single coils is $70, pickguards are $20 ish, their Schaller style locking tuners are pretty sweet for $35, and you can get a US wiring hardness for about $25 if I'm not mistaken. Don't buy their bodies or necks - they're cheap because they are cheap. Bought one set. Was the absolute hands down deadest sounding body I have ever played, and I've had 372 guitars (and now I'm off to my therapists office because of it).
Waterslide "F" decals can be found on ebay for under $10 usually.
One thing you also have to consider is resale value - a partscaster has a resale value typically of far less than the cumulative value of the parts. And as Jimi pointed out, finding a good quality used MIM strat is not hard to do, and usually at a steal of a price (best deal I ever found was for $250, and it had two lace sensors, an SD hot rails, and a HS case), a setup, fret dress, and hardware swap, and you've got a killer strat for the same price as a so so partcaster. And you can sell the old parts to cover a chunk of the new parts.
I picked this up last year for $350 and loved it. Price even included hardshell SKB case. Mint
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fender-FSR-Stratocaster-HSS-Trans-Amber-W-SKB-HSC-/131064106784?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D131064106784%26_rdc%3D1&nma=true&si=M2ufimmY3PZeyKD5bDsFCgOhzZ8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557#ht_381wt_1362
Mexican strats are nice if you get the upgrades
Quote from: peAk on April 03, 2014, 03:41:52 PM
Mexican strats are nice if you get the upgrades
Excellent advice. With a fret level, new pickups and upgraded hardware...Mexico Strats are a serious value and great playing guitars.
Thanks for all the great advice. Keep it coming. I see MIM strats all the time for sub $300 but never configured the way I want in terms of color and fretboard. I agree about resale but that's not a huge factor for me. I will likely keep it for a long time. I suppose I could find a used MIM with maple fretboard and have the body refinished in LPB. Or find one in that color (not likely) and replace the neck.
If you do decide to refinish a guitar.....
http://www.reranch.com/
They have all the custom Fender paints
I redid one of my Fender Strats surf green and it came out great. That being said, don't think I would ever want to do it again. It was a PITA. I never EVER want to sand a guitar body down again.
Quote from: peAk on April 03, 2014, 05:20:43 PM
I never EVER want to sand a guitar body down again.
If you use a heat gun. the paint scrapes right off and usually leaves the sealer. very minimal sanding and you have a body ready to respray
btw I have a couple guenuine fender tremolo bridges in the for sale section and a used mexican 50's body (surf green) both of with I'd let go for cheap. pm if interested.
Quote from: jimijam on April 03, 2014, 06:19:34 PM
Quote from: peAk on April 03, 2014, 05:20:43 PM
I never EVER want to sand a guitar body down again.
If you use a heat gun. the paint scrapes right off and usually leaves the sealer. very minimal sanding and you have a body ready to respray
yeah, used this method also but for some reason, it still was a PITA. It was a Jap Strat from the 80's and the finish was just crazy to get off. This finish just didn't want to come off. I tried everything.
Parts casters can be built cheap, but usually you're sacrificing some part of the guitar - wood quality, finish quality, electronic quality, and/or hardware quality.
If alls you want is a cheap guitar to bang around on and learn how to assemble/work on your own guitars, then I would beg borrow and pay as little as possible to find some inexpensive stuff to learn this with.
If you're wanting a proper, 'number 1' type guitar that will be gig worthy and ready to go... I'd either expect to expand your budget or go with the Mexi strat and plan to upgrade elements you feel need it.
