Chris Buck's Offset Project - How To Build A Partscaster

[@ChrisBuckGuitar]

Loved this! Thank you mate :)

[@tonetwinstv2863]

My pleasure. Thanks for asking me to build it for you.

[@distortion_plus]

I don’t know if it says more about me or you but I could watch these videos all day! 👍

[@HomeOfTone]

Ah lovely stuff! Great to see the project all in one piece now, was nice to hear Chris was putting one together. Particularly liking that wide bevel edge pickguard! Glad the wiring harness install went okay :) Just a little note from me in regards to the roller wheel knobs in case anyone wondered, I only just place those in position for shipping really. This is ultimately due to every single pickguard being a a little different, so they do always generally need loosening and re-aligning to suit the specific pickguard they're being mounted to. And also, if by chance anyone was wondering for reference, Chris opted for the completely traditional JM specs for this wiring from me, standard rhythm circuit specs (1Meg linear volume, 50k linear tone, .022uF cap) and for the lead circuit a 1MEG linear volume, 1MEG audio tone and .033uF cap. Hugely grateful for his kind order with me for this and to be a tiny, tiny part of the project for him! Loved seeing it come together in your skilled hands, Huw! Hope to catch up soon buddy :)

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Hi James. Hardly a tiny part because JM harnesses are a challenge and quite time consuming. Yours was really high quality and made things a lot simpler for me. As I said, I'd done one previously and wasn't in any great hurry to do another so I'd recommend your harness to anybody contemplating a JM build. Take care mate and hope to see you at the next Birmingham show ;)

[@TheBurdenOfHope]

Shout out James’ Home of Tone. It’s such an amazing store

[@davidkay3443]

Agreed .it's the only place I now go for my rewiring needs... And James is such a pleasant guy offering advice ., quality and a fast turn around

[@andsoistopped]

Super chap.

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Agreed!

[@davidfreiboth1360]

Hello from Seattle. I'm Welsh on my mother side (Williams). So cool to hear the mother tongue. Execellent build video. Cheers!

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Diolch David ;)

[@beestew79]

Great video. Learned a few tricks. I wired up an Allparts electronics kit for my J Mascis Jazzmaster. Made me crazy, and I learned lot. It even worked after one slight error. Thanks for sharing!

[@ianbrailsford5843]

I've got a sunburst strat body from Golden Era. Scott's work is brilliant.

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Agreed.

[@mattflickinger8151]

I have an old “SC Relics” strat from 2017

[@grandudetonesnob7107]

As usual, top work, Huw! As for Chris, he chose violence..🤯

[@reijerlincoln]

Home of Tone - excellent stuff & pleasure to deal with.

[@chrisbennett814]

a little paraffin on the neck screws is sweet trick

[@simonwilliams9916]

Beautiful work Hugh 👍👍🎸🎸

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Thanks Simon.

[@timjx3675]

Great video with some useful tips, I’ve put together a few partscasters and found the key thing is neck alignment and drilling using the low high and e string method as Huw did. 🎸⭐️

[@SidBonkers51]

A great insight into how a pro goes about building a partscaster, Ive learned a lot. Many thanks.

[@jr0706]

Allparts makes great necks and bodies. I replaced the original neck on my '91 MIM Strat with one, and my tele partscaster came with a nice, fat, aged Allparts neck.

[@metman3]

Hello, Huw! Metman (from the GDP), here. So great to see you, and your Sheltie! 😃 I've really been enjoying your content. Awesome following along with you on these projects. You're doing great work! Hope all is well with you, my friend. Cheers!

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Hi Metman. Great to hear from you and thanks for your kind comments. I really miss The Gretsch Pages. Hope all is well you too.

[@OniDasAlagoas]

Aweosome build. I would still put a fender decal, it's not like Chris is going to scam someone while selling and the stamp on the pocket gives it away anyway.

[@XLBiker13]

It's not a Fender guitar. It shouldn't have a Fender logo. Pretending the guitar is a Fender erases the story of this guitar's unique build. And any rock star who tours the world with a Squier, and raves about it, probably doesn't see the need to pretend he has a Fender.

[@NateTheMeh]

@@XLBiker13facts! Nothing goofier than a poorly applied fake fender logo hah

[@danielstoddart]

It's more mysterious to leave it decal-free. The guitar players at your shows will wonder what it is and where you got it from. If it had the Fender decal it's a little more boring and de rigeur.

