Will it be worth the effort?

[dragonman]

I enjoy playing my Squier CV 50, but have always hankered (please excuse pun) after a "proper" strat like an American Standard.
Having been browsing the web for some time, and using a set of Kinman imp 54s which I already have, I can purchase brand new genuine Fender parts to build an American Standard for approximately £750, as it will not be necessary to by electrics,as I also have the Kinman K5 solder less harness.

I m making the presumption that the finished article will in fact give me that "strat sound" that is to some extent lacking in the tone I get from my Squier.

Could any members who have undertaken a similar project give me their views on whether this is a viable project, and whether they feel any benefit would be worth it (before I commit my precious pension).

Thanks guys and keep the great music coming.

Hwyl Fawr

Richard

[Hollander4]

Hello Richard,
You're going to get a lot of opinions on the subject. Like others I've been chasing "That Sound" for a few years. I've had a 2000 Fender USA Standard Strat and sold it. Nothing wrong with the guitar but my Mexican strat with 57/62 pickups Yamaha Magic Stomp and a MXR EQ pedal gives me a very good sound.
Cheers
Gus.

[twang46]

Hi Richard

For less than £750 you can buy a very nice US Strat & also make some cash by selling the pickups if you wish.

However the satisfaction of putting together your own Strat & getting things exactly the way you want may outweigh the savings financially.

There's also the s/hand resale value that may become an issue if you ever decide to sell your "bitsa" Strat.

If you can, try & compare a USA Strat along with your Squire CV 50's................... you may be surprised at the outcome

Dick.

[dragonman]

Hi Gus
Had a mex a few years ago. I like the squire to play, but feel the quality of the neck, and the cheaper wood in the body detracts from the open "bell" like sound that I hear from a true strat, and which is what I'm really looking for.

Hi Dick
Thanks for your views. I had contemplated buying second hand, but my mate Paul got caught, and it cost him a lot of wonga so I'm very wary. Also it's difficult to ascertain the true condition and amount of wear and stress, whereas on a self build I will know all parts are genuine Fender and brand new. I will of course only buy from an authenticated and properly authorised Fender dealer.

Cheers
Richard

[kipper]

richard if you want it and have the money go for it. if you buy a decent one in good condition you will get the money back or most of it if you decide to sell. i hankered after a top custom shop fender and went ahead and brought one, didnt really give me that sound, but was a brilliant strat sound. but the pleasure it brought me was worth every penny. i sold it brought another which i do regret selling a custom shop eric clapton, then a gibson sg top of the range i sold that as well. but the point is i got great pleasure from just owning such brilliant guitars, and they were worth every penny, and by buying quality stuff i dont think i lost any money at all in fact i made a couple pounds. if i hadnt brought them i would still be saying what if. go for it . good luck. peter

[Steve Reynolds]

the one bit of advice I would give is try it first, there are some high quality guitars that aren't very good and there are some cheaper stuff that are fantastic. I own a Custom Shop 56 and have had numerous issues, frets not fitted correctly etc. I had a Squier Simon Neil Strat previous and they are fantastic guitars and are better than a lot of Fender stuff.

Re the sound, ive tried a lot of different guitars and with the right settings any single coil strat with a decent echo box and amp will get you there or there abouts

[localhero]

I own a real '63 Strat and it sounds the business, along with three other USA Strats, but I bought a Squier CV Strat to investigate and it sounded as good as the real deal. I could have made a living with it no problem. I sold it to a friend who had to sell his Custom Shop Hank signature Strat because he fell on hard times and he adores it. What I'm saying is there's nothing wrong with the materials or the pickups. You could end up worse off.

[somebodyelseuk]

Hiya,
My advise. Mod the CV Strat. It's a good base to start from. If you're not happy with the sound.
THE main difference between the US and the others is the amount of effort put into finishing the frets and general spraying. If you must have 'Fender' on the head, try a Mexican reissue. The difference between Mexican made and US made is the Mexicans who make the US ones get better wages and 'a dental plan' - the factories are only a few miles apart. If it's got to be a US one, you can buy a used one for less than your budget.
Woods? Ash, alder and maple grows on trees in the States. It's plentiful and cheap - there's only about £30 worth in a custom shop Strat. Screw some metal to it and add pickups and it becomes largely irrelevant. It's proven.
It's worth it for the 'feel good' factor, but the sound and finish is down to your skills and the quality of your amp.
Also, bear in mind, Fender don't sell logos to anyone, so any you buy are counterfeits and, technically, you're breaking the law by using them.
Cheers, Julian

[Rick]

Not wishing to veer away too much from the Strat debate,I have owned and am still gigging with it,A 79 Gibson Les paul deluxe.
I also own a Gould Les Paul copy.I bought the Gould for my son who unfortunately did not use this gift.I ensured in the shop at the time that i would be able to set this Guitar up to play as well as my Gibson does.
This i did,& like my les,the Gould almost plays itself.Yes i have played half sets with the Gould,The only thing is that the pick-ups let it down somewhat.
I may well change the pick-ups and purchase a pair of Gibson mini humbuckers as is on my Les.After this mod,i am sure that the Gould will give me many years of stage use as my Les has done.albeit for the odd fret dress or re fret.
So there it is,A £100 copy Guitar that i have set up to be the equal of my ole Les,though the quality of the materials in the Gibson speaks for itself & aspecially after all this time. Best wishes,Rick.

