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I don't think they need to be disparate. Take a Tele, much of the aftermarket hardware might be considered better than Fender, Glendale, Callaham etc. Take a good body, add a quality neck, good hardware and you end up with a really good guitar.
Whether you can get over the fact you made all the choices is a different matter, there is something to be said for somebody else doing the choosing for you, it is a psychologically different process, but it's not rocket science - quality aftermarket parts make quality guitars when put together right. Option paralysis can be an issue however!
Some other random thoughts:-
Parstcasters can be terrible, high quality guitars (Fender CS, Suhr, SVL) and consistently amazing.
A partscaster, like a hot rod car, covers a massive spectrum, from a lowered Peugeot 106 with the back box cut off, to a 1930's V8 masterpeice in engineering (to continue the analogy). The best partscasters are amazing, but probably cost £1k rather than £200 (the latter could be very good however). It's perfectly possible to have an experience with a partscaster that's really bad, weather bought or assembled yourself.
To get the lighter, thinner finishes, partscaster is the way to go unless you spend big money (or go through the hassle of refinishing a poly guitar, which may reveal wood less good than you could have got with an aftermarket body)
Some of Fender's most expensive guitars are copies of partscasters, many of the artist models had swapped necks, different pickups, bridges etc.
I'm doing a Tele at the moment, it's frustratingly slow due to funds but by the same token it allows me to but a guitar as and when I can and it is great watching it come together. It's going to look great when it's finished and if anything like my other will be a favourite, I know I'd have to spend 3 times the price to get something I liked as much and I'd be three times as worried taking that out to gig.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/165081/strat-refinished#latest
I’ve had quite a few genuine Strats in the past, including a custom shop, and this is the nicest sounding and easiest playing one of all of them. The only issue, as mentioned before, is resale value: you’ll rarely get back what you sink into it. If it’s a keeper though, it’s not a problem.
In the classifieds at the moment is a very nice partscaster with quality parts being sold by @RevMatt at a very good price. There's also a Levinson Blade advertised by @mikeyrob73 for a price that is an absolute steal. If your budget doesn't extend to them @Ben_McCarthy then you might be better off following the advice of others above and buying something like a Squier.
Unless you have good experience of working on guitars you will find that some things are learned the hard way when building your first partscaster.
I am certainly not against partscasters: Most my F-style guitars over the past 37 years have been partscasters and all excellent. I only ever owned one Fender and that was a pile of poo. I learned from that that the headstock label means zilch.
Edit: Sorry OP, I only just saw your later post indicating a £1k-ish budget. None of my partscasters have cost more than that and they have all been top quality.
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There's a lot of talk about the money lost on partscaster sales but an awful lot is also lost on selling Fender Custom Shop guitars. So, yes, partscasters are still very viable.
:-) its a bloody good strat but its a STRAT and its the last one i shall ever buy