Show your partscaster!

[JasonB5232]

SNAKEHEAD! No need for string trees,

Where did you get the neck?

 

[Joe Bfstplk]

Where did you get the neck?

Ah, sorry - Warmoth.

 

[Dave Merrill]

Amazing!

 

[State of Epicicity]

Meet "Rory" - short for "Rorshach". Body from Rebirth Guitar Co. in Colorado. Poplar burl on top of cherrywood. Sadly, hidden behind the bridge, a surprised tiger peeking out from behind something on the right....

Rutters hardware. Dude makes top quality bits and bobs. I LOVE his short Nocaster knobs with the coarse/sharp knurl. Got the matching switch tip to go with, and the bridge and ferrules as well.

Initial assembly and test-fit of bits.

How many different things can you see in the ink blot? At least one, Ms. Swann....

SNAKEHEAD! Courtesy of the nice folks at Warmoth. No need for string trees, and the Steinberger tuning knobs don't rub against the hanger and go out of tune like they did on the other guitar before it got its original tuners back. Stainless frets and Earvana nut to fit LSR nut slot.

Also - the nicest piece of rosewood I've seen in a LONG while on the fretboard.

Assembled and ready to play. The Dawgtown 5/2s that came out of my VZ Tele were too good to be on a shelf. Absolutely KILLER old '50s Tele tones, plus, a 4 way switch to get the series option. Snappy, twangy, and punchy AF.

Finally got the 3/8 Over control plate that I forgot to order when I got the rest of the Rutters goodies. That 3/8" extra between the knob and switch makes a HUGE difference in usability.

That's pure eye candy. I did see the surprised tiger. What a beauty. Does it sound as good as it looks? This is the guitar this guy would play:

 

[Joe Bfstplk]

That's pure eye candy. I did see the surprised tiger. What a beauty. Does it sound as good as it looks? This is the guitar this guy would play:

Thanks! It does AMAZING '50s Tele sounds. Super punchy, twangy, and snappy.

It all started with a $99 Hard Luck Kings Southern Belle that they blew out cheap (because the bridge wasn't properly located - as I found out much later - making the bridge pickup a bit too close to the saddles when the intonation was set, and, therefore, ear-piercingly trebly if not a super-duper-hot overwound pickup).

Not knowing this at the time (I didn't get out a ruler and measure until later), I got a Lawrence L202TN for the neck and a L48TL for the bridge to get the hum cancelling going on. The L48TL was not hot enough, and the pickup being that close to the saddles made it weak and ice-picky.

So I upgraded the bridge pickup to the Fralin HO Split Blade seeking a bit more balls, and got a better bridge for it from Rutters, all to no avail, as the bridge was located wrongly.

The Fralin and L202TN sat in the drawer next to the L48TL for a while after I put Lawrence L90s in the other $99 HLK guitar (a Lucky Lady 24-fret "Explorer" that Gibson probably sent them a nastygram about, as the shape changed on the subsequent ones) and shifted its slightly too-hot HBs into the Southern Belle. Great improvement for both, and the Belle ended up with a friend in FL who was down on his luck and needed a guitar.

So the VZ Tele I bought in 2021 was bought with the idea of "I have this Fralin and the L202TN in the drawer that I'd like to put in a nice Tele" (which was why I bought the HLK Southern Belle to begin with - a mod platform to test Tele pickups), but the pickups in it sounded FANTASTIC, and it bugged me to see them going to waste on the shelf. That's what convinced me to buy Rory (along with the incredibly beautiful top). I wanted to build a Tele to put the Dawgtowns into.

 

[State of Epicicity]

Thanks! It does AMAZING '50s Tele sounds. Super punchy, twangy, and snappy.

It all started with a $99 Hard Luck Kings Southern Belle that they blew out cheap (because the bridge wasn't properly located - as I found out much later - making the bridge pickup a bit too close to the saddles when the intonation was set, and, therefore, ear-piercingly trebly if not a super-duper-hot overwound pickup).

Not knowing this at the time (I didn't get out a ruler and measure until later), I got a Lawrence L202TN for the neck and a L48TL for the bridge to get the hum cancelling going on. The L48TL was not hot enough, and the pickup being that close to the saddles made it weak and ice-picky.

So I upgraded the bridge pickup to the Fralin HO Split Blade seeking a bit more balls, and got a better bridge for it from Rutters, all to no avail, as the bridge was located wrongly.

The Fralin and L202TN sat in the drawer next to the L48TL for a while after I put Lawrence L90s in the other $99 HLK guitar (a Lucky Lady 24-fret "Explorer" that Gibson probably sent them a nastygram about, as the shape changed on the subsequent ones) and shifted its slightly too-hot HBs into the Southern Belle. Great improvement for both, and the Belle ended up with a friend in FL who was down on his luck and needed a guitar.

