Building your own guitar, IMO, is the way to go. It’s your own custom shop and can save you a good amount of money. I’ve now done two and I make sure the body and neck are made by the same company and the rest is easy. I always have a local luthier/tech go through the entire guitar to inspect it and do a full set up. It’s a great project and Ali’s definitely worth the time and energy. It adds a cool dimension to the connection you have with your instrument(s)
After working on all my early Strats I found the factory solution. Deluxe plus Strat. Everything I would "fix". 3 color L Sensors, Fender Floyd Rose bridge, LSR nut, locking tuners, TBX tone. I bought mine in 96 a used 93 vintage blonde and installed a Tremsetter, adjusted the whammy to up and down floating and rocked on for 27 yrs. Now I see people cut this system down worked mine pretty steady throughout the years. Everything anyone could need from the factory. Built in the early 90's. Now on to my 90's L Paul studio. Using the Strat as my blueprint I replaced stuff I wanted on this guitar 496/500 pups, CTS 500k pots, Garret cloth wiring in a 50's style, Tonespro locking bridge, alum tailpiece, Kluson locking tuners,Tusc XL nut. Gives me 2 workhorse tools that look pretty sharp and hold their value. As if I'd ever sell. Ya right
Don't stop at two... Go for it. Hardtail, Varitone, Tele pups, 7 way switching, treble bleeds, fat/skinny strings and that's just my starter list.. you need at least 6 so you never get bored 😀
Partscasters rule! Let's call em what they are "Personal Custom Shop" , I am building a Strat with pearloid pickguard, V-mod pickup set, alder body, Fender MIM neck, vintage tuners, etc. What I want at a reasonable cost and plays great! Beautiful builds by the way!
Love the Sunburst Strat's voice. Not the standard Strat voice but still chimmy. Just love it. I have a Roadworn, 2 MIM rebuilds, an American Deluxe, & a Wormouth build. The Wormouth build I call my "Chipacaster" after me, my build, my guitar. Mostly Fender parts, simple wiring (I like the middle pup wired without a tone control, tone control only on bridge & neck) & a boat shaped neck (soft "vee"). To me, adds a lot of a woody sound unplugged. Turns out I like the boat neck a lot, not really a lead player but I like the "full feel" of the neck. Adds variety to my collection. Pricewise it almost the same as buying a MIM Strat & "upgrade" the parts. My son has benefitted from this. He was given a Squire Strat which he disliked the sound. I put my "extra" pups from my MIM Strats in his Squire, changed the electronics, wired like my strats, he likes it now. P.S. he's a bass player. A partscaster is good that you build your own custom to your taste & make it yours. You can even build pickguards with different pickups & wiring with a electronics plug for easier changing, a few different guitar voices in one guitar.🎸
At 68 still looking to learn something. I took a liking to Super Vee Bladerunner tremolos. Direct drop in on MIM strats, models to fit any strat, stable tuning & all guitars have locking tuners. For me just easier string changes, hasn't hurt nothing. Again, love the sound you get out of your strats!@@AndrewLynchMusic
I've actually put together 4 PC's over the last decade, most of which have gone through multiple incarnations.One is designated and set up for slide, with Supro gold foil, one " Big Apple" style with 2 Humbuckers, 1 with vintage Alnico 2's, and 1 " hotter" with Texas Specs, with a 12" radius neck, often employed for slide work.Mixed in are some older, revamped Squier parts, including some very lightweight Alder bodies, which I prefer. One of the best aspects is being able to inexpensively alter them as style and interests change, as well as when certain more desirable parts become available.Given a span of time, you tend to come across some great opportunities to upgrade without paying out the nose, and each peice develops particular qualities you might desire. Probably have sold or traded another full 8 Teles and Strats over the same period, having learned much about what works and why.
Hey Mark, I agree 100%. Mine are frequently evolving and I have moments where I know if I want to change pickups or something, it’s so easy to just drop them in and it feels like a new guitar. Easy to go right back if I don’t end up liking them!
I've built over a dozen, but the 3 I've kept are one in purple/ violet with a Clapton WD V neck in rosewood w/ Armstrong Alnico 5's , a CV Fiesta Red with a MIM maple neck& Fender Vintage Alnico 2's, and Dakota Red CV with a Paranormal Tele neck and GFS Lipsticks.Generally speaking, I build & profit off all Fender designs.I don't really get putting humbuckers on a Strat, but I've tried everything else .If I want HB's, I'll go with Epiphone SG Pros, or Firebirds with the minis.Railhammer's Neuvo 90's, and Cleancut 90's blow away every P90 I've ever heard.
Close your eyes.... Now tell me whether you hear Samurai Guitarist or not lol Assemblying guitars is so freaking satisfying! Plus, you learn a lot about the instrument.
I buy a bare wood alder strat body and shape the arm and belly contours until there are no defining lines, get a maple skunk stripe neck one peice and use as a foundation for a strat. To me this pays more homage to a Leo fender strat than what currently rolls off the fender production line.
