Average cost for build parts, excluding body/neck?

[Disco Scottie]

Newbie alert! Newbie alert!

I hope to join the Warmoth family soon with my first build, which I think is going to be a "proof of concept". I have plans for my ultimate guitar, but I want to do something simple first using a cheap showcase body and neck. I'll admit I probably won't be doing all the work... I'm more of a player than luthier. Still gonna be my designs!

Do you guys find there's an average you spend on all the pieces-parts? I've priced a couple of setups, and it always comes out around $300 for the stuff I'll need. I imagine the bridge and pickups can vary quite a bit between builds, but hopefully I'm in the neighborhood cost-wise.

And when you get all those parts, do you try to buy everything from Warmoth? Seems like it would make things much easier, all from one source. I'm definitely going to do this with my starter instrument - I want to get all the mistakes out of the way this go-round, so when I'm ready for the "big build" I'll already have a bit of experience with the process. I've been playing for over 25 years, and never got around to doing this. I think I'm a little overdue.  :laughing7:

 

[JimBeed]

Hey welcome to the forum.
Yeah for about a year before i built my first i did loads of different set ups, and the cost for the parts always seems to be fairly the same, as most bridges of the same quality appear the same price range.
cheapers are varying, but i find the bridges of good quality all seem roughly the same
pick ups are varying, i think more so for guitars than basses so ud have to check with a six string member about them.
The serious money comes in getting a body and neck, unless you go showcase which usually saves a bit of money, but is usually more a case it saves time if you buy a body with everything already how you wanted it routed, which some sometimes are.
But as far as parts are concerned your usually in for the same amount of dosh needed withdifferent set ups with similar quality parts.

Depending where you live its negotiable to buy from warmoth.
For certain things like string ferrules i would as they would be selling the ones that fit there routes.
I live in england and with the lack of good parts websites i did order the majority of my parts from warmoth, and even with shipping was partly cheaper i believe than getting pick ups from england.

 

[Cagey]

If it was me, I'd jump in with both feet. Hardware costs don't vary much amongst the better parts, but pickups are a crap shoot. The neck/body can range all over the place, depending on how fancy you want to be, and that'll probably be the real determining factor for your overall cost. Assembly is the same no matter what. So, why buy the thing twice? Put together what you want now, and save the cost and aggravation of a trial run on something you don't really want.

As for average cost, all my "virtual" builds using Warmoth's site and parts have generally fallen between $800 and $1,500. My actual builds have fallen on the high side of that, in the $1,300 to $1,500 range. But, I've bought some pretty nice finished bodies and necks. Finishes are time-consuming, so they're expensive. Nobody does it better than Warmoth, though, so unless you know you're capable of fine finish work, it's worth the money to have them do it.

 

[AutoBat]

non-body/neck costs: (in USD)
pickups (biggest price range here)  Guitar Fetish to Lollars - basically 15-200 each
pup wiring & pots -  6 + 5-12 each
knobs - 1.50 to 15 each (plain vs concentric)
11+6 screws (if you're using a pickguard and the rear cavity)  6-10
4 neck screws plus neck plate 5
bridge (usually comes with all required screws 35-200
string ferrules on a body thru hardtail setup - 6
tuning machines and possibly optional string tree 28.50-72 + 3
*copper tape (shielding is a touchy subject around here, use it if you want or don't) 8
nut (if you're not buying a precut one with the neck) 4-44
jack - 14
strap buttons 3-19

so, cheapest you can do with a TOM & 1 pup: 117 (no pickguard, 1 knob)
fully flexed: 808 (pickguard, lollars (or bareknuckle), floyd rose, concentric pots)


*edit to include prices

 

[Disco Scottie]

Assembly is the same no matter what. So, why buy the thing twice? Put together what you want now, and save the cost and aggravation of a trial run on something you don't really want.

