ancient_owl
Newbie
- Messages
- 20
Hello everybody!
Intro
The idea of ordering a custom instrument really came out of nowhere. At first, I wanted to buy a new guitar, but it was really hard to pick the instrument that suited my needs. The general idea was having a shortscale superstrat with HS pickup configuration. It was quite challenging for me to find the guitar that fitted this (very simple IMO) description, so at first I decided to go for a full custom order. Unfortunately, my low budget wasn’t quite sufficient for a custom-built instrument, but was enough to get a good used USA-made guitar (initially I thought of 1000-1200$). Then I made a research on semi-custom instruments (Mayones) – but they didn’t fit the criteria of a shortscale (although Duvell model looks really close to the basic concept I had in my head).
After all the research done I made my mind to get a guitar body from Warmoth after reading lots of useful information on forums (this one included :glasses10
and the neck from Musikraft.
Research & Specs
At first I was eager to place an order as soon as possible (considering the fact that production takes around 2 months), but even though I pictured the basic concept very clearly in my head, I really didn’t get much into details. What returned me back to the Earth was an online builder (BTW, Warmoth, thank you for exceptional piece of software). It made me realize that a lot more research needed and also displayed the full spectrum of available customizable options. I haven’t even heard about most of the wood types, excluding the most ubiquitous ones, so the number of components for re-evaluation increased tremendously.
Despite being eager to try exotics, I’ve decided to stick to the traditional woods, except for the fretboard – Pau Ferro (even the name is uber-cool 8)). Overall this is what I’ve got:
Body (Warmoth):
Neck (Musikraft):
Building process
Body – a bit less than 2 months.
Neck – 3 weeks.
Review
Cosmetics & Operation
Body (Warmoth):
Excellent! Although there are some strange extra drilling marks but they’re not visible anyways. All the cutaways look smooth and nice, no painting issues.
Neck (Musikraft):
There’s a bright white spot near the head. No other finish issues. BUT it’s really hard to set up the truss-rod. In order to compensate for regular 10-46 set I had to use pliers for the last few turns. It was impossible to turn the hex key to the necessary position with my hands only.
Sonic
I’m not a great guitar player under any circumstances and I only play at home. Actually, the process of designing and constructing was a thrilling enough reason to try a Partcaster :cool01:.
Anyways, compared to my PRS SE (korina body-maple neck) this guitar is definitely brighter. The attack is immediate and the sustain is quite decent. The guitar definitely has enough of mids and slightly lacks in bass department – just what I’ve been looking for :blob7:
I’ve added soundclip for demo purposes.
Overall points to consider for building Partcasters
Never make an order after having an initial impulse to get a custom instrument. In my case, it took me ~3 months to make, the guitar fit my specifications exactly and I’m really glad that I haven’t sped up. Each time you make small improvements but overall it allows you re-evaluate your decisions taking into consideration all the aspects of your vision of the guitar. I recommend separating the order process in 3 steps: make initial vision – 3 weeks, make improvements – 2 weeks, final polishing – 1 week. Each time you make a full specification and evaluate it in the end of each time period. You shouldn’t hurry as changes will naturally come to your mind and you’ll certainly regret making hasty decisions.
Conduct a full research before making any decision. Of course making bubinga/wenge/bloodwood guitar may seem a great idea (especially from aesthetical POV). But what important is how all the components will work and sound together. That’s the reason some of the custom guitar builders ask customer what sound he wants from the instrument, but the wood choice is fully on the builder (I’ve watched a Suhr factory tour, where John Suhr mentions that if he doesn’t like the wood choice of the customer he may decline to make that guitar). Thanks for the great support from Warmoth you can ask them directly in case you’re confused about some of your decisions.
In case you feel like you’re not qualified enough for assembly – don’t do it yourself. It’s just a high risk decision. Paying extra ~100$ is totally worth getting a great looking and sounding instrument.
P.S. Thanks for reading! English is not my native language, so don’t be too harsh with me for the mistakes
P.P.S. my camera sucks
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/bulat-baltachev/promise-akira-yamaoka-guitar-cover-v20[/soundcloud]
Intro
The idea of ordering a custom instrument really came out of nowhere. At first, I wanted to buy a new guitar, but it was really hard to pick the instrument that suited my needs. The general idea was having a shortscale superstrat with HS pickup configuration. It was quite challenging for me to find the guitar that fitted this (very simple IMO) description, so at first I decided to go for a full custom order. Unfortunately, my low budget wasn’t quite sufficient for a custom-built instrument, but was enough to get a good used USA-made guitar (initially I thought of 1000-1200$). Then I made a research on semi-custom instruments (Mayones) – but they didn’t fit the criteria of a shortscale (although Duvell model looks really close to the basic concept I had in my head).
