BUILDING A PARTS-CASTER! PRE-CBS, KINGTONE, MJT and CUSTOM SHOP PARTS!

[@74dartman13]

I'm glad you recorded this. Great video!👍😎🎸🎶

[@brendantso4749]

I enjoyed this build! It reminds me of Stevie's red strat! Keep it up!

[@georgebentley-ricardo9445]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing. You're lucky to have a friend like Matthew Scott too. 😃🎸

[@dyamariv3628]

Heck yeah Nik!! This is one of your best videos, can't believe you weren't going to record it!!.. Love your channel, you"re just a regular dude who loves guitars and working on them like I do, keep it up brother!! Peace

[@content-appreciator]

Nice to be both entertained and educated. More of this would be cool.

[@sixstringcity3931]

From the comments you’re definitely helping get people inspired. Great vids as always man!

[@Nicko30able]

Sure glad you decided to post this. So inspired.

[@BRADCOOKMUSIC]

Awesome Nik This has Given me the confidence to have a go at doing something similar in the future. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the great content on your channel ☺️

[@3dthenotme877]

Sweet build. Love the reverse headstock!!

[@mikefenton5634]

The bird sounds in the background have become a signature sound of your videos and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[@Pudge4400]

I think that's a dying battery in a smoke detector....

[@trentc7329]

@@Pudge4400 Thank god someone said it in comments. It's 12.30am and I was afraid I was going to have to get the ladder out and find which of our five detectors it was.

[@robinspat]

Really great video, with caveats, I’d have painted the cavities with electronic noise suppression paint and used copper tape to line too, and cover the underside of the scratch plate ;). Also, buy two bottles of old style Grolsch beer and retain the two red rubber washers off the bottle as strap locks 😉. Retro look and practical utility with yer inexpensive Ernie Ball webbing strap ❤ My latest discovery Nordland ODR-C overdrive pedal FYI to add to that gorgeous build.

[@donaldnelson8764]

I love the MJT bodies, I've purchased 7 of them, three of them are all custom shop necks and parts which I gig with, four of them are allparts necks and AVRI hardware with various loaded pickguards, JBE, Lindy Fralin etc which I have sold to very happy buyers. Keep up the great work.

[@paulcowart3174]

Very cool 👍 Have you needed any shims with the MjTs I have one w a 65 neck and it needed one Thanks

[@donaldnelson8764]

@@paulcowart3174, I didn't answer your question right away because I was trying to remember if I had to shim any of the MJT guitars. I built three with all Fender Custom Shop parts, three with Allparts necks and AVRI parts and one hardtail with a Road Worn neck and Duncan and Fralin pickups and I only shimed one of the Allparts necks with a thin strip of paper from a Vintage Guitar Magazine blow in advertising card.

[@kyle.buss_guitar]

I’ve been building parts casters for a while now and have had some pretty awesome results!

[@richardturner5463]

Great vid, I’m in love with this Strat!!👍🎸💖

[@tylerrichman9]

Really enjoyed this video. I had MJT refinish a 52 Tele body and I was very pleased with the result. I have considered building a parts caster with with an MJT body.

[@luthiervandros]

I once justified a ground up partscaster build after finding 2 kluson tuner mounting screws in my parts bin.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Pretty much how this happened. “I just need to buy...”. Hahaha

[@luthiervandros]

Heh. Your guitar came out great. It’s def #1 material in my book! Love your rig, too.

[@_RLP]

Great video, man. This was very, very cool. Keep'em coming.

[@kassvoyson7625]

Great idea for this vid. . It’s cool seeing another tradesman doing the real thing they love. I know Richie is another one. Good stuff man.

[@tim.timothy.brennan]

Thanks Nik enjoyed your video!thinking of attempting to do the same sometime soon All the best!

[@bengalvin9932]

AWESOME JOB!!!!!!AWESOME GUITAR!!!!! and those "tone holes" in the pickguard will make it sound way better.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Hell yea!

[@thomdushane]

love the reverse headstock. Drop-D is like standard for me and on all my old guitars it worked well with the longer length to the tuner. Plus I'm a lefty, so righty necks are plentiful :D

[@SodabrotherNr1]

Looking good man, love the color

[@voxshall]

Seeing you blowing on the solder made me laugh, because I can't help myself sometimes, even though I know I shouldn't.

