Any smaller-name builders who do good Partscasters?

[Always-Ben]

I’m not talking boutique builders who cut their own parts, but more those who get prepareD parts from suppliers but then put their own special touches on them, or maybe not at all and just do a supreme job of putting them together.

 

[DGAS]

build your own, then take it to a good luthier for a setup.

you will save a LOT of money, learn how to build a guitar, and most importantly be personally invested in the process.

 

[d'djembe mutombo]

Nash Guitars. You also get a Abercrombie & Fitch style acid wash job with your purchase.

 

[Rhomco]

Not sure where you are but if you are anywhere near Texas I would be happy to help you. PM me if interested.
Rob

 

[El Rey]

Skermetta Guitars hypes himself up highly for this (along with other things).

However, I'm always suspicious of those that immediately have to tell you how good they are, as the people that really are top shelf don't usually do too much of this. Their work/products usually do this for them, and they're usually humble enough about it to let that happen on its own.

 

[derekd]

MJT comes to mine.

We have a member here (name escapes me) who did them for a while and I never heard anything but good reports.

 

[PeteSkermetta]

Skermetta Guitars hypes himself up highly for this (along with other things).

However, I'm always suspicious of those that immediately have to tell you how good they are, as the people that really are top shelf don't usually do too much of this. Their work/products usually do this for them, and they're usually humble enough about it to let that happen on its own.

Funny, those that know me, tell me I don’t hype myself enough. Oh well, I guess I’ll never get it right.
If you’re interested, you can check out my work at The Guitar Sanctuary in McKinney.
They aren’t partcasters, but they will give you an idea of what I’m doing with my builds.

 

[sleazy pot pie]

Skermetta Guitars hypes himself up highly for this (along with other things).

However, I'm always suspicious of those that immediately have to tell you how good they are, as the people that really are top shelf don't usually do too much of this. Their work/products usually do this for them, and they're usually humble enough about it to let that happen on its own.

not sure how you came to this conclusion, but I can vouch from multiple experiences with Pete. He has assembled one complete parts guitar for me, did a complete fret level and set up on two guitars, and donehalf a dozen tune up / set ups on parts guitars I have put together myself.
Aside from occasionally taking longer than I would like- but never longer than he has quoted me- I have nothing butgreat things to say about his work and him.
I can also say that I have never once gone by his shop when there wasn’t somebody there when I got there and there when I left.
He is a solid dude doing solid work.
You may think twice before disparaging someone’s good name on a forum that so many people read.
You are entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t mean you have to share it.

 

[Always-Ben]

Not sure where you are but if you are anywhere near Texas I would be happy to help you. PM me if interested.
Rob

Thanks for the offer, but I’m in CAlifornia.

 

[mr zurkon]

Maybe have a look at Logan Guitars. Not exactly partscasters but custom options for affordable prices.

 

[LJOHNS]

build your own, then take it to a good luthier for a setup.

you will save a LOT of money, learn how to build a guitar, and most importantly be personally invested in the process.

This

 

[Tony Done]

build your own, then take it to a good luthier for a setup.

you will save a LOT of money, learn how to build a guitar, and most importantly be personally invested in the process.

I agree with this completely. There's nothing mystical about electric guitars, it isn't rocket science, it only needs a few basic tools and you learn something about what guitars are made of and how they work.

 

[DGAS]

I agree with this completely. There's nothing mystical about electric guitars, it isn't rocket science, it only needs a few basic tools and you learn something about what guitars are made of and how they work.

There are some other tangential benefits to 'rolling your own' as well.

First, if it turns out well--which, if you procure quality components, there's no reason why it shouldn't--you'll have a level of pride in ownership you'd never approach otherwise.

Second, and I've personally found this to be extremely liberating, you will be less likely to flip or churn through guitars. As good a value as partscasters are, you'll almost certainly get clobbered if you try to sell one. So it comes with a built-in incentive to hold on to it and try to make it work. Maybe the pickups aren't to your liking. Or maybe you prefer locking tuners. Hell, perhaps the neck isn't quite right. You can easily, and pretty cheaply, replace those components and sell the existing ones. And if you bought used in the first place, you'll more or less break even.

Finally, and maybe most significantly of all, it's just so much damn fun.

