Greetings! I hope this thread finds everyone well and full of Holiday joy.

Ok to the meat of my thread. I want a new guitar. I love EVH and have read/heard good things about Mean Street Guitars http://meanstreetguitars.com/ . But I am (at some point) the guy that is going to convince myself I can build more for my money, than buy (if that makes sense).

I am looking to you guys that have built (with experience) and those who have built (having no experience) for some guidance and advice. Should I just save my $$'s until I can pay someone to build me what I want, or should I give building one (myself) "a go"?

ETA: I realize this isn't a "Stratocaster issue", but you guys are very smart about building guitars.
Thanks for any advice!
Merry Christmas/Happy New Year,
84

Yea; I agree. And this is one of the options i am thinking about in lieu of buying Warmoth (type) parts and assembling or paying someone to build something, which I don't (really) have the money for that.

Honestly though, I would only be after the body, if I buy a Strat. I would rather have a birdseye neck and board, swap out the hardware for black, FRS, lock nut, etc., and then the pickup(s)..maybe a SD CustomCustom (more reading to do there I suppose).

The neck could be maple, not birdseye I guess, and I failed to mention, I;m not married to the custom EVH paint scheme. I'd rather have something else in that regard.

If you are considering a first build, let me say first off that it is not that bad. I am not handy nor a woodworker nor do I have any patience and I built a partscaster last year. I learned a lot and made some mistakes but that will happen. It's not that hard at all.

I would suggest trying guitarfetish.com. I was able to put together my guitar for a little over $300 largely thanks to the stuff I got of thier site, and it's a fantastic guitar that i am estatic about even with the errors I made. Consider it a pilot where you can make you errors and you may even end up with a great guitar like I did.

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CREDO ELVEM IPSUM ETAIM VIVERE

I have a different slant on the whole issue for you:

MIM Strats are excellent guitars at an excellent price. Why don't you buy one that appeals to you (it doesn't even have to be new) and little by little, learn how to customize it yourself. You'll be saving yourself megabucks and the money you do spend, you'll be in better control of how much and when.

Sure, you'll make mistakes but that's how one learns.

Keep in mind that each and every one of us had to start somewhere. Maybe this is where you might start and 'join the club', so to speak.

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You dig?

I have to agree with Martian here, as I am in a similar situation, not building a guitar but I started out with a stock guitar, albeit a Squier, and am learning how to upgrade it a piece at a time, so when the time comes I want to start a build properly, I would have a better idea of what to do.

I've found the guys here to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful so I'm sure you will find the right answer!

Best of luck,
Drew

If you are going to do this, First buy a second hand or even a Squier Bullet ($100) which you get all the hardware and a rather inexpensive guitar which can be modified and experimented upon as far as multiple changes.
Then get a nice neck and body once you have overcome the learning curve. You can assemble a guitar to your specs but it is best to do it with something that did not cost much, because you will make mistakes and some can be terminal for the project.

Good Luck

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I have been building partscasters forever. My experience has shown..that "feel" and "sound" are the key. For some "looks" is a major concern. Problem is, if cost is a factor, one and/or two will have to be sacrificed.

The nice thing about the Mexis, is they are basically the same material, dimensions and finish as a USA. So where to go from there? Pick ups and set up. If you want a specific look, you don't have to worry about killing the value if you re-fin a Mexi. So it may be a good choice for you if you want a killer Strat, are in the "learning" process and are on a budget.

Nothing against the Squires..but most are made out of I don't even know what kind of woods, and do not share the body/neck pocket dimensions of a USA. Not to say you can't make one sound good..but every chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.

My favorite "lay in bed and play" ax is my Korean Squire, the ax is a real easy player..but there is really no point in me spending too much to try to get it into form where it could be used live or for recording. A Mexi on the other hand.. is well worth the investment.

In all honesty, I feel the neck is most likely the critical element...so if you are considering a from scratch build...buy a mexi body and a USA neck. Pickups of choice..a quality bridge, nut and tuners...re-fin to taste...and for well under $1200 you can own a beast and have the bragging rights to say you built it yourself. (although you do not have to tell anyone you paid to have a pro set it up).

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Hey, thanks for the advice guys.

