contemplating building a guitar, need a bit of help..

[sharp dagger]

hello!

[empty bough]

Hey

[sharp dagger]

you wont "make a fender".. you can make a fender-like guitar for sure. dont build your own guitar to save money

i would suggest getting parts, or just re-working a used project

[empty bough]

Oh yeah I guess it wouldn’t be a case of building a fender but like a mix match of fender style parts

[sharp dagger]

sure. a parts caster

you can do that

[empty bough]

Sure yeah

What would you say price would look like

[sharp dagger]

thats relatively easy.

its not like legos where, things just automatically fit

[sharp dagger]

again? dont do this to save money

do this because you want something you cant easily find

i could scrounge around and make a really nice guitar and maybe have $200 in it

[empty bough]

Yeah I’m not doing it to save money it’s moreso just an idea of what I’d be spending if I chose to do this

[sharp dagger]

or? i could spend $2k

[sharp dagger]

you can spend what you like

[empty bough]

If you go for the American expensive stuff, I see

[sharp dagger]

you can spend nothing

or you can spend a couple grand

[empty bough]

Would there be much of a performance difference to go cheaper?

[sharp dagger]

you cant hear money

so no

[empty bough]

Fair fair

[sharp dagger]

im talking about resoursefulness basically

if i started looking and scrounging and collecting "good" parts? i could build a great guitar for little or nothing

[empty bough]

So could you give a small list of the different parts I’d want to use besides what I mentioned

Damn

[sharp dagger]

you can a fender something, right?

those are the parts

if its a strat, you get strat parts

i would suggest you start looking for really any cheap/free strat parts and start collecting

[empty bough]

Yeah so, if I wanted to get strat parts what does that look like so, body, pick up guard, pick ups, bridge n all?

[sharp dagger]

think about what pickups you want

[sharp dagger]

it looks like a strat, man

[empty bough]

I’d like the typical three single coil ones

[sharp dagger]

ok

i would say, research how those look and work

[empty bough]

I worded that wrong. To be clear I’m wondering what are the parts that makes up the guitar that I’d want to use

[sharp dagger]

its a strat. thats knowable, and they are not all identical

you would put whatever pickups you want in it

[empty bough]

Right I see

[sharp dagger]

thats what i mean about spending more this way

[empty bough]

I appreciate you typing but I gotta go ahh shit

[sharp dagger]

you can look for really any well made strat, and it'll be cheaper than if you piece it together like this

[empty bough]

I’ll read another time

Thank you

[sharp dagger]

but, you would piece it to together like this because you want to learn about that process, or you want something specifically unique

if you want to save money? dont make your own guitar

[empty bough]

To learn the process and have a personal unique guitar that has my own feel to it. I’m not sure if it’s a well known term but I’ve heard people saying about a guitar having ‘mojo’ as in, it might not be an expensive guitar or a good looking guitar but if it has mojo you just have a feel for it and it makes you want to pick it up

That’s what I want

[empty bough]

Nah nah, it’s not that. I’d like to build it slowly over time

[sharp dagger]

i would say, you can expect to build at least a few guitars before you figure that out. so i think you'll do better buying a guitar you play and like, instead of hoping to build one "unique guitar that has my own feel to it"

its a well know buzz word, yes. "mojo"

[empty bough]

Ah okay good

[sharp dagger]

i suggest you define that term

make sure you know what you mean, and you are getting what you want

[empty bough]

I do have several guitars of me own I just want to find something different

[sharp dagger]

well, we are talking specifically about you making something different

im just helping you weed thru your goals and some bullshit terms like "mojo" so you can do that

[empty bough]

I think just the idea of it feeling personal to me and how it can look however I want

Is the feel

[sharp dagger]

its very rewarding, for sure

[empty bough]

Uhh.. are you annoyed at me or smth?

I’m not that experienced n all so my explanations are probably wacky but

[sharp dagger]

no. its important that you know what words mean, if you want mojo

sure. thats why im typing here, because i build guitars

[empty bough]

I heard it described by Tim Henson once similar to how I described it

[sharp dagger]

if you want to build a guitar with "mojo".. i think its important that you konw what that is

[sharp dagger]

sure! so those tim henson guitars have mojo

ok

start there ^

whats that mean?

[empty bough]

I would like to research what different wood materials convey what tone and things like that to make a choice on what I’m going for

[sharp dagger]

sure!

[empty bough]

What do you mean?

[sharp dagger]

here's an exercise for that. pick a recording you love the sound of. what wood is the guitar made of?

[empty bough]

Ahhh I see

[sharp dagger]

its quite impossible to discern wood types, aurally

[empty bough]

I love the feel for freaky grungy and just thick tones

[sharp dagger]

and if you disagree? thats fine. just listen and discern which is the "best sounding" wood

[empty bough]

Okay

[sharp dagger]

sure! and i build guitars, and if i want 'thick grungy tones", im going to the amp for that

i can get that with really any guitar

[empty bough]

Ah okay

Yeah ofc yeah

[sharp dagger]

if i want to make something that can more easily do that? i can try to dial that

[empty bough]

‘Dial’?

[sharp dagger]

but wood is just wood. its not something you can order the "grungy" wood like that, you know?!