[@nimitz1739]

What’s wrong with blowing the smoke away? Isn’t it dangerous to inhale it?

[@voxshall]

Supposed to leave a better solder joint if you don't blow on it@@nimitz1739

[@gavinleyfield3195]

Nice man. I love a parts caster. You can really bond with something you’ve assembled yourself. Love hearing it “born” that first few notes and chords of its new life. Peace x You ever tried a rattle can nitro paint job? Lots of wet sanding but also very satisfying

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Yes. I refinished a 1969 strat with re ranch cans. It was fun

[@herringbone72]

Sounds and looks great man. Dude I love your channel. Keep up the good work.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

I thank you my friend!

[@sendjamin]

i buil a partscaster from a california series squier, refinished it in nitro LPB, relicced, stained and nitro tinted the neck, filled and redrilled for klusons, filled and redrilled backplate holes for staggered fender style (ik lol) , got all the hardware and electronics off aliexpress, 1965 style staggered alnico v pickups with gray bottom plate, vinatge style components with a trebble bleed, and a pw29 MIM bridge assebly. best guitar ive played and i built it all myself for a budget, cheers from chile!

[@nimitz1739]

I got a sunburst relict 60s body from MJT last year. The waiting list was like seven months I believe but worth it. It was fun building a parts caster. Nice to have a old looking bet up strat that didn’t cost a fortune. Put some fender custom shop pickups in it

[@jojothemojo]

I`m currently waiting for mine (MJT), and very excited about it. what kind of neck did you use for the build? was it a snug fit? (holes lined up perfectly?)

[@nimitz1739]

@@jojothemojo I forgot the neck name. But most don’t come with holes drilled because luthiers like to drill the holes while they set the neck. I did it myself it’s really not that hard

[@nimitz1739]

@@jojothemojo it was an Allparts SRO-C I found a guy that ages them and put a bone nut on it. Put some fender custom shop pickups in it and it’s sounds great!

[@jojothemojo]

Thanks a lot man! will look into that! Cheers@@nimitz1739

[@mrlepotts]

Sounds sweet

[@nimitz1739]

Looks like you did like I did with the MJT body. I left the back plate off and didn’t even bother to drill the holes for it. Lol

[@tomramah133]

Cool vid bro. That neck is damn fine! I dig the guitar.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Thanks my friend! Grateful!

[@TonyLondonUk]

Sounds amazing love the colour I want to do the same thing

[@BadMotivator66]

I’m so glad you recorded this! :D

[@MadSonStudios]

badass guitar brother wicked playing as well

[@SJCameron89]

Man this is awesome. I really want to build my own strat but having a hard time figuring out where to start.

[@dezionlion]

Nice one!

[@ianclarke3938]

sounds amazing!!!

[@xaviervansteen290]

the neck is beautiful!

[@xaviervansteen290]

the rest too, but your buddy crafted a little work of art!

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Thank you!

[@JesusRocks26]

Sounds killer.

[@zzrzz6199]

Im really digging the neck and its wear.

[@matthewjones5450]

hey brother love the guitar a simple tip when you solder the imput jack you can poke a hole thru the paper run the wires thru solder then cut paper with zero chance of burning finish

[@jordanaldrich]

Sounds great 👍

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Thank you!

[@HeyLiem]

I wonder how much of string stretching is actually just the string getting seated properly, especially around the tuning post? It just needs to get wrapped as tightly as possible around the post maybe? Something I do, tune the string to pitch, then lightly yet firmly tug at the 12th fret, pull the string away from the neck, sort of like a bow and arrow. Immediately the pitch goes lower, so I repeat this a few times until it stops. It seems to work pretty good for me. I have not consciously been thinking that I need to let the strings stretch for hours of playing, or anything like that.

[@solarismoon3046]

Those bodies are made by ALLPARTS. Don't be fooled! I've already had a talk with Mark (Jenny) about making bodies for him but I'm not able to find an ample supply of alder or ash locally to make it worth his time or mine. Good luck with your builds. I see that you are already knowing of what you have so I won't waste your time stating the obvious. Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us!

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Thanks. Its just a parts caster to have around. I still have my main one to play!