For the record, I am in the middle of my fourth full assembly job and am planning my fifth. These don't include my banger first try that I learned what I know on. Here's some cost breakdowns on the two I'm currently playing, and the cost of the one I'm in the middle of:
Parts Strat:
Warmoth Chambered Alder body in Fiesta Red: $270 (A really good deal on eBay
Warmoth Maple/Pau Ferro Neck: $135 (I got a really good deal from a friend)
S/S/S Dimarzio Area Pickups: $120
Schaller Vintage Tremolo: $115
Gotoh Vintage Locking Tuners: $75
Warmoth Pickguard: $25
Electronics and Hardware: ~$25
Total: $765 (that doesn't include shipping on anything, which easily adds another $100+)
Parts Tele 1:
Maverick Alder body: $140 (you can find good cheap bodies from this guy online: Maverick Guitar parts)
Warmoth Maple/Rosewood neck: $145 (Really good deal from a friend)
S/S - Dimarzio Area T pickups: $100
Wilkenson style compensated bridge: $Gift ($40? usual cost)
Mark Rutters Control Plate: $35
Fender locking tuners: $70
Pickguard, Electronics and Hardware: ~$30
Total: $560 (not including shipping, and assuming you paid for the bridge)
Parts Tele 2 (in progress):
Jason Banning Custom Thinline Body: $425 (shot in nitro, built to my specs)
Warmoth Maple/Ebony neck: $200 (still a good deal)
Tom Anderson Pickups: $190
Marc Rutters Bridge: $150
Bigsby B5 Tremolo: $150
Marc Rutters Control Plate: $35
Gotoh Locking Tuners: $75
Hardware and Electronics: ~$25
Total: $1250 (before shipping and such)
As you can see, you can get something in the 5-600 range, but I wouldn't compare the poly cheap body of my Maverick tele with fairly inexpensive parts and elements to the very custom Nitro Thinline tele with a bigsby - they're very different builds, and I expect the Banning Tele to be much better in quality and sound because of the various features I'm adding to it. However, the Maverick tele is very playable, and I enjoy it very much.
So, in the end, you can get a Mexi Tele and upgrade it for about $500, but building your own runs the gamut of $500-$1500 in cost.
Jacob
A lot of people get an MIM in the color/neck they like and just upgrade as they can afford it. They're really pretty decent guitars, and with the right upgrades can be quite gig-worthy instruments.
Quote from: Mike B. on April 03, 2014, 10:24:31 PM
A lot of people get an MIM in the color/neck they like and just upgrade as they can afford it. They're really pretty decent guitars, and with the right upgrades can be quite gig-worthy instruments.
I think this is the direction I will be going.
Quote from: jkokura on April 03, 2014, 07:44:13 PM
Parts Tele 1:
Maverick Alder body: $140 (you can find good cheap bodies from this guy online: Maverick Guitar parts)
if I had the money right now I would go for this body: http://www.maverickguitar.ca/collections/limited-production-premium-bodies/products/rosewood-alder-double-bound-tele-body
Also don't forget Guitar Mill, they have offers now and then and the wood quality is often compared to Warmoth (online research, I don't actually bought anything from them)
Watch for one of these guys on eBay:
http://www.fender.com/squier/series/classic-vibe/classic-vibe-stratocaster-50s-maple-fingerboard-lake-placid-blue/
There's your neck and body in the colors you want. The CV series is amazing and you can usually get them used for really good prices. (The blue ones don't come up very often, but one sold a couple weeks ago for $250.) Don't let the Squier name throw you off - the neck is going to be top notch. You won't get the Fender logo, but it's close. (I don't know if that neck is finished or not on that model, so you may even be able to peel off the Squier sticker.)
The hardware on the CV series leaves something to be desired, so I'd order an aftermarket switch, pots, knobs, etc. and just rewire all the electronics from scratch. Maybe a new bridge too. Most people say the tuners are great, but my CV Telecaster's tuners were garbage so you may want to replace them.
That leaves a cool couple hundred bucks to spend on pickups or something.
Another option, if the Squier logo bothers you, is to buy the whole CV guitar and then sell the neck. As STRATosphere knows well, a guitar is worth a whole lot more in pieces, so if you sell the neck you'll end up with a body for very cheap and have a little more to spend on a Warmoth or genuine Fender neck.
Quote from: aion on April 04, 2014, 12:03:57 PM
Watch for one of these guys on eBay:
http://www.fender.com/squier/series/classic-vibe/classic-vibe-stratocaster-50s-maple-fingerboard-lake-placid-blue/
There's your neck and body in the colors you want. The CV series is amazing and you can usually get them used for really good prices. (The blue ones don't come up very often, but one sold a couple weeks ago for $250.) Don't let the Squier name throw you off - the neck is going to be top notch. You won't get the Fender logo, but it's close. (I don't know if that neck is finished or not on that model, so you may even be able to peel off the Squier sticker.)
