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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: Revok]
#23797914 - 11/03/16 02:42 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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If you need a cheap decent guitar check Craigslist Reverb and ebay! I bet you can find something pretty damn solid for 100-300$ or so.
If you want to buy new check these guys out:
http://www.rondomusic.com/electricguitar.html
Electric guitars starting at 80$! They have some pretty nice/ beautiful stuff too and even go into the high end territory with 10 string scalloped fret guitars for 900$ 
Whatever you are looking to spend I bet you can find something nice on Rondo 
Guitar center is great for trying stuff out but they are pretty taxed so I highly recommend shopping around or buying used.
Thanks though! I plan on a natural oil finish to try and bring out the wood grain and here is my plan for the rest of the guitar so far:
P90 sized humbucker in the neck.
Single coil or single sized humbucker w a coils split so I can run it as a single or dual coil for the middle.
Humbucker most likely also coil split in the bridge.
Not sure on the wiring but I may try a triple humbucker les paul style with 3 volume controls and a master tone.
Quote:
mctaveesh said: Mmm yeah I'm looking around Ebay and found a few good pieces.
There's also a garage sale thing in my neighborhood this month so maybe I'll get lucky and find something decent.
I need an electric, too. I can play acoustic, but the electric is really what I'm addicted to and love. I'll probably put in around $400 or so and have one in a month or two.
It's killing me though, but I can wait a little bit for a half-way decent setup.
What kind of electric would you prefer? Personally I would recommend looking for a solid but cheaper guitar to pimp out.
That way you have more extra $ for any upgrades or other gear you may want. It's an addicting hobby I have a gear addiction for sure 
Quote:
Revok said: Is that a couple of humbuckers in a single coil?
You mean the body I picked? Yeah it is fit for a humbucker in the neck/ bridge and a single coil in the mid. Perfect for what I have planned!
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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mctaveesh
StrangerInAStrangeLand



Registered: 04/01/16
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: musiclover420]
#23797941 - 11/03/16 02:53 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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A natural oil finish is a great look.
I'm definitely not buying at Guitar Center. We used to have a nice local Guitar shop that was veryyy cheap and had great stuff. But right after Guitar Center came to my city about a year ago, that place went outta business quick. Oh well.
Wow, you know what, I completely forgot about that site! I haven't looked at guitars in a while but I remember having that site as a bookmark a while back. There are a couple of decent guitars on that site for under $300. I'll have to bookmark a couple of those.
Thanks a lot, man!
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LogicaL Chaos said: "humans are like cubes, lots of strains but cubes a cube. Not much difference really."
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searching



Registered: 06/08/11
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: mctaveesh]
#23797974 - 11/03/16 03:05 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Nice man. I've been wanting to build a project guitar too. But mine was going to be based on the ibanez joe satriani model. I freaking love my JS1000.
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: mctaveesh]
#23797975 - 11/03/16 03:05 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Yeah I really love oil finishes. I have 2 cheap solid painted guitars that I intend to either sand down and re finish with oil or just paint over 
Glad to hear you are wise to guitarcenter already After getting ripped off by them a few times I have never looked back.
Occasionally I see a used listing on their site that tempts me, that is how I got my bass amp actually! But in general they suck majorly.
It really is sad how big stores like that fuck over the cooler local guys... The music industry is crazy competitive and cutthroat.
You're very welcome man I always forget about Rondo too until I start thinking about cheap guitars I wish I had waited and got some of mine off there.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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tealeaf
Just Touch It



Registered: 09/21/06
Posts: 2,907
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: mctaveesh] 1
#23797997 - 11/03/16 03:11 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Put together this Tele for around $300/$350. Selling it soon since I have too many guitars, 4 of which are Telecasters.
Love your guitar body
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tealeaf
Just Touch It



