Why Partscasters? The answer is simple - flexibility in tone, weight, and price. We will work together on understanding your needs and creating some specs, then I'll give you a few options to start with. We can go with a full-on boutique build with all high-end parts or we can go with a limited budget and very reasonable parts. I've built some really great guitars with used parts in order to fit in a limited budget. Let's explore some features and options:
Weight: The overall weight of a piece of wood not only impacts how comfortable it is to play, but it also has an effect on tone and sustain. Some heavier, denser woods can produce a really powerful and punchy tone, where some lighter woods can produce a softer attack.
Woods: I generally use bodies in alder or swamp ash. For necks, I use maple/maple and maple/rosewood. However, this is not set in stone. I've used mahogany and pine bodies, necks with ebony and pau ferro fingerboards, so there's a lot of options we can explore. Every piece of wood has a different tonal profile, so the wood has a big impact on tone.
Finishes: I do all neck finishes myself. Body finishes are limited because I currently don't have adequate year-round painting facilities. We can work with others like MJT, BloomDoom, or Warmoth to have a body custom finished for you. I can also do different stages of aging - heavy relic, closet classic, or brand new.
Hardware: I've found that Gotoh parts are a great balance of quality and price, so I use many Gotoh parts in a default build - tuners, bridges/tremolos, control plates, neck plates, etc. For a more boutique build, I can use parts from Callaham, Fender, Mastery, Rock Rabbit, and others.
Pickups: Pickups are purely a personal thing and there's so many pickup makers in the industry that your options are endless. I have my preferences but let's talk through what types of tones you want. I can help you get the right pickups or you can supply your own.
Setup: Do you know why the boutique brands can charge well over $4,000 for a bolt-on Strat type guitar? The answer lies in the final setup, or what's commonly called "playability". The setup alone is what separates a boutique guitar from a production line guitar. My custom guitars are setup with the same techniques as the boutique brands. Anyone can assemble a guitar, but the professionals know how to make it play great!
Use the Contact form to reach out and let's talk about a custom build for you.