I am building an LP

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Care to share any details?

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

I have never built a set neck, a bunch of repairs but no builds.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

well, its a kit actually, but I have analyzed it and think i will actually scratch build one after (my brother is a contracter, i have access to any of the tools, I don't already have, ie a jointer, and planer, I have almost all the rest I think.







I have all my parts, except covers plates for te electronics. have the ibanez, and a couple other bodies to spray, then onto the darkburst i have decided on for this.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I just want to add my quick $.02 worth to this topic. As has already been said, a guitar doesn't always add up to the cost of it's parts. In the case of something like a Strat at least, it doesn't really have anything to do with workmanship as much as "a name". Think of it this way...you could easily spend over $150 for a decent Warmoth neck, another $150 for a decent finished body (that would be considered good quality) and even spend another $225 for something like some Linsey Fralin pickups. Right there alone we're talking $525 and this doesn't even take into account the rest of the hardware...pickgaurd, bridge, tuners, etc., etc.. Let's say you're using decent parts, so right there you can easily tack on another $100...if you want Sperzal tunes and a steel trem block, we can even call that an extra $200 Now let's think about this...are most people really going to pay $725 for a knock off that someone built in their living room when they can buy a "genuine Fender Standard" (Made in Mexico of course) brand new for only $550 let alone a decent used one for around $300? For the money one could spend on this hypothetical Partscaster I've described, one is within reach of a used American Standard. I don't think this issue is really a matter of paranoia (although in some cases it could be) as much as, why fork out that kind of cash for even a really good knock off when you can own the "real McCoy"?

Some people are genuinely more concerned about a good playable instrument but there are a lot of folks who do get really hung up on that "name" (and hey...I'm guilty of this myself). In this case I think a fair analogy would be to look at motorcycles...let's face it, there's a lot of folks who really do believe that "things are different on a Harley-Davidson" and this mentality seems to be even more prevalent with guitars. It's not that a knock off can't be a decent instrument and in some cases even superior to the original but a great many people want to see that "Fender" (or Gibson) on the headstock and want it to be authentic. I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing as much as this is the way it is for a lot of people. It's that all so wonderful arrogance of human pride.

There is one last comment I would have to make here which is granted, a bit subjective. This is just my own personal opinion here but it seems to me that the OP's question seems to indicate this person is looking to obtain this partscaster with the direct intent of selling...or at the very least selling it if he decides he doesn't like it. Personally I don't get this...why buy an instrument that you don't like or don't plan to keep in the first place? I could almost see it if we were talking about a vintage instrument that's only going to go up in value and buying it as an "investment", but for something like this? Maybe I'm old fashion here or maybe I'm just incredibly naive or sentimental but personally I don't generally buy a guitar unless I actually like the damn thing and intend to keep it (unless I got it for -dirt cheap-, LOL!). This really just doesn't make any sense to me.


Again, just my $.02 worth,
Jim

Jim you just summed up everything about why you can't sell a partscaster , and break even!

For me I already have a Strat I love, so for me, building something will be fun, and worth the cost. i never expect to sell it. And I am going to brand any i make, so that if it ever gets into someone else's hands they can't sell it as original. Note my conceit that I expect anything i make to be indistinguishable from the real mcCoy!

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Looks like a fun kit to build 12B.

Lomit if you want a nice warmoth neck think like 250.to 350. and finished body 250.+ The necks are well worth the money, I have not seen a bad one out of the few I have bought and the ones brought to me in the past.
The last Warmoth guitar I put together was with someone who wanted help they paid a total cost of 1200. for the guitar and the quality was great along with the play and sound.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Personally I would never buy a finished neck or body. i think they are easy enough to do yourself, with a bit of practice. And if you aren't going to buy a factory fender, I would say the more hands on I am, the more fun.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Yea...I know. I do price comparing on Ebay as well. I was actually trying to keep the parts prices "reasonable" and on the low end for the sake of comparison and demonstration of my point. You are absolutely correct in that building a custom instrument in this manor can -easily- cost over a grand. That said, with a little bit of luck and some creativity, it doesn't have to cost that much to build something decent. With this current Strat project I'm working on I have approximately a whopping $135 or so into it so far...of course if she plays decent I'll probably invest in some better pickups later .

The one we did was a Trasparent Green burst I'm not good enough to do it like they did, that takes some practice.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

That looks like it might turn out very nice!

Thanks for sharing.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

hehe, i am not putting down the quality of their finishes. the stuff looks great. Just, my personal preference is to be as DIY as I can. The ibanez I am fixing up, when the weather turns nice enough, is probably worth less than the paint I am going to put on it. I am also going to fix/replace a few parts that need it. i have a love/hate relationship with the Floyd Rose it has on it.

it works for heavy whammy, for sure, but I hate having to clip off the ball ends of strings, and play with the clamps, so i bought a Floyd single locking tremolo, to replace the double locking one. it lets you pull the stirngs through the backrather than have to clamp in your clipped end.

So from this:


to this:





Might be a side, or even downgrade, and definitely considering how little I will probably use this guitar, a waste of money (the whole project for that matter,) except for the fact, that i think it will be fun. it has been so far anyway. So practically speaking, a waste of dough, but to me in reality, worth every penny. I could easily buy a new guitar for the money I am sinking into this, but where's the fun in that?

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

been kinda following this thread and @Twelvebar, you almost convinced me to build my own too, though my Strat's been pretty heavily modified. black diamond plate pickguard, what can i say...

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My source for all my Fender Gear

"I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost

well, if you like tinkering, and have done a bunch of mods, its not that far a step to assemble your own parts guitar.

It's funny, i so often find myself cautioning people about costs spiraling out of control, when doing a project, yet i don't bat an eye myself when I spend some unnecessary cash, hypocrite much, . but the way I see it, I have blown enough in a night at the bar to have probably bought a new MIM strat before, so no big deal.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.