Warmoth and Fender - bang for your buck

[Evan]

I've been reading everything I can find on this forum about teles from Fender and Warmoth and i know enough to realize that this is probably a simplistic way of thinking but I'm just not sure how to compare the quality and "bang for the buck" of both guitars.

if I was going to spend $1000.00 on a new guitar, would I get a better guitar from a Fender American Standard, or a custom build at Warmoth?

[SamBooka]

I cant say which is the better bang for the buck .. too much is dependent on personal taste.

IIf I had to venture an opinion I would say the fender. You are paying more for the name BUT you will have a better resale value. A Fender is a Fender but the Warmoth will always be a partscaster.

The best way to get an idea is try to pretend to build the Fender model you want with Warmoth parts. For example if the fender you like has a poly finish and basswood body try to price that from Warmoth (and not a nitro finished one piece swamp ash body). Then add it all up and let us know how it goes.

[mattymel]

for $1000 in parts you will get what would cost two or three times that with Fender sticker on it.

personally id go with a partscaster with Lollar PUs, Pigtail hardware, with a good setup, and be done. you would likley end up with a better playing, sounding guitar for less than half the money.

[oldane]

There are more than one consideration here.

One is resale value. If you want the best resale value, go with a well known brand - in this case Fender.

If you want to have an instrument reflecting your wishes and ideosyncracies, the partscaster is the way to go. Warmoth can deliver here, but there are others. This is the very reason for these companies existence more than saving money.

A couple of years ago I put together ar Warmoth partscaster well knowing it might not have a great resale value - especially not as it is certainly not the average R&R Strat, but an instrument tailored to jazz. But it was great fun assembling and finishing it and it's very satisfying to be able to say "this is made as I want it, and it worked out well". And oh, it cost about the same as a Strat in Highway One edition.

[Flat]

Or -- if you can -- find a Partscaster on eBay that someone else put together that is pretty close to what you want. Let someone else take the hit for the low resale value.

Just for example, I tried to sell a Partscaster Strat on eBay last week. Old Fender Squier Strat body (SQ series). EMG pickups with a humbucker in the bridge. And a custom Tele-style neck. An odd thing, but a decent affordable lower-end Strat, really. The pickup set alone goes for $240. I played it all the way through GIT in the 1980s. I opened the auction at $180 and didn't draw a bid! I was shocked! This is an awesome guitar for two bills, and I'll probably end up parting it out.

You have to be careful, but there are some great deals in second-hand partscasters. Lot of junk too, of course.

[Bill C]

Don't overlook the competence of the person doing the build and setup on a parts build - that's potentially going to have a massive impact on the quality of the finished instrument, regardless of the quality of the parts.

Another angle on the resale issue ... with a parts build the temptation to spec something "out of the ordinary" or "special" is high, so I might be tempted by, say, a Tele with say a 24.75" scale and 1 3/4" nut, but if I come to sell it that might be considered "wrong" by a lot of buyers ...

Having said that it's a lot of fun to do ...

[SamBooka]

Originally Posted by Flat

Or -- if you can -- find a Partscaster on eBay that someone else put together that is pretty close to what you want. Let someone else take the hit for the low resale value.

If you know what you are doing this is an excellent option...

[Evan]

Thanks to all for your replies.

I think one Important factor may be that I'm really not sure about which parts should be put together for the best jazz/blues guitar. I love the idea of getting a wider, flatter neck, but I realize that I would have a hundred questions during the build process.

Buying a computer this was didn't go well for me. Not sure if that should be a lesson,mor a challenge....

[Evan]

Auto correct on My iPad is killing me. Sorry for the typos.

[SamBooka]

If you have special requests Warmoth (or another parts maker) might be the way to go.. I like a big clubby maple neck so I bought 70s fenders instead of any of the current/reissue models.

[whiskey02]

I've never understood the practice of NOT buying something that is a good or great product for $1000, for fear of losing a few hundred $ on resale (if it comes to that), and instead buying a comparable article for $3000 (with a bigger name on it). For fear of losing perhaps $300-$400, you lay out an EXTRA $2000. Guess how much you're going to lose if you turn around and sell that $3000 guitar?

[SamBooka]

General rule of thumb.. unless it is something everyone wants and cant get (rare) 30% off the sticker for something like a Fender Tele.. it is even more for a partscaster (depending on the parts but closer to 50%). For some of us fear of loosing 300-500$ is a pretty big fear.

That is probably the biggest reason I avoid buying new...

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Originally Posted by SamBooka

That is probably the biggest reason I avoid buying new...

True. The OP specifically mentioned buying new, but if one buys a used Tele that's a standard model (not a pink paisley double cut with EMGs), you can hope to resell it for what you paid for it without much difficulty. A used Partscaster is a different story. Folks usually say disassemble it and sell the parts.

On the other hand, people often heng on to the custom-designed Partscasters.

[Evan]

I'm not opposed to buying a used fender Telly, but I don't know much about evaluating the quality, wear, tear on a used guitar. I think I'd have to trust the guitar store in that case. I'm going to a store tomorrow that usually has used gear, so I'm hoping for a sweet encounter.

Is there an easy, obvious way of determining the country of origin on used telecasters? Does it matter if I find a used tele from Mexico? Would that deter you guys from considering it?

If any have some advice for shopping for used guitars, I would appreciate it. In fact, I think I'll search this forum for that now.

[Flat]

If you can get a good price on a good used Mexican Tele that you like, you'll be in fine shape. If it doesn't fit, you should be able to get most of your money back on a resale.

I'm partial to the Made in Japan (MIJ) Fenders myself. Used Fender Japan Teles can be great deals.

If by chance you stumble across a vintage spaghetti-logo Tokai Breezysound (a brilliant "lawsuit" Telecaster clone), give it a good audition. Some of these are real gems. Very, very close to the best vintage Teles, imho.

[Evan]

Here's a specific example: A Local shop has a new American Standard for 1000.
That's less than they are listed for on fender's site. Is that a decent deal?

[SamBooka]

Originally Posted by Evan

Here's a specific example: A Local shop has a new American Standard for 1000.
That's less than they are listed for on fender's site. Is that a decent deal?

fender site is always high... find the model and go tu musicians friend or guitar center and see how much they go for.

[Evan]

Originally Posted by SamBooka

fender site is always high... find the model and go tu musicians friend or guitar center and see how much they go for.

Musiciansfriend has it for 999.00.