Building a Partsquire

[ifallalot]

I did some extensive searching on this topic last night and I am seeing a few different answers to my question so I am going to make a poll.

I am a broadcast engineer, so my grasp of wiring is definitely there and I obviously know how to read a schematic and to solder. I am not a good carpenter though. That being said, I have never built a guitar before or even modified one. So as a first time builder wanting an Partsquire would it be easier to gather all the parts and assemble myself or to buy another Telecaster and modify it? I am also on a budget; if I was buying a guitar I wouldn't want to go over the CV/MIM level

[PumpJockey]

Option 1 is easiest if not the cheapest. Buy another tele and a pickguard without a pickup hole, clip a few wires, choose tone options for your switch. Done. Plus you can always un-do it.

[sfcmark]

I don't have a great deal of experience at building, so you're welcome to take this with a grain of salt. I am, however, pretty darn good at comparison shopping and finding the best prices for parts.

You'll be hard pressed to round up all the parts necessary for a partscaster build within the budget of a CV or used MIM. You'd surely wind up compromising some of your wants to make the budget.

For my first project, I bought a new Bullet Strat and modded it pretty heavily. The total was about $300. For that I got a pretty darn good neck and a more than acceptable body. Everything else is I put into it is equal to or better than a stock CV or MIM.

Bottom line: strictly from a budget standpoint I think finding, buying and modding a complete guitar with a neck and body you can live with may be the better option.

On the other hand, individually selecting parts for a build (like I'm doing for my current project) will give you a more personalized end product - it's just likely to be a lot more expensive (I wouldn't go into a music store at this point and buy a new guitar for what my project Tele will end up costing me).

[jkingma]

A lot of people ask questions like this and then a few days later when they don't get the answer they were looking for, they do their own thing anyway.

Other people can't make this decision for you. You know what you can and can't do. You know what you can afford to spend. You have to make the decision.

Regardless of what way you end up going, there will be lots of help available here if you need it.

So, scrap the poll and get to work. I know you can do it.

[ifallalot]

Originally Posted by jkingma

A lot of people ask questions like this and then a few days later when they don't get the answer they were looking for, they do their own thing anyway.

Other people can't make this decision for you. You know what you can and can't do. You know what you can afford to spend. You have to make the decision.

Regardless of what way you end up going, there will be lots of help available here if you need it.

So, scrap the poll and get to work. I know you can do it.

gracias, I was leaning towards mod and everyone helped me

[Ricky D.]

You won't save money by building your own. You will have complete control over all the design choices. On your budget ($300-$400?) with minimal woodworking skills, it's going to be hard to make a really nice guitar. That kind of money will buy an excellent new guitar off the rack, or that same excellent guitar used with a decent amount of money left for electronic mods.

Build because you want to build, or because you can't find the neck/body/finish you want on a complete instrument. If these aren't your reasons, I think you'll be happier tweaking a used guitar than doing a parts build.

[raito]

Originally Posted by jkingma

A lot of people ask questions like this and then a few days later when they don't get the answer they were looking for, they do their own thing anyway.

That's why I didn't ask.

Modding would be easier, cheaper, and more bullet-proof for sure becausae you can always return it to stock configuration.

Assembling will get you where you want to go, but with more work, especially if the peices don't quite want to fit together.

[midget bar]

I think I have mentioned this in the past, and as Ricky D.says. Building is like home brewing beer, you don't save money doing it, you do it to get exactly what you want or you enjoy the process.

[flatfive]

I heavily modded a couple of used guitars before
making a partscaster. That progression makes sense
to me, just as I think it makes sense to do a whole bunch of
setup work before doing any modding.

In my first "mod job" I refinished the neck and
replaced some of the electronics and hardware. In
the second I refinished the neck and body, and
replaced nearly all the electronics and hardware.
Then I felt ready to build a partscaster.

I'm always surprised (maybe I should get used to it...)
when I see someone building a guitar before having
done any setup work.

[tele12]

Originally Posted by ifallalot

......... I am also on a budget; if I was buying a guitar I wouldn't want to go over the CV/MIM level

I don't see how you can build a partscaster cheaper than you can buy a used MIM Tele. I've built a few partscasters........they've ALWAYS cost more than I thought they would, and they have ALWAYS cost more than I could have bought an equivalent or better used guitar for.

[Colt W. Knight]

I just jumped in feet first and started building.

[crazydave911]

One option, buy this, RONDO, 100$ +shipping, better woodwork than you'll think is possible for the money. Takes a little work to make a vintage bridge fit (if that's your thing), takes a little work to make the headstock resemble a tele, Jack shows how both are done here, LINK. Or you can mod it as is, and laugh all the way to the bank