Members JimH Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 sometimes I see high spec partsocasters and think theyt must be good value - I've realised that specs mean very little to me - a good qualtiy guitar is a good quality guitar and whether I bond with it or not is pretty random. - So therefore there may be a bargain out there. But then I wonder why they ditched it. any thoughts/experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newbuilder Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 It can be a great move...sometimes a partscaster is a fun project and doesn't make it into your main lineup and gets sold to buy or aquire more gear. On most of the ones I have sold I took a loss on the parts and the buyer/trader got a hell of a deal that cost wise was just a tad more than the price of the warmoth neck. I would look at the ones being sold for around $300, that is where the real deals are. As far as how good of a deal, make sure you reference the parts used and see what you are getting first, or if you have the chance to play it first, then awsome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 Depends. Usually partcasters are built by the owner to very specific tastes and preferences. There are a lot of options out there so that they may not be the ones you're looking for. Is the neck radius and shape you want? Fret size? Bridge type? Pickups? High quality parts or bargain basement specials? Take a look at the owner. If he's a total beginner, the guitar may not be assembled or setup correctly. If it's from an experienced player, the guitar may be better as a whole. You might also find a partcasater that has everything you want except for maybe one component and you would only make a small mod to get it perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 I did recently. Payed peanuts for it and ended up liking it so much that I sometimes gig it over my Gibson. Partscasters are a gamble for sure though, especially if you can't play it first. Simply because it's new and I love posting pics: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members twotimingpete Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 partscaster guitars are fine but the resale value blows.. so make sure you don't pay much for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wartoxin Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 I would only do so if I carefully examined the guitar first. Otherwise they may have measurements wrong,or other issues, and they're too inexperienced to know. So not mail order for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 As others have said, if you can play it first, you may find an awesome guitar. I've built two partscasters - one from USA Fender parts, one from MIM Fender parts. Both guitars turned out really well, and the USA one trumps just about any other Strat for me. It's built to my liking, and I set it up very well. Others may not love it as much as me, but all that really matters is that I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scolfax Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 I have one that I priced to sell, lots of high-spec parts but no bites. I can totally understand why, there's some risk involved. Pretty sure if it was hanging on a wall and someone put it in their hands they would know it was an absolute bargain before they even played a note on it. Having said that, I would want lots of details from a seller before I bought a partsocaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members notjonahbutnoah Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 partscaster guitars are fine but the resale value blows.. so make sure you don't pay much for one. This is very good advice. Buy them cheap and to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 Partscasters are much more valuable if they're disassembled and parted out. When someone sells a partscaster in still-assembled form, I automatically think the seller is looking for quick cash and can't be bothered to break it down and sell the parts one at a time. As a potential buyer, I always see something about a partscaster that dulls its desirability. There always seems to be some compromise, some bottom-of-the-parts-drawer part, something that's half-assed, or some corners cut here and there. It's the tire-kicking that drives the prices down on assembled partscasters. But on the flip side, sometimes there's one sweet detail, like a great pickup or a good set of tuners, that makes a rather ordinary partscaster desirable. Nevertheless, a partscaster is typically not worth the sum of its parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted April 4, 2011 Members Share Posted April 4, 2011 I sold "Bride of Frankentele" a few weeks ago for $200. I had more into it than that so IMHO he got a great deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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