[mojolomjl]

Hi Richard,

I think it all comes down to the cost, if you can afford it then why not as you can always sell it on
without too much loss if you don't think it is worth the extra money.

Best regards,

Maurice.

[brileary]

As mentioned above, provenance of a guitar when re-selling is so important. It has to have history ie, made in Corona California and the searchable serial number.

Bri

[murraysanders]

I own a 1995 standard a 1996 62 vintage reissue , a 2007 custom shop a 1999 John Matos look a like , all USA Stratocasters , and a 2010 Mex classic with kinmans and the k5 harness , the Mex kills them all for sound , my advice would be put the kinmans in and see what you think about them.

[harley]

I have to echo what others have said. play a CV, a MIM and a USA side by side. So little in it. A high end MIM is as good as most USA stuff, some are USA strats assembled in Mexico. Only way to know is to try them back to back. Believe me, it is a real eye opener

regards
Ian

[DaveC]

Hi Richard,

The single (and important) advantage of a factory made US Strat is that it retains or even increases its value. This only applies if you don't alter it in any way -- and you know you wouldn't be able to resist!

If you assemble it yourself, from parts, then it isn't factory made -- it's a "Bitsa" and no better than any other Strat.

Regards,
DaveC.

[carlos65]

Hi Richard

I bought all my body and neck parts from Warmoth in USA to my exact specs I then bought genuine gold Fender hardware and Gotoh tuners etc I then had it assembled by a reputable guitar luthier, the result best guitar I have ever owned period, I have had a standard USA strat a genuine custom shop 62 strat and a MIJ strat none come close to my Warmoth in quality or sound I was actually offered £3000 cash for my Warmoth at a gig, to purchase all the parts and have assembled probably cost me £1000 tops, I bought the parts from Warmoth Body and Neck and had them finished (body Fiesta Red nitrolose) neck satin finish and with the frets fitted and the body pre routed and drilled for electrics and bridge when the pound was worth more than $2, yes a genuine strat holds its value better but this is subjective and if you find or build the right guitar this is priceless to you as the musician and to other musicians in the know.

Regards

Carlos

[Deleted]

I would advise you have a look at the G&L instruments......I bought a new USA Legacy 20 years ago, it's still going strong, sounds the business and hasn't had a fault.
G&L as you may know was Leo's final company housed in the original Fender factory and the guitars are still hand built more or less but not at silly custom shop prices...
Also the refinements that Leo built into what was really his 'final' Strat are very good and make for a quality instrument....Paul....

[localhero]

I'll second what Paul has said about the G&L guitars. I have the less expensive Far East built S-500 and it's as good as my USA Strats.

[jay]

.....to me, you always make a lot of good sense in your posts, but......maple ash and alder do not grow on trees
as they are trees.....smile!

Jay

[brileary]

Hi Carlos, It may be so that a Bitsa constructed from Fender parts from Warmouth has the sound and playability you seek--a sort of self specified custom shop guitar. However 20 or thirty years down the line the likelihood of its monetary value being met will not match that of a USA Strat--you may be lucky but as I mentioned above, where's the serial number to validate a genuine Fender? You may have parts supplied by Fender from a retail outfit but in the eyes of a future prospective purchaser it isn't a Fender from Corona.

Bri

[carlos65]

You are right it wont have the same monetary value as a genuine Fender years down the line but that's not the point for me its how it looks feels and how it plays and how it sounds that to me is priceless I have compared it to the Hank Marvin 40th anniversary custom shop guitar and I would not swap my Warmoth for it. If I was into making a financial investment then I would buy a custom shop guitar but for me that's not what is about. I have a Gibson les Paul standard £1500 and I also have the Lemon drop Vintage that cost me £90 secondhand now guess which guitar is the best for the sound and playability, My Gibson stays in its case cause the Lemon Drop blows it away.

Regards Carlos

[dragonman]

Hi Everybody

Many thanks for all your advice and help.

I have changed direction slightly. Used to own a MIM, and the sound was definitely superior to my Squier.
I have ordered a Fender vintage replacement neck (MIM) with soft V profile, 7.5 radius and vintage style frets.
Approx half the price of a US neck. One of my friends replaced the neck on his guitar (import) and it transformed the sound. Had a play of it a few days ago, and loved the feel of the V profile. Its a really well built neck with a lovely finish, and despite being on a cheap (believed to be basswood) body, the sound was very very good.

Let the build commence. I will in due course post progress in the correct board on the site.

Again, many thanks for everybodys help.

Cheers
Richard

[murraysanders]

Sound is what people are looking for , if it sounds horrible they won't touch it no matter if it is a custom shop or what ever , Blackie was a bitsa made out of 3 stratocasters may have had his boost circuit in it also , I can't remember , and it fetched $959,500 US , in 2004 , It wasn't a pretty guitar but if it didn't sound good Clapton would not have used it , and swapping the electrics can always be reversed without any detriment to the guitar especially if you keep the electrics on the original plate and just swap plates , Richard I just put a Musikraft quarter sawn neck on a strat with Gotoh tuners and I installed a LSR roller nut and boy did that make a difference to the sound of that particular guitar , good luck with your venture , best regards Murray

[dragonman]

Hi Murray
Haven't got the budget for a blackie unfortunately Lol. Looking forward to getting started.
Cheers
Richard