It's funny, the post describing, no patience, not a woodworker, etc.... fits me to a tee

ETA: I AM leaning to a buy a Mx, and swap out the pups to start. Then as time and $$ permits, I'd love a FRS, locknut, new tuners, etc. Then propably lastly strip and refinish.
Thanks again, you guys are BEAST (as my kid would say )
84

I would strip and refinish first, after you've decided on the pickup configuration.
Stripping first will allow you to see what kind of wood you are about to refinish.
Furthermore you should have the layout spelled out, 8 or 11 hole pick guard and what shape.
Neck is it going to be maple, rosewood or ebony with or without dots, 21 or 22 frets, vintage bridge or 2 point modern version. Tuners, vintage or staggered locking, there again you will need to assess if redrilling is needed and plugging the holes prior to refinishing.
I would not proceed until you have a solid design. Is it going to replicate the vintage earlier than 1970 or is it going to be a 70's style or a combination of the various strat incarnations.

There is a lot to think about and debug, not the least of which is which parts work with what.

Have Fun

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Valid point about removing finish first, and having the plan before the product (so to speak).

Question: If I know that I will eventually want an orginal FRS bridge, do I try to find a used MIM/Squire that has a 2pt trem? Is such a thing made? A quick search on ebay yeilded 6pt only; of course I didn't look at all one MILLION ads

Thanks,
84

You are going to run into compatibility issues if you are buying parts from E-Bay. I'm assuming that you are somewhere in the States and there are a good number of shops near or at least within reasonable traveling distances. I also would use Craig's List to find used strats from sellers, because of the economy, it is a Buyers market so you really can negotiate a lower price than advertised. Even in the stores, guitars are not moving out the door very quickly.

That said, if you find an MIM versus a Squier, always go for the MIM, even if it is a bit more expensive, the quality of the MIM's make them a great value as well as that parts of an MIA will drop right in on an MIM, not the case with the Squier series. Of Course a 6 point trem will not be compatible with a body routed out for a 2 point.

For the 1st build I would keep the parts swapping to easy retrofit, none that require rerouting or redrilling for tuners. You'll find that even though it seems a simple parts upgrade, there can be serious Gremlins

There are quite a few on this forum who are quite experienced in rebuilding, before proceeding and you are not sure, don't hesitate to ask.
It's frustrating when you get all the parts together but cannot assemble those parts because of a critical detail you did not expect. ( Iv'e been there and those moments are serious test of one's patience). You do Not want to rush rebuilding a strat, rushing the process will always come back and make matters worse at a later phase.

Try these websites for parts.

www.stewmac.com
www.partsisparts.com
www.bhefner.com
www.lmii.com

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

DO NOT worry about painting this first build.
you will have time for that on your next build. right now worry more about
putting the right parts together that work together, and your electrical
work first. get it right before you learn to paint the "right".
just know the source of your body. (what it came off of)

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I would have to agree with the last reply. Even with years of experience I still have to carefully research parts to make sure they will work..and after years and years of refinishing I just about got it right.

If you are considering finishing it yourself plan on it taking a lot of time. Unless you do not mind if it is less then perfect. I have spent a week spraying and sanding, spraying and sanding, polishing etc..and still had to take it all down and start over. But the bright side is having a one of a kind that really is a player..to me that is what it is all about. If you do not have the time and desire to deal with all that, just buy a body with a finish you are happy with and bolt/screw good stuff on.

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I'm almost out of stuff to sell.

Even if you do get a Fender with the tremposts set for a 2 point trem, they won't fit a typical FloydRose trem. They will probably fit the FloydRose trem that used to be on the Deluxes in the 90's. But that is a entirely different system. If you try using a locking nut with that, you'll never get the guitar intune as the trem has no microtuners.

That gives you two viable options to my mind. Buy a virgin body with no screw holes drilled and set the trem and neck yourself. (Not at all difficult, just requires patience)
Or buy a cheapo squier body and get creative with the wood around the tremposts.

BTW you can put a Squier neck on a Fender body. Width at the heel and scale length are the same. There may be a difference in screw placement, but thats a easy fix.

Very helpful, and what I was thinking, regarding the FRS/locking nut.