Project 1: Partscaster

AlanRatcliffe · 2007-11-24T20:59:05+00:00

This is going to be my thread for my partscaster: a Strat/Tele Hybrid. I'm going to give details of all the parts and explain why I've made the choices I hav...

Project 1: Partscaster

NorioDS

Aaaah, that all makes plenty of sense and I feel very enlightened now, thanks Alan ?

AlanRatcliffe

HARDWARE
29 November 2007
Bridge:
Wilkinson Compensated Tele Bridge from Guitar Fetish.
I wanted a stainless steel bridge from Glendale Guitars, who make some of the best Tele bridges around, but sadly they are out of stock and are waiting for more. So I decided to get a cheap Wilkinson from Guitar Fetish and upgrade to the Glendale later. The Wilkinson has compensated saddles and turned out to be a better quality than my Baja Tele bridge, although still not as good as a Glendale.

Tuners:
Schaller locking with ebony keys from Stewmac.
I originally ordered a set of Wilkinson EZLok Vintage Style tuners from Guitar Fetish, but while there was nothing really wrong with them (in fact, they're kind of between a standard set of decent tuners and a high end locking type), I decided I wanted something nicer. I searched long and hard for a set of Gotoh that I wanted, which are locking, staggered, low weight and a very modern design, but I couldn't get them anywhere. So I ended up with The Schallers, which are locking and staggered, but are a heavier thumbwheel design. To up the ante a bit, I also ordered a set of Ebony keys to fit them, which are good looking and also reduce the weight a bit.

Strap Locks:
Schaller Strap Locks from Stewmac.
The ONLY strap lock worth having. 'Nuff said. I also ordered a pack (10) of the felt washers for strap buttons to protect the finish against the buttons.

Switch Cap:
Ebony switch cap from THG Knobs.
What can I say? I'm a wood fetishist. THG make all kinds of wooden parts (Switch caps, knobs, truss rod covers, pickup rings - even pickup covers) from a wide variety of woods.
Volume knob:
Gotoh Dome Knob, Chrome from Mojotone.
A good quality chrome knob. I may still go for an ebony knob - I haven't decided yet.

Nut:
Earvana Compensating Nut from Earvana.
I've been itching to try one of these for a while. Basically improves the intonation of open chords without needing permanent mods or a special tuner like the Buzz Feiten tuning system.

Neck plate:
Thick stainless steel neck plate with screws from Glendale Guitars.
I wanted a thicker neck plate than standard as most thinner modern plates bend when you tighten the screws and dig into the finish at the corners. Once again I got a Guitar Fetish part first and wasn't happy - in this case the screws were thin and cheap and the plate itself had some sharp edges underneath that would be deadly to a finish and the chroming was quite shoddy. Guitar Fetish make the "amazing-for-the-money" GFS pickups which are a good upgrade over most Korean or Mexican pickups, but their hardware
is cheap and mostly unusable in a high-end build.

String ferrules:
Tele Nickel Vintage Spec from Guitar Fetish.
Finally, some hardware from Guitar Fetish that I'm happy with.

cain

Nice hardware, Schaler is really nice and wilkenson isnt too bad. They make some really fine hardware. I haven't seen that nut before. The only problem i have with those straplocks, is that the small thing you pull sometimes unscrews and gets lost. Im gonna glue on that damn thing hehe.

AlanRatcliffe

Francis Viviers wrote: The only problem i have with those straplocks, is that the small thing you pull sometimes unscrews and gets lost.

It unscrews? ??? ? ...I didn't know that!

I've been using them for years (since losing the 12-string neck of a doubleneck to Dunlops and a concrete stage) and have never had one unscrew. Learn something new every day.

cain

Yeah ill post a photo of what goes wrong. Its basicly that thing you pull to unlock the strap that becomes loose.

AlanRatcliffe

Looking at it, I can see what you mean - the knob must screw onto the shaft. But I've never had one work loose on me.

cain

Yeah its weird. It just happens at odd times. As long as you make it loose carefully afterwards you can screw it back on. Just make sure the spring does not shoot away.

AlanRatcliffe

I've been busy on the finishing of the partscaster today. Sanded and smoothed both body and neck. I love a freshly sanded body or neck they feel so good that I always toy with the idea of leaving them unfinished. Unfortunately both maple and ash have to have a finish of some sort on.

