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 have. I'll give progress reports and pics as I go. The only thing I can't going into detail of is the actual assembly as this is for a chapter of my hotrod book. Otherwise feel free to chip in, comment, ask questions, exclaim in wonder and awe or even laugh - whatever. The more feedback I get and the more questions I have to answer, the better thought out that chapter will be when I write it. CONCEPT: Unlike the "Nashville" Strat and Tele models from Fender, this is a little different: instead of a Tele with a Strat middle pickup or a Strat with a Tele neck pickup - this is a Strat with a Tele bridge and bridge pickup. The reason for this unusual combo is this: I love the Strat neck and middle pickup tones, but the Tele has an edge with the bridge pickup - it's more percussive, punchier and doesn't have as much tendency to being shrill when used by itself. The original "ashtray" bridge of a Tele adds a very "acoustic" quality to the voice of the guitar, it's thinner and lighter and the pickup being mounted from the steel baseplate is one of the factors behind the Tele bridge pickup sound. As an added bonus for me, I love the way an ashtray bridge lets me rest my right hand pinkie while fingerpicking. With a Strat bridge, if you anchor, you end up picking very close to the bridge and the tone becomes quite brittle. A Tele bridge lets me anchor further forward, and lets me pick right over where the middle pickup would be.

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!

JoeyBones

I've built 2 strats from fender parts, but they were pretty standard aside from the pickups.

That's an awesome finish. It's definitely gonna be a one off of note ... Can't wait to see the finished product. Better yet, you should do a video clip. I'd love to hear the finished product.

AlanRatcliffe

Thanks guys. I'm not as happy with it as I would like - I'm a bit out of practice and I'm making small mistakes and touching up as I go. It's nice, but I know I can do better - I've done it before.

Garth-S

Wow. That finish looks amazing. Alan you are really talented ?

cain

The more you do it alan, the better you will get at it. I can just see one day you will be making guitars like james tyler ? Small quantaties but awesome ?

AlanRatcliffe

Francis Viviers wrote The more you do it alan, the better you will get at it.

I've done about forty. So when does the getting good start? ;D

JoeyBones

Have you done any Semi hollow or Hollow body guitars?

AlanRatcliffe

JoeyBones wrote Have you done any Semi hollow or Hollow body guitars?

Built? No. Worked on hundreds, but building them is not really my area of interest. I'll build a semi-solid Strat or a Tele Thinline sometime, but I'm not into archtops.

cain

Allan your already good. You will just get better and better man ?

cain

Oh and you are doing a great job. Its just human nature that makes us feel never satisfied with anything ?

cain

Hows this project going alan ?

AlanRatcliffe

I'm at the difficult stage now - watching the paint dry. ? It may seem dry after a day or two, but you have to wait at least three to four weeks for it to cure and harden enough for final sanding and buffing. You rush it and you mess up and have to start from scratch. If you're careful, it's possible to sand and buff in a week, but you use a lot more sandpaper (the softer finish clogs it up quicker) and it won't buff to a very high gloss. Also the finish shrinks as it dries, so if you sand it level too soon and it dries more, the grain lines start showing as the thicker finish in the grain shrinks more than the thinner parts.

I have all the parts now, with the exception of the wooden knobs, switch cap and control cavity cover - I have other plastic and metal parts if they don't get here in time though.

Here is a pic of the cavity cover, BTW. Made from ziricote. Theres a nice "mountains and setting sun" in the grain if you look.

cain

Yeah that cover looks nice, i can see the sun ?

« Previous Page Next Page »