So, how do your Partscasters actually compare?

Fuengi

How do your own builds stack up for playability.and quality to a Fender or Gibson? 

I've just put my Partscaster Tele neck back on and got it set up in a way I'm happy with, but that's taken me a few months to get it right. I was on the verge of parting it out.  

Interested to hear if expectation and hope translate into reality, or if they end up less used and parted back out? 

normula1

One is brilliant (actually the one in my avatar) and has been played an awful lot and bumped my real Strat down the pecking order. Another (https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/152718/partscaster-with-a-little-twist)built with @GSPBASSES ; body and neck and finished by @GoldenEraGuitars is awesome, the other two play perfectly well but tend to only get used occasionally.

Roland

Playability - they suit me better than production models: modified neck profile, choice of pickups, choice of fret wire, reversed control layout and modified body profile. I’ve refined each of these over time. That doesn’t mean the end result would be everyone’s cup of tea.

Quality - define quality. Some people want nitro. Some want shiny thick poly. Some want exotic timber. In this context my definition is “fit for purpose”

Fuengi

Roland said:

Playability - they suit me better than production models: modified neck profile, choice of pickups, choice of fret wire, reversed control layout and modified body profile. I’ve refined each of these over time. That doesn’t mean the end result would be everyone’s cup of tea.

Quality - define quality. Some people want nitro. Some want shiny thick poly. Some want exotic timber. In this context my definition is “fit for purpose”

What do you mean by "modified neck profile"? 

Roland

I like a flat neck. I start with an oval, similar to a Yamaha neck, then flatten it. My favourite Tele neck was shaved down whilst strung up so that I could play it as I went along. It’s constant depth up to about the 8th fret, and then thickens out

Fuengi

Roland said:

I like a flat neck. I start with an oval, similar to a Yamaha neck, then flatten it. My favourite Tele neck was shaved down whilst strung up so that I could play it as I went along. It’s constant depth up to about the 8th fret, and then thickens out

Interesting! What do you use to shave it with? 

Roland

Cabinet scraper

markslade07

Got a new Tele Custom put together here...body is @GoldenEraGuitars which is awesome, has a wide range humbucker in the neck...also awesome! But...the bridge pickup, a Fender Broadcaster, is really thin and trebly and unbalanced compared to the WR. I put this down to the pre-built wiring loom I got having 500meg pots all round which they recommended (I wasn’t sure and assumed 250 for the single could, but went with it). I love the neck profile, but don’t like the tall, thin frets which feel uncomfortable compared to my other guitars (Gibson-style).

So, so far, I love it around 75%, but it definitely needs some tweaks then I think it will be a real long-term guitar.

Probably.

Stuckfast

I only have one partscaster and I didn't put it together, but it's an awesome guitar. First guitar I'd ever tried with jumbo frets and now I want them on everything.

menamestom

I’ve recently finished a tele, nitro, mojo pickups, guitar build body and hosco neck.  Very nice.  There’s something also nice about a stock Fender but I’d need at least American original to be as happy.
Main thing is unless you are a pro and have all the tools have a proper setup done.  Assuming everything else is good (parts and fitting), this step really takes a guitar to the next level.

Fuengi

menamestom said:

I’ve recently finished a tele, nitro, mojo pickups, guitar build body and hosco neck.  Very nice.  There’s something also nice about a stock Fender but I’d need at least American original to be as happy.
Main thing is unless you are a pro and have all the tools have a proper setup done.  Assuming everything else is good (parts ad fitting), this step really takes a guitar to the next level.

Sounds very similar to my Tele, nitro body, Mojo Pickups and just swapped a Hosco neck back for the Allparts one now I've sorted out the frets. 

I've done the setup myself and I'm happy with it. 

horsehead

So, I've got 2 strat partscasters, one I got in a swop deal years ago and is my No1...it just fits and sounds perfect for me.
I recently got a nitro green body from @GoldenEraGuitars and a reverse neck from @GSPBASSES with a set of personally wound @Van_Hayden pickups and which, because I'm lazy and shite, put together by @IvisonGuitars and I've gotta say it's pretty much an amazing second guitar to switch from No1.
Overall, partscasters are a brilliant alternative to custom shop guitars, but I think you need to know exactly what you want and need in a guitar

TTBZ

I've done a couple (strat and a telemaster) and ended up parting them out. Still have a parts strat with the body from my first electric, but it's not worth selling as it's all crap parts. Wish I'd done the telemaster as a normal Tele as I'd probably still have it, sounded great just didn't love the offset shape. Might just slowly transition my strat into a tele now as I can't afford a full guitar at once these days.