Thank you Joey, really appreciate that! I searched far and wide (on eBay) for that body and it has been a great guitar for me, it has subdued me gassing for a Suhr! Haha
This video has me enthusiastically subscribed. This dude's playing fucking killed me and he's super is knowledgeable about all the minutiae I care about.
Very good video! I like your explanation of what you did to both of them. I have a really beat up old Squier Strat that I’m going to partscaster one of these days. I enjoyed the video and subscribed. Oh nice playing and tone too!!
Thanks for checking it out! This kind of tone is called “edge of breakup” and can be achieved through an amp with just a little bit of gain from the preamp, or with a clean amp use a pedal like a Timmy or a JHS Morning Glory. Give that a shot!
@@deeplypresent does that do bridge + middle in series? I've been wanting to mess around with that tone. Honestly tho, I've been using my SSS strat with standard switching and it's great, Leo really got it right from the beginning!
@@AndrewLynchMusic yeah exactly! I saw a video review recently. I’ll see if I can hunt it down. Agreed, SSS is pretty iconic. I have my eyes on a PRS Silver sky at the moment. Is that blasphemy?
@@deeplypresent not at all, they’re probably great guitars. I haven’t played one yet, I should drop in somewhere and play one for a sec. Are you thinking USA or the SE model?
Awesome bro! Sounds great love that humbucker 👌 I'm making my own Parstscaster, strat, HSS, getting a lily bound up with what to do with the wiring mixing 250 and 500k pots and coils, so I'm thinking push pull DPDT or 3 X 500k, one for bridge humbucker and a 500k pot plus 470k set resistor on the middle tone pot, capacitors (paper in oil never tried but heard them on similar rig loved!) as you would if SSS so 0.022uf on bridge pot and 047uf on middle pot 500k pot for volume, the 470k set resistor soldered right on top of the middle tone pot all wired(gets too much to say after this) up to a 4 pole(4x x common) double wafer oak brigsby superswitch, lot of links on the lugs but in this case only needs one 470k resistor to make sure the humbucker sees 500k and both singles see 250k, I think this might be my choice out of two options just 3 x 500k pots, would love to get a look at your wiring on your first strat in your vid because it sounded so good and the hss is what I'm set on already got another strat Gilmour style with the toggle for bridge and neck only tele simulation, sounds good, and a telecaster I bought from Fender mim, 75th anniversary, it's as si.ple as it gets but confuses me how it cost so much when so far I've spent half of that on parts and a much lighter, by half, unfinished strat body only fir 35quid! Sycamore, 1kg but feels lighter still needs a paint job, got a proper neck don't have the tools yet to do a decent neck professionally so fished out for a proper fender neck, if you have a link to a picture or vid of your wiring on that first guitar of yours that sounded so good I would be so grateful 🙏, thanks for taking the time and effort in making your video and sharing your build experience with us all. Peace ✌🏻
Ps, I bought the body off amazon it clearly came from Japan or China with the tracking info on delivery took 3 weeks, and same as yours with the neck pocket 1 mm wide almost both sides so I'm gonna glue thin veneer to build up the sides before the paint goes on, if the veneer is too thick simply sand it down, I've already set the neck and got the bridge on to check the alignment and heel angle it's good apart from the extra width.
@@mikefarquhar5063 yes getting the neck and body to fit is a gamble, but as long as things line up you can always take to a tech after and they can fine tune. For HSS wiring, I like to use 500k volume, 250k tone for neck/middle, and 500k bridge tone furthest out. Use two 470k resistors and wire them from the neck and bridge switch connections to the ground point (on the back of volume/tone pot) this will make everything nice and even when switching pickups. I wouldn’t worry too much about tone cap design or values, that is like splitting hairs and no one will ever know but you! Lol. Also you only need to use one .022uf capacitor on the neck/middle tone pot, you can then connect this over to the bridge tone. The wiring diagram I use is Six String Supply “Simple HSS Wiring Diagram.” Follow that, and make sure all pots are grounded together using an extra piece of wire connecting across the back of all three pots. Enjoy!