After all the research done I made my mind to get a guitar body from Warmoth after reading lots of useful information on forums (this one included :glasses10
and the neck from Musikraft.Research & Specs
At first I was eager to place an order as soon as possible (considering the fact that production takes around 2 months), but even though I pictured the basic concept very clearly in my head, I really didn’t get much into details. What returned me back to the Earth was an online builder (BTW, Warmoth, thank you for exceptional piece of software). It made me realize that a lot more research needed and also displayed the full spectrum of available customizable options. I haven’t even heard about most of the wood types, excluding the most ubiquitous ones, so the number of components for re-evaluation increased tremendously.
Despite being eager to try exotics, I’ve decided to stick to the traditional woods, except for the fretboard – Pau Ferro (even the name is uber-cool 8)). Overall this is what I’ve got:
Body (Warmoth):
- Model - Soloist
- Flame Maple on Alder
- Pickup Rout: H-S
- Controls: ½ Toggle switch – Vol. pot
- Bridge: Hipshot Fixed (BTW, get a .125 version, not .175)
- Neck Pocket: Strat with 720 Mod
- Top Finish: Brown to Clear Burst
- Back Finish:Black Gloss
Neck (Musikraft):
- Model - Beak
- SHAFT WOOD: Rock Maple – roasted
- FB WOOD: Pauferro
- SCALE LENGTH: 24.75”
- NUMBER OF FRETS: 22 Fret
- NUT WIDTH: 1-11/16 (42.85mm)
- TRUSS ROD TYPE: Dual Acting at the Head
- FB RADIUS: Compound 12” to 16”
- FRET WIRE SIZE: 6105 Stainless Steel
- BACK PROFILE: Medium C 0.83 x 0.92
- FINISH: Raw (I applied Tru-Oil)
Building process
Body – a bit less than 2 months.
Neck – 3 weeks.
Review
Cosmetics & Operation
Body (Warmoth):
Excellent! Although there are some strange extra drilling marks but they’re not visible anyways. All the cutaways look smooth and nice, no painting issues.
Neck (Musikraft):
There’s a bright white spot near the head. No other finish issues. BUT it’s really hard to set up the truss-rod. In order to compensate for regular 10-46 set I had to use pliers for the last few turns. It was impossible to turn the hex key to the necessary position with my hands only.
Sonic
I’m not a great guitar player under any circumstances and I only play at home. Actually, the process of designing and constructing was a thrilling enough reason to try a Partcaster :cool01:.
Anyways, compared to my PRS SE (korina body-maple neck) this guitar is definitely brighter. The attack is immediate and the sustain is quite decent. The guitar definitely has enough of mids and slightly lacks in bass department – just what I’ve been looking for :blob7:
I’ve added soundclip for demo purposes.
Overall points to consider for building Partcasters
Never make an order after having an initial impulse to get a custom instrument. In my case, it took me ~3 months to make, the guitar fit my specifications exactly and I’m really glad that I haven’t sped up. Each time you make small improvements but overall it allows you re-evaluate your decisions taking into consideration all the aspects of your vision of the guitar. I recommend separating the order process in 3 steps: make initial vision – 3 weeks, make improvements – 2 weeks, final polishing – 1 week. Each time you make a full specification and evaluate it in the end of each time period. You shouldn’t hurry as changes will naturally come to your mind and you’ll certainly regret making hasty decisions.
Conduct a full research before making any decision. Of course making bubinga/wenge/bloodwood guitar may seem a great idea (especially from aesthetical POV). But what important is how all the components will work and sound together. That’s the reason some of the custom guitar builders ask customer what sound he wants from the instrument, but the wood choice is fully on the builder (I’ve watched a Suhr factory tour, where John Suhr mentions that if he doesn’t like the wood choice of the customer he may decline to make that guitar). Thanks for the great support from Warmoth you can ask them directly in case you’re confused about some of your decisions.
In case you feel like you’re not qualified enough for assembly – don’t do it yourself. It’s just a high risk decision. Paying extra ~100$ is totally worth getting a great looking and sounding instrument.
P.S. Thanks for reading! English is not my native language, so don’t be too harsh with me for the mistakes
P.P.S. my camera sucks
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/bulat-baltachev/promise-akira-yamaoka-guitar-cover-v20[/soundcloud]
