Parts bass build - but is it cost effective?

[TheDepths]

Afternoon chaps!

I've been looking at doing a parts bass build for a while and have come across a site where you can order authentic Fender parts (I'm a Fender guy and would like to do either a Jazz bass or Jaguar bass build) The only problem is I'm in the UK and the site is in the US so I'm worried that after import tax it may not be cost effective to order parts from the US and I might as well just buy a new bass. I know there is a high tax on importing complete guitars to the UK but is this also true of parts?

My questions are....

1.) Has anyone dealt with www.stratosphereparts.com? If so what is your opinion of them?
2.) Do guitar parts carry the same import tax as complete guitars?

Hopefully someone can help me with this.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I've never imported parts of guitars into the UK, but I have done with pedals, and to give you an idea:

a Blower Box, approx value of £80-85, had a fee applied of roughly £20
a Fuzzrocious Afterlife, approx value of $250 on the customs form, had a fee applied of nearly £50 (including parcelforce fees)

I don't know the exact logistics of how they calculate these costs, but I'm pretty sure it's scaled on the value of the goods more than what they are, and I'd imagine you'd get hit with a hefty fee for them.

Alternatively, I know Stratosphere are on ebay, and sometimes there's an option to pay a larger shipping fee with customs charges included - would at least give you an idea of what costs you could expect.

 

[scourgeofgod]

The thing about Stratosphere is that they gut complete instruments and part them out, this way they make more $ than if they had sold the whole, completed instrument. I feel that if you want the completed instrument to be a "genuine Fender" you'd be better served to buy a completed Fender that's closest to what you desire, and apply whatever remaining mods you'd like yourself. As far as parts-builds go, I'd look to the warmoth/usacg route, or perhaps some UK equivalent to avoid potential import tax.

 

[TheDepths]

Thanks for the replys,

I was hoping that wouldn't be the case, I bought my B3k from the US and winced a bit at the import charge haha. I think where I'm going wrong is that I'm thinking that parts somehow don't have the same tax as 'complete' items but as you say, it's worked out based on the retail value.

In that case, it may be that buying off the shelf is the way to go.....or is it worth paying extra to put together something you can't buy in the shops? It's probably cheaper than going custom. I have also looked at Warmoth but it looks like that might be more expensive, which is a shame as they do good work by the looks of it (and going by the Warmoth threads on here.....why do you tease me so?)

I guess I was hoping that I could build one to my specifications for roughly about the same as a mid range mexican Fender, unfortunately it's not looking likely!

 

[TheDepths]

I knew I shouldn't have looked!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

plus

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Just add strings!

The parts work out at $819.98 (£544.40) plus $120 (£79.67) shipping....even with import tax that is going to be cheaper than the closest off the shelf USA active jazz

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

(I know it's a MIM neck but I prefer gloss finishes...and it's a Geddy Lee which is possibly one of the best I've tried)

Why do I do this to myself!!

 

[AltGrendel]

I've found that the only advantage of a parts bass is that you know exactly what the materials went into it's construction and how to fix any issue that may come up. It's a fun thing to do but don't expect it to save you much, if any, money.

 

[bholder]

FWIW, I just unsubscribed from Stratosphere because (in my humble opinion) they're such a ripoff. I got taken once by them on an eBay auction, never again.

 

[bholder]

I knew I shouldn't have looked!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

plus

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Just add strings!

The parts work out at $819.98 (£544.40) plus $120 (£79.67) shipping....even with import tax that is going to be cheaper than the closest off the shelf USA active jazz

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

(I know it's a MIM neck but I prefer gloss finishes...and it's a Geddy Lee which is possibly one of the best I've tried)

Why do I do this to myself!!

Perhaps it will be cheaper over there, but here, they get way more money for the parts than the entire new instrument sells for. I got snookered into buying just a body for about 4/5 of the cost of the entire bass it came from. Oh well. Impulse purchases, ya know how that happens.

 

[bholder]

I've found that the only advantage of a parts bass is that you know exactly what the materials went into it's construction and how to fix any issue that may come up. It's a fun thing to do but don't expect it to save you much, if any, money.

I think the only way building a parts bass is going to save anyone any money (other than the ultra-cheap overseas kits) is if what you want can't be purchased stock. That is, building a parts bass yourself is likely going to be cheaper than having someone else build one custom for you. (Unless you screw up the parts, then it can be more, lots more.)