@Andrew Lynch yeah six string guitars, you chose diagram one the resistor from back wafer common to lug 6 and another 470k resistor from lug 7 to volum pot to ground, that's where I chose version 2 just the one 470k resistor from middle tone pot to its output lug, same place i got the pio caps from, it's all wired up and tested and yeah everything is A-ok on the multimeter, all I need to decide on is the right set of HSS pickups, I chose version two because it left me with my 500k push pull dpdt pot and two spare resistors and some more caps and resistors at different values for a different setup on another hss or sss strat but with 1/4 blend no load idk something like that, so I'm gonna get on that after I get this one done, it's a great feeling knowing you can do this yourself and succeed so I'm feeling positive and more confident about the wiring, I did a years electrical engineering when I was 18 I'm 42 now so long time ago without using that basic national certificate course that is enough for guitars, I mean I'd not go near an amp no chance, still as the learning curve gets less steep it does build up confidence as a bi product of re hashing the basics i learned years ago i thought i completely forgot but its all in the noggin and applying all that is refreshing, wasn't a waste of a year lol. Well see, when I get the pickups in that'll be the moment if truth, I like a variety of genres and bands, even Frank zappa has a place in my playlist, as crazy as he was in the day, he was alright, but yeah anything that'll be blues, ZZ TOP, rock Joe bonamassa to John mayer man, I'm set on acquiring a blend of tones and the way I see it is why pay 800 to 2000 for a really nice guitar that has basic wiring but good pickups and a nice neck, that's what I think it all comes down to, good neck, light body, options and experimenting with wiring and pickups and if you buy direct from the factories that supply cts and who are basically the same.e factory, you could get them to stamp your own logo on the pot, the caps are valued in pennies! By the bulk and the body I bought was 35 quid off amazon,on(via China/Japan whatever) and its an easy fix with the right tools and materials, glues, stains, pore filler, glosses, all that will come to build up in my workshop over time who knows I maybe start a revolution if this guitar or the next can imlress enough and I'm not greedy, I'm pretty sure most of the big names brands get their materials from the east cheap, slap on a logo yes the luthiers and factory workers do a great job and I suppose that's where a good chunk the turnover money goes but the profits are no pun intended gross man, its not right that you have to be flipping .inted to have a decent guitar when I know I can eventually get it right and when I'm gone my family will inherit them along with my amps they've a healthy interest in guitars and music in general the good old tunes and whatever they listen to now or in ten years.. well see it'll all probably end being edm, dance music and will the vintage erea come to an end- I don't think so the music in the last 60 years or so has been amazing, it's gonna be hard to get better just a well we are fickle, forgetful beings se we'd get bored very quickly.
Thanks! I actually combined them into one guitar and sold some parts. I have a 2021 Rig Rundown video planned as an update on all the gear I’m using now, will be posting soon ✌️
ALways been a strat player. IMHO Two strats are the absolute minimum.. One fat humbucker oriented sounds and the othe one with classic quaky and glossy sounds.... Way to go bro. Suggestion: make another one for slide or drop D, or just for pickup testing?
I love partscaster Strats. Mine is a Fender of Japan 58 reissue sunburst body (with partially nice grain in the alder) and a 91 Fender Mexican Standard neck (rosewood fingerboard) with Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surf pickups. I eventually replaced the stock tremolo assembly with one from an Eric Johnson Strat and I was amazed at just how big of a difference that upgrade made.
Thanks for checking out the video! Sounds like a great Strat, and I totally agree, upgrading the trem is a huge part of the overall tone even if you aren’t using the whammy bar. Critical part of the construction IMO
Hi, im 13 years old, and playing pretty good for my age. Ill have around 1000 $ for a guitar, and Im debating between ordering a full guitar (charvel dk22), or doing an s style partscaster. I have a great luthier who builds guitars himself, so Ill have somwhere to go if Im stuck... I dont have charvel available in my country so Ill have to order it from reverb + around 400 $ for shipping, taxes and case. Ordering the parts themself would allow me to get better quality and more aimed specs for my style, but I still have the chance of messing it all up (and i don't have any other good guitar, so it would be my only chance...) What are your thoughts? Thanks.
Hey thank you for checking out the video and reaching out. Because you don't have any other good guitar, I would buy something before starting a partscaster project. You have time to continue to learn on a manufactured guitar, and you could also modify that guitar (pickups, bridge, tuners, etc.) if you like. Starting a build from scratch is something I would recommend once you have a good guitar already. Best of luck!
I bought a new Vintera 50's Strat earlier this year. Great fit and finish, USA specs. Loved the neck and pu's the body, meh. So.. bought a new Clapton Olympic white body off Ebay and a Clapton electronics kit. The build went together great. Used the Vintera neck, hardware and stock pu's. Sounds great a lot more resonant. If a guy is careful with his wiring job, there is no need to use. those I think, awful Noiseless pu's. I don't have to tell you how expensive guitars like EC Stratocasters have gotten since the pandemic. This turned out to be a nice alternative. The tinted neck fits great and looks great with the EC body. Since the guitar retains it's original serial number and is all Fender, shouldn't be a nightmare to sell if need be.
Nice! I’ve heard great things about the Vintera series. Sounds like that was an easy swap and you can even unload the Vintera body on eBay if you want. Also love Olympic White, great choice!
@@AndrewLynchMusic I've read that the Vintera necks are cut and shaped at the Corona plant. Most seem to have a nicer grain pattern to them than a lot of the Clapton necks I've seen through the years and i don't mind the 7.5" radius.
@@gevowavemagnet definitely. Unfortunately I prefer 12” or compound these days so I have a harder time finding them. Plenty on eBay, just have to wait for a deal. Some of the necks are the price of a whole MIM Strat 😳
@@AndrewLynchMusic yeah I took a metallic green squier body and put a fender replacement neck on it and a vintage trem and fender locking tuners, and Duncan surfers. Fender replacement necks are great, they even have straight rosewood ones now and the tuners go right in all you need is a socket wrench and a screwdriver for the neck to the body.
@@50kal44 oh yea I did see those all-rosewood necks when they came out, really interesting look. Also, that sounds like what I did with my jazz bass, its a Squire body and I grabbed a Fender P/J neck and some Nordstrand pickups, it's so cheap but I've played a ton of sessions with it. Paid for itself in no time!
