Done With Partscasters

MrBump

I've always tinkered, and have had 3 pretty successful partscaster builds/major renovation projects.

My latest though... not really been fun.  Everything looked good on paper, and I've built an attractive guitar, but it just doesn't feel right, doesn't sound right, and I don't love it at all.

I think in my head I equate them as being a cheap way of getting a guitar I want - but the reality is that I end up spending probably ~£500-600 on each, maybe more!  And as this last build demonstrates, the finished item may not be something that I'm happy with or that I bond with.

I'm probably better off forgoing 2 builds, and buying something really good off the shelf.  

I guess I'll always do the modding - I love trying out new hardware and pickups, and my Charvel has been awesome since I put a new neck on it - but I don't think I'll do any more partscaster builds from scratch.

Teyeplayer

What went wrong buddy? Is there a particular aspect of this build that killed it for you?

I know I’ve put a few together over the years and the missing link has often been getting it into my tech for the final setup.

stickyfiddle

What exactly is wrong with the current one? 

FWIW I do agree though. Cheap partscasters can be fun, but you have to spend a pretty decent chunk of money to get a really good guitar at the end.

MrBump

You're right - a decent setup will help.  I think I've been slightly spoiled by buying Warmoth parts in the past (used an alternate manufacturer this time, and the neck in particular is less refined).  So, getting the nut right and dressing the frets will help.  But it's HSS, and I can't get the balance right between the pickups (tried a few wiring mods, resistors in the circuit etc).  And I'm thinking that it's probably body wood/neck wood adding too much brightness to the overall tone.

It's not dead yet - maybe it'll be a grower?  But unlike my other builds, I'm not loving it.  Like I said, my modded Charvel is the best guitar in the world

MrBump

Also, I'm looking and listening to this Strat, and thinking "wow!"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHmzsoZuk1U&feature=push-u&attr_tag=icl6E2dACUzhQTir-6

guitarfishbay

HSS will be imbalanced between the pickups by nature, typically anyway unless you’re doing something fancy with wiring or pickup selection.

It works for some and not all. I’ve found I prefer all singles or all humbuckers most of the time. HSS only when I specifically want neck, and neck and middle single coil tones that are less loud than the bridge.

telehack

You're forgetting the best benefit of partscasters - buying parts raises less domestic attention that whole guitars...

MrBump

telehack said:

You're forgetting the best benefit of partscasters - buying parts raises less domestic attention that whole guitars...

Yeah, that's very true...

Plectrum

HSS is my preferred configuration but I always use higher output single coils to achieve a more balanced set.

meltedbuzzbox

Teyeplayer said:

What went wrong buddy? Is there a particular aspect of this build that killed it for you?

I know I’ve put a few together over the years and the missing link has often been getting it into my tech for the final setup.

You own a tech? Is that for live tours or is it more of a at home Butler kind of arrangement?

dindude

meltedbuzzbox said:

Teyeplayer said:

What went wrong buddy? Is there a particular aspect of this build that killed it for you?

I know I’ve put a few together over the years and the missing link has often been getting it into my tech for the final setup.

You own a tech? Is that for live tours or is it more of a at home Butler kind of arrangement?

I also dropped a guitar off to my tech this morning and had to then drop my car into my garage and then go to work for my company (where I am the cleaner)*


*I also hate this turn of phrase, it doesn’t work in any other capacity.

guitarfishbay

I don't get the weird debate over this turn of phrase.

Do people say "I went to go and see the dentist that I am registered as a patient with?"...

They usually say "I went to see my dentist, and now I'm poor and they just bought another PRS"

victorludorum

guitarfishbay said:

I don't get the weird debate over this turn of phrase.

Do people say "I went to go and see the dentist that I am registered as a patient with?"...

They usually say "I went to see my dentist, and now I'm poor and they just bought another PRS"

I thought it was 'I went to go and see the dentisit with whom I am registered as a patient', but then maybe not... ;-)

sweepy

Maybe “ Guitar Wrangler” instead of Guitar Tech ?

normula1

HSS can be made to work. My main partscaster has two Kinman Woodstocks along with a Bare Knuckle Mule in the bridge position. I did a partial split on the Mule voicing the screw coil using a 5k multi-turn cermet trimmer until the split & middle sounded right along with tweaking its height so that the split bridge on it's own (via a push pull on the lower tone control) was pretty much the same as the single coils.

MrBump

normula1 said:

HSS can be made to work. My main partscaster has two Kinman Woodstocks along with a Bare Knuckle Mule in the bridge position. I did a partial split on the Mule voicing the screw coil using a 5k multi-turn cermet trimmer until the split & middle sounded right along with tweaking its height so that the split bridge on it's own (via a push pull on the lower tone control) was pretty much the same as the single coils.

That's an interesting approach.  Actually, the humbucker and single coils in this are relatively low output, and they sit reasonably well together from a volume perspective.  It's more the brightness of the SCs.  I'm still in the testing phase, so I'll re-pot them and see if I can get a better balance.

I guess one of the frustrations is that I've had these pickups working in another guitar before, and they sounded amazing.  Can't remember how I'd set them up though...

Danielsguitars

I did 2 vol 1 master tone for a hss build I did 
I used push pull pot to split coil the paf and the volume is used to balance the full humbucker with the single coils which are both 60's mojo ones 

The idea was to roll the bridge volume down and then for lead type volumes just turn it back up, I don't really do pedals so this is a nice boost

works really well imo and I'd do this again

PhilKing

Another option is to put the volumes through 2 pots with a master tone, one for the humbucker and the other 2 for the single coils.  That way you can use a different resistance to tame the treble in the singles but keep the humbucker bright.  having a 250k for the singles and a 500k for the humbucker would be a good starting point.

spir4L

MrBump said:

I've always tinkered, and have had 3 pretty successful partscaster builds/major renovation projects.

My latest though... not really been fun.  Everything looked good on paper, and I've built an attractive guitar, but it just doesn't feel right, doesn't sound right, and I don't love it at all.

I think in my head I equate them as being a cheap way of getting a guitar I want - but the reality is that I end up spending probably ~£500-600 on each, maybe more!  And as this last build demonstrates, the finished item may not be something that I'm happy with or that I bond with.

I'm probably better off forgoing 2 builds, and buying something really good off the shelf.  

I guess I'll always do the modding - I love trying out new hardware and pickups, and my Charvel has been awesome since I put a new neck on it - but I don't think I'll do any more partscaster builds from scratch.

This is not very encouraging 

DLM

I think the "my tech" thing might be a bit of interference from US English forumspeak. 'Merkins happily refer to their bandmates as "my guitarist", "my bass player", "my drummer", even though said musicians are not on their payroll.

MrBump

Just as an addendum, I had another crack at the guitar this weekend.

1. Fixed the electrics - removed the 500k pots and resistors, went with straight 250k vol, tone, tone, split 4th position for the humbucker.
2. Resoldered grounding, removed buzz/hum.
3. Dressed the sharp edges off the Earvana nut.
4. Rolled the very sharp fretboard edges.
5. Corrected the relief in the neck, dressed the frets and lowered the action at the bridge.

Much better guitar.

Still don't really like it much.