Fender Custom Shop alternatives

[Prawnik]

I've been holding my tongue, but if you are building a Fender-type guitar, my advice is to build your own.

It is easy and fun.

[AndyR]

^ have to admit, I've been wondering about this off and on - no room to do it where we live at the moment though... (I feel there's more room than my missus does, but there's still not enough to do this :lol:)

[Prawnik]

^ have to admit, I've been wondering about this off and on - no room to do it where we live at the moment though... (I feel there's more room than my missus does, but there's still not enough to do this :lol:)

If you buy parts (as opposed to make them), it doesn't generate sawdust or require much room. The biggest mess made assembling a guitar is in cutting the nut.

[tomjackson]

Pre-cut Tusq nut every time!

[horsehead]

I can do simple things, but don't wanna take the chance of really balls'ing it up to be honest.

Though saying that, I've just seen this on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320492240367&_trksid=p2759.l1259

[Andrew W]

I can do simple things, but don't wanna take the chance of really balls'ing it up to be honest.

Though saying that, I've just seen this on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320492240367&_trksid=p2759.l1259

I really wouldn't worry too much about building yourself, especially something Fender-like from parts.  I have a Leatherman, my girlfriend's soldering iron, a set of Allen keys and a £10 toolkit from Muji and that's what I've used to assemble my builds.  I would be lying if I said it wouldn't have been quicker and easier with proper tools but as long as you aren't routing/sawing etc. it's amazing what you can get by on. 

I also live in a very small flat so space is at a premium too but that's been OK too.  The tricky part of the process for me was doing all the research and making sure that the bits I ordered would all fit together properly but if you do that it's reasonably plain sailing, so far at least.

[Prawnik]

Pre-cut Tusq nut every time!

One thing I recommend is cutting your own nut, or if you have a pre-cut nut, then re-working it. You can do surpisingly good work with a set of welding torch cleaners as files.

A well-cut nut that fits the specific guitar and strings is one of the (cheap) things that sets an outstanding guitar from an OK one, IMHO.

This can also be done with a factory guitar; careful attention to detail here will pay off big-time.

[horsehead]

I now have serious case of gas for this lovely guitar

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=320494601135&Category=33034&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

[AndyR]

The paint or what's left (:lol:) doesn't grab me too much, but the bare alder looks YUM!

For a moment there I was thinking, hmmm... strip my roadworn a bit further... but then I saw reason.

I'm not exactly sure how they get the wood looking like that - but my little bare patch on my roadworn is starting to look better. I figured out that, if it was me gigging, it would be acid sweat soaking into it, so it gets a little offering of salt and vinegar solution every few days :lol:

[Searcher]

If you're thinking of relicing a guitar yourself, there is a lot of good info here:

http://www.reranch.com/reranch/viewtopic.php?t=9079

[Prawnik]

Some brief relicing advice:

1. Study the way wear forms on a real guitar; and
2. Less often looks more realistic when it comes to relicing.