Hi Ben, thanks so much for checking it out! That’s a genuine Fender body, it’s from a made-in-Japan ST-62 strat and it’s ocean turquoise. It looks a little more green than some other OT bodies I’ve seen. Bought it on eBay!
@@benkauffman9810 no worries! It’s a little deceiving because it’s closer to Sherwood Green. I don’t see them come up for sale a lot so I’m glad I grabbed it when I did!
Hi Okta! That neck is a 12" radius, I think that's a good match for the LSR nut since it's naturally more flat. I've always enjoyed 12" radius fretboards in general, good luck with your build, let me know how it turns out!
Great video! planning to build my first partscaster ( Neck is being made ) and i have been looking around for waterslide 50s decals. The one on yours looks very good. Where did you get it from?
Thanks so much for checking it out. Good luck with your partscaster, I've actually been making some changes to mine and will post an update. I purchased this decal many years ago from a website and I don't believe they are around anymore, I would suggest looking at Etsy.com or eBay.com
So he shows you the 'why' by opening in the same old show-off-my-chops way that guitar guys almost invariably do in RUclips. Skip it if you want to see how a 'partscaster ' can be made...
Hey sorry if you were misled about the objective from the title/thumbnail. This video is more about my reasoning for having two Strats, highlighting their different features and advice on how to source the parts. As for opening up the video with some guitar playing, can’t make sense of that critique…
Hey thanks for watching! I believe the only unethical thing would be if I also applied a false serial number and tried to sell the neck as a Fender. Otherwise, it’s personal customization IMO!
@@AndrewLynchMusic I can understand why you did it. But it is not personal customization and your opinion is not correct on this one. Contact Fender and ask them if you don't believe me. I do like the guitars though and I would love to be able to play as well as you do.
@@phililpb thank you for your kind words and I do respect your opinion here! For me, the only issue of fraudulence would be if I chose to sell and pass this off as a Fender to increase my financial gain and fortunately this guitar isn’t going anywhere. Different strokes for different folks!
Logo on a replica shows that "this stuff plays like typical N". It's much more easier to sell and explain other guitarists how this stuff works. Offcourse you should tell that this is a replica and how it was made
@@mishame156 Totally. I would never personally (nor advise anyone to) sell a partscaster with a waterslide decal as a legit Fender, there is a lot of trust assumed with the gear we all buy. But between the Fender Licensed necks (which mine is) and the official Fender replacement necks, it's definitely a grey area. Honesty is always the best policy!
Building your own guitar, IMO, is the way to go. It’s your own custom shop and can save you a good amount of money. I’ve now done two and I make sure the body and neck are made by the same company and the rest is easy. I always have a local luthier/tech go through the entire guitar to inspect it and do a full set up. It’s a great project and Ali’s definitely worth the time and energy. It adds a cool dimension to the connection you have with your instrument(s)
Agreed! Thanks for checking out the video
After working on all my early Strats I found the factory solution. Deluxe plus Strat. Everything I would "fix". 3 color L Sensors, Fender Floyd Rose bridge, LSR nut, locking tuners, TBX tone. I bought mine in 96 a used 93 vintage blonde and installed a Tremsetter, adjusted the whammy to up and down floating and rocked on for 27 yrs. Now I see people cut this system down worked mine pretty steady throughout the years. Everything anyone could need from the factory. Built in the early 90's. Now on to my 90's L Paul studio. Using the Strat as my blueprint I replaced stuff I wanted on this guitar 496/500 pups, CTS 500k pots, Garret cloth wiring in a 50's style, Tonespro locking bridge, alum tailpiece, Kluson locking tuners,Tusc XL nut. Gives me 2 workhorse tools that look pretty sharp and hold their value. As if I'd ever sell. Ya right
Those Strat Plus were cool, I’ve always wanted one! Sounds like you’ve got a nice pair there
Don't stop at two...
Go for it.
Hardtail, Varitone, Tele pups, 7 way switching, treble bleeds, fat/skinny strings and that's just my starter list..
you need at least 6 so you never get bored 😀
Partscasters rule! Let's call em what they are "Personal Custom Shop" , I am building a Strat with pearloid pickguard, V-mod pickup set, alder body, Fender MIM neck, vintage tuners, etc. What I want at a reasonable cost and plays great! Beautiful builds by the way!
Yep! As long as the neck and body are a good match, that’s the way to go. Haven’t heard of V-mod pickups, I’ll have to look those up!
Vmods are interesting, I think they are vmod II’s that are alnico II, III, and V
@@50kal44 interesting. I go back and forth a lot about changing the neck/middle singles on my one strat. Too many options out there!
