Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

darthphineas

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Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

http://bit.ly/1VBIP6V

PG-its-alive-FF-445w.jpg
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Might be alive, but flash player is almost dead.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Might be alive, but flash player is almost dead.

Tell me about it. Who wants to try to read something when it can be a challenge to access?

But it is a good article with lots of detail. Seems like the guy that wrote it might actually know a thing or two about something.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

FYI they're giving that guitar away too. I think within a few days they'll have the article up on the website as a standalone page, probably with all the giveaway details.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Thank you Frank for covering something I've told people time and time again....

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Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Can't read it, seriously haven't installed flash player on my PC in over a year now, literally the first time I couldn't access content.

Will prolly wait for the standalone article
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

I made one mistake on my Tele and it had to do with the tuning keys. One of the holes I drilled out a bit wasn't deep enough out of fear of going thru the head stock. I ended up busting off one of the screws in it and had to sort of improvise. Major bummer, but i'm the only one that sees it. Still ticks me off.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

That's in the article!
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

It was my first and possibly last build. The biggest issue was getting the darn neck and body from USAG as in time frame. But by golly, I got what I ordered and it was flawless.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

good article
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

I made one mistake on my Tele and it had to do with the tuning keys. One of the holes I drilled out a bit wasn't deep enough out of fear of going thru the head stock. I ended up busting off one of the screws in it and had to sort of improvise. Major bummer, but i'm the only one that sees it. Still ticks me off.

that's timely. it was being discussed in the shop yesterday when putting a set of Gotoh tuners on a new build.

I've had both happen before... went through a head stock, and went too shallow and popped off a screw head. where was this article when I needed it?!?! ;)
 
Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

You don't know what you don't know. My mistake looking back wasn't putting a bit of blue painters tape on the drill bit to accurately measure the depth. I got lazy and figured I could do it free hand so to speak.

But the Tele is a beautiful axe and plays like butter. The guys at USAG sent me some remarkable wood with stunning finishes and the attention they detail was superb. I got my money's worth. The parts from Bill Callaham superb as well. And the duncan pups outstanding.

The guitar I put together for likely around $1400 would have cost me $3-4K from and quality "custom shop" out there.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

The big problem I had on mine was aligning the tuners. I finally brought it to someone before I messed it up. It is a wenge neck, with and ebony fingerboard, and coral stone dots.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

contest link

Yeah I tried to include as much as I could, it's a little scattered but there's no real way to organize all those tips and warnings without turning it into a gigantic boring step-by-step type tutorial, which no one really needs. If you're putting a partscaster together you're probably past the point of "Step 1: Turn screw, Step 2: Turn harder until it's tight, Step 3: Stop turning before its too tight."

Mincer smart move. Wenge has really large pores, soft parts, and hard parts. It's really hard to keep a small drill bit from walking.
 
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Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

You don't know what you don't know. My mistake looking back wasn't putting a bit of blue painters tape on the drill bit to accurately measure the depth. I got lazy and figured I could do it free hand so to speak.

But the Tele is a beautiful axe and plays like butter. The guys at USAG sent me some remarkable wood with stunning finishes and the attention they detail was superb. I got my money's worth. The parts from Bill Callaham superb as well. And the duncan pups outstanding.

The guitar I put together for likely around $1400 would have cost me $3-4K from and quality "custom shop" out there.

Better yet use a drill press and set the stopper in the exact location.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

I have a slab ''hopefully'' of super rare wood coming. How do you think i feel about ****ing that up? haha
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

I snapped a stew Mac tuner screw in one of my ibanez necks. I guess my pilot hole was too small (diameter, not shallow) and the walnut too hard to compress enough for a weak screw, it snapped right off with very little force. I waxed it and everything. I was furious. So furious that I sent them an email to complain. I was hoping they'd send me that remover bit for free, but they didn't go for that.

I only use their screws in previously used holes now though.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

I also twisted off a tuner screw, on my first build. Such an easy thing to do.
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Glad to know it wasn't just me. :)
 
Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

Re: Dos and Don’ts of Building a Parts Guitar

It starting to look like I should've devoted a whole section to not breaking tuner screws!
 
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