PARTS "MASTERS", and What You Need to Know When Building Your Own Offset Guitar! 

I’m convinced you’re a more qualified expert on these guitars nowadays than the current state of the actual original manufacturer.

Bought my 8 year son his first guitar. His choice of axe; a squier mini jazzmaster daphne blue🤘🏽

I’ve just finished a partsmaster in nitro sherwood green 🤟

I'm the new owner of that lavender partsmaster and can say first hand that it was put together beautifully! Thank you for taking the time to make sure everything was done correctly so that I will be able to enjoy it for years to come. I've named the guitar "Puisheen" in honor of you!! Can I get a what, what?? As always...great video...a lot of good information.

I love that you treat instruments almost like creatures like me, cuz talking to non musicians about this stuff makes us seem like crazy people

Good to know 6 simple words can break you down. "Can I get a what what?" Too damn funny. And probably the single most important video I've personally seen in millions of hours on RU-vid. Never stop Mike...

That Coke bottle sparkle finish is soooo gooood!

Can i get a Watt Watt to make to smile and "this piece of wood hasn't been an instrument before" to make me think. Mike truly is the Off-set Guru.

Just what I needed. That yarn trick is specifically what I was looking for. Thank you, so much. I can't wait for everything to be ready to assemble. WHAT, WHAT?

I'm right in the middle of a build and this was a huge help. It's sort of a solid body Starcaster body with an offset vibrato. The yarn trick for aligning the vibrato is going to be very helpful, since there is a little slack in the route and no pilot holes.

The what what with the drill was the best thing I've seen all day.

That lilac JM is absolutely stunning! And that coke bottle sparkle is just out of this world! I really want to hear this Jag, Mike! Awesome video as always, I've finally subscribed. Love your personality and your insane amounts of knowledge on Jags/Jazzmasters.

Great job, Mike! The Jaguar is a complete looker and the video is very informative and funny to watch! Keep'em coming!

21:50 to 22:36 So true! My first build kit guitar took me so much time and effort and work, and after I strummed her for the first time I almost cried. It sounded very weird, unpleasant, and unharmonious with poor sustain and no low end. I begun to investigate and tweak on it, but I could not get her to sound better. But I had already had connected with her and „caressed“(played) it like a loved disabled child, very often. And so, after 6-7 months I noticed how she become more and more alive, and more musical sounding. After 2 years I was so happy to have her sound better and better. Finally at about 3 years she riped to its fullest, sounding refined, and round and with more low end. For the following 5 years she did not changed anymore. I am so happy now! It’s almost like the pieces of wood and all parts have to „learn“ to be an instrument.

I just did my first two partsmasters. It is good to know someone who is really good at setups to go over it when you are done.

Thank you for this. Watching your vids this last year inspired me to build a parts-master-caster (jazzmaster/starcaster hybrid) last fall. I’m super proud of the quality and your shared JM wisdom got me there.

This is the new fav channel, I can’t believe I hadn’t found you before. I am just getting into the jaguar and this channel is definitely what I needed. I do tech work myself, but I haven’t had any experience with the jaguars and jazzmasters. I have built several guitars, but these are a little bit of a different animal.

One of my favorite guitars I own is a parts-Jazzmaster. When I first put it together, it was borderline unplayable. It took a lot of work getting it to feel right. It needed a shim to get the action to a reasonable height, the string spacing on the synthetic bone nut was wonky (and I didn’t like the synthetic bone material), and the stock thimbles from the body I’d acquired didn’t feel like an ideal drop-in fit for my mastery bridge (and the thimble holes on the body were too small to fit the mastery thimbles). I eventually fixed all this, but it’s amazing how much effort might still be required after you’ve already built a “complete” guitar. The amount I learned from the process was astounding. Anyway, this channel is a revelation for people interested in offset guitars. We love what you’re doing.

This is EXACTLY the video I've been looking for I'm building my first guitar and diving directly into the deep end. My buddy's dad growing up had a jazzmaster and I've been dying for one for years. Wish me luck!!!

Mike, this came along right before I decide to start buying parts for a Jag-Stang build! Thanks for the tips!