 

[A-Step-Towards]

I knew I shouldn't have looked!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

plus

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Just add strings!

The parts work out at $819.98 (£544.40) plus $120 (£79.67) shipping....even with import tax that is going to be cheaper than the closest off the shelf USA active jazz

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

(I know it's a MIM neck but I prefer gloss finishes...and it's a Geddy Lee which is possibly one of the best I've tried)

Why do I do this to myself!!

So $820 for a Mexican Fender body and neck, with no strings, no case, no set up and no warranty. I fail to see the value in that.

 

[TheDepths]

Perhaps it will be cheaper over there, but here, they get way more money for the parts than the entire new instrument sells for. I got snookered into buying just a body for about 4/5 of the cost of the entire bass it came from. Oh well. Impulse purchases, ya know how that happens.

I agree that in the US it would make little sense as the savings would be slight/non-existant but in the UK we pay more for American brands (something to do with the dealer networks I understand) for instance if you convert the retail price of my example American Jazz into USD it works out at $2293.95

 

[comatosedragon]

A little off topic, but related to bholder's post above:

I have built my own custom PCs for years, and enjoy the fact that I know exactly what is going in, and exactly what I can expect as results. Not entirley cost effective 100% of the time, but I find the learning experience and the end result of being able to use something everyday that you yourself built (or at least put together) worth the negligable price difference. (plus, there are always bragging rights)

I know they are different industries, but as I am just now getting to the point where I would like to build my own bass, I plan to take the same principles and way of thinking with me as I begin the planning stages of my first bass.

 

[Antisyzygy]

I did manage to save some money making a part's bass but not much more than buying a used bass. However it's hard to make a 1 to 1 comparison because I have a used VM Jazz neck and a brand-spanking-new CV Jazz body.

I do think I saved on my partscaster though. I combined a Squier VM neck with a Squier Standard Body all for 150. I took advantage of good deals with free shipping on that one. I was really patient though, it took me 3 months after I bought the neck to find a loaded body I wanted. I was going to go with a completely custom instrument but the loaded body was perfect already.

If you shop around on Ebay you can save a little money but you have to patiently look for the good deals that offer reasonable shipping prices. You'll be spending time first looking for your parts, then second getting your instrument built and set up right. I still need to fix a "ski-jump" on my fretless parts-bass, and initially I spent a few hours getting the neck to align properly.

Time is money too.

 

[TheDepths]

So $820 for a Mexican Fender body and neck, with no strings, no case, no set up and no warranty. I fail to see the value in that.

I was about to get clever and say it was a US made body (I thought it was) but luckily checked first and you are absolutely correct it is MIM, I also agree that the lack of warranty may cause problems in the future....the case, strings and hardcase I would argue are not as important.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The thing about Stratosphere is that they gut complete instruments and part them out, this way they make more $ than if they had sold the whole, completed instrument. I feel that if you want the completed instrument to be a "genuine Fender" you'd be better served to buy a completed Fender that's closest to what you desire, and apply whatever remaining mods you'd like yourself. As far as parts-builds go, I'd look to the warmoth/usacg route, or perhaps some UK equivalent to avoid potential import tax.

Yep, Stratosphere is the Chop-Shop of the guitar world, and their prices are outrageous, but you name it, they have it. There are people doing the same thing by re-selling Rick basses, but they are sold intact. Something about seeing new guitars broken up into overpriced bits bugs me, but that's business. I don't think there is any way to compete with the economy of scale in a mass produced instrument vs. assembling a parts bass, but it's a whole lot more fun! I put together a fretless Jazz bass years ago using Warmouth neck and body, glasskote fingerbaord finish by Pedulla, Badass II bridge, Schaller tuners, and Alembic pickups/preamp/controls. I did the body finish myself. Stupid pricey all said, but I did get exactly the combination of things I wanted, and I love this bass. I suppose one advantage is that you can really shop around for each component, and stretch the cost over time.