The hardware on the CV series leaves something to be desired, so I'd order an aftermarket switch, pots, knobs, etc. and just rewire all the electronics from scratch. Maybe a new bridge too. Most people say the tuners are great, but my CV Telecaster's tuners were garbage so you may want to replace them.
That leaves a cool couple hundred bucks to spend on pickups or something.
Another option, if the Squier logo bothers you, is to buy the whole CV guitar and then sell the neck. As STRATosphere knows well, a guitar is worth a whole lot more in pieces, so if you sell the neck you'll end up with a body for very cheap and have a little more to spend on a Warmoth or genuine Fender neck.
You might be on to something there. I have a friend who plays a burst CV and it's an impressive looking guitar. I like the idea of selling the neck and putting on what I want then changing out all the electronics, not necessarily in that order.
My tele is a squier that was given to me. I put '52 reissues in it that I traded a pedal build for and did vintage fender switch and cts pots. It's a great playing/sounding guitar and I have almost no money in it.
It's funny how well the parting-out tactic works! I really wanted a CV Custom 60's Telecaster (double-bound sunburst body), but I wanted it with a tinted maple neck instead of the rosewood that it comes with. So I found a CV 50's on Craigslist for $200, pulled off the tinted maple neck, and then sold the loaded body for $225. Then I found a CV Classic body for about $250 and loaded it with aftermarket hardware and pickups. All told, I think I have maybe $400 into the guitar and it's fantastic.
I could have probably come out even farther ahead if I got a complete CV Custom and sold the neck instead of buying just the body - but there wasn't one on eBay at the time and I got impatient :)
The CVs are actually probably the best mod platform out there today (they're not as good as the Pro Tones, but since Fender discontinued those because they were eating up a lot of main brand market share, that says a lot). I currently have three CV teles, and they play really well. Yes, replace the electronics. Tuners - not terrible, but the old six on a side Kluson style is not my favourite, but they are "era" correct. Bridges are on par with the MIM for the strats, actually better on the Teles (I prefer the old school barrel and brass bridges to the crappy cast pot crap they use on MIM Teles, even if you have to put compensated saddles on later). Pickups are surprisingly good, and the colours are usually pretty close to era correct as well. I'd personally give the neck a chance as well before you sell it - you might find you like it.
If you want to go the cheap route here's a good one:
http://www.gordomusic.com/cheapo.html (http://www.gordomusic.com/cheapo.html)
It's the GFS kit. The weird part is, its a great guitar but all the hardware is pretty crappy. Most of the upgrades have ruined the sound so I keep switching back to stock. Classic case of "sum of the parts..." For the money it's a nice way to figure out if you like building Frankensteins. What started off as a work bench tester guitar now gets regular stage time...
Quote from: gordo on April 04, 2014, 05:34:13 PM
If you want to go the cheap route here's a good one:
http://www.gordomusic.com/cheapo.html (http://www.gordomusic.com/cheapo.html)
It's the GFS kit. The weird part is, its a great guitar but all the hardware is pretty crappy. Most of the upgrades have ruined the sound so I keep switching back to stock. Classic case of "sum of the parts..." For the money it's a nice way to figure out if you like building Frankensteins. What started off as a work bench tester guitar now gets regular stage time...
Yeah, I like GFS so far. He goes a little over the top with "my stuff is the best in the world" but it's hard to beat the bang for the buck. I have GFS alnico p90s in my Agile AD2300 and they sound great. Much better than the stock ceramics. I may eventually buy the wilkinson roller bridge for that guitar because I put a bigsby on it.
OK, now about your strat. THAT'S COOL! Nice job all the way around. What a great way for a guy to get his feet wet with guitar building. But I have to say, the "Mousecaster" is rad!! I love the '52 look but what you did is such subtle but cool twist. Modestly figured top with the black pick guard. Now there's something for me to drop those '52 RI pickups into! There could be a similar guitar in my future!
I like your amp builds too. Nice work! Did you ever build the tweed deluxe? I did a scratch build of one and I love it. I would love to see yours.