So the VZ Tele I bought in 2021 was bought with the idea of "I have this Fralin and the L202TN in the drawer that I'd like to put in a nice Tele" (which was why I bought the HLK Southern Belle to begin with - a mod platform to test Tele pickups), but the pickups in it sounded FANTASTIC, and it bugged me to see them going to waste on the shelf. That's what convinced me to buy Rory (along with the incredibly beautiful top). I wanted to build a Tele to put the Dawgtowns into.

Man, I hate to read you went through so much with the first one, only to realize too late there was the inherent problem. There's nothing like fighting a harshness you can't overcome. I've dealt with that before in my own way, and it takes the joy out of it.

Awesome to know this guitar, and the pickups that were waiting for it, are fully realizing their potential! Happy punch twang!

 

[Joe Bfstplk]

Man, I hate to read you went through so much with the first one, only to realize too late there was the inherent problem. There's nothing like fighting a harshness you can't overcome. I've dealt with that before in my own way, and it takes the joy out of it.

Awesome to know this guitar, and the pickups that were waiting for it, are fully realizing their potential! Happy punch twang!

It was a $99 guitar, and all ended up well with the HBs out of the Lucky Lady and it landing in my friend's hands....

 

[David McCarroll]

Posted elsewhere but what the heck - Warmoth based partscaster. Solid one piece Rosewood neck, Alder body, Barden pickups with all sorts of interesting things happening with push/pull pots, Wilkinson/Gotoh trem and Sperzel locking machine heads. A very enjoyable beast and my main "Strat" for quite a few years.

 

[Reet]

Heres my Warmoth strat!

Alder body (chambered)
Wenge neck
Macassar ebony board
SS dunlop 6100 frets
Hipshot tuners
Dimarzio Paf Pro in the bridge and and Area 58's in the neck and middle

 

[Planta Fantasma]

Here's an oddball partscaster of sorts. Everything on it is custom made; but parts, nonetheless....
Solid Honduran Mahogany body, Coco Bolo neck & fretboard w/ 1.750" nut, Ray Olsen prototype bridge, hand wound Jeff Callahan P-90,
circuit board pickguard.
I made a batch of 13 Strat bodies 13 years ago now & this was the last one sitting on my shelf. The neck was originally on another build that had a standard 6 hole trem bridge. Instead of plugging the holes & altering a perfectly good body, I opted to give my friend this one w/o arm or belly bevels & he was thrilled since it was different than the norm......
This guitar has an incredibly unique metallic sound from the aluminum bridge & a spank from the Coco Bolo fretboard.
When paired w/ the P-90 in the neck it has a massively thick low end & a sharp attack when picked.
This will make a really cool slide guitar.

 

[State of Epicicity]

Ray Olsen prototype bridge

Holy crap. That is awesome! You never ever ever see these things in the wild! Years ago I talked to him about his RTO trem, and he was at that point not willing to sell it on its own; it was going to have to install it himself, I guess to make sure it was set up properly. How did the trem work for you in your testing? How was the tone? So cool.

 

[Planta Fantasma]

Here are some more Strat style that I've made over the years. Always trying different woods, electronics, bolt patterns, finishes, inlays & even decals.
If necessity is the mother of invention, than innovation is the path to discovery. You can't just take someone else's word for it all the time.
You have to get out there & check it out for yourselves.
I recently sold the teal one towards the end to fund my AxeFX3 & FC-12 MK2 package. I hated to see her go, but I've already ordered torrefied Maple & Swamp Ash for my new replacement.

Cheers!

 

[Dave Merrill]

Here's an oddball partscaster of sorts. Everything on it is custom made; but parts, nonetheless....
Solid Honduran Mahogany body, Coco Bolo neck & fretboard w/ 1.750" nut, Ray Olsen prototype bridge, hand wound Jeff Callahan P-90,
circuit board pickguard.
I made a batch of 13 Strat bodies 13 years ago now & this was the last one sitting on my shelf. The neck was originally on another build that had a standard 6 hole trem bridge. Instead of plugging the holes & altering a perfectly good body, I opted to give my friend this one w/o arm or belly bevels & he was thrilled since it was different than the norm......
This guitar has an incredibly unique metallic sound from the aluminum bridge & a spank from the Coco Bolo fretboard.
When paired w/ the P-90 in the neck it has a massively thick low end & a sharp attack when picked.
This will make a really cool slide guitar.

That. Is. Very. Very. Cool.

 

[Planta Fantasma]

Holy crap. That is awesome! You never ever ever see these things in the wild! Years ago I talked to him about his RTO trem, and he was at that point not willing to sell it on its own; it was going to have to install it himself, I guess to make sure it was set up properly. How did the trem work for you in your testing? How was the tone? So cool.

