Post your Parts-Mutt-Monster-Masterpieces!!

[jhale667]

We should rename this to the "you can only build off of strat bodies" thread



but seriously, cool stuff through and through.
if i wasn't broke i'd love to build my own as well

Apparently you missed a few cool Ibeenhads and others.

And let's not forget the old-school Kramer Voyager in my initial post. It's staring at me, even as I type this going...

Think that's going to get an Explorer headstock, dunno who makes an R5 one, so was thinking get say, an angled Warmoth paddlehead (their Explorer-ish offering is close, but not quite accurate) and have a luthier buddy shape it. Pretty sure the body's Alder. I still like (and held onto) that body because it's the one that looks more like a Charvel Star, before Kramer went all Über-pointy with them...
It was actually my early high-school graduation gift...and years later, why people have looked at me funny when I've offhandedly mentioned without fully clarifying "I've got my high-school sweetheart's body in the closet...."

Does USACG (or could they) a Charvel-spec 1 3/4" nut width with an Explorer head, or do they only do Fender-licensed headstocks? Never tried them; I need to check their site out again...

 

[Klark]

Description:
Warmoth chambered ash candy tangerine body. Warmoth pro 59 roundback maple neck with compound radius, SS6100's, abalone inlay, and an R3 nut. Schaller locking tuners for faster string changes. Gibson Burstbucker III bridge, Dimarzio Area '61 neck & middle. Gotoh Floyd, which still needs a D-Tuna that works.

Dislikes:
1) Chambered ash body is too poppy, and not warm enough. Might replace with a solid alder body at some point.
2) 10>16 Compound radius flattens out too much. Would rather have a straight 9.5 or 10 to match my other Fenders & Gibsons, or the Suhr 10>14
3) Standard thin was too thin, 59 Roundback was too fat, so I've spent hours sanding the 59 to fit my hand.
4) Original Floyd Rose sucked, Schaller Floyd Rose sucked, the Gotoh kicked both of their asses.

Other than that, it's my dream frankenstrat!!

 

[Digital Jams]

Yngwie clone made from MIM body, early 2000s YJM loaded pickguard and an Allparts neck and Gotoh vintage lockers.

hows that neck scotty? i been thinkin bout grabbin a new neck for an old strat body i got layin around

I like it, Ralph did too when he tried it last year. 12" radius nice soft C, not a thin neck but comfy.

IF you look up scalloped on ebay under guitars there are some guys that take WD necks and scallope them, very good feedback about them and at good prices.


Steve...I haz no ying yang skills to show you IT is very fun to play though.

 

[R.D.]

@ reverymike ...,

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS ! I've been jonesing for a replica of the Zappa-Hendrix Strat that Dwezil built for Frank, but this is pretty darn close !

 

[Vrad]

Description:
Warmoth chambered ash candy tangerine body. Warmoth pro 59 roundback maple neck with compound radius, SS6100's, abalone inlay, and an R3 nut. Schaller locking tuners for faster string changes. Gibson Burstbucker III bridge, Dimarzio Area '61 neck & middle. Gotoh Floyd, which still needs a D-Tuna that works.

Dislikes:
1) Chambered ash body is too poppy, and not warm enough. Might replace with a solid alder body at some point.
2) 10>16 Compound radius flattens out too much. Would rather have a straight 9.5 or 10 to match my other Fenders & Gibsons, or the Suhr 10>14
3) Standard thin was too thin, 59 Roundback was too fat, so I've spent hours sanding the 59 to fit my hand.
4) Original Floyd Rose sucked, Schaller Floyd Rose sucked, the Gotoh kicked both of their asses.

Other than that, it's my dream frankenstrat!!

Really dig that Tangerine... Did you paint yourself? Or Warmoth did it for you.

 

[TeleBlaster]

Does USACG (or could they) a Charvel-spec 1 3/4" nut width with an Explorer head, or do they only do Fender-licensed headstocks? Never tried them; I need to check their site out again...

Their heads are not Fender licensed but can be modified to look like Fender. They also have paddle heads to cut your own.
I also talked with them about building a bolt on hockey stick Explorer, which they can do.
Best thing to do is to call Tommy, he can tell you if he can do exactly what you want.
I love the 1-3/4, everything I order now has this nut.
Customer service is tops and their stuff is real, real good.

 

[JohnnyC]

Mitey Mite Partscaster which i put toghether but no longer possess...traded it as it was too modern sounding

Ash body +quilt maple + ebony fretboard = bright city!!!
SD APSII neck and middle pups
SD Custom Custom Humbucker with coil split.

 

[Klark]

Really dig that Tangerine... Did you paint yourself? Or Warmoth did it for you.