That first song though... God so dreamlike. Reminds me of bedroom lick but so drippy psychedelic nostalgia feeling. Amazing
Thanks! ✌️🎶🎸
Love the Sunburst Strat's voice. Not the standard Strat voice but still chimmy. Just love it. I have a Roadworn, 2 MIM rebuilds, an American Deluxe, & a Wormouth build. The Wormouth build I call my "Chipacaster" after me, my build, my guitar. Mostly Fender parts, simple wiring (I like the middle pup wired without a tone control, tone control only on bridge & neck) & a boat shaped neck (soft "vee"). To me, adds a lot of a woody sound unplugged. Turns out I like the boat neck a lot, not really a lead player but I like the "full feel" of the neck. Adds variety to my collection. Pricewise it almost the same as buying a MIM Strat & "upgrade" the parts. My son has benefitted from this. He was given a Squire Strat which he disliked the sound. I put my "extra" pups from my MIM Strats in his Squire, changed the electronics, wired like my strats, he likes it now.
P.S. he's a bass player. A partscaster is good that you build your own custom to your taste & make it yours. You can even build pickguards with different pickups & wiring with a electronics plug for easier changing, a few different guitar voices in one guitar.🎸
Very nice, thanks for checking out the vid!
At 68 still looking to learn something. I took a liking to Super Vee Bladerunner tremolos. Direct drop in on MIM strats, models to fit any strat, stable tuning & all guitars have locking tuners. For me just easier string changes, hasn't hurt nothing.
Again, love the sound you get out of your strats!@@AndrewLynchMusic
I've actually put together 4 PC's over the last decade, most of which have gone through multiple incarnations.One is designated and set up for slide, with Supro gold foil, one " Big Apple" style with 2 Humbuckers, 1 with vintage Alnico 2's, and 1 " hotter" with Texas Specs, with a 12" radius neck, often employed for slide work.Mixed in are some older, revamped Squier parts, including some very lightweight Alder bodies, which I prefer.
One of the best aspects is being able to inexpensively alter them as style and interests change, as well as when certain more desirable parts become available.Given a span of time, you tend to come across some great opportunities to upgrade without paying out the nose, and each peice develops particular qualities you might desire.
Probably have sold or traded another full 8 Teles and Strats over the same period, having learned much about what works and why.
Hey Mark, I agree 100%. Mine are frequently evolving and I have moments where I know if I want to change pickups or something, it’s so easy to just drop them in and it feels like a new guitar. Easy to go right back if I don’t end up liking them!
I've built over a dozen, but the 3 I've kept are one in purple/ violet with a Clapton WD V neck in rosewood w/ Armstrong Alnico 5's , a CV Fiesta Red with a MIM maple neck& Fender Vintage Alnico 2's, and Dakota Red CV with a Paranormal Tele neck and GFS Lipsticks.Generally speaking, I build & profit off all Fender designs.I don't really get putting humbuckers on a Strat, but I've tried everything else .If I want HB's, I'll go with Epiphone SG Pros, or Firebirds with the minis.Railhammer's Neuvo 90's, and Cleancut 90's blow away every P90 I've ever heard.
Very cool, I've never built any to sell but that sounds fun. Enjoy!
Close your eyes.... Now tell me whether you hear Samurai Guitarist or not lol
Assemblying guitars is so freaking satisfying! Plus, you learn a lot about the instrument.
Absolutely! Thanks for checking out the video ✌️
Monster tone! Really enjoyed this!
Thank you, and glad you enjoyed the video ✌️
Hope you all enjoyed this vlog! Let me know in the comments if anyone is building a partscaster or has any questions/suggestions for us guitar nerds!!
Seeing a nice strat always makes me smile :)
😀
I buy a bare wood alder strat body and shape the arm and belly contours until there are no defining lines, get a maple skunk stripe neck one peice and use as a foundation for a strat. To me this pays more homage to a Leo fender strat than what currently rolls off the fender production line.
Totally!
Great video man! Awesome job. I'm normally "vintage bias" but that MIJ looks like its got something real special
Thank you Joey, really appreciate that! I searched far and wide (on eBay) for that body and it has been a great guitar for me, it has subdued me gassing for a Suhr! Haha
@@AndrewLynchMusic Haha I hear you man.. Whatever necessary to take the edge off but keep that bank account above water at the same time 😂
@@joeytheguitarplayer you know the drill!
This video has me enthusiastically subscribed. This dude's playing fucking killed me and he's super is knowledgeable about all the minutiae I care about.
Thanks Kyle, appreciate the kind words 🤘
Very good video! I like your explanation of what you did to both of them. I have a really beat up old Squier Strat that I’m going to partscaster one of these days. I enjoyed the video and subscribed. Oh nice playing and tone too!!
Thank you, yes you should!
Hi Andrew. How do you get the neck pup sound on the green strat please. Love that sound. Great vid. Thanks.
Thanks for checking it out! This kind of tone is called “edge of breakup” and can be achieved through an amp with just a little bit of gain from the preamp, or with a clean amp use a pedal like a Timmy or a JHS Morning Glory. Give that a shot!
Just wanted to comment on your Sherwood Green build. Super nice and sounds incredible.
Thank you 🙏🏻 I don’t have that one anymore but it served me well
Lots of knowledge. Thx
Thanks for checking it out!
You should try Highwood contoured vintage saddles on both bridges.
I might have to, they are really great! Thanks for checking out the vid ✌️
hehe, me too....I kept my old Strat neck and build Ash naked body with Dimarzio Areas pickups
Man these are awesome, but especially the second. Very nice!