I understand what you're saying. My "test" guitar will actually be one I do want, it won't have the same exact features as any of my other ideas. It will also give me a chance to (hopefully) check out a chambered body so I can decide if that's what I want, when I'm ready to spend big bucks on a fancy finish. And I would like to hold a Warmoth neck in my hands, so I can find out exactly what standard thin is.

Besides, you can never have too many guitars.  :guitaristgif:

 

[elfro89]

Assembly is the same no matter what. So, why buy the thing twice? Put together what you want now, and save the cost and aggravation of a trial run on something you don't really want.

I understand what you're saying. My "test" guitar will actually be one I do want, it won't have the same exact features as any of my other ideas. It will also give me a chance to (hopefully) check out a chambered body so I can decide if that's what I want, when I'm ready to spend big bucks on a fancy finish. And I would like to hold a Warmoth neck in my hands, so I can find out exactly what standard thin is.

Besides, you can never have too many guitars.  :guitaristgif:

I thought about doing that for ahwile also, i was gonna go with the cheapest wamoth options and the cheapest parts to get a strat up and running, but for the extra price tag you can have exactly what you want. I'm with cagey on this one, if you spend the £400 or whatever on your guitar and then later on spend the £1300 on your perfect guitar thats £400 wasted (no education you will get from building it is worth that amount of money when its just pulled info from the web.) Save your money and spend big time to get what you want. Plus 400 is really cheap i dont think its possible to get a warmoth for that price, for a body and neck your talking £600+ unless you get them unfinished with no frets or finish, and speaking from experience, you dont want to have a shot in the dark when it comes to painting it, its easy to make a stupid mistake that makes you have to strip it and try again, its frustrating and a waste of good paint...

For me its ALL about the looks, i know its gonna be playable and have a bunch of features to make it a versatile workhorse, but its all about having YOUR guitar, definitely better value then buying something like a big name customshop. I personally dont beleive a brand name will deliver PERFECT goods just because its from them. too me warmoth seem like the proper price fender or what have you should price their customs at, you ever noticed they always say built by master luthier... and its somebody that you've never heard of or know about. fender need to have a coke and a smile.

 

[swarfrat]

I don't see how these guys come in around $800 - if all I wanted was a solid alder top routed strat clone w/ maple neck - I can buy those all day long from a hundred different sources at a dozen different price points. For me the appeal of Warmoth is because where else are you gonna get a hollow bubinga left  handed tele w/ strat pickups and a reverse angled bridge pickup with a kahler route? (Not anything I'm building, just stringing together things that severely narrow the field to chose from) 

Most of the guitars I've built on the builder came in around $1200 before I got the CT Tele bug. Finish makes a big difference. (W finished or oiled at home). Exotic carved tops make a huge diff. And as others have pointed out, you can put as much into pickups as you want.

 

[AGWAN]

Didn't the guy just ask for an average cost of HARDWARE.

Because. it seems no one answered that question.

I have that question to. what should one set aside. to budget for Hardware only. separate the cost of pickups if you like. but whats a ballpark estimate on all that?

 

[AutoBat]

Didn't the guy just ask for an average cost of HARDWARE.

Because. it seems no one answered that question.

I have that question to. what should one set aside. to budget for Hardware only. separate the cost of pickups if you like. but whats a ballpark estimate on all that?

I updated my post with ballpark prices from a quick search.

 

[lafromla1]

My average cost of hardware (excluding body, neck and pickups as you requested) has been about $300-$350.  Ballpark, about $100 for the trem, $72 for the tuners and $130 for the remaining stuff.

 

[AGWAN]

So I'm thinking I save up around 500 before I call Schaller and try to beg them to sell me some VINTAGE COPPER FINISH parts

Bridge:STM VC 4517
Tuners:M6VCL-Locking
Strap Locks: 442
2 humbucker covers: 131BVC/131NVC
2 humbucker rings: 119VC/113VC
2 Knobs: 178ALVC
Switch Tip:???

they really need to get the webstore going. what good is having these Item Numbers if I cant get a Quote?!