Where do you guys go for good deals on repair parts? I know I can get stuff at StewMac, but I'd like to get more utility parts for doing repairs for local gitarists...
Looking for good sources on Alpha/CTS guitar pots, Alpha Les Paul type switches, Blade style switches, etc.
Jacob
Hi Jacob you can try http://www.allparts.com/
Depending on what kind of guitar and kind of guitarists, you have basically two options:
1. Go for the original part: any store will have the same price and most of the time i use ebay.
2. Go for an upgrade, in this scenario it all go down on what the guitarist is seeking out of the upgrade. I use a variety of dealers:
Most of the time, i browse ebay and stock good deals i fall on.
Otherwise, when ordering from the us and beside the obvious stewmac, warmoth, & co
http://www.musicpartsplus.com
http://www.guitarelectronics.com/
GFS for budget stuff ... and for something VERY hard to find, an undrilled tele control cover. A lot of their stuff is perfectly good, and their pots are made by alpha, too.
Amazon for stuff like Graphtech.
Keep an eye on the Gear Page's parts emporium. Some amazing deals to be had -- sometimes people ditch entire electronics hookups that would contain very good parts like 5% pots.
It's really tough to beat Stewmac on the industry standard stuff, though.
I assume you're sticking to electronics and hardware repairs, but if you're interested in the luthier part of it, I can pick my dad's brain for really good wood and woodshop sources.
ReRanch (http://reranch.com/) for guitar refinishing supplies. (Not that I know anything about refinishing, just puttin' it out there as they say).
Yeah, GFS is generally pretty good, and they have alpha stuff. Banzai in Germany actually has some pretty good prices on the CTS parts and similar, and shipping up to a pound to Canada is $11, which is less than what you're going to pay from the States in most cases anyway. Axes R Us is also pretty good, and decent shipping costs as well. For the lower end stuff, www.guitarpartsonline.com (Dragonfire/TNT) can deliver good prices on pickguards, import tuners, etc, etc, etc. Best price on pickups (including shipping) is generally Banjo Mikez on ebay, although Boyd's Guitar Warehouse usually has a pretty solid selection of used pickups (SD, EMG, Gibson) for decent prices and usually in good shape.
This is why I started building pedals. Just cheaper.
I'm a fan of some of the stuff at
RS GuitarWorks (http://www.rsguitarworks.net)
Especially their volume pots
Just an FYI I've replaced alpha guitar pots with Bourns and been very very happy in an Epi LP. From this seller on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A1V3F5YZFEVUG6 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?ie=UTF8&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&me=A1V3F5YZFEVUG6)
Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I knew about Allparts, but mostly I've just used Stewmac for the last several years. Good to know there's other places with good deals too.
Guitar parts are expensive. I don't think I'll be getting a lot of stuff in stock...
Jacob
If you are business you should be eligible to join http://www.cedist.com/ Their main business is tube ralated, but the have a very decent guitar parts selection. Good luck Jeff
^ Same company as above but their retail storefront: http://www.tubesandmore.com/
I buy all my guitar parts from them. Usually cheaper than everyone else if they have what you need. Good variety of pots.
They also run www.amplifiedparts.com
J
Here is another one that I use quite often for my repair stock.
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/
They have decent inventory, ship fast, and have reasonable prices on some items.