The second is the one that I still have!
@@AndrewLynchMusic nice! have you explored the freeway 10-way switch? Good way to get both the classic strat and humbucking tones on one guitar.
@@deeplypresent does that do bridge + middle in series? I've been wanting to mess around with that tone. Honestly tho, I've been using my SSS strat with standard switching and it's great, Leo really got it right from the beginning!
@@AndrewLynchMusic yeah exactly! I saw a video review recently. I’ll see if I can hunt it down. Agreed, SSS is pretty iconic. I have my eyes on a PRS Silver sky at the moment. Is that blasphemy?
@@deeplypresent not at all, they’re probably great guitars. I haven’t played one yet, I should drop in somewhere and play one for a sec. Are you thinking USA or the SE model?
Wow I love it brother!!!!
Thanks!
Parallel is a single coil,sound with the advantage of noise canceling.
👌
Awesome bro! Sounds great love that humbucker 👌 I'm making my own Parstscaster, strat, HSS, getting a lily bound up with what to do with the wiring mixing 250 and 500k pots and coils, so I'm thinking push pull DPDT or 3 X 500k, one for bridge humbucker and a 500k pot plus 470k set resistor on the middle tone pot, capacitors (paper in oil never tried but heard them on similar rig loved!) as you would if SSS so 0.022uf on bridge pot and 047uf on middle pot 500k pot for volume, the 470k set resistor soldered right on top of the middle tone pot all wired(gets too much to say after this) up to a 4 pole(4x x common) double wafer oak brigsby superswitch, lot of links on the lugs but in this case only needs one 470k resistor to make sure the humbucker sees 500k and both singles see 250k, I think this might be my choice out of two options just 3 x 500k pots, would love to get a look at your wiring on your first strat in your vid because it sounded so good and the hss is what I'm set on already got another strat Gilmour style with the toggle for bridge and neck only tele simulation, sounds good, and a telecaster I bought from Fender mim, 75th anniversary, it's as si.ple as it gets but confuses me how it cost so much when so far I've spent half of that on parts and a much lighter, by half, unfinished strat body only fir 35quid! Sycamore, 1kg but feels lighter still needs a paint job, got a proper neck don't have the tools yet to do a decent neck professionally so fished out for a proper fender neck, if you have a link to a picture or vid of your wiring on that first guitar of yours that sounded so good I would be so grateful 🙏, thanks for taking the time and effort in making your video and sharing your build experience with us all. Peace ✌🏻
Ps, I bought the body off amazon it clearly came from Japan or China with the tracking info on delivery took 3 weeks, and same as yours with the neck pocket 1 mm wide almost both sides so I'm gonna glue thin veneer to build up the sides before the paint goes on, if the veneer is too thick simply sand it down, I've already set the neck and got the bridge on to check the alignment and heel angle it's good apart from the extra width.
@@mikefarquhar5063 yes getting the neck and body to fit is a gamble, but as long as things line up you can always take to a tech after and they can fine tune. For HSS wiring, I like to use 500k volume, 250k tone for neck/middle, and 500k bridge tone furthest out. Use two 470k resistors and wire them from the neck and bridge switch connections to the ground point (on the back of volume/tone pot) this will make everything nice and even when switching pickups. I wouldn’t worry too much about tone cap design or values, that is like splitting hairs and no one will ever know but you! Lol. Also you only need to use one .022uf capacitor on the neck/middle tone pot, you can then connect this over to the bridge tone. The wiring diagram I use is Six String Supply “Simple HSS Wiring Diagram.” Follow that, and make sure all pots are grounded together using an extra piece of wire connecting across the back of all three pots. Enjoy!
@Andrew Lynch yeah six string guitars, you chose diagram one the resistor from back wafer common to lug 6 and another 470k resistor from lug 7 to volum pot to ground, that's where I chose version 2 just the one 470k resistor from middle tone pot to its output lug, same place i got the pio caps from, it's all wired up and tested and yeah everything is A-ok on the multimeter, all I need to decide on is the right set of HSS pickups, I chose version two because it left me with my 500k push pull dpdt pot and two spare resistors and some more caps and resistors at different values for a different setup on another hss or sss strat but with 1/4 blend no load idk something like that, so I'm gonna get on that after I get this one done, it's a great feeling knowing you can do this yourself and succeed so I'm feeling positive and more confident about the wiring, I did a years electrical engineering when I was 18 I'm 42 now so long time ago without using that basic national certificate course that is enough for guitars, I mean I'd not go near an amp no chance, still as the learning curve gets less steep it does build up confidence as a bi product of re hashing the basics i learned years ago i thought i completely forgot but its all in the noggin and applying all that is refreshing, wasn't a waste of a year lol. Well see, when I get the pickups in that'll be the moment if truth, I like a variety of genres and bands, even Frank zappa has a place in my playlist, as crazy as he was in the day, he was alright, but yeah anything that'll be blues, ZZ TOP, rock Joe bonamassa to John mayer man, I'm set on acquiring a blend of tones and the way I see it is why pay 800 to 2000 for a really nice guitar that has basic wiring but good pickups and a nice neck, that's what I think it all comes down to, good neck, light body, options and experimenting with wiring and pickups and if you buy direct from the factories that supply cts and who are basically the same.e factory, you could get them to stamp your own logo on the pot, the caps are valued in pennies! By the bulk and the body I bought was 35 quid off amazon,on(via China/Japan whatever) and its an easy fix with the right tools and materials, glues, stains, pore filler, glosses, all that will come to build up in my workshop over time who knows I maybe start a revolution if this guitar or the next can imlress enough and I'm not greedy, I'm pretty sure most of the big names brands get their materials from the east cheap, slap on a logo yes the luthiers and factory workers do a great job and I suppose that's where a good chunk the turnover money goes but the profits are no pun intended gross man, its not right that you have to be flipping .inted to have a decent guitar when I know I can eventually get it right and when I'm gone my family will inherit them along with my amps they've a healthy interest in guitars and music in general the good old tunes and whatever they listen to now or in ten years.. well see it'll all probably end being edm, dance music and will the vintage erea come to an end- I don't think so the music in the last 60 years or so has been amazing, it's gonna be hard to get better just a well we are fickle, forgetful beings se we'd get bored very quickly.
