Talk to me about cheap strat-project bodies

[Kapo_Polenton]

I've got a bunch of humbuckers and single coils sitting around doing nothing and a good finished neck that is fast playing and that I swapped out for a rosewood neck a few years back. I'm thinking of a fun project but I don't really know much about the quality of guitar bodies. I see variously priced bodies on ebay. They don't always know or say what wood it is but I was wondering if people could school me on 2 piece vs 3 piece, basswood vs alder and ash for example. In my experience, same wood type guitar to guitar is hit or miss. It either sounds great or is meh. The finish of the neck and the attention to detail on the frets and electronics/features are how the expensive brands differentiate. I suppose they also would cut the body from 1 piece and that would have a difference on how much the materials cost them.

So in short, how do I not pick a dog of a body so that it sounds decent? What is a crazy price vs a good price for something that was a fender squier? What about these old jackson or kramer bodies? Anything I should look for? I know the Schenker black/white V that my brother built me out of plywood when we were kids sucked so anything should be an upgrade from that

 

[headlessdeadguy]

Old Electra or Aria Pro II will get the job done. Anything Matsumoku for that matter.

 

[GOHOINC]

If it were me I'd look for used MJT / warmoth / usacg bodies. They are on reverb, I've bought a few in the past for projects of my own... or check the stratosphere for authentic fender bodies.

 

[thenine]

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This

 

[PDC]

Northern Hard Ash has a lotta legend and lore about it. You can easily get a chunk that is overly hard and bright sounding. Mahogany also has a lotta legend and lore attached to it - but can be loose and tubby without the maple top that the LP was famous for. Alder sounds good to excellent - depending on the piece of lumber. The fewer pieces (generally) the better, though someone always has a multi- piece chunk that just sounds incredible (?)

 

[SpiderWars]

Couple of thoughts:
What type of Strat might influence body wood. If you want a more authentic Strat then Ash or Alder.
If it were me I'd prob get Alder. I agree with PDC above on woods. Lightweight Swamp Ash can have a thin, hollowed out tone.
That said, I have a chambered Warmoth on the way. Mahogany with maple top. I'm trying to mimic Sassafras a la Eric Johnson's Virginia Strat.

I re-necked my old '87 Kramer Focus 3000 and it came out really good. I re-used all the hardware/Floyd and just plopped a new pickguard on it in addition to the neck. It's the guitar in my avatar. But that is a different neck pocket, that neck came from Musikraft. I assume you have a Strat-spec neck so it wouldn't fit right.

 

[Rick Lee]

I got a beater Kramer Focus 3000 body on eBay for around $60 long ago. I made it into a super cheapo Partscaster with just what I had laying around and it's a killer guitar. I use it for band practice when I have to drive around all day in a Phoenix summer with my gear in the car before I get to band practice. I may have $400 total into this guitar and it slays. SD '59 with a push/pull coil split, OFR, very nice guitar.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Go MJT. Those things slay. Worth the price, worth the effort.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I saw some sweet deals on Ebay but sadly your US dollar to our canadian makes things spiral out of control very quickly when you factor in our duties as well. I think I may just have to find something local if someone has a project guitar or a cheapo they are getting rid of.

 

[JackBootedThug]

on the cheap side....guitarfetish.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

on the cheap side....guitarfetish.

Looked into these but it looks like there are major quality control issues with the pocket not taking necks or being crooked .. I think my best bet might just be to be on the lookout of a MIM body of some type used and local. I am reading about the affinity squire stuff and sounds like the bodies are thin and not resonant so they are out.

What's the deal with these Allen Eden bodies? Anybody have any experience?

https://aeguitars.com/collections/guitar-bodies

 

[WarHed]

the california series squires usually have good bodies (full thickness and dense wood) if you can find something cheap. Pretty heavy though