Has anyone ever built a kit guitar/partscaster?

Man, I should come around more often! I’ve been bitten by the partscaster bug as well.. Amps too, but that’s slowed down for some of the reasons already mentioned (namely, the scarcity of transformers and rising cost of tubes- if only temporarily).

Here’s some of my lot. I’m a huge fan of BloomDoom bodies. Dustin used to work for MJT, so he really knows his stuff.

Here’s an MJT partscaster I purchased on TGP (left) with a BloomDoom partscaster I assembled (right):

BB60DEBD-00EC-4EE0-9F2F-4440CCAA1FD6.jpeg

A few Teles I’ve built: MJT with Lollar goldfoils and another BloomDoom body.

57772B5D-A404-4F26-ACAD-F46D8D701592.jpeg

And finally a shot of my hardtail build (another BloomDoom!) with some amp builds:

9D3874D0-9D86-438E-85F3-F4080840AA96.jpeg
 
Mike McLane said:
As long as we're doin' show-and-tell, this was my 6-month long descent into insanity. I couldn't understand why the Ilitch system was so freakin' expensive. The concept is very simple. Then I decided to try and make one. Again, simple in concept, but trying to reinvent the "manufacturing wheel" was a real adventure for someone like me with little "technical" background. That said and done I got it done AND . . . . the sob works!!! I showed it to my guitar tech who happened to be installing and Ilitch system when I was in. Mine was as effective as the Ilitch.
View attachment 29325View attachment 29326View attachment 29327
Click to expand...
I’d love to know more about this! I’ve been considering an Illich, and making one would be fun. Were there plans that you followed, etc?
 
almondcity said:
how do you guys feel about the 10-16" compound radius fretboard?
Click to expand...
I like it. I don't really notice much difference between it and my straight 9.5" radius until above the 12th fret, and even there the difference, while more obvious, is still minor.

To my taste anything flatter would be too flat.
 
I built this one using a Warmoth body and neck. The neck had been on a different guitar for years which is why the headstock is blue. I sealed the body but haven’t gotten around to painting it yet.

52238975064_209dde8796_b.jpg
 
I've built three "partscasters / kits" so far...

Build 1: My Gibson SG P90 meets PRS headstock tribute:

StG-90 - Warmoth Entry - 01.jpg

Warmoth body (mahogany) and neck (Maple with Indian Rosewood fretboard, Abalone inlay dots and side dots), Fralin P90 pickups, Golden age pots, LP-style 3-way switch, 47n orange drop caps, Tone-Pros Tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece, Graph tech locking ratio tuners

Built 2: Partscaster - Fender Strat with EMG DG20 active pickups...

Fender Strat - EMG DG20.jpg

Body MIM Fender Aged Cherry Burst, MIM trem/bridge and jack (may replace the trem at some point), EMG DG20 pickup set, US made fender strat neck and tuners.

Build 3 - Noventa Jazzmaster clone

warmoth_01.jpg

Warmoth body (Swamp Ash with Flame Maple top - black cherry burst finish), Fender Noventa Jazzmaster pickups, Halo carbon fiber pick guard, six way switch, Fender American Professional II bridge and trem, Fender Noventa Jazzmaster neck with Pao Ferro fretboard, Grotoh locking tuners...
 
coltonius said:
I’m considering Gemini foils for a future build. How do you like em? And which spec did you get?
Click to expand...

They're great pickups - this is my second set. Both are the dearmond-style, though it seems like he's made some changes as the first set I picked up don't have the adjustable pole pieces. They're quite a bit quieter than JM pickups, which was the main draw, but also have a nice aggressive tone to them.
 
mdc said:
They're great pickups - this is my second set. Both are the dearmond-style, though it seems like he's made some changes as the first set I picked up don't have the adjustable pole pieces. They're quite a bit quieter than JM pickups, which was the main draw, but also have a nice aggressive tone to them.
Click to expand...
Sweet! I’m going to do an HSS hardtail Strat, and I’m looking for something different from the other 4 Strats I already have. I think the Geminis will fit the ticket.
 
I've done a Solo made 56 P, with the fret/non-slap issues and EMG guts. I have this E355 bass from Fretwire I'm just leaving sit until I figure out how much correction I need on the neck angle or if it should just be made 1 really expensive clock. Also have this fender inspired strat thingy.. was cheap on amazon, I bought it for the woodwork being done. I might have to make a new neck the holes are oversized for the real fender/squier tuning machines I bought and they aren't the screw together type >< the neck shot is from my switchign over to just doing it from scratch and only having the p-ups, truss rods, pots and tuners not made by me.
 

Attachments

  • spine.jpg
    spine.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 18
  • hb 2.jpg
    hb 2.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 18
Deperduci said:
I've done a Solo made 56 P, with the fret/non-slap issues and EMG guts. I have this E355 bass from Fretwire I'm just leaving sit until I figure out how much correction I need on the neck angle or if it should just be made 1 really expensive clock. Also have this fender inspired strat thingy.. was cheap on amazon, I bought it for the woodwork being done. I might have to make a new neck the holes are oversized for the real fender/squier tuning machines I bought and they aren't the screw together type >< the neck shot is from my switchign over to just doing it from scratch and only having the p-ups, truss rods, pots and tuners not made by me.
Click to expand...
What's up with that truss rod channel?
 
Super old picture, but here’s the first guitar I ever built. Started in middle school, but couldn’t afford to finish it until my first year of high school. Back then I used to spend hours each day obsessing over the minutia of Eddie’s guitars with the other folks on the Halen.com forums. Very much a shame that the forum died a few years ago, because it was never archived and I’d like to be able to see my old build thread for this one.

https://imgur.com/OVDMFyE
 
@thewintersoldier reminded me in the "what's in the mail" thread about the time I had to make a pickguard from scratch because the build was non-standard so nothing else fit. I've never done a celluloid guard, but this one is aluminum that I milled out on CNC then powdercoated and laser engraved. Since it's on a partscaster it seemed more fitting that it go in this thread than that one :P

IMG_20210427_213102.jpg
 
vigilante398 said:
@thewintersoldier reminded me in the "what's in the mail" thread about the time I had to make a pickguard from scratch because the build was non-standard so nothing else fit. I've never done a celluloid guard, but this one is aluminum that I milled out on CNC then powdercoated and laser engraved. Since it's on a partscaster it seemed more fitting that it go in this thread than that one :p

View attachment 29854
Click to expand...
What’s it say? Is that Arabic?
 
THeHammer82 said:
Ugh, I’d love to get a CNC mill but I can’t afford it.
Click to expand...
You can get a desktop CNC on par with the first CNC I had for about $150 these days. They've gone way down in price the last few years. Might not be big enough for most pickguards, but could easily do pedal enclosures or home-etched PCBs.
coltonius said:
What’s it say? Is that Arabic?
Click to expand...
It's Mongolian script, it's a poem called "Аймхай Туулай", roughly "the easily frightened rabbit".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top