So glad to have this channel now, after your Kali guest spot the other week. Regular, awesome guitar videos has got me back to playing again, and I'll be tackling the body I designed a couple of years ago before I know it!

I just finished my first parts build which is an JM. Your channel is my source of truth.

I’m building a Stratocaster right now for my first build, after that I have parts ready for a Jazzblaster build! Since I have already modified a few offsets it should be relatively smooth sailing. Thanks for your channel, it’s taught me a lot!

This is one of my favorites of your videos because the whole time I'm thinking "yep, made that mistake. Yep, made that one too" LoL. My first mod guitar was a Squier vintage modified Jazzmaster and it ended up turning into a partsmaster. I made every mistake and rebuilt it about 4 times. But i had fun (between the frustrations) and learned a ton!

Whoa the "time to settle in" point you made towards the end totally makes sense! I never thought about it that way, but that totally happened with my partsmaster. Even after all the tweaking to get it set up and sounding great, I think it's definitely gotten better sounding and more stable over time. It stays in tune very well nowadays too. It's just about 5 years old now and I love it

I'm in love with your channel. Ordered an mjt Jazzmaster that will be here in 10 weeks in dark lake placid blue. Thank you for the extra tips.

I just purchased a fully original 1966 Fender Mustang. Found your channel after your appearance on 5 watt world Mustang short history. Your channel is fantastic. Great videos, great content!!

I just discovered your channel last week. Thank you for generously sharing your years of knowledge on all things offset.

Brilliant channel, only started watching yesterday and I’m loving it mate, I don’t own an offset but the itch is getting itchier and I really want to build my own 👍🏼

What Whaat!!!! that part with the drill's"What Whaaat!" and you laughing about it made my day!

The video that I needed appeared on my birthday. Very informative. Glad I went with a Strat body/trem for my Jagmaster (Jazzmaster and lipstick pickups, Jag controls) parts build...

Great content as always! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.

I think the most important part of this video is the part about tempering your expectations. It is rare that the good ones just click together and are done the first time. The best ones get a lot of tinkering but, yeah, that first time I put one together that I was like "this is gonna be AMAZING" and then reality set in. Even my most recent creation taught me things right up to the very end, including how important it is to get a REALLY thick coat of clear over the glitter/sparkle finish....looks like I'm gonna be covered in glitter for a long time.

I like you Mike. Great videos. I’ve built many parts guitars and not ashamed of my failures as I find I learn my way out of them. I hope one day we cross paths and we can share build experiences.

A very timely video - I'm currently working on a Jazzmaster style build myself (parts from various sources). First time builder, but long time player/setter-upper. ;) It's definitely been a bigger challenge than expected, but a very rewarding experience. Thanks again for posting this super helpful vid.

This would've been nice to see when I built my dream guitar a year ago, a Metallic Purple Jazzmaster with Strat pickups and an aluminium neck!

Great information, thank you. Love the finishes on your guitars.

I really like how clean your new thumbnail designs are. That white strip is 👌

That coke bottle finish is rad af. Also, I just finished a Partsmaster and I wanted to thank you for all the info you've shared on this topic. It's really helped me a lot

Great video, Mike! My first parts guitar was a Jazzmaster (the one that I kept annoying you via Instagram DM with questions about 😂) and admittedly I jumped into the deep end of the proverbial pool. I've still got a tiny bit of dialing in to do with it but it's become one of my favorite guitars. I'm very excited to undertake another parts build in the future and this video will be super helpful to refer back to!

I couldn't agree more myself. I bought every peices if my jaguar and did what I was confortable doing. After that, I decided to ask my luthier (and tech) to finish (about 90% really) of the job. It did cost about 10% more but I am so satisfied by the finished product. After investing thousands of dollars in parts, adding a few hundreds more to my it great isn't the end of the world. Far from it. I think I love my jaguar more then if it was me who built it because it is, quite simply, perfect.