I recently completed a Frankenstrat build, which has a Fender Roadworn body (which included the bridge and trem assembly), an Allparts neck, Gotoh tuners and some random pickups I had laying around. The whole thing cost approx. $450 not including the pickups. I actually just ordered a set of Bootstrap p'ups, which were $50 for the set, so I'm excited to see how they sound.

Thing is, I was actually looking for a used Roadworn Strat, but I don't care for 7.25" radius fingerboards, and the pickups in those are mediocre. So for probably $200 less, I've got a guitar with the specs I want and generally higher-quality components. Not too shabby.

 

[DrumBob]

Bill Crook, for instance, does not cut his own necks or bodies. That character DeTemple in California, does not cut his own bodies, and yet the task of building one of his guitars is "arduous" and very expensive.

 

[jvin248]

.

+1 ... go on Stratosphere and pick out your favorite parts.

Create a thread or add them here to get feedback if any expected problems with the choices.

Order, assemble, take the guitar to 'your guy' for final setup and fitment. If you're not confident with soldering then see if they can do it or buy a pre-wired harness or loaded pickguard where you only need to make the connection to the guitar ground and output jack.

.

 

[natmiss]

One of my best guitars is a partscaster. Warmoth body and neck, Fralins etc. I just had the tech I use assemble it. I would think any serious guitar tech will do fine. Every area has one. Quite a few of them in any city.

 

[easyed]

Pinup Guitars https://www.pinupcustomguitars.com/.

Eric is a master when it comes to building a guitar that equals the best of the vintage Fenders.

Super nice guy that insists on customer satisfaction.

I'm lucky enough to own his first (maybe only) thinline (see avatar) S/N Maria (after Buddy Holly's widow). He got the feel and the response just right (IMO) and many others believe me.

I was lucky to purchase when I did, because he learned that folks were buying his creations and them selling them for $200-$300 more

 

[whitebread]

Theres nothing difficult about building a fender style partscaster. Order quality parts and you'll get a quality guitar. You'd be amazed at how far you can get with 2 screwdrivers, one big and one little one. On a 1-10 difficulty scale, soldering is a 1.5, grab a diagram online and its paint by numbers.... 3 grader easy. Take it to a local set up tech to cut a bone nut, and have them dial it in to your preferences. Those so-called magical vintage guitars were built by mostly unskilled and underpaid factory workers. Don't believe the marketing hype by the partscasters assemblers.

 

[54GT]

Funny, those that know me, tell me I don’t hype myself enough. Oh well, I guess I’ll never get it right.
If you’re interested, you can check out my work at The Guitar Sanctuary in McKinney.
They aren’t partcasters, but they will give you an idea of what I’m doing with my builds.

Pete hasn't assembled a guitar for me, but he has done all sorts of setups, upgrades and repairs on a bunch of my stuff and the work has always been high quality and on-time. If I was going to have somebody put a partscaster together for me, he'd be high on the list.

 

[Tony Done]

There are some other tangential benefits to 'rolling your own' as well.

First, if it turns out well--which, if you procure quality components, there's no reason why it shouldn't--you'll have a level of pride in ownership you'd never approach otherwise.

Second, and I've personally found this to be extremely liberating, you will be less likely to flip or churn through guitars. As good a value as partscasters are, you'll almost certainly get clobbered if you try to sell one. So it comes with a built-in incentive to hold on to it and try to make it work. Maybe the pickups aren't to your liking. Or maybe you prefer locking tuners. Hell, perhaps the neck isn't quite right. You can easily, and pretty cheaply, replace those components and sell the existing ones. And if you bought used in the first place, you'll more or less break even.

Finally, and maybe most significantly of all, it's just so much damn fun.

I recently completed a Frankenstrat build, which has a Fender Roadworn body (which included the bridge and trem assembly), an Allparts neck, Gotoh tuners and some random pickups I had laying around. The whole thing cost approx. $450 not including the pickups. I actually just ordered a set of Bootstrap p'ups, which were $50 for the set, so I'm excited to see how they sound.

Thing is, I was actually looking for a used Roadworn Strat, but I don't care for 7.25" radius fingerboards, and the pickups in those are mediocre. So for probably $200 less, I've got a guitar with the specs I want and generally higher-quality components. Not too shabby.

We also share the same view on these aspects. - I see my bitsas as custom guitars, and I really enjoy doing it. All mine have started off as ordinary cheapos. In fact, I don't really play electrics, I just muck about with them a lot.