That's Warmoth's candy tangerine. I'm selling the neck & body, if you or anyone is interested. $200 for the body, $200 for the neck. I also have a brand-new Schaller Floyd, and a set of Schaller tuners if needed. I think I even have a brand-new R3 nut & string bar as well.

 

[jhale667]

Does USACG (or could they) a Charvel-spec 1 3/4" nut width with an Explorer head, or do they only do Fender-licensed headstocks? Never tried them; I need to check their site out again...

Their heads are not Fender licensed but can be modified to look like Fender. They also have paddle heads to cut your own.
I also talked with them about building a bolt on hockey stick Explorer, which they can do.
Best thing to do is to call Tommy, he can tell you if he can do exactly what you want.
I love the 1-3/4, everything I order now has this nut.
Customer service is tops and their stuff is real, real good.

"Look at the flame on that one!"

Nice, thanks for the info...I'll check them out. Yeah, the 1 3/4" nut width rules.

 

[Stramm8]

Killer collection Chubtone, but now you've got me seriously reconsidering trying a Musikraft neck... That's unfortunate, the "hump" experience you describe...I had high hopes after getting that body...the quality of that seems easily on a par with my Warmoth bodies, but Musikraft is more Charvel-accurate, especially these days.

Funny thing about Warmoth necks, they used to be waaay closer visually to Charvel necks in as far as having the squared fretboard at the 22nd fret, etc - but then a few years back they decided to go more Fender-accurate. They'll still DO a neck like their old ones for you, but there's a few upcharges...

I wouldn't let Chubtone's experience discourage you from buying Musikraft parts. He's probably just trying to push those production "charvels" I would say his problem was the exception and not the rule. I have built a couple of parts-casters as of late and have found Musikrafts quality second to none. The fit between the body and neck are super tight and the fret work has been supurb. They will even "roll" the edges over for that worn-in feel. In addition, they are extremely accomodating and easy to work with. Warmoth is good too. I think it's safe to say if he would have discovered that hump within a few days after receiving that neck, they would have graciously accepted a return. Who knows what kind of environmental conditions the neck was subjected to while awaiting assembly?

 

[jhale667]

Killer collection Chubtone, but now you've got me seriously reconsidering trying a Musikraft neck... That's unfortunate, the "hump" experience you describe...I had high hopes after getting that body...the quality of that seems easily on a par with my Warmoth bodies, but Musikraft is more Charvel-accurate, especially these days.

Funny thing about Warmoth necks, they used to be waaay closer visually to Charvel necks in as far as having the squared fretboard at the 22nd fret, etc - but then a few years back they decided to go more Fender-accurate. They'll still DO a neck like their old ones for you, but there's a few upcharges...

I wouldn't let Chubtone's experience discourage you from buying Musikraft parts. He's probably just trying to push those production "charvels" I would say his problem was the exception and not the rule. I have built a couple of parts-casters as of late and have found Musikrafts quality second to none. The fit between the body and neck are super tight and the fret work has been supurb. They will even "roll" the edges over for that worn-in feel. In addition, they are extremely accomodating and easy to work with. Warmoth is good too. I think it's safe to say if he would have discovered that hump within a few days after receiving that neck, they would have graciously accepted a return. Who knows what kind of environmental conditions the neck was subjected to while awaiting assembly?

Production Charvels are pretty, but pretty sure you can only get Alder bodies, and as for necks, they gots no R5s...instant deal-breaker.
Excellent point(s) - though I wasn't completely discouraged on Musikraft; as I said the 1-piece Ash body I got from them is beautiful, and extremely well-made (and yeah, they're totally cool to deal with). Just when you hear of someone (you actually see around on these interweb forums like Chubtone) getting two duds in a row, you kinda go for a second. I do need another R5 compound-radius Charvel-spec reverse Strathead neck, so will probably give them a shot.

Always had great dealings with Warmoth over the years (3 necks and 2 bodies), too. As for the envisioned Explorer headstock neck for the Kramer build, I figure I'll get one of their standard-thin contour paddleheads (with an Ebony fingerboard, MOP inlays and 6100 frets) and have my friend do it - he's already got a CNC template, why not? Plus (as of a few months ago when I asked, at least) the Warmoth paddle still comes standard with the Charvel-like squared-22nd fret extension, so I'm good there...

 

[projectx102]

Here's my Musikraft.It's a nice 2 piece hard ash body painted with House Of Kolor "Tangelo". Pickups are a WB Firewater in the bridge and MCP 2nd Degree BB in the neck.

 

[Vrad]

Here's my Musikraft.It's a nice 2 piece hard ash body painted with House Of Kolor "Tangelo". Pickups are a WB Firewater in the bridge and MCP 2nd Degree BB in the neck.

