Pat's Guitars question...

[rgusto2]

Howdy,
Has anyone bought a tele from Pat's Guitars? Any feedback about them? Thanks!

[Mark Davis]

Thats the guy on Ebay who always says worlds best whatever.

He takes good pictures and thats all I can say thats good. All he is doing is assembling parts from 2-3 guitars and sells them.

[cRaZY Tom]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Thats the guy on Ebay who always says worlds best whatever.

He takes good pictures and thats all I can say thats good. All he is doing is assembling parts from 2-3 guitars and sells them.

I've watched alot of his guitars go for silly money 2-3 times more than what their worth, he just buys guitar bodies from Warmoth and sticks a fender neck on it, then puts about $200 worth of Seymour Duncan’s in it.

He's basically just selling part-casters and using all the best parts, you could probably make the same thing for less than what his go for.

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by cRaZY Tom

I've watched alot of his guitars go for silly money 2-3 times more than what their worth, he just buys guitar bodies from Warmoth and sticks a fender neck on it, then puts about $200 worth of Seymour Duncan’s in it.

He's basically just selling part-casters and using all the best parts, you could probably make the same thing for less than what his go for.

I think his pictures help him sell them for so much cause the pics are so good they make you wanna buy it. Ive wanted to buy several of the ones he has screwdrivered together but always come to my senses.

[mellecaster]

Boy....I just wish "Screwing Together" a Guitar is as mindless and easy as you Guys make it out to be.........

[Mark Davis]

Solder a couple wires to a pre wired control plate. Screw the rest together in 30-45 mins tops. Whats so hard about that? He is buying necks off new guitars so the nut and tuners are already there. Bolt the neck to the body 4 screws 4 screws hold down the bridge add the pickups 5 screws wire it up 2 solder joints install the control panel 2 screws add the pickguard 5-8 screws. A 12 yr old can do it easily.

I give Pats guitars more credit for his photos than guitar assembly skills.

[Davis]

He takes a new stock Strat or Tele, modifies and/or upgrades it and then sells it. His work looks good and he is a very adept marketer. Is it good value? I don't know. If you can't do the work and his work gets you where you want to go, maybe it is.

But, if you don't read everything very carefully you could end up buying something that isn't what you think it is. And no matter how good the work is it will never be a Fender Custom Shop guitar and it will never appreciate the way a CS does. I think a buyer needs to take that into consideration.

What I don't understand is how he gets away using pictures of name celebrities and CD art in his listings. That's implied endorsement and I'm surprised he hasn't gotten slammed by the stars, the labels and FMIC.

[mellecaster]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Solder a couple wires to a pre wired control plate. Screw the rest together in 30-45 mins tops. Whats so hard about that? He is buying necks off new guitars so the nut and tuners are already there. Bolt the neck to the body 4 screws 4 screws hold down the bridge add the pickups 5 screws wire it up 2 solder joints install the control panel 2 screws add the pickguard 5-8 screws. A 12 yr old can do it easily.

I give Pats guitars more credit for his photos than guitar assembly skills.

You know Mark...a Statement like yours shouldn't even require a response on my part....but I'm guessing quite a few members here, who have built the Guitars of their Dreams, using Fender, and various aftermarket parts....and performed a Set-up way beyond anything one might get from a Factory Guitar......might Strongly disagree
w/your Blanket Statement....unless perhaps you know some 12 yr. olds that have years of this kind of work, under their belt....(if they wear Belts ?)

[Mark Davis]

If you buy a guitar body finish it drill all the holes and actually build a guitar that does take some skill.

But just assembling a guitar from new guitars taken apart and sold is really no harder than tightening all the screws and making a couple solder joints.

It takes no major skills besides some hand strength and the ability to use a screwdriver to assemble a guitar which consists of all parts that have already been a complete guitar.

I know your a Tech Mellecaster and in no way am I trying to discredit your profession. But what Pats guitars does is just screw all the parts together and solder pickup wires how hard is that?? He doesnt have to set the guitars up cut the nut drill any holes he is just reassembling guitars that have been disassembled.

[phoenixtwang]

Pat does way more than screw parts together. I own 28 guitars, including 12 Teles, including some very expensive Custom Shop and vintage Teles. My absolute favorite guitars to play are 2 I bought from Pat's Guitars. Pat does the custom routing, upgraded shielding, completely assembles the electronics using high end parts, and levels the frets. Most of the guitars he lists at eBay are custom-rebuilt Fenders, but he also builds guitars from the ground up. If you visit patsguitars.com and go through his past sales you can see examples of guitars being finished and assembled from raw wood forms (so yes he does "drill all the holes," and a lot more). I don't disagree he markets his products well (what's wrong with that?), but he is also a very talented luthier (he does everything: hand cut bone nuts and saddles, neck resets on acoustics, full refrets, etc.-you name it), and the guitars I bought are actually worth a lot more to me than what I paid, because of the way they play and sound, which put them in a class by themselves in my collection. Could you buy all the parts for the same or less? Maybe sometimes. But there is value in the skill and knowledge that is behind a good luthier's labor, and Pat is a great one. And he loves Telecasters. So if you want to be skeptical, that's totally ok, but it is just wrong to say he only screws parts together and solders a couple of wires like a 12 year old could.

[Mark Davis]

You know after some thinking Im gonna take back that statement that a 12 yr old could screw a Pats guitar together.