I'm currently building my first jazzmaster and my first instrument in general. As a bassist I really didn't know what I was getting into. Theres so many moving parts and things to consider as you said. The instrument is visually looking great so far (zebrano top, zebrano fretboard and a surprisingly stunning roasted maple neck), body is nearly finished and neck needs to be fretted but I still don't have a clue if its gonna be any good :D Electronics and choosing the pickups will be next and your videos have been a great help in that!

I’ve stumbled upon your videos today after hitting a stumbling block assembling a Jaguar parts guitar - very helpful! (Neck shim was the answer to my problem, which you demonstrated in a different video). Amazing resource!!

i built my first partsmaster back in 2007, and yes it was my first ever parts guitar... talk about jumping in the deep end haha... back then it was just harmony central and offsetguitars threads as rough guides... i really didnt know what i was doing at the time... your channel would have been very handy! thankfully it turned out really well and its one of my favs to this day...

Great advice, from a guy who obviously has a lot of experience of building Partsmasters! Thanks!🤗🤗🤗

The drill bit was funny.

Wonderful video. Well explained, excellent info and warnings, thorough, and...hilarious...😂

Your channel is gold! This video is very informative!

Fantastic informative video Mike 😃👍. For me a "simple" repaint of a VM Jazzmaster turned into a full blown partscaster with very few parts fitting as I thought they should be. Funny enough it was only my second guitar and the first partsmaster. It was a great learning experience though and now I have my perfect Shoreline gold Jazzmaster. Could have done with this video when I built it as I stumbled across so many problems.

Although I didn't build my jaguar, it's one of the early 90s ones that is a complete piece of garbage that looks like it was built by a drunk guy on a Saturday. Everything is crooked and wrong. I love it.

Great video, very helpful! Especially the yarn trick

Awesome video. You really point out all the pieces and just how much goes into it. I had a lot of fun making my Thinline Tele Partscaster and learned a huge amount along the way. I'm still sort of amazed I built something that turned out so good, even if it did need some refitting to get there. I'm still a little sad that a week after putting it all together and getting it all aligned the finish 'popped' (a small crack) along the neck plate, but so it goes. The thing plays fantastically, and it looks super cool. Not everyone can say 'My guitar, yeah, I built it.'

First parts guitar I build was Jag. But it was much more easier because it has sigle humbucker and pickguard is similar to Jazzmaster one. Designing of the guard was the hardest part of the build. I had to be 100% sure it would fit because I had it laser-cut. I figured out the trick with a yarn on my own and I accidentally used also red :D It helped me a lot. I couldn't get TOM bridge lower to get good string height and had to recut the pickguard. The first strum was somehow underwhelming but it has long sustain at least. However, I was very pleased how it turned out and really happy I finally have affordable lefty Jag. I learned how to set it up with help from you Demystifying articles (thanks a lot 😊). I can set it to perform whatever I want. Plus the guitar also came to life over time. It is my best guitar. Now I'm in middle of build of the SuperSonic with offset tremolo system and jag/jazz pickups combo. It will have also thin lavender finish.

I see a T shirt that I need, Mike. I'm watching you while going over a slotted headstock Gibson EB bass that I just got this morning. It needs a bit of love.

The first time I did a switch on a Jaguar, that’s when I knew. I was confident enough, to tell other people I knew how to solder.

That finish really is stunning. Have never see that one before.

thanks again for another great video mike!, cheers from the Philippines!

I built a “Les Parts” lp knockoff at the beginning of quarantine and it was a really good learning experience even if it was extremely stressful

Pure joy! Love it!

Wow, the Jaguar turned out great! I hope it becomes a favorite for you, and I can't wait to hear it plugged in...

Fantastic as always! Time to rip open my MJT JM!

I built a perfect copy of the first production Broadcaster from parts order on the internet and the guitar proves Leo Fender was a genius to be able to build this model in 1950 because of the bolt on neck and the pickups and wiring. Leo Fender was a genius! The Fender Broadcaster Telecaster is the best electric guitar ever made and Les Paul Standard 1959 is second best! Because the Les Paul is only a fantasy but Leo Fender made the Dream reality for poor people who love music like me! Total price of build in 2019 was $270 and the Fender parts are Mexican Fender parts because the American parts are to greedy.