Registered: 09/21/06
Posts: 2,907
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: tealeaf]
#23798014 - 11/03/16 03:14 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Fyi, I ordered a few things from guitar fetish and ime they have some pretty crappy stuff. Stewmac was always my go-to
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: tealeaf]
#23798052 - 11/03/16 03:25 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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That is a beautiful tele Love the pickguard and rail pup in the neck! I hope to sell off a few of my extras as well soon 
Quote:
tealeaf said: Fyi, I ordered a few things from guitar fetish and ime they have some pretty crappy stuff. Stewmac was always my go-to
What did you order? Wood or electronics? The only other thing of theirs I have tried is their Dual drive OD TS clone which was pretty solid for the price 
I want to try out their modboards eventually: http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-MODboards_c_204.html
They have some classic effects designed to be installed and controlled from the guitar! The wah/chorus/compressor/OD all interest me a ton.
I will probably buy all the hardware for my guitar project from various places, wherever I can find the best deals. Probably will be ebay
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: musiclover420]
#23798129 - 11/03/16 03:44 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Also one more thing about GFS, they do a lot of re selling so the quality isn't necessarily theirs to control 
The neck/ body I bought for example are from a factory buyout and probably came from the leftovers of some old factories stock for random name brands.
If you check their clearance they have some Xaviere guitars they are selling pretty cheap + wholesale priced OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) pickups that were "made for a famous guitar brand" but the order was canceled so they are blowing out overwound pickup sets for 15$ - 30$ including humbuckers with chrome covers which often go for 40-50$ a piece! So even if they are only decent its a great deal I bet.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: musiclover420]
#23819970 - 11/10/16 02:24 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Just got the body/ neck! The neck is more gorgeous then I imagined, definitely needs some love though 
The neck pocket seems a bit messed up but thankfully it still seems to fit alright. The nut spot on the neck is also messed up but should be fixable:
 
 
I really love those inlays! Gave em a quick wipe so they would shine for the camera 
Now I just need to sand like crazy and pick an oil finish... Probably will wait on buying the hardware until I get the body assembled and finished to make sure it comes together alright. Then I am going to map out the wiring I intend to go with. Just realized I will need back panels for it, thankfully I bought some custom wooden ones from Greece awhile back so I will have to mail them some tracings for 2 more!
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
Edited by musiclover420 (11/10/16 02:28 PM)
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birdeatingspider
Stranger in Paradise



Registered: 12/18/14
Posts: 2,994
Loc: so many roads
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: musiclover420]
#23820487 - 11/10/16 05:44 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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This is awesome!
I'd imagine building your own creates a fine tuned bond between you and your guitar. 
Where did you get the parts from? Is it expensive? This is definitely something I could see myself doing.
Oh, and would it be possible to paint/prismacolor the body, then clear coat it?
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From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: birdeatingspider]
#23820552 - 11/10/16 06:04 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thank you! I already have bonded with this neck/ body a bit just picking them out The body fits my side really comfortably too and its not even smooth!
I put a link in the OP but here it is http://www.guitarfetish.com/Factory-Buyout-Clearance-Sale_c_411.html
The bodies are mostly 25$ with some being a bit more or less depending on their condition. All the necks I have seen are 15$ and the shipping was 18$ making it just under 60$ for em both. They are so cheap becouse it is a factory buyout sale so there is a lot of old wood bodies/ necks in need of TLC. The ones I picked will need a lot of work just to finish but you can pick already finished ones. I have seen some listings of very quality bodies/ necks that sold in minutes literally. So check back daily as they have been coming and going like clockwork.
I don't know much about finishes/ paint jobs but I don't see why a clear coat or gloss of some sort would work over paint. See through finishes are achieved using colored water that you use on freshly sanded wood I believe followed by a clear coat for protection and to bring the colors out. Clear coats can be cool but I like the feel of wood.
One of my guitars has a cracked clear gloss coating that has fractured all around the body and on part of the neck. Works fine though and honestly looks cool at some angles.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: musiclover420]
#23820659 - 11/10/16 06:33 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Also if you do decide to try along with me make sure you get the right sized neck/ body. The neck needs to be 1mm less wide then the body.
So a 57mm body needs a 56mm neck. From the little bit of research I did that is the only important factor when matching a neck/ body. Everything else is personal taste. Though if you want a simpler job look for a nice finished body/ neck that already has the tuning peg holes and routing/ electronic holes. Some necks are unfretted as well, some without fret holes even!
I was tempted to get a completely fretless neck Might try a fretless parts bass using their stuff if I can find the right stuff.
Also like I said they keep listing stuff so don't rush anything unless you see a perfect match! Took me a few weeks to find a neck/ body pair that I was happy with.
Likewise there were a few super gorgeous bodies that sold instantly when I was still deciding if I wanted to try a parts guitar or not...
They had a few quilt top maple bodies for 25$ in pretty solid condition! Also some various really unique looking bodies.
A lot of the wood is unspecified since its a re sale but I have seen some really nice high end bodies/ necks that could go for like 10x as much
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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musiclover420
psychonaut



Registered: 11/06/12
Posts: 19,563
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Putting together a guitar for the first time (for cheap) [Re: musiclover420]
#23821576 - 11/10/16 11:53 PM (7 years, 2 months ago) |
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Just learned something else important. For the guitars intonation to be proper it needs to be an equal length from the bridge to the 12th fret and from the 12th fret to the top of the neck or fingerboard. So if you buy a pre routed body that is another thing to look out for when pairing it with a neck. Thankfully the pair I got seem right but I won't know for sure until later when it has a bridge in it...
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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