I stained the body with a dark cherry stain - most of which I will sand off tomorrow, leaving just the accented grain. Then the clear sealer coats, followed by the transparent red tints and shaders and finish off with the clear topcoats. I can't wait, but I know I mustn't rush it or I'll end up starting almost from scratch (I learned that the hard way - repeatedly ? ).

The neck has now been sealed with shellac and is beginning to hint at some major beauty:

Big Pic Here

Believe it or not, this pic doesn't do it justice, and it will improve even more as I add clear topcoats to it.

cain

That is so beautiful, i think i must build me one of those! What frets does that neck have on by default ?

AlanRatcliffe

I chose a stainless steel equivalent of the Dunlop 6105 frets - .090" x .055" which is pretty narrow but fairly tall.

Deaan-Vivier

Thats gonna be real beuty when its all finished, I cant wait to see the final product.

arjunmenon

Love the work you've done on the neck, Alan. And the choice of colour is fantastic. If you ever go into the customs guitars business, i swear i will be your client ?
Can't wait to see the end result. BTW, is that a vintage fender neck (cos the headstock looks bigger than the usual)?

Cheers,

Arjun

AlanRatcliffe

Deaan Vivier wrote: I cant wait to see the final product.

Thanks Deaan. Neither can I ;D I'm stressing about the body finish as I'm experimenting with a few new techniques I haven't tried before.

Arjun Menon wrote: If you ever go into the customs guitars business, i swear i will be your client ?

I'm considering taking on one or two a year to keep my hand in. Keeping numbers low ensures it's still enjoyable enough for me to warrant doing a few, so if you're serious about it sometime, ask and I may be willing by then.

BTW, is that a vintage fender neck (cos the headstock looks bigger than the usual)?

It's my variation on a vintage small headstock Fender that has a straighter string pull through the nut. It's got the USA Custom Guitars extra nubbin on the ball to prevent me having the hell sued out of me by Fender - usually I'd just file that out, but this is going on the cover of my next book, so I can't have it too close to a traditional headstock. Fender don't mind if it's a licensed neck going on a Fender, but if it's a partscaster it's illegal to use any of the Fender headstocks. I'm considering designing my own headstock from scratch, but each time I come up with something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, it looks too much like somebody else's.

cain

So the neck does not get fitted with frets by default ? Or do they ?

AlanRatcliffe

Yes, they are fitted for you, but you specify what frets you want. USACG roll the edges of the fingerboard too, which is best done with the frets in.

Bear in mind, this is a custom built neck, so you need to know exactly what you want or they are gonna ask you a whole bunch of questions that you may not have answers for. Frets, fingerboard radius, compound or straight (and if compound, from which radius to which), fingerboard wood, neck profile, neck thickness, tuner hole size, nut slot (flat or curved; normal, Earvana, locking or LSR), nut and heel width, heel shape, inlay material and sizes, etc.

arjunmenon

Alan,

I really like the way your mind works. And seeing your work, i'd definitely want you to build me a guitar ? Let me know when you've got the time so that we can seriously talk about it.

Thanks for the info on the necks.

Cheers,
Arjun

cain

I also want an Alan Custom!

AlanRatcliffe

Thanks for the support guys! I'm still not sure if I'm going to do it commercially again, but I'll let y'all know if I do.

AlanRatcliffe

Finished, but not polished

I've finished spraying the body. There is some subtle darker red shading in from the edges, around the switch and around the pickup routs. There is also a black burst over the edges, which turned out pretty well. It's the subtle touches that make the difference, IMO. Now I have to wait about a month before I can do a final fine sanding and polish up to a brilliant shine. Then assembly.

Big Pic Here
You can see the shading around the single-coil routs and switch. I didn't do it for the bridge pickup, as it will be covered by the Tele bridge.

Big Pic Here
Look cafefully and you'll see the subtle shading around the holes for the string ferrules.

Big Pic Here
You can see the recess I made for the Neutrik Jack socket on the lower left. They're big and solid, so I recess them to mount flush with the surface. You wouldn't believe it from the pic, but the finish is only a fraction as shiny and reflective as it will be when polished.

Big Pic Here
You can see how the figuring pops out differently depending on the angle viewed

NorioDS

Looks very pretty! Amazing how far that piece of wood has already come!