They sound amazing!! Love both of them
Thanks! I actually combined them into one guitar and sold some parts. I have a 2021 Rig Rundown video planned as an update on all the gear I’m using now, will be posting soon ✌️
@@AndrewLynchMusic awesome!! I bet it sounds amazing
@@pod1808 it works for me, hopefully it could inspire someone else ✌️
ALways been a strat player. IMHO Two strats are the absolute minimum.. One fat humbucker oriented sounds and the othe one with classic quaky and glossy sounds.... Way to go bro. Suggestion: make another one for slide or drop D, or just for pickup testing?
I love partscaster Strats. Mine is a Fender of Japan 58 reissue sunburst body (with partially nice grain in the alder) and a 91 Fender Mexican Standard neck (rosewood fingerboard) with Seymour Duncan Antiquity II Surf pickups. I eventually replaced the stock tremolo assembly with one from an Eric Johnson Strat and I was amazed at just how big of a difference that upgrade made.
Thanks for checking out the video! Sounds like a great Strat, and I totally agree, upgrading the trem is a huge part of the overall tone even if you aren’t using the whammy bar. Critical part of the construction IMO
Hi, im 13 years old, and playing pretty good for my age. Ill have around 1000 $ for a guitar, and Im debating between ordering a full guitar (charvel dk22), or doing an s style partscaster. I have a great luthier who builds guitars himself, so Ill have somwhere to go if Im stuck...
I dont have charvel available in my country so Ill have to order it from reverb + around 400 $ for shipping, taxes and case.
Ordering the parts themself would allow me to get better quality and more aimed specs for my style, but I still have the chance of messing it all up (and i don't have any other good guitar, so it would be my only chance...)
What are your thoughts?
Thanks.
Hey thank you for checking out the video and reaching out. Because you don't have any other good guitar, I would buy something before starting a partscaster project. You have time to continue to learn on a manufactured guitar, and you could also modify that guitar (pickups, bridge, tuners, etc.) if you like. Starting a build from scratch is something I would recommend once you have a good guitar already. Best of luck!
@@AndrewLynchMusic thanks, i think that what Ill do, Its also what my luthier said too...
Love your videos btw😁
@@unifrets6755 thank you!
I bought a new Vintera 50's Strat earlier this year. Great fit and finish, USA specs. Loved the neck and pu's the body, meh. So.. bought a new Clapton Olympic white body off Ebay and a Clapton electronics kit. The build went together great. Used the Vintera neck, hardware and stock pu's. Sounds great a lot more resonant. If a guy is careful with his wiring job, there is no need to use. those I think, awful Noiseless pu's. I don't have to tell you how expensive guitars like EC Stratocasters have gotten since the pandemic. This turned out to be a nice alternative. The tinted neck fits great and looks great with the EC body. Since the guitar retains it's original serial number and is all Fender, shouldn't be a nightmare to sell if need be.
Nice! I’ve heard great things about the Vintera series. Sounds like that was an easy swap and you can even unload the Vintera body on eBay if you want. Also love Olympic White, great choice!
@@AndrewLynchMusic I've read that the Vintera necks are cut and shaped at the Corona plant. Most seem to have a nicer grain pattern to them than a lot of the Clapton necks I've seen through the years and i don't mind the 7.5" radius.
@@gevowavemagnet definitely. Unfortunately I prefer 12” or compound these days so I have a harder time finding them. Plenty on eBay, just have to wait for a deal. Some of the necks are the price of a whole MIM Strat 😳
Dang my green partscaster looks almost identical but with a straight maple neck and I have an off white pearl pickguard (Duncan surfers in there)
I've thought about grabbing a maple neck for that one, the green and maple look great together I bet!