 

[hdracer]

I have put together two fantastic basses built from genuine Fender parts from the Stratosphere.
Both basses are exactly what I wanted and came out much less than a stock Fender would have cost. You have to watch for sales but you can get great deals on real Fender parts.
Here is my Hand stained ash Jazz with a Roadworn P neck. It has Hipshot tuners and DiMarzo Area J pick ups and a Tonestyler in it now. I had a Audere four band pre amp in it but took it out.
I am into it for under $900

I wanted a P5 but I did not like any of the colors that Fender offers so I build one and had the body painted. It is all stock Fender parts but I sent the pick up to Curtis Novak for him to rewind to a vintage tone. It has a 10 position Tonestyler in it. The body was refinished in Fiesta Red nitro.
With having the body stripped and refinished I am into it for about $1100.00

You can have the exact Fender you want for less than having to settle for off the shelf.
The Stratosphere has always done right with me and they have excellent customer service.

 

[Antisyzygy]

A little off topic, but related to bholder's post above:

I have built my own custom PCs for years, and enjoy the fact that I know exactly what is going in, and exactly what I can expect as results. Not entirley cost effective 100% of the time, but I find the learning experience and the end result of being able to use something everyday that you yourself built (or at least put together) worth the negligable price difference. (plus, there are always bragging rights)

I know they are different industries, but as I am just now getting to the point where I would like to build my own bass, I plan to take the same principles and way of thinking with me as I begin the planning stages of my first bass.

I've done the same thing with PCs. I've found if you're buying expensive PC parts it ends up saving you money in general. If you are building a budget PC then you don't really save any money.

With basses it's a bit different. A lot of dealers on Ebay or elsewhere that part out basses end up marking everything up beyond retail pricing, so for example all the parts for a CV 60s Jazz bass would end up costing you 10-20% more than a brand new CV 60s Jazz bass at Guitar Center. Factor in added shipping costs and it's tough to get something at a cheaper price.

To do it *cheaper* you really have to shop around for parts, buy parts from different models of bass, and be open to using used parts. The problem is you risk buying a part that just doesn't work with the other parts you have, so you have to modify them or buy something else.

That being said it is a lot of fun and you can make an instrument exactly the way you want it. I know a guy that sells parts-basses and makes a little money. He can do that because he buys bulk, and collects so many parts that he can usually put together a reasonable bass from stuff he has on-hand. If some neck he bought doesn't work with project bass A, it will probably work with project bass B, C or D.

 

[MrSidecar]

Afternoon chaps!

I've been looking at doing a parts bass build for a while and have come across a site where you can order authentic Fender parts (I'm a Fender guy and would like to do either a Jazz bass or Jaguar bass build) The only problem is I'm in the UK and the site is in the US so I'm worried that after import tax it may not be cost effective to order parts from the US and I might as well just buy a new bass. I know there is a high tax on importing complete guitars to the UK but is this also true of parts?

My questions are....

1.) Has anyone dealt with www.stratosphereparts.com? If so what is your opinion of them?
2.) Do guitar parts carry the same import tax as complete guitars?

Hopefully someone can help me with this.

Cheers,

Tom

Tom,

while I haven't got answers to the questions you asked, I still may suggest you look at guitarbuild.co.uk, with whom I am in no way affiliated. They are located in the UK, and don't charge shipping. While these are not "genuine" Fenders, they recommend using Fender necks as being those to fit best into their bodies.
For nitro finishes on their bodies, I'd take a look at bravacaster.com, they are in Spain and ship for 19 euros. No affiliation either.
I am currently waiting for my p-bass with parts from these sources, and I'm dealing with bravacaster's Roger, who seems to be a very nice guy.

Hope this can help
best
sidecar

 

[Honkycat]

I have used The Stratosphere,but you have to be careful....I bought a US Jazz Deluxe neck here on TB,and the only place to get a body that fit, was Stratosphere...At the end of the day,when my bass was finished,I went over budget (but got a really nice bass)..Also,you can not talk to Stratosphere on the phone,only email,which they take their time responding to,but their products come as advertised (although pricey)............Would I go through the building a parts bass again?.Probably not.

 

[TheDepths]

Tom,

while I haven't got answers to the questions you asked, I still may suggest you look at guitarbuild.co.uk, with whom I am in no way affiliated. They are located in the UK, and don't charge shipping. While these are not "genuine" Fenders, they recommend using Fender necks as being those to fit best into their bodies.
For nitro finishes on their bodies, I'd take a look at bravacaster.com, they are in Spain and ship for 19 euros. No affiliation either.
I am currently waiting for my p-bass with parts from these sources, and I'm dealing with bravacaster's Roger, who seems to be a very nice guy.

Hope this can help
best
sidecar

Hi Sidecar,

Many thanks for the links, looks like bad news for my bank account!