[sharp dagger]

thats what you are wanting to do. dial in a sound, or type of guitar unique to you

[empty bough]

Yeah I realise that was a bit far fetched just for the different in wood but something along those lines

[empty bough]

Ah okay

[sharp dagger]

no. its not far fetched..

im just saying, its quite impossible to choose some "grungy sounding" wood

but, if you want to? go for it

[empty bough]

Well as you said, you couldn’t achieve that sort of tone simply from just the wood aye

[sharp dagger]

i didint say that. i said, 2 things about that. one? it would be easier for me to go to the amp. and if i wanted to try and build a guitar that would more easily do that? i can try to do that

but you have a paradigm. a strat. there's own so much variation you are willing to make or do

so, you are going to get a strat. and you want single coils. so you can have a pretty good idea what that is going to be like. there's lots of strats you can play for reference

[empty bough]

I suppose it’s not so much for the actual physical feel for the guitar or the specific tone however I’d like to consider it but I suppose it’s just the idea that “I made this myself and it’s the one and only one that looks like this exactly” and also it looks however I want it to

[empty bough]

Ah sure, I’m with you

[empty bough]

I’m not 100% how pickups change tone exactly. I’ve briefly heard how humbucker pick ups are quite chunky sounding snd for a better distortion feel you’d want to use the rear side pick ups and things like that

[sharp dagger]

right

and i would say, thats foundational for you

[empty bough]

This is mine, I normally use the pickup closer to the bridge for a heavier tone

I believe..?

[sharp dagger]

i would suggest playing more guitars, and really start collecting any cheap/free guitars

collct parts

find out what all that means, and does and what you like and dont and why

if you say really any word? like "mojo" or "grungy".. just take time and define those

[empty bough]

Ah okay yeah

[sharp dagger]

even if its not easy to conceptualize, that will help you dial whatever you build

you will do better not building one guitar, and expecting that one guitar to be your favorite guitar

you will do better just playing a lot of guitars and picking one

but, if you want to build quite a few guitars? you can learn and dial and get what you want

its unrealistic to think you will build one strat that is your fav strat.

[empty bough]

I suppose I’d also like to get into jazz guitar a bit more just for a change from rock or metal because although I like that music, the jazz guitar with the scales n all sounds so good and I’d like something that’s suitable for that

[sharp dagger]

cool

you can play jazz on anything

lots of folks play jazz on a tele for example

i have a "jazz" guitar i build

its answering some specific issues i have had with that paradigm

[empty bough]

I’ll read what you said in a sec but you mentioned free guitars for parts, would you actually recommend buying a guitar for next to nothing or actually nothing

[empty bough]

Yeah okay

[empty bough]

Yeah that’s what I picture

[sharp dagger]

this is the guitar i built with my teacher

it was his answer to those questions

no sound holes

harder to feedback

quite stable

[empty bough]

Is it electric?

[sharp dagger]

but this is where i have landed with a build i like

both are technically "electric"

[empty bough]

It looks amazing but did you actually cut out the wood and gloss it and all or did you use already made parts?

[empty bough]

Ohhhh fuck

That’s good

[sharp dagger]

we make parts. i purchase pickups and fretwire and tuning machines.

[empty bough]

It looks heavy but also country like at the same time that’s good

[empty bough]

Ahh

[sharp dagger]

its not

[empty bough]

Okay

[sharp dagger]

these are both hollow, and built like acoustic instruments

bent sides

[empty bough]

But without a sound hole?

[sharp dagger]

the first one is a carved archtop. with integrated bracing. it feels a lot like a fully carved archtop

yes. no sound holes on either of these

[empty bough]

So does it actually function?

[sharp dagger]

?

the top one is a regular model my teacher builds and sells

[empty bough]

Well if it’s built like an acoustic but has no sound hole, can I actually work

It actually

[sharp dagger]

and the second one is one i build and sell

[empty bough]

Hmm okay

[sharp dagger]

but these are trying to get "jazz guitars" that arent delicate archtops and arent a solid body either

one can certainly easily play a tele, tho.. or any guitar.

i played lots of gigs on an ibanez artcore, and those play great. its a plywood archtop. sounds great, cheap, easily replacable

[empty bough]

Right

[sharp dagger]

i would suggest one of those. i think i paid $300 for one, and made that back on the first gig with it

but, you can play jazz on what you have

[empty bough]

I see

[sharp dagger]

im just talking about how im trying to dial that, and why

[empty bough]

Aight, thanks for your help

[deft pawn]

If you're serious about building a really nice partscaster then Warmoth might be something to look at. Not cheap but worth the money but keep in mind that you have to pay for shipping, customs and taxes. Another alternative would be to have a (local) luthier build the parts for you. If you just want to start out on something for cheap you could get one of those DIY kits, I find their quality quite questionable though. Wiring is quite easy to do once you look up some videos on how to solder and try it on some scrap material.

[sharp dagger]

yeah. +1 on warmoth. i think they are a good value for what you get

you can look for a kit build someone else bought that didnt finish or start. on ebay, etc..

[blissful fulcrum]

huh, what fender is £150

[sharp dagger]

right?!

[empty bough]

That’s an example

[sharp dagger]

thats a great example of a squier, tho.. not a fender.

[empty bough]

Ohhh

shit

[blissful fulcrum]

then no, id say a partscaster of the same price as this wouldnt be much better

the thing with cheap partscasters is you need to pay extra attention to the neck’s quality. Ive built 3 cheap partscasters now, and i managed to stay under 600 dollars despite using premium hardware and some “exotic” woods is via biting the bullet and investing in tools to fix the cheap necks

i.e. fret dressing

a 200 dollar partscasters wouldnt be much better than a 200 dollar squier

ur better off buying a uses squier and fixing it up to its limit yourswlf

[empty bough]

fair

[blissful fulcrum]

you can only go so cheap with components to where it’s basically as mediocre as a cheap factory guitar of similar price

what id recommend doing is the

squier -> setup a squier -> mod it a bit -> upgrade parts -> learn to repair any build quality issues in it -> then build a partscaster, pipeline