@@AndrewLynchMusic yeah I took a metallic green squier body and put a fender replacement neck on it and a vintage trem and fender locking tuners, and Duncan surfers. Fender replacement necks are great, they even have straight rosewood ones now and the tuners go right in all you need is a socket wrench and a screwdriver for the neck to the body.
@@50kal44 oh yea I did see those all-rosewood necks when they came out, really interesting look. Also, that sounds like what I did with my jazz bass, its a Squire body and I grabbed a Fender P/J neck and some Nordstrand pickups, it's so cheap but I've played a ton of sessions with it. Paid for itself in no time!
HI whats the color name of the first guitar? the bluish green one?
Hey thanks for checking out the video. That’s called Ocean Turquoise Metallic
Hey Andrew, I love the video! I have a question for ya...what is the name of the paint you used on the green strat? It is NICE!
Hi Ben, thanks so much for checking it out! That’s a genuine Fender body, it’s from a made-in-Japan ST-62 strat and it’s ocean turquoise. It looks a little more green than some other OT bodies I’ve seen. Bought it on eBay!
@@AndrewLynchMusic Thanks for the reply! I must not have been paying attention when you said that in the video lol!
@@benkauffman9810 no worries! It’s a little deceiving because it’s closer to Sherwood Green. I don’t see them come up for sale a lot so I’m glad I grabbed it when I did!
Hi bro, what fretboard radius on your HSS strat that use lsr roller nut. I want to use lsr but can't decided are 12" radius perfect for it.
Hi Okta! That neck is a 12" radius, I think that's a good match for the LSR nut since it's naturally more flat. I've always enjoyed 12" radius fretboards in general, good luck with your build, let me know how it turns out!
Great video! planning to build my first partscaster ( Neck is being made ) and i have been looking around for waterslide 50s decals. The one on yours looks very good. Where did you get it from?
Thanks so much for checking it out. Good luck with your partscaster, I've actually been making some changes to mine and will post an update. I purchased this decal many years ago from a website and I don't believe they are around anymore, I would suggest looking at Etsy.com or eBay.com
what did you do for the decal on the first neck?
This was a decal I bought a really long time ago on eBay. Not sure how available they are these days, but check out Etsy if you’re looking for one!
Oh what is the first tune your played?
Just improvising on Strat neck pickup over C#m - B - A. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix
The cyan one is eerily similar to what I wanted
I looked for a long time to find that color body for sale, I thought it was pretty cool and different!
@@AndrewLynchMusic now that I see it its really awesome, great job!
@@yairgoren6442 Thank you, more videos with that guitar coming soon!
Building you own guitar is a good thing. But… adding a Fender logo might not be the best thing to do. That guitar is really cool though.
Not really, it’s doesn’t have a serial number and if I did sell it, I wouldn’t claim it as a genuine Fender anyway, that would be silly
@@AndrewLynchMusic I did read back my comment and found it pretty unkind. So I rewrite it. Sorry if I was initially rude. ;)
The trem up and floating is how Leo intended it...
Yes! It makes the guitar IMO
@@AndrewLynchMusic totally agree. A nice heavy sustain block as per vintage and the trem floating is the sound of Stratocaster!
👍👍👍👍
Thanks for checking it out!
beefy ,meaty ,.. even CREAMY SOUND🤣.. why do we use these words?
Its like saying "the food looks very tapping.. so scratch plate"
Haha thats an interesting point!
Very nice guitars man just no offense brother but you cannot talk too much wanted to hear what the guitar sound like
Thank you!
if u dont show a headstock this must be suhr
It definitely has a lot of mods that make it closer to how Suhr builds their S-type guitars!
Two Strat minimum..,.
💯
So he shows you the 'why' by opening in the same old show-off-my-chops way that guitar guys almost invariably do in RUclips. Skip it if you want to see how a 'partscaster ' can be made...
Hey sorry if you were misled about the objective from the title/thumbnail. This video is more about my reasoning for having two Strats, highlighting their different features and advice on how to source the parts. As for opening up the video with some guitar playing, can’t make sense of that critique…
Adding a fender logo to a non fender neck is not personal preference. It is the sole rite of fender to decide
Hey thanks for watching! I believe the only unethical thing would be if I also applied a false serial number and tried to sell the neck as a Fender. Otherwise, it’s personal customization IMO!
@@AndrewLynchMusic I can understand why you did it. But it is not personal customization and your opinion is not correct on this one. Contact Fender and ask them if you don't believe me. I do like the guitars though and I would love to be able to play as well as you do.
@@phililpb thank you for your kind words and I do respect your opinion here! For me, the only issue of fraudulence would be if I chose to sell and pass this off as a Fender to increase my financial gain and fortunately this guitar isn’t going anywhere. Different strokes for different folks!
Logo on a replica shows that "this stuff plays like typical N". It's much more easier to sell and explain other guitarists how this stuff works. Offcourse you should tell that this is a replica and how it was made
@@mishame156 Totally. I would never personally (nor advise anyone to) sell a partscaster with a waterslide decal as a legit Fender, there is a lot of trust assumed with the gear we all buy. But between the Fender Licensed necks (which mine is) and the official Fender replacement necks, it's definitely a grey area. Honesty is always the best policy!