[@jeffshockey9456]

Those bodies aren't allparts bodies lol they are all cut by wildwood until they bought out usacg right down the street from them so now they can make their own bodies. You can tell the difference by looking at the worm route. He might have used some allparts bodies in the beginning but the past 4 or 5 years it's been guitar mill cutting their bodies for them. This one in the video is a guitar is a wildwood body I can tell by the worm route.

[@jeffshockey9456]

Those bodies are made by guitar mill just like the one in the video Here. I can tell its a wildwood just by looking at the worm route. Now they bought usacg to make their own bodies but I think that's all they are doing with it.

[@marclafferty6416]

Nice build I like it a lot. Can I have that other trem block 😂🤪

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Sure send me your address

[@jckknife]

I dig the out-of-phase 2nd position

[@dennislynn2955]

I'm building a guitar myself, it's a lot of fun.

[@lilsirp8892]

Nik I have a daphne blue mjt strat and I absolutely love it! Once I’m in a place to get another guitar I’ll probably do another mjt, I play left handed so I kinda have to do customs

[@goofy9697]

lil sirp keep rocking dude I’m in the same situation as you.

[@Wildman9]

Nice Partsocaster Nik,having quality parts for a build like that is a must.And you can tell by the way it sounds.You made a good one for sure .Rock on.🎸😎✌.Matt's going to like this one.Hahaha.

[@malcolmadams2105]

Stevie Ray Vaughn’s no. 1 was a parts caster. Tone is in your fingers. But.. Doesn’t hurt to have 50’s/63’ pick-ups tho 😃 That beast is sitting behind glass now.”

[@JTC-go3kg]

I have a pre production early Srv Body .. from 1989 .. I’m looking to finish building .. can’t decided on a color

[@joebubbit]

Hi Nik. You said you were going to 'center the neck'. What do you do if it is not centered, dowel the holes and redrill it?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

No. Meaning use the two outside E strings as a guide and center the neck leaving the same amount of space on each side

[@kewlbug]

Man I kinda wish I drilled holes from a standard pickguard. I guess my parts caster is stuck w this aftermarket pickguard forever.

[@malcolmadams2105]

Surprised you didn’t do the Eric Johnson tricks. **Both with the springs and the jack plate.

[@MrDJDanny29]

Hey dude lovely guitar 🎉, does it come with the trem claw screw holes pre drilled ?

[@JTC-go3kg]

I’d love you input on how to built this guitar

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

What info would you like?

[@JTC-go3kg]

It’s a stripped 2 piece alder early or preproduction 1989 lefty trem route SRV. strat body .. it’s has all the fender stamps and date codes in neck pocket .. I gave photos before it was stripped it was definitely Srv sunburst.. anyway I’m looking to make a Tribute to Srv .. but not a clone of one of his guitars .. I have a 7 3 that looks like his Strat “Red” before Lefty neck was on it .. I’m thinking of combining elements of a few of his guitars into one

[@JTC-go3kg]

Unfortunately the person stripped the body never got the original neck .. but .. I was thinking I’d get you input since you own original same era as Srv Number 1

[@OldRichieBoy]

I like it!

[@HeyLiem]

Nik, I noticed you have the springs in a V shape? Just personal preference or helps to accentuate lower or higher strings? After watching your videos and Matthew Scott's, I started tinkering with my 87 Strat plus, I took the springs off for the first time ever, there were five springs on it. So I removed one spring to see how it plays. When I bought it used, I asked the tech guy to put a block in so it only dives lower, I figured I can just pull on the string to make it go higher, get a little more tuning stability. I guess he never put in a block after all, he just had all five springs attached for 30 years. Next time I change strings I'll take another spring off until I start getting more movement higher and lower. I wonder, is there a standard amount of springs for most folks or does it vary from 1 to 5 evenly?

[@georgelmp9079]

thats a great guitar... you should try some maple fretboard someday

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Check back through the videos!