[@gabeatv]

This is fantastic! I don't have skills to follow along, but I enjoyed watching your craftsmanship. Chris' playing was the cherry on top, of course. Thank you!

[@Furtheronmusic]

Love your videos Huw. Font of great knowledge but always explained so clearly

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

Ooh, almost missed this.

[@2tallguys414]

Great stuff as always Huw, that blue tool you're using is called the Octopus, i've just ordered one so thanks a million for the tip. :)

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Thanks Rob. I need to order a new one because I've worn mine out. Now I know what to google ;)

[@ginoames]

I really enjoyed this. I have the itch to do a parts caster. Hadn't even occurred to me I vould do a JM style.🤘🤓

[@chriswhrtn]

nice build man, chris sourced some pretty decent gear for it, that 3 tone body is sick!

[@tuckermb6288]

Partsmaster! Great video. Very interesting.

[@joshuabenton3785]

This is an excellent video!! Love to see the methodologies and the thinking, definitely will use some in the future!

[@RobinsonRDavid]

My God, that was beautiful work.

[@NickGranville]

Very cool guitar. Great work

[@VeniceKing1]

Great video. Making me want to build a parts-caster!

[@StealthParrot]

Great video, I learned some really great tips here. Thank you.

[@sjazzp]

Amazing work, results were excellent!

[@rosskoko100]

Enjoyed that, Da iawn. I must tidy up my jazzmaster wiring. I bought the squier 40th anniversary same as chris, the wiring is just all loose.

[@FRUGALZZZ1]

Brilliant - more content please!

[@pharmerdavid1432]

I wonder why he didn't use the Masterly tailpiece/vibrato unit since he used their bridge/saddles, because I find it feels better than the Fender type....?

[@colmkelly5524]

You can get copper foil with conductive adhesive. Makes the whole exercise a bit easier.

[@chriswilliams1096]

I have seen copper tape sold as slug repellant - advertised as having "conductive adhesive". Can slugs tell the difference? I would check continuity with a multimeter before installing the electronics and screwing down the scratchplate.

[@Xithz]

Thank you so much for this video! I’ve been thinking of making a golden era parts jazzmaster for a while and this is just the most amazing instructions manual ever imaginable ❤️❤️

[@bjhbjhbjhweeee]

Beutiful sound !

[@mariuseriksen5744]

This is inspiring! Beautiful JM!

[@martinclayton7260]

I wish that it was easy to get Fender Jazzmaster/Jaguar gold hardware! They always seem to be chrome?

[@John-the-Bass]

Good video. Have you tried screening paint? I have used carbon based paint and it screens very well. No noise on a Precision bass.

[@John-the-Bass]

Try using a electronic meter to check continuity of earthing. Paint is the way!

[@dinohuss9054]

excellent

[@PageandPlant4Life]

Messy wiring will make these pickguards a nightmare to get on around the pickups... yours was so tidy

[@jfdillard]

Parts-Master

[@ToneChaseBasement]

Nice one! :) I also just released a Jazzmaster mod video today... but its more of an ulzimate upgrade guide for a Harley Benton Jazzmaster...

[@snörre23]

10:08 wow, without fixing the neck with some clamp and also having the bridge mounted and putting at least two strings on to see the alignment. Very courageous, big chance to ruin the neck.

[@tonetwinstv2863]

At the beginning of the video you can see that the neck is so tight in the pocket that the body stays attached without needing any screws - without string tension obviously. There was absolutely no wiggle room at all, so zero potential for adjustment. But to be fair I did do a dry run to verify everything was pretty much lined up. Maybe I should have included that but I was afraid the video would end up being way too long.

[@thexvw7009]

I love watching your work, really interesting and informative with some great tips too. Do you mind explaining about why you need to drill out the neck screw holes on the body a bit more so the screws don't "thread" into it. I remember Matt from Monty's doing this in a video a while back, just wondering what the benefits of doing this is please.

[@EmyrDerfel]

The screws should be in tension between their heads and the wood of the neck. If the threads bind on the body, you get tension between the body and the screwhead, and less tension holding the neck into the pocket.