NICE!!!

 

[Chubtone]

As for my neck not being installed for a couple of months and it being exposed to "environmental conditions". This is southern California. We have very little humidity ever and we aren't extremely dry like the desert either. If a neck can't hold up to the "environmental conditions" in So Cal which is basically about the most neutral environmental conditions on earth?

I was giving my opinion based on my experience and my opinion is that absolutely if you want an alder superstrat in a typical configuration and a typical neck size than I feel the Charvels are nearly impossible to beat, EVEN by parts guitars that are worth nothing the day after you assemble them. Would you concede that parts guitars are only worth anything to the guy who builds it and worth half as much to the next guy? And absolutely, yes I sell Charvels. I don't think there is any question or secret about that. But as has been shown by my parts guitars pictured in this thread, I'm pretty qualified to comment in a parts guitars thread and compare them to my new superstrat "parts guitars" that are built exactly how I want them by Charvel.

So once again, I love parts guitars and still own several. They are totally in the whole spirit of the early Charvel, hot rodding, and parts and mutt guitars that I grew up on. It's just that when these USA Production Charvels came out I came to look at my parts guitars and building more parts guitars as a "why bother?" situation. Heck, depending on what Charvel's next move is I may start building mutts again and even I would definitely give Musikraft another shot as they are the BEST at accurate Charvel type specs.

 

[Chubtone]

Here's my Musikraft.It's a nice 2 piece hard ash body painted with House Of Kolor "Tangelo". Pickups are a WB Firewater in the bridge and MCP 2nd Degree BB in the neck.

That is very cool.

 

[jhale667]

I was giving my opinion based on my experience and my opinion is that absolutely if you want an alder superstrat in a typical configuration and a typical neck size than I feel the Charvels are nearly impossible to beat

I'd totally agree with you there. Definitely hard to beat in that scenario. But I'm a mutant, and super-picky. And in any forum I post about using only R5s someone invariably says sarcastically "You mean you can tell the difference of 1/16th of an inch?" Um, yeah! LOL

Heck, depending on what Charvel's next move is I may start building mutts again and would definitely give Musikraft another shot as they are the BEST at Charvel type specs.

Agree there too!

 

[GuitarGoat]

This is my Parts-o-caster Strat. I had the body from a guitar and I put an All-Parts neck, Warmoth pickguard, Dean Time Capsule Bridge pickup, and a single coil pickup I had laying around for the neck position.

 

[Vrad]

I wouldn't let Chubtone's experience discourage you from buying Musikraft parts. He's probably just trying to push those production "charvels" I would say his problem was the exception and not the rule. I think it's safe to say if he would have discovered that hump within a few days after receiving that neck, they would have graciously accepted a return. Who knows what kind of environmental conditions the neck was subjected to while awaiting assembly?

I said nothing negative about Warmoth or USACG's quality. Both of which have always been exceptional. I wouldn't have said anything about Musikrafts either if I had only gotten one bad item out of several. But when I got a second bad item out of two, well wouldn't I be doing a disservice to my online friends by hiding that? I also very clearly stated this was my experience and that several on here had much better luck with Musikraft than I did.

As for my neck not being installed for a couple of months and it being exposed to "environmental conditions". This is southern California. We have very little humidity ever and we aren't extremely dry like the desert either. If a neck can't hold up to the "environmental conditions" in So Cal which is basically about the most neutral environmental conditions on earth then the problem lies in the manufacturer of the neck or the supplier of the wood for the neck. Period. And why can't I buy a neck a couple of months before I install it? I saw no reason why with the dozen plus necks I've bought from Warmoth or USACG with never a single issue. Sometimes you buy the parts for a parts guitar over time and build it when you get it all together.

Apparently, I need to treat a neck from Musikraft in the same way that doctors treat a patient about to undergo an organ transplant. Get the guitar all prepped and waiting on the bench and when the Medivac helicopter lands, pull the neck out of the cooler and have the assembly team ready to perform the extremely delicate operation of screwing a guitar neck to a guitar body.

I was giving my opinion based on my experience and my opinion is that absolutely if you want an alder superstrat in a typical configuration and a typical neck size than I feel the Charvels are nearly impossible to beat, EVEN by parts guitars that are worth nothing the day after you assemble them. Would you concede that parts guitars are only worth anything to the guy who builds it and worth half as much to the next guy? And absolutely, yes I sell Charvels. I don't think there is any question or secret about that. But as has been shown by my parts guitars pictured in this thread, I'm pretty qualified to comment in a parts guitars thread and compare them to my new superstrat "parts guitars" that are built exactly how I want them by Charvel.