Love this Mike , Thanks .

Very helpful!! Thanks for making this. Also, I very much enjoyed laughing along with you laughing at your own joke.

Mike - I love the string 'trick' Thank You!

If only I had these videos about 13 or so years ago when I started building my own Sonic Youth-inspired creations. I would spend hours just gleaning information from the offset forum and other places. This helps visualize a lot!

Funny that this video is getting recommended to me now. I ordered an offset tele kit and the routing was way off. Sooo change of plans...I'm building a baritone, woohoo!!

Tried putting that same reliced gold guard on my JM build and had to seriously expand the thimble holes. Warmoth wasn't stupid by shortening their JM guards to exclude the Bridge.

Very helpful. I’ve had some of these issues, but didn’t understand why.

I wish this was around 4 years ago when I built my burgundy mist metallic partsmaster. After a lot of time making adjustments and breaking it in, it’s now a fantastic guitar, but at first when it was finished it wasn’t very good and I was a bit disappointed. It was a great learning experience and the first “parts” guitar I had ever assembled. Also the first time I had ever soldered. Now I understand guitar electronics and setups so much better and do all the maintenance work on my family of guitars. Also, I’ve gone through a lot of experimentation and mods on the guitar. At this point it has 3 picks: creamery baby 71 in the neck and bridge, and a gold foil in the middle position which runs through the rhythm circuit. Edit: I had a 6 way blade switch on it for a while, but wasn’t using all the positions, so right now I have 3 way strat switch with no in between settings. I’ve been considering rewiring it in a way that I can have the neck and bridge together, the only two pickup setting I really liked with these pickups. It’s definitely fun modding a parts guitar and I’d highly recommend the experience for anyone interested.

Awesome video!

My sister owns that Lavender Ice build. I haven’t played it yet, but can’t wait to. I didn’t heed the “Don’t make a PartsMASTER, your first build…but surprisingly it came out pretty well. Still getting the shim ratio right, and my rhythm circuit isn’t working, but it’s SO MUCH FUN! I am not what you would call “handy” but certainly find working on it (Originally a 2012 Indonesian built Squier FSR Jazzmaster in Daphne Blue) This channel gave me the knowledge to attempt it, so for that I thank you kindly

This video is the best!!! Thanks a million for all the tips!! I just wish you were my neighbour!!

I'm starting a band and naming it "Teenage Simba" after your haircut! ;)

Awesome video. I’m in the middle of a partsmaster build and I wish I had known about the yarn trick before I drilled pilot holes for my vibrato. I’ll have to double check and I guess if it’s off at all (I lined up the pilot holes relevant to the middle of the body), I guess I can refill the holes and start over since everything will be hidden anyway. One big note is that MJT bodies done in-house (USACG specs) seem to have under-sized bridge holes. This is insanely frustrating for someone without a drill press or access to one. In fact both of the holes in mine where different sizes. And that’s just one of many quality issues I experienced with MJT but that’s off topic. Suffice to say I’ll be checking out Guitar Mill for my next project.

I don't know if it qualifies as a Partsmaster, but my 2017 Squier VM Jaguar now has a 2019 Classic Vibe neck and a Fender Classic Player vibrato. I basically just keep swapping stuff out and making adjustments to get where I need to go. Your channel has been a lifesaver many times over.

I had made jazz and precision basses from parts before but my first parts guitar was a jazzmaster. The body was cheap off eBay and a nightmare to fit. All the cavities were oversized so I had to add wooden plugs, and I foolishly used the pickguard to locate and drill the bridge holes, resulting in intonation woes. Ended up having to get a bass VI staytrem bridge to fix the intonation. I loved that guitar though. Thrashed it in a punk band until the body cracked in half, twice. Got a replacement squire body for it and it's behaved much better since. Doesn't have quite the same character however.

love this guy

That May 2017 Premier Guitar article saved my JM's ass. Mike is the maestro.

I have built a Nocaster. WooF!!

Boy am I glad I watched this! Great video and information! What are your thoughts on the Saylor Guitars Jazzmaster style bodies? That’s the one I’m leaning towards for my first offset build. Thank you.