[@plummetplum]

For the drill press did you use 3.5mm hole to ensure that the 4mm screw had plenty of grip?

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Probably. I can't remember offhand but I don't like to make the pilot holes too narrow because the neck's heel can split if you try and force the screws in.

[@plummetplum]

@@tonetwinstv2863 Makes sense thx

[@MSPPER]

Brilliant! Thanks for posting. What was the total cost of the build?

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Ask Chris ;)

[@rustisamust9079]

I've considered building a 'relic' Strat but every time I go to the Golden Era website everything is sold out. 🤔

[@plummetplum]

I learnt quite a bit thanks. For the grounding wire you inserted for the bridge, did you solder it to anything? Or just taped it to the copper? Thx

[@tonetwinstv2863]

It's a friction fit in the thimble hole and it's soldered to the back of the volume potentiometer casing along with the pickup negatives.

[@plummetplum]

@@tonetwinstv2863 Great thx

[@officialWWM]

I just built one with a 3D printed body :)

[@christophervincent8420]

Nice. 62 style pickups

[@ryanstark2350]

The problem with building partscasters is finding a neck. Firstly finding one that is traditional single truss rod and then one that doesn't have an extremely narrow width at nut like the Allparts necks and most other non US ones. I'm left handed which limits it even further. I hate anything narrower than 42.5mm at the nut. My US Strat is over 43mm. You can get anything you want from Warmoth but the import to the UK is obscene cost. Fender have some Mexican made roasted maple necks at the moment which are really nice and reasonable nut width. Those are not that cheap though. I'm using one of those for a Cabronita. I got a very nice Korina wood Cabronita body many years ago. I would like to build a Jazzmaster. It has to be left handed but will I even be able to get a left handed Vibrato for it.

[@yojimboeastwood5602]

Darbol? I’m from estados unidos. Is that welsh or some old English? Or am I dumb and misunderstood?

[@tonetwinstv2863]

It's Welsh. Da bo. An informal way of saying bye bye. Not a dumb question at all and thanks for asking.

[@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec]

Aren't al Fender guitars by design 'Parts-o-casters'?

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Who's Al Fender?

[@sidestyle05]

Wouldn't it be just a bit more money but a whole lot less work to just get a used American Original or AV II and put a Mastery on it?

[@XLBiker13]

Great build. Really interesting. And I'm sure the honor of working with such a remarkable musician feels pretty good. I appreciate your decision not to put a Fender logo on the headstock. The guitar isn't a Fender and I find the story of the guitar much more interesting without pretending that it is.

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Thanks for the kind comments. It is a buzz doing guitar work for Chris because I get to hear those guitars in the hands of a master guitarist. But it's always an honour to be asked to work on anybody's guitar.

[@whssy]

Really shouldn't need to solder the shielding tape if you make sure to buy the stuff with conductive adhesive. I just use a big roll of the copper anti-slug tape I have round my grow boxes.

[@tonetwinstv2863]

I can get both types from my supplier but the non conductive stuff is a 12" square sheet rather than 1" wide tape, so it works out cheaper and it's possible to cut out shapes to fit. Besides which, the soldering only took a couple of minutes so it's no big deal. But I will definitely check out the anti-slug tape. Thanks for the tip.

[@rogerploch1251]

hey Asmr crowd, this video is for you.

[@usagi2988]

@35:24 NGL I was holding my breath during the whole "Let's make sure all the electronics work as expected" part... not anything to do with your skill, just my stupid superstitious nature regarding electronics (@36:17 was the most audible sigh in recent memory, by the by).

[@stephanewoodcock1798]

I'd call it a partsmaster..

[@tonetwinstv2863]

Damn. We didn't think of that ;)

[@edtweed5e4-a]

Genius

[@kendalljamesmusic]

@@tonetwinstv2863I did, but he beat me to it

[@jessicagallagher778]

Promo-SM

[@mr8ty8]

No roller bridge and double notched vintage tuners. Very disappointing. The trem is excellent but I would have went with Wilkinson tuners and roller bridge

[@adolfusknall3341]

Same Headsock, same PUs, same everything... just buy a Fender original.

[@Owen666jagstang]

Weird you mention, I had an original 1960 JM that I offered to Chris via insta DM but never heard back. Just recently sold it elsewhere.