First time partsocaster - Advice needed

shaunm

I am thinking of embarking on a partsocaster build. 

I am wondering if I could get some hints and tips. 

Body

Where should I be looking for one? Warmoth seems to be the place I have heard mentioned the most. 

I am wanting a H/S/S set up. Vintage cream finish (maybe a little relicing). 

Am am I best buying a body then sending it away for someone to finish it? If so are there any suggestions of who I could use? 

Neck 

 As above is Warmoth the place to go to buy a neck? 

Spec wise i am wanting a vintage set up. I like the 7.5" necks on the mim Fender 70's classics. Size wise I like quite a chunky neck on strats as I'm used to them from my Sheraton. 

When you buy the neck do you select the fret wire size you like or do they tend to be specific to the size/shape of the neck you buy?

Trem system 

What would you suggest? I've only used Fender ones. I'm not looking for any 80's tastic divebomb crazyness. Vintage all the way. I see Wilkinson trems mentioned quite a lot. Are they any good? 

Of course then there's the electrics and what not to consider. I'd have thought that comes a little later on. 

Any advice would be appreciated.

prowla

I would suggest you go for budget to start with and then upgrade; Warmoth is the top of the pile (some say better than Fender).

Fender hardware is fine.

Pickups - to your taste!

Bridgehouse

If you are buying unfinished and sending off to be finished and relic'd then don't bother with Warmoth or other US dealers. The import costs and posting makes it so expensive. 

Our own GSPBASSES does cracking bodies and necks and they are very reasonably priced. Once built you can send to one of the very fine painters on here and specify exactly what you want.

If you feel like it, screw it together yourself then have someone do a pro setup and wire up the electrics for you - you'll get a corker of a guitar this way..

Bridgehouse

Oh and with the above method you can specify absolutely every single tiny detail about your build. Every single one.

shaunm

Thank you for the input @Bridgehouse & @prowla ;

Budget wise I am looking at £750 ish but that's not set in stone. Because this would be a build I could add to it as I needed to over the course of the build. 

I like the idea that the guitar can be made to my spec exactly. I've always wanted a custom guitar but finances have always taken a turn and it's prevented me ordering from the likes of Jonathan @feline. ;

I have never attempted to make a guitar, never even taken a neck off one. My initial worry would be that should I start tinkering with making the guitar I would end up with an expensive guitar that doesn't play well. I was thinking that I'd get someone to assemble the guitar. I wouldn't have a clue when it comes to installing a trem, machine heads etc. 

Bridgehouse

A body and neck, unpainted, to your spec from one of the known makers over here will be about £300

I don't know about painting and relic'ing - I'm sure someone will advise. 

I would allow a couple of hundred for hardware, pickups etc which you could upgrade later. 

It would be a significant cost saving to self assemble. There's a lot of experience on here to advise and help..

shaunm

I'm sure YouTube would help too. 

What about things like placing the nut, adjusting its height etc? I have no clue on things like that. I just pick guitars up and play them. Even then, that's questionable. 

£300 seems very reasonable. I am thinking that I will have a word to @Van_Hayden regarding the electrics.

Bridgehouse

shaunm said:

I'm sure YouTube would help too. 

What about things like placing the nut, adjusting its height etc? I have no clue on things like that. I just pick guitars up and play them. Even then, that's questionable. 

£300 seems very reasonable. I am thinking that I will have a word to @Van_Hayden regarding the electrics.

A good setup from someone like @SteveRobinson  would sort the nut out - he would even cut you a new bone one and have it set up perfectly. 

Electrics for a strat are easy - all on the pickguard. Attach the ground and screw it down - get the other bits screwed together then off for a setup. 

You would be surprised how little there is to it...

shaunm

@Bridgehouse I don't suppose you have a link to gspbasses website? 

Bridgehouse

shaunm said:

@Bridgehouse I don't suppose you have a link to gspbasses website? 

He doesn't have one

Drop him a PM - @GSPBASSES ;

Bridgehouse

Bridgehouse said:

shaunm said:

@Bridgehouse I don't suppose you have a link to gspbasses website? 

He doesn't have one

Drop him a PM - @GSPBASSES ;

This is a GSPBASSES body and neck: 

shaunm

Oh it's a person and not a site. Sorry I didn't catch that. 

I will do, thank you.

Bridgehouse

shaunm said:

Oh it's a person and not a site. Sorry I didn't catch that. 

I will do, thank you.

I've had a 51 P bass body and neck from him as well - excellent quality and a brilliant guy to deal with...

shaunm

Well that Tele is bloody lovely!

Bridgehouse

shaunm said:

Well that Tele is bloody lovely!

Now the property of @Alnico - he will attest to the quality of the body and neck.. all up I'd say it cost well under £500 to do - I did paint it and relic it myself tho

Alnico

My Telecaster is as nice to play as it looks.
It has now just been set up by @SteveRobinson and I don't yet have it back so I can't yet tell you how good it is after the work that Steve did to it.

If he has time, maybe Steve could describe it for you and tell you how it is now that it's been professionally set up?

All I can say about it is that it's a beautiful guitar and @Bridgehouse has done a very tasteful relicingjob on it so that it simply looks old, not over done.

Bridgehouse

Alnico said:

My Telecaster is as nice to play as it looks.
It has now just been set up by @SteveRobinson and I don't yet have it back so I can't yet tell you how good it is after the work that Steve did to it.

If he has time, maybe Steve could describe it for you and tell you how it is now that it's been professionally set up?

All I can say about it is that it's a beautiful guitar and @Bridgehouse has done a very tasteful relicingjob on it so that it simply looks old, not over done.

Whereas I look old AND overdone

Funkfingers

shaunm said:
I have never attempted to make a guitar, never even taken a neck off. 

I like the idea that the guitar can be made to my spec exactly. 

Herein lies a fundamental problem. If you are unfamiliar with how the individual parts of a Fender-style electric guitar contribute to the whole, how can you determine which of all the available parts options to specify? 

Don't worry. I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here. Your guitar project has wooden components. There is a limit to how predictable the natural acoustic resonances will be.

shaunm

I know what you mean. 

I suppose i know what I am wanting sound wise and looks wise. I'm taking advice though from this wonderful forum to help me get there.

Bridgehouse

shaunm said:

I know what you mean. 

I suppose i know what I am wanting sound wise and looks wise. I'm taking advice though from this wonderful forum to help me get there.

Most important bits to work out in your mind:

Neck shape
Fingerboard Radius
Fret size 

After that, you can play about swapping parts...

shaunm

Shape I know, a big and chunky thing. Like the old Baja or Beck Strats. 

Radius would be 7.5

fret size. I'd like jumbo frets I'm not sure of the wire size though