So once again, I love parts guitars and still own several. They are totally in the whole spirit of the early Charvel, hot rodding, and parts and mutt guitars that I grew up on. It's just that when these USA Production Charvels came out I came to look at my parts guitars and building more parts guitars as a "why bother?" situation. I have to tell you though that parts guitars and mutts are still exciting to me and like I said even though I got two bad Musikraft pieces out of two, the overwhelming online reviews of their parts are excellent and nobody should avoid them because of my experience. They should temper my experience with everyone else's good experiences and buy from Musikraft still. Heck, depending on what Charvel's next move is I may start building mutts again and even I would definitely give Musikraft another shot as they are the BEST at accurate Charvel type specs.

Dang that was a freaking novel I just wrote.

Fuck Curt...
That's the most I've seen you type EVAR!

 

[Stramm8]

I wouldn't let Chubtone's experience discourage you from buying Musikraft parts. He's probably just trying to push those production "charvels" I would say his problem was the exception and not the rule. I think it's safe to say if he would have discovered that hump within a few days after receiving that neck, they would have graciously accepted a return. Who knows what kind of environmental conditions the neck was subjected to while awaiting assembly?

I said nothing negative about Warmoth or USACG's quality. Both of which have always been exceptional. I wouldn't have said anything about Musikrafts either if I had only gotten one bad item out of several. But when I got a second bad item out of two, well wouldn't I be doing a disservice to my online friends by hiding that? I also very clearly stated this was my experience and that several on here had much better luck with Musikraft than I did.

As for my neck not being installed for a couple of months and it being exposed to "environmental conditions". This is southern California. We have very little humidity ever and we aren't extremely dry like the desert either. If a neck can't hold up to the "environmental conditions" in So Cal which is basically about the most neutral environmental conditions on earth then the problem lies in the manufacturer of the neck or the supplier of the wood for the neck. Period. And why can't I buy a neck a couple of months before I install it? I saw no reason why with the dozen plus necks I've bought from Warmoth or USACG with never a single issue. Sometimes you buy the parts for a parts guitar over time and build it when you get it all together.

Apparently, I need to treat a neck from Musikraft in the same way that doctors treat a patient about to undergo an organ transplant. Get the guitar all prepped and waiting on the bench and when the Medivac helicopter lands, pull the neck out of the cooler and have the assembly team ready to perform the extremely delicate operation of screwing a guitar neck to a guitar body.

I was giving my opinion based on my experience and my opinion is that absolutely if you want an alder superstrat in a typical configuration and a typical neck size than I feel the Charvels are nearly impossible to beat, EVEN by parts guitars that are worth nothing the day after you assemble them. Would you concede that parts guitars are only worth anything to the guy who builds it and worth half as much to the next guy? And absolutely, yes I sell Charvels. I don't think there is any question or secret about that. But as has been shown by my parts guitars pictured in this thread, I'm pretty qualified to comment in a parts guitars thread and compare them to my new superstrat "parts guitars" that are built exactly how I want them by Charvel.

So once again, I love parts guitars and still own several. They are totally in the whole spirit of the early Charvel, hot rodding, and parts and mutt guitars that I grew up on. It's just that when these USA Production Charvels came out I came to look at my parts guitars and building more parts guitars as a "why bother?" situation. I have to tell you though that parts guitars and mutts are still exciting to me and like I said even though I got two bad Musikraft pieces out of two, the overwhelming online reviews of their parts are excellent and nobody should avoid them because of my experience. They should temper my experience with everyone else's good experiences and buy from Musikraft still. Heck, depending on what Charvel's next move is I may start building mutts again and even I would definitely give Musikraft another shot as they are the BEST at accurate Charvel type specs.

Dang that was a freaking novel I just wrote.

Well, if you couldn't tell my comments were somewhat tongue-in-cheek and I didn't mean to get your feathers ruffled. If I would have had the same experience, I would probably say the same thing. I was just trying to give another opinion, which is what these forums are all about. For instance, I didn't mention that I think those production Charvels are totally lame. Personally, I have yet to pick one up that played well or sounded any good for that matter. I know some folks love them and god bless'em. I've heard some good sounding clips but I just don't dig them. It seems that most folks upgrade the pickups, the floyd etc. and if your going to do that you might as well buy a different guitar or build you own. But hey, who am I and what do I know? I'm just some slob sitting around posting on a guitar forum

 

[Digital Jams]

People make changes to $5000 guitars, nothing new here. I will admit that I was very skeptical of the USA Charvels when they came out and had no intention of buying one until Curt posted about them. I have known him well enough that I trusted what he was saying and bought one of the first run S0-Cals and never looked back, have my third one coming in several weeks. I love Ibanez as well but they have gotten too pricey for me, I should have known these Charvels would stop due to the price.