How good would this be? - from GFS parts

[JohnH]

Just killin' time on a Sunday morning, I thought I'd go on the GFS site and pick a complete set of parts to see what I could get.

The thing is, down in Aus we are still ripped off for / cant get guitar bits as easily as in the US, but our dollar has become an unnaturally powerful weapon for international retail raids ($1 Aus = $1.08US).

If I bought all in one place, the shipping should be efficient, and I know GFS are reliable having had stuff sent here before.

So this is what I came up with for $305US plus shipping.



Its a Strat, with some Texas singles and a Brian May switching set up, which I could enhance from parts here. This would not be a final choice, I just wanted to see what the quantum of $ would be needed. In reality, Id probably go for some superswitch scheme.

But I think its all there, other than some pg screws

So the question is, to anyone who has done something similar, what sort of quality might I expect once i put it all together? And how much lutherie beyond normal adjustments (such fret dressing) is needed on such bought necks?

cheers

John

[newey]

I have a GF Strat body in surf green for the StealthStrat- in the works. I've never bought a neck from them, so I don't know how much work you'll need to do there. In that price range, I've had pretty good necks, though. I got one for the Stealth from another supplier, in that price range, with a matte poly finish on it. I don't think any fretwork will be necessary.

In the past, all I have ever needed to do was a shim. But again, no direct experience with the GF necks. These are all Asian-supplied in that price range, and the quality, in general, is definitely improved over what it was a decade ago.

If you are going to do the Brian May thing, it would make sense to buy the kit, since it is tricky to cut holes for slide switches unless one has the proper tools. But if it's a toggle-switch based design like the Superstrat, it might be cheaper to just buy a standard pickguard and drill the necessary holes. The pots and switches could be sourced locally, or from an online OEM electronics supplier. The shipping on small parts like pot is not an impediment to buying those items separately.

And a std. Strat guard can be had fairly cheaply. Warmoth will do a "custom" one (meaning you can specify some pickup and control hole options from a menu.) for about $25US

[thetragichero]

i posted a reply to this and it didn't show up...
that being said, for a little more than the gfs neck of unknown quality you can get yourself a mighty mite neck
i've heard the quality varies, but the maple/maple mighty mite neck i got for 99$ from reliable fender is KILLER... just a notch below the custom warmoth neck i bought for 3-4 times the price
of course budget concerns my vary

i know i might be anal about it, but i chucked the jack that came with the gfs jack plate and used a switchcraft because they're so rugged and i've had problems before with cheap jacks (the last thing you want during a killer solo is to have guitar cut out!)

[cynical1]

I've never bought a GF neck either, but it's not outside the norm to have to do a few tweaks to get a proper alignment and pitch on an unfitted neck/body combination.

I'd be more concerned about quality of the fretwork, the nut and the trem-leo lining up with the neck then the neck fitting into the neck pocket.

And for $300.00 plus shipping I'd be more inclined to look for something used with a good neck that I could tweak...but that's just me...

For example, right now, in Australia, there's an Aria Pro 2 Fullerton Strat with Hard Carry Case on eBay as we speak...you've got about an hour left...but it's $150.00 AU plus $25.00 AU shipping. And you don't have to build and cuss at the thing either...

Keep us posted if you actually do pull the trigger.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[candyflipper7]

"DO NOT" buy a neck from them. I recently bought a neck from them for my strat build. Sure it is beautiful, but the fret job is crap! I have so many High, low frets it's crazy. When I look down the neck It literally looks like a street in my home town of Cleveland. When I contacted them about a swap out. They told me....Yes, it is a good job to have any new neck fret leveled. Like I didn't know that already. My Tech told me to send it back. They gave me such a hard time I just put it up as " Never buy from GFS again". Maybe you will get lucky.

[Deleted]

45 USD is ultra cheap for a US neck. I bought a no-name scalloped mapple fertboard neck str8 from China for 75 euros (~90 USD). It also had sorta crappy nut and fretwork, but is solid (can take 11s without a sweat), and plays very nice (and loud).

I had bought a GFS brass block for the same guitar, and sold it, finally, since i am aiming towards total bridge replacement. If you think about it, nut, but mostly frets and saddles are responsible for the biggest part of the job. will go for the GFS brass whole tremolo next time.

PS, Candy what did you do with your nut?

[ashcatlt]

I'm perfectly happy with my Xavier guitars. No problems with the necks at all, as far as I can tell. They tend to come standard with most of the "upgrade" parts - tuners, bridges, and GFS pickups.

I wonder if you couldn't get about the same thing that you're looking at for a little cheaper if you just grab an XV-870, the pickups, and wiring harness. I guess they don't have it in "rockabilly orange", but their capri orange is at least as ugly!