Partscasters used to appeal to me so much because there's no compromise on spec or quality of parts, and normal Fenders are just boring. However since I realised Charvel do the San Dimas hardtail line that pretty much has everything I want from a strat (HH, hardtail, compound radius neck, rolled fingerboard etc), I'll probably just go down that route next time. Made a massive loss on my last one and parting out is a ball ache.

stickyfiddle

I have 4 at this point:

Strat. Started as a Squier 20 years ago, and currently has its 5th neck (Musikraft via MJT for finishing) and at least that many pickup changes, but I have it about perfect at that point. It’s honesty the best non-vintage Strat I’ve ever played.

La Cabronita - essentially a parts build, though finished and setup by WezV of these parts. This was about getting a spec Fender didn’t make (big neck with rosewood board, Thinline body without f-holes and with 60’s style binding). I occasionally struggle with the neck profile but it plays fantastically, looks incredible and sounds massive. Very happy overall and it’s (almost) completely unique

Jazzmaster - full MJT build with everything specced exactly as I wanted. Before the American Original series it was the only way to get vintage looks with 9.5 radius and taller frets outside the CS, except for this one I have Mojo pickups and an original 60’s tort guard. It’s great. 

P bass - another full MJT build. I’ve only had this for a few weeks and I’m not much of a bass player but it plays well and sounds great. I spent a good few weeks researching specs to make sure I got the neck right, which was well worth it - full width trad P necks are bonkers. 

So basically “partscasters yay”, provided you have a good handle on what you want. 

impmann

I’ve built *a lot* of partcasters (or bitsas as we used to call them). Some are better than the sum of the parts. Some aren’t. And because of the nature of wood, that’s inevitable. 

There’s a lot of BS associated with Fender badged products. Likewise Tokai, Fernandes etc. These are (aside from CS units) partcasters built in a factory. Leo designed his guitars to be modular and repairable easily - but importantly he believed in production line build, using semi skilled workers a la Henry Ford. Therefore the difference between a bitsa built at home and a factory Fender is often just branding.

Yes you can suggest they are ‘copies’ - some suggest they are fakes (let’s avoid that argument, though) but in my view they are just as valid and just as great as other ‘copies’ such as the jap Les Paul clones or those vintage guitars reworked into things they never were.

A partcaster can be wonderful. I have several and they are incredibly useful tools. Imho, all are better than an off the peg guitar because I couldn’t buy the same spec from Fender.

skippy76

My number 1 Tele is an awesome 3 tone burst from @GoldenEraGuitars with a custom made Brazilian rosewood and flamed maple neck by @Danielsguitars fender hardware and a twisted tele in the neck and BKP brown sugar bridge position.

Darren made the neck to fit the body so I guess it’s half partscaster half custom build. But 100% awesome.  

ThePrettyDamned

As good.

It's bits of wood screwed or glued together. If it's done correctly, it won't be any worse than one from a factory. 

Seziertisch

impmann said:

I’ve built *a lot* of partcasters (or bitsas as we used to call them). Some are better than the sum of the parts. Some aren’t. And because of the nature of wood, that’s inevitable. 

This is so true. The wood element is the one uncontrollable variable, as in most cases if you are buying a neck and body for finishing you won’t actually get to hear what they sound like together until the thing is actually finished.

If you are using an off the shelf neck and body at worst you can expect the finished guitar to be about as good as an average US Standard, while at best it could stand toe to toe with a custom shop instrument, though this is by no means guaranteed.

If you want to be sure of getting custom shop quality you need to do what @skippy76 did and get at least the neck fabricated by a specialist. Money spent on finishing and hardware will only get you so far.

Also, it goes without saying that if you don’t have the skills to set up the instrument yourself then getting it done by someone who knows what they are doing will be money well spent.

soma1975

Seziertisch said:

This is so true. The wood element is the one uncontrollable variable, as in most cases if you are buying a neck and body for finishing you won’t actually get to hear what they sound like together until the thing is actually finished.

And neither will the Fender factory when they build a guitar. And they certainly won't bin the guitar if it's a dud. 

jaymenon

Every bit as good - actually way better than any production guitar I’ve ever played. And very much perfectly to my taste. 

Back angled headstock

12” (or 10-16”) radius

Jumbo frets

Contoured heel
Chambered ultra light body
Gotoh 510 Tremolo 
Kinman / Ilitch noise cancelling pickups
7-sound mod

I could never find a production guitar that was specified exactly as I wanted, although the new Fender American Ultra range now fits the bill (except that I’m not sure if Fender’s own noiseless pickups are as good as Kinman or DiMarzio Areas...)

jaymenon

... And if I decide to change or upgrade any component of the instrument, it’s not subject to the same devaluation that an ‘original Fender’ would be.

come to think of it, guitars by companies like SVL, Anderson, Suhr, Tyler etc are basically well put together partscasters, except that the makers have now created a reputation for themselves - and their name on the headstock actually bolsters the value of the instrument.

With a great guitar technician to do a fabulous set up, you can achieve the same thing at 1/4 to 1/3 the price.