So, how do your Partscasters actually compare?

March

I have three Warmoth guitars that compare favouribly with many of my name guitars. Ironically the neck & body of the one bought cheaply on a whim (added to an already open order) has proven to be the best of the lot, it is up there with my favourite guitars. The Warmoth I put together that was the no expense spared, dream spec one is probably the one I am most disappointed in. Not that it is a bad guitar, far from it, but the final instrument is very bright, so much so that it has become a quest to tame it (changing the Gotoh 510 with a steel block for one with an FST block helped).

I'd put together another partsocaster, it's a great way of getting something that normally would not be available to you or caters to your needs.

PonchoGreg

I think my strat now qualifies as a partscaster, as it's quite removed from its classic 60s origins. Neck is still the classic 60s with nice dark rosewood and comfy, thick C profile. Tuners and trem are also stock.

But the body is now a lighter 2-piece alder from screlics, neck has been reradiused and refretted to 6105s, pickups are fender 57/62s, steel trem block.

More importantly it's had a final fettle by Feline after the body transplant.

Is it better than a CS strat? Of course not. Can it hold its own against any US production model I've ever tried? Yes, and more importantly it's got all the specs I like. That's the real beauty of partscasters, you can play around with parts and specs to put together what you like. Kinda like assembling your custom GI Joes once you've figured out that every part is interchangeable

lukedlb

All 3 of my strats were put together by a mate with luthier built wood, custom shop mechanical parts, hand wound pickups swapped from guitar to guitar for the best combination, big old Ducati Parts under the pots, nitro painted and reliced and set up by same mate until perfect, then setup again and again and played and played by me. All vintage style. 

I played a masterbuilt that possessed the same confidence though the pickups were way too hot.  I’ve played two vintage strats from the 60s that almost came close but had so many playing defects, which any owner would never change: 3way selector, super low fret wire, thin pick ups (and they did change them! Why oh why). 

I often think about selling one but I know I will never find similar again. 

Fuengi

After a this reassurance I've just bought a LPJ from @GSPBASSES for my next one.