Im building a Jazzmaster at this very moment

Looks great. I'm going to have to start saving up for parts. I can't seem to find the right jag for me that's within a normal price range. Plus, I'm in love with enony necks after buying a strat that has one. Thanks for the tips!

This glorious mane.

Love the hairstyle!!!

Thanks so much for this!

Great video! Awesome. Yeah JMs & Jaguars are challenging but Strats & Teles can have their quirks too. Mexican vs American string spacing, new pickguard holes never seem to match, etc..

Discovered your channel some two weeks ago, & i honestly listen to your videos on repeat. The amount of info on offsets, to the bonus entertainment of your personality, it's fun learning & always a good laugh! I do have a question regarding the tremolo options. I'm looking to build my own Jazzmaster from the ground up (have built numerous other instruments over the last 8 years), but one thing am curious to know is: would you go for the AVRI jazzmaster/jaguar tremolo (with the possible upgrade of the staytrem collet & arm), or go for the descendant which addresses many "issues" of the old pat pend design? Any reason for one over the other? Definitely plan on going mastery M1 bridge, i'm just undecided on the tremolo option, & looking for advice. Cheers from the great white north, stay awesome :) Thanks for your time!

Thanks for mentioning the wrong route on the warmoth body. Saved me a hell lot of frustration. Can I get a vintage correct roasted alder JM body anywhere? Thanks pal!

I really dig that finish! I was looking to make a surf-style partsmaster but that coke-bottle idea is killer. Do you have videos on your channel on how to assemble a jazzmaster-style guitar?

Your drill said “what what!”

Any chance we can get a video on how you choose a strap for a guitar? Whenever you get a new guitar I'm always so excited to see what strap you pair with it since it seems to add so much character.

Was hoping to hear the sparkle jag! I've actually had that first strum confusion on new guitars after years of "played in" second hand instruments. I feel guitars get more resonant the more they're played and the more vibration they've had ring through them. Inadvertently ended up with parts(c/m)asters by swapping everything out from Squiers except the neck and body. At some point I want to get a Fernandes strat and recreate Billie Joe's Blue.

Okay Mike, this ought to entertain you...so I follow the link to your Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar page and read all the articles. When I get to the bottom of the page, I notice a link to another article, "An Open(ish) Letter to Fender CEO Andy Mooney's Thoughts on Offset Guitars" and I think, "Andy Rooney? The old guy from CBS 60 Minutes who died years ago??" Yes, my brain sometimes misreads.

I'm building one (almost) from scratch. I've got an offset body blank routed for two humbuckers and a tele(ish) type control cavity, THATS IT. I'm considering either a Strat hardtail bridge (AKA Affinity JM HH) or a Bigsby B5 (don't want to mess with routing for a JM trem). Either way it's going to be fun!

Thanks for another awesome video. "Can I get a what WHAT!?"

@puisheen thanks so much for the videos. Your channel is incredibly helpful and fun. I’ve been thinking about doing a partsmaster build. Curious what you think is going to end up with the best result, buying all the pieces and building from scratch, or buying the best Squier I can get my hands on and upgrading components (pickups, mastery bridge and trem, electronics, and maybe eventually the neck)?

Great video! I’d love to see you tackle the mustang in a similar way, your setup videos have already given me some much needed insight into getting the dynamic vibrato to behave as it should. I’m working on a Jagstang and the neck I have is 10-16”radius, would a stock mustang bridge work fine or should I get one with adjustable individual saddle height? Also I was interested to know if you have any experience with graph tech saddles for offsets? Would they be worse than metal on a mustang style bridge since friction is kinda necessary for the bridge to move with the tremolo?

i finished my partsmaster a few months ago. did i chip the purple sparkle finish? yes, i did. does everything fit perfectly? no, it doesnt. does it play and sound great? yes! im proud of it, but there are some things that bother me, but no one else will probably notice. seeing as it plays great atm im not sure i should continue messing with it. as with a lot of artistic things the question of when to stop is difficult.

Love this! Have you touched on filling and drilling if holes aren’t lined up?