[@ziggylayneable]

I've been subbed to you for a long time Nik.Today I just felt like scrolling back and watching a few of your old videos. In this video you were saying"it's all about the mojo".You're absolutely correct. I have 13 Strats(crazy as it sounds I collect different colors, but they have to feel,sound,&play good too)."it's all about the mojo".I have a 1995 Stratocaster American-made I recently acquired. It does not have mojo. It looks like it's sat in a case for 20 years.But I have 1 Chinese made,very early 1990s Squier Affinity Strat(which most people the world over,will call it a "piece of crap").But with this particular guitar?,that could not be further from the truth.This Chinese Squire Affinity,plays,feels,inspires,& even sounds better than this'95 U.S.A. Strat I just got for DIRT cheap($450.and I know my guitars I know what's real and what's fake and what's a partscaster and when people are trying to pull the wool I know the deal.. it's a real Strat from '95). This squire that I talked about,has got HELLA mojo..I purchased it used ($100).It has been gigged&played HARD!..(IMO, that is the reason this Squier has so much Mojo). I'm sure the '95 USA, will get plenty of Mojo, once I put some playtime In to it,& let some of my love rub off on it from my fingers, and hopefully it'll have more Mojo than the Squire(because technically a usa-1 should).But the Squire has so much,I have some doubts as to whether the '95 USA is going to get that special thing going on(MOJO) this Squire has in it.I've never in my entire life met a Chinese guitar with so much character. I have six american-made Strats, and I catch myself picking up this Chinese thing more often than I pick up anything else. It's really strange feeling in my head to be favoring a Chinese guitar. But I've always believed that whatever works,and feels right for somebody,just because people don't like the name on the headstock doesn't mean that it's not a badass guitar(which it most certainly is)....✌️😀✌️

[@mwrable]

Nice! You unloaded the Bona Strat? 👍

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Yessir

[@mwrable]

The Riff w Nik Sevigny Excellent! That thing was ugly, but not in a good way. Money better spent elsewhere. 👍

[@georgeelias8382]

Nick how is the contour of the MJT bodies, I’m thinking of buying one.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

I like em. Good fit and feel

[@patnichols1463]

That turned out nice. Which PU was wrong polarity? I have a 2 tone hardtail and the first reliced one MJT tried to look like Stevies. I converted it over for left handed bridge. They both look and play awesome.

[@Dad-Gad]

Great tone ! Are you tuned to Eb like Stevie and Jimi because that is some beefy tone sir 👍

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Yessir

[@Dad-Gad]

@@theriffwniksevigny5473 Well after all the videos I've watched on KZbin concerning SRV , your recent SRV pedal board video is basically his tone , never heard anyone nail it dead on like you and your playing is another level 👍, best on here by a loooooong way 👍

[@Dad-Gad]

One other thing ( don't mean to be annoying ) should i learn the major scale shapes in standard tuning , then detune or , detune then learn the patterns?

[@raulromo7930]

Nice tone which pickups are that? Fender custom shops?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Its right in the video..

[@christianbriere3572]

how you get this overdrive from the amp? do you have an attenuator at the speaker out? or the amp is just loud. ?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Always cranked up!

[@ukguitarnoodle]

your springs are backwards in slant ?never seen that before. nice guitar!

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Depends on how you look at it. Works great

[@austinharrison2453]

Yo nik what pickups are those...srv's??? ;)

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Rewatch the video! Its right in there

[@BretBunton]

That is fucking gorgeous

[@jakevoss7885]

My only issue with the MJT/wildwood bodies is the neck pockets being looser than I like for builds. Matt is a great dude and super helpful I would just rather they be a little more snug

[@giannoncene]

Great build Nik! Did the Mjt body come with neck joint, Pickguard and Trem claw screws drilled?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

No sir! But always... measure twice, cut once!

[@Hexspa]

I can’t believe nobody asked about the inlays. What are they? Azurite?

[@JesusRocks26]

What other one besides the 59 maple did you sell? Or which video discussed it?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

All my strats and teles. Just my 59 rw and my esquire

[@StratmanJerry]

Hey is there any reason you spring your tremolo upside down like that with the three springs?

[@troywm1016]

damn good deal on that body for 250 I'll take one

[@WOHBuckeye]

That’s pretty much the guitar I want to build. Early 60s fiesta red with a lefty neck. (Not Candy Apple).

[@putzengiler]

I played with a guy that every time he changed his strings , he brought it to a local guitar tech, to change them , charged him for a setup price.,approx $70. @17:37...

