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First Partscaster Build - Designing a Custom Headstock Shape

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SchmoSchmo Frets: 170
in Guitar

So, I've been going on about doing a partscaster for a while now, you can blame Messrs. SC Relics & Rexter for that ! LOL.

If I go the route of a UK neck I can use Guitarbuild, but of course they wont do a trademarked headstock - I actually have a few ideas I'd like to pursue but have no real idea of how to go about it.

What I was thinking would be to obtain  "F****r" CAD files which I'd like to use as a starting point to keep the standard & crucial neck/nut//tuner etc dims & placement intact, then outline a new headstock shape and then send to GB for manufacture.

Has anyone done this before ? Any advice & guidance for a noob would be much appreciated.

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Comments

  • stimpsonslostsonstimpsonslostson Frets: 5418
    When I did mine I just googled 
    "Fender headstock template", printed it to scale and took it from there. I just overlaid my sheet of paper & used a light pencil to mark up the headstock before roughing it with a fretsaw and then sanding to what I wanted.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=stratocaster+headstock+template&rlz=1C1GCEV_enGB856GB856&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiluMTts7XnAhXARxUIHe5-D6wQ_AUoAXoECAwQAw&biw=1261&bih=781#imgrc=vcHxCDOseU8HKM


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  • SchmoSchmo Frets: 170

    Cheers, I see that option - I have no such skills so would need to pass on a design to GB, I guess I'd need to make contact and see what format they need to work with. I also worry that if I use generic templates they could actually be wrong in some way.

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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3053
    edited February 2020
    GB wont do a Fender headstock....if thats what you want you might as well go for Mighty Mite or Allparts...
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • SchmoSchmo Frets: 170
    paulnb57 said:
    GB wont do a Fender headstock....if thats what you want you might as well go for Might Mite or Allaparts

    You misunderstand - I realise that but would like to use a "F" type as a base template and go from there...
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  • ArchtopDaveArchtopDave Frets: 1368
    I've made 3 guitars ground up from blocks of wood on Mark Bailey's Build Your Own Guitar Courses. I designed the Headstock for each guitar. I just drew them on paper with care using a set square to keep the things, that need to be correctly aligned, at a right angle. You also need to work off a centre line as well. You need to decide on the Nut width that you wish to use, and also which tuners. You should be able to find the tuner dimensions on the internet, so that you know where the tuning posts will be - you can then draw lines from the nut slots to the tuners to make sure that the strings won't snag each other. Additionally draw in the tuner buttons to make sure they they won't catch on the Headstock.

    Alternatively, if you want to base your design on one of the common Headstock shapes, then download a full sized Headstock template, and make the modifications that you want.
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  • SchmoSchmo Frets: 170
    To clarify, I've read that some online templates had the tuner holes in the wrong position ! I just want a reliable template in whatever file form, so that I can work on my own headstock outline that would not breach trademark.
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