Im gonna raise the age a little up to 15. LOL

[Durtdog]

Originally Posted by phoenixtwang

Pat does way more than screw parts together. I own 28 guitars, including 12 Teles, including some very expensive Custom Shop and vintage Teles. My absolute favorite guitars to play are 2 I bought from Pat's Guitars. Pat does the custom routing, upgraded shielding, completely assembles the electronics using high end parts, and levels the frets. Most of the guitars he lists at eBay are custom-rebuilt Fenders, but he also builds guitars from the ground up. If you visit patsguitars.com and go through his past sales you can see examples of guitars being finished and assembled from raw wood forms (so yes he does "drill all the holes," and a lot more). I don't disagree he markets his products well (what's wrong with that?), but he is also a very talented luthier (he does everything: hand cut bone nuts and saddles, neck resets on acoustics, full refrets, etc.-you name it), and the guitars I bought are actually worth a lot more to me than what I paid, because of the way they play and sound, which put them in a class by themselves in my collection. Could you buy all the parts for the same or less? Maybe sometimes. But there is value in the skill and knowledge that is behind a good luthier's labor, and Pat is a great one. And he loves Telecasters. So if you want to be skeptical, that's totally ok, but it is just wrong to say he only screws parts together and solders a couple of wires like a 12 year old could.

What a coincidence, you just joined!

[jaydawg]

I think the point Mellecaster is getting at is that it is easy to "screw" some parts together but it is a whole other thing to put together and SET-UP a guitar that plays well. i.e. good action, intonation, neck relief, so on and so forth.

I'm a woodworker and cnc guy by day and have been building guitar (from scratch) for over 12 years now. I'll go as far as saying anyone can build a guitar, its really not that hard, but building a guitar that plays well and feels good is a whole other story.

After building guitars and many other types of instruments for a while now I've come to realize that the devil is in the set-up. Good fret work, nice set-ups and those sorts of details, I believe, take a lifetime to master.

[jaydawg]

Originally Posted by Durtdog

What a coincidence, you just joined!

Are you saying phoenixtwang is really.............?

[mellecaster]

Originally Posted by jaydawg

I think the point Mellecaster is getting at is that it is easy to "screw" some parts together but it is a whole other thing to put together and SET-UP a guitar that plays well. i.e. good action, intonation, neck relief, so on and so forth.

I'm a woodworker and cnc guy by day and have been building guitar (from scratch) for over 12 years now. I'll go as far as saying anyone can build a guitar, its really not that hard, but building a guitar that plays well and feels good is a whole other story.

After building guitars and many other types of instruments for a while now I've come to realize that the devil is in the set-up. Good fret work, nice set-ups and those sorts of details, I believe, take a lifetime to master.

Couldn't have said it better...Myself !.......

[flatpickinfool]

Well I just bought one and look forward to receiving it. I've been out of the electric guitar for 30 years, been flatpicking ever since. The price for me wasn't a problem after spending huge amounts of jack on custom made Dreadnaughts,about 5k apiece. His website does make one want to salivate and BIN which I did! I was competeing with an auto bidder program and got so pissed of I did the BIN. Anyway I look forward to learning more about these guitars and all I need now is a Amp for it.

[ajgus]

Is Pat's the one who does like the "VooDoo Lounge" stuff? If so, those auctions are guitar porn at its finest!

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by ajgus

Is Pat's the one who does like the "VooDoo Lounge" stuff? If so, those auctions are guitar porn at its finest!

Ya thats him. Best pics for sure.

[ajgus]

Funny...a lot of new members around this thread...ummm hmmm...lot a new members...

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by jaydawg

IAfter building guitars and many other types of instruments for a while now I've come to realize that the devil is in the set-up. Good fret work, nice set-ups and those sorts of details, I believe, take a lifetime to master.

Really? I always thought setting up a guitar was simply a matter of following instructions and working carefully. My Tele owner's manual lays it (set up) out quite clearly. Go figure.

mud

[Southern ILL]

Best pictures on Ebay......

Come on though....he really isn't doing anything that most here couldn't do......They are what they are....Partscasters....cool guitars and some great pictures....if he sends them well setup and you get anything close to what is pictured your still really over paying..but its your money..spend it how you see fit.......

Now- Coming here and trying to pimp your site or your guitars(trying to sell them) is a different story......."New members" singing Pats partcasters praises is really lame........the people here are telecaster fanatics....very smart people....they can tell me,with in minutes- what year-options- colors-hardware-etc....of just about any model I would care to know about....

Oh yeah-also your necks with the abalone dots really look out of place on your "Worlds best Voodoo Lounge" telecasters........Just my opinion.

Other than that..."New Members"

Hey Welcome to the forum....Hang out and enjoy the site.....

[Dennis68]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Solder a couple wires to a pre wired control plate. Screw the rest together in 30-45 mins tops. Whats so hard about that? He is buying necks off new guitars so the nut and tuners are already there. Bolt the neck to the body 4 screws 4 screws hold down the bridge add the pickups 5 screws wire it up 2 solder joints install the control panel 2 screws add the pickguard 5-8 screws. A 12 yr old can do it easily.

I give Pats guitars more credit for his photos than guitar assembly skills.

I know where you'er coming from mark, but I don't see the reason to begrudge him so long he is selling with full disclosure of what he is providing...
I haven't seen any of his listings, let alone bought anything from him/them or whatever kind of operation it is. All I can say if the result is acceptable to the buyers, then it seems we shouldn't be passing judgement on their work as non-buyers.

Just my opinion, nothing more and nothing less.

[Southern ILL]

Oh Yeah....Second time over the last week "Pats Guitars" have been brought up.....A "Guy" in Florida wanting to know about his luthier srevices and "Pats Guitars" is out of Washington state...

Is bussiness really that bad on Ebay?

[shoretyus]

Somebody have a link? I want to see what kind of guitars that I am supposed to be selling. And where's my money.

pat