[@jeffshockey9456]

No 60s pickups were reverse wound so if one was reverse it wasn't originally a 60s pickup.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

I think at the time, one was repaired and the leads were flipped

[@Silverjubilee666]

Do another guitar collection vid

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

I only have a few

[@Silverjubilee666]

@@theriffwniksevigny5473 do u still have the strat u built

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

@@Silverjubilee666 which one?

[@Silverjubilee666]

@@theriffwniksevigny5473 the candy apple red reverse head stock

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

@@Silverjubilee666 sold the body. Still have the rest

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

What is the difference between a 59 and a 62?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Regarding vintage strats?

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

@@theriffwniksevigny5473 yes…. I’ve always been a Gibson guy. With that said I have always loved the sound of a great Strat. However, while I can recite Gibson factoids, I’m lost when it comes to Fender. Found you through Mathew Scott. You have a great channel!!!

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

@@tfrost33elkhunter ahh thanks. Yea 59 Was real unique. Cool neck. First year slap. End of 62 saw a veneer board. More common neck shape

[@tfrost33elkhunter]

@@theriffwniksevigny5473 I’m a fan of big necks. So I think the 59 profile will be what I’m after. I’m in the very beginning stages of getting my first strat. I have had Teles and a Nash T-master that was pretty cool. But now I find myself gravitating to Strats. Thank you for the info…

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

@@tfrost33elkhunter if a big neck is what u want, 59 is the total opposite. 63/64 has some stout necks. Theres always a maple option as well

[@kikemarino6806]

How much money did you spend in total on this build?

[@jubyerhashin8214]

I got my neck refinished in nitro now it is loose in neck pocket is that ok or should I shim the sides of body neck pocket?

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Center it and see how it plays

[@66HM5]

Do you have finches?

[@malcolmadams2105]

Sounds great from what I can hear 🎙 in the room as opposed to a mic’d amp. But good nonetheless.

[@guitarocd9984]

I think if you play stratocasters long enough we all become Master Builders.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Yessir. Pretty straight forward!

[@hollybo3986]

Hi Nik enjoy you no shit videos and your playing you might check the the middle PUP 's magnet polarity a lot of the early Fenders had middle apposing magnetic fields.

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Yes! It was the bridge. All good now. Thank you for checking it out and for the tech! Much appreciated

[@anthonycampbell7187]

Smoke alarm battery is dying!

[@anthonycampbell7187]

PS guitar sounds great!

[@theriffwniksevigny5473]

Fixed!

[@vw9659]

Nice build job, but "tone transfer" from the strings to the body / neck as a desirable aim is non-sensical. Any vibration energy transferred to the body or neck means it is lost from the strings. You can't violate the laws of physics by duplicating vibration energy. And the pickups only see what's in the strings. Fortunately such transfer is very poor in solid body electrics (unlike in acoustic guitars where it is very good), as the bridge is inefficient, and the nut/frets/neck only slightly less so, for such transfers. Their job in an electric guitar is to retain energy in the strings, not transfer it. And that's the way you want it - near-zero transfer - so almost all vibration stays in the strings where the pickup can detect it.

[@johnfoskey7855]

Why do to different guitars that are the same model sound different then?pickups swapped from one to another..same pickup height measurements..one guitar is brighter than the other..what gives?

[@vw9659]

@@johnfoskey7855 Lots of possibilities, depending on what is constant between the guitars and what is not. No two pieces of neck wood have the same resonances (which can lead to vibration loss from the strings at those frequencies). Manufacturers rarely match pots and capacitors better than their 10-20% tolerances. No two sets of strings sound exactly the same. No two models of the same pickups have identical frequency responses. No two bridges have identical absorptions. No two setups are identical. So if you hear any difference it's probably the net effect of a number of factors. But the more things that are the same, the more the two guitars DO generally sound alike. In any case it's a long list before you even get to "I wonder if the body wood could have any effect". And the experimental physics don't show evidence of any real 'body effect' for solid body electrics. And indeed there is no coherent physical theory that explains how 'tone transfer' from the strings to the solid body could occur and enhance the output heard from the pickups, in an electric solid body guitar. As I noted, physics indicates the exact opposite - that vibrations must be retained in the strings in order to be heard in the pickup output.

[@sendjamin]

that came out sick, real good jimi/srv playing bud, followed you on ig