strat project, what's the best course of action?

[drew_half_empty]

ok, here's what i want

-black alder body routed for h/h
-white pickguard
-2 black PG pickups
-black knobs
-maple neck/rosewood fretboard, neck & headstock painted white, fretboard dyed black, 21 frets MJ
-graphtec nut
black locking tuners

would it be cheaper to get a mexi & slowly add onto it or is there somewhere that can build it for cheaper? And don't say warmoth, cuz a finnished guitar all by them costs A LOT

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

ok, here's what i want

-black alder body routed for h/h
-white pickguard
-2 black PG pickups
-black knobs
-maple neck/rosewood fretboard, neck & headstock painted white, fretboard dyed black, 21 frets MJ
-graphtec nut
black locking tuners

would it be cheaper to get a mexi & slowly add onto it or is there somewhere that can build it for cheaper? And don't say warmoth, cuz a finnished guitar all by them costs A LOT

Warmoth :laugh2:

Seriously, how else are you going to make sure you get all the details just how you want it. If you use a Fender body it might not be routed exactly the way you want, so you'd maybe have a single coil rout empty under the pickguard, etc. If you cobble it together from parts you might have to make some exceptions here and there.

Any particular reason for the painted neck? That will have to be done by someone like Warmoth...

 

[Arkitkt]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

Depending on the amount of $$ you are willing to (not) spend, you could get a used strat (maybe copy) body from ebay and route it to HSH yourself. Strats are very forgiving in that matter (unless you want to go rear routed, of course). Many manufacturers make a very decent strat body, IMHO.

how 'bout this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47069&item=7314329621&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW


that's the course of action I would take if I wanted a "custom" guitar without breaking the bank.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

well they make h/h strat bodies so i'm not worried about the routing

i want the colors...just cuz it'd be friggin cool to have a guitar totally void of color

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

You know what you get if you mix a ton of colors together?

Black :laugh2:

Good luck on the project man.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

that's pigments, all pigments make black, all colors make white light.

 

[big_black]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

Warmoth is really not that expensive if you want basic woods. I am getting all of my hardware on Ebay, and I've spent about $35.00 to get almost everything except tuners (I want locking). There are some really cheaply priced new parts out there if you are willing to time the deals right. I will probably spend about $640 total, and that is with a non-Warmoth $425 body. A body from Warmoth would be cheaper by far. Build slowly and you will have something of real quality when you are done.

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

that's pigments, all pigments make black, all colors make white light.

I knew someone would come in and point out my f**k up :laugh2:. The point was that black & white are not devoid of color haha.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

well black & white are shades i thought?

and warmoth bodies are cheap...till you factor in finnishing

they charge out the bunghole for that crap

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

and warmoth bodies are cheap...till you factor in finnishing

they charge out the bunghole for that crap

Actually their prices are pretty much on par with most other places I've checked out. Finishing is a pretty intensive process, you're paying more for labor than you are materials where that's concerned.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

$330 for a black standard body?

heh, don't think so, i can get a whole damn mexi hh strat for $70 more

 

[big_black]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

I didn't think about the finishing. Yeah they do charge alot for that.

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

$330 for a black standard body?

heh, don't think so, i can get a whole damn mexi hh strat for $70 more

Dollar amounts might be similar, but that doesn't mean the quality will be. Do what you like, but at least realize WHY they charge the prices they do. They're offering a custom-made product that's higher quality than 75-80% of what you can buy off the shelf.

 

[Clockwork_Orange]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

i've been having the same problem, i want a surf green strat body--impossible to find inexpensive.

 

[rspst14]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

Just a word of advice, these types of projects should not be undertaken with an ultra-cheap budget in mind. Low quality parts bolted together = low quality guitar. If you want to save some money, do the finishing work yourself, as that's where project guitars get really expensive.

Ryan

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

Just a word of advice, these types of projects should not be undertaken with an ultra-cheap budget in mind. Low quality parts bolted together = low quality guitar.

+1 Very well said. If you want lower prices, go with an off the shelf axe. A custom piece made of high quality parts will be more costly, but usually well worth it.

 

[Mephis]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

To Drew.

Alot of people on this board own 10 LP's, and a few marshall JCM800's. Possibly some other stuff.

They have no concept of money, or what it is to not have it.
My suggestion is go with warmoth and finsh it you're self.
Just make sure to wetsand it.

 

[metallicajs1]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

eBay or Warmoth thats the only way to go.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

is it real hard to finish crap yourself?

 

[FretFire]

Re: strat project, what's the best course of action?

Takes a lot of time and patience. Head over to www.reranch.com and check out the 101 section there. They also have a really helpful group of guys on the forums.