One of my old school friends has known Ray for years. He was able to acquire his one & only prototype & it had been installed on a Strat I built w/ an arm bevel. When they showed me the trem hanging over the arm bevel & not sitting flat I told him about my extra body that would be a better fit. So I swapped it out this week & he just picked it up today.
Ray originally made the bridge as an alternative to a Floyd. He hated how all the strings went flat when another string was bent. So that was his deal w/ this. It actually works really well. The tolerance between saddles is to NASA spec. His machinist skills are awesome.
I think it could use another spring, but they're not anything out of the guitar industry, so I'd need to look into the specs of adding another one.
Action wise, it's smooth as silk, but still needs a bit of refining. If you use it gently it was great. To be honest, I got it tuned up, but didn't do a great deal of string stretching. I don't see the design replacing a Floyd, but it's main function of staying in tune while bending other strings worked out very well.
I'm a major Floyd fan, so I don't mind the fact that they go a little flat when bent. Not to mention, there are many ways to overcome this w/ trem setters if it's an issue.
The overall tone of the Olsen trem was a bit metallic. It's hard to describe since it's a one of a kind bridge. I haven't encountered anything yet that sounds like it.

 

[State of Epicicity]

One of my old school friends has known Ray for years. He was able to acquire his one & only prototype & it had been installed on a Strat I built w/ an arm bevel. When they showed me the trem hanging over the arm bevel & not sitting flat I told him about my extra body that would be a better fit. So I swapped it out this week & he just picked it up today.
Ray originally made the bridge as an alternative to a Floyd. He hated how all the strings went flat when another string was bent. So that was his deal w/ this. It actually works really well. The tolerance between saddles is to NASA spec. His machinist skills are awesome.
I think it could use another spring, but they're not anything out of the guitar industry, so I'd need to look into the specs of adding another one.
Action wise, it's smooth as silk, but still needs a bit of refining. If you use it gently it was great. To be honest, I got it tuned up, but didn't do a great deal of string stretching. I don't see the design replacing a Floyd, but it's main function of staying in tune while bending other strings worked out very well.
I'm a major Floyd fan, so I don't mind the fact that they go a little flat when bent. Not to mention, there are many ways to overcome this w/ trem setters if it's an issue.
The overall tone of the Olsen trem was a bit metallic. It's hard to describe since it's a one of a kind bridge. I haven't encountered anything yet that sounds like it.

I never got to try a TransTrem, and the concept is very cool to me. I actually found a guitar with a Washburn Wonderbar, and that looks kind of like the RTO. I thought about this, compared the effect of a Digitech Whammy, and ended up still on the side of the Floyd, because I think it's actually great to go massively out of tune in a dive then pull back into tune. The big advantage to me for this relative tuning offset trem would be if he introduced a way to lock into downtuned settings, like the actual TransTrem.

 

[State of Epicicity]

To me the ideal trem would allow for locking in different degrees of downtuning, like the TransTrem, plus a way to switch between in tune and out of tune dives, even while downtuned.

 

[SJB]

Here’s mine….True temperament neck (Texas TT), locking tuners, Babicz full contact bridge saddles, 80s Demarzio Distortion at bridge, single coil Jeff Beck in the middle and some kinda Duncan at the neck (stuff in my parts cache). The pickguard was made by Mike Quick at “Quickguards”.

 

[State of Epicicity]

Here’s mine….True temperament neck (Texas TT), locking tuners, Babicz full contact bridge saddles, 80s Demarzio Distortion at bridge, single coil Jeff Beck in the middle and some kinda Duncan at the neck (stuff in my parts cache). The pickguard was made by Mike Quick at “Quickguards”.

I love it! I'd go for a true temperament neck in a second. How's the tone of the Babicz? And where'd you get the body?

 

[scottp]

Here are some more Strat style that I've made over the years. Always trying different woods, electronics, bolt patterns, finishes, inlays & even decals.
If necessity is the mother of invention, than innovation is the path to discovery. You can't just take someone else's word for it all the time.
You have to get out there & check it out for yourselves.
I recently sold the teal one towards the end to fund my AxeFX3 & FC-12 MK2 package. I hated to see her go, but I've already ordered torrefied Maple & Swamp Ash for my new replacement.

Cheers!

So Nice!!!

 

[SJB]

@State of Epicicity
The Babicz saddles are great - less an effect on tone, and more on sustain to my ears in comparison to the old saddles. I bought the body as parts from an eBay seller. There was some adjustment (routing) required to get the scale length correct. I built it for the purpose of trying the TT neck. It’s nice, and sounds really great - chords in tune all the way up the neck. Tight.