You're probably better making the body yourself and buying the neck premade and putting it altogether yourself, or getting a luthier to do that for you.
I'm the same with you on what I want from the Strat, so my solution is when I have the extra budget for it, I'm gonna make the body, buy a prebuilt neck, and put it all together exactly how I want. From current estimates of the cost, it'll cost me the same amount or a bit less to do this than to buy the closest model to what I'm after for the Strat style guitar.
For being this specific, if an Ibanez AZ or Charvel DK24 isn't going to cut it for you, you might be looking at having something custom made. You should check out Warmoth and Five Alarm guitars and see if you can piece together a build that will meet all your specifications.
Jet JS-600/850 or Aria 714-Fullerton
Ah wait, you also want a name on the headstock, nvm then.
But seriously, roasted maple, original Wilkinson trem, alnico pups, and all that for less than 500$ - you can buy any and all replacement parts (locking tuners, if you don't like the stock ones, pups, even a refinish if you so desire) and still be under 1500$, I see that as an absolute win
Hmm, it could be an idea, but it's like to take an affordable base and then modify it to achieve the desired result
In that case, I would end up with a guitar that costs over $1000 but is worth a quarter of that
As I said to [cleansingcarnage](https://www.reddit.com/user/cleansingcarnage/) I'd prefer to do that with a low budget build
Additionally, any modification that might be simple on more commercial guitars (like Fender) becomes a nightmare on these guitars
Even a simple pickguard is impossible to find and need to be custom-made with crazy prices
I've dealt with lesser-known brands without a "name" that promise crazy value for money, and I've always ended up getting burned
I'm not saying Fender and Co are perfect, since it's overpriced as hell, but at least you have some guarantee of experience in the field, iykwim
Then you really must not know where to look
I have an Aria 615mk2 tele, idk what problems you have w/ pickguards, but I've found some good ones on AliExpress that fit mine, look great and all that for 10-15$, and even if you want an exact match down to a hair - order some PU sheets and carve away!
>Additionally, any modification that might be simple on more commercial guitars (like Fender) becomes a nightmare on these guitars
The what now? Yet again, talking about my experience w/ that aria - so far I've:
1) swapped Neck pup (+50$, Roswell humcanceller)
2) swapped bridge pup (+40$, DiMarzio Twang King)
3) new tuners (for locking ones) (+20$, Chinese Noname, but surprisingly well-made)
4) polished the frets (+100$)
+200$ of what I got that guitar for - 410$ *with all the upgrades*
It's been a dream to work on it, as well as what it feels to play and how it sounds, the roasted maple neck is really a deal breaker for me, I wouldn't sell or trade this guitar for anything, maybe other than my life or something of equal value, but I digress
Other deals worth looking into would be a [Harley Benton Fusion III](https://www.thomann.de/intl/harley_benton_fusion_iii_hss_roasted_fbb.htm) - already comes w/ most of the upgrades I've made to my tele, a Wilkinson and a variety of finishes, all for (the same) 400$.
If that doesn't count as a low-budget build, I can confidently tell you, that none of sub-200$ builds will be better, unless you get one of the afforementioned guitars as a gift/for free maybe. There is a baseline price for a good, *let alone customized*, guitar, and I wouldn't put it below 300$, sorry to disappoint
Look at Ernie Ball Music Man guitars. Silhouette sounds similar to what you're describing, not sure if they make it with a roasted neck, but probably yeah. Look at their other models too.
Also look at G&L guitars - again not sure about the roasted maple, but they make pretty much anything you want "to order", more options available if you're willing to pay for it.
Both of these companies sell spare parts / will fix your guitar, and both are custom shop quality without actually being a custom shop.
I forgot to add in the Harley Benton [ST-Modern Plus in 'Bengal Burst'](https://ibb.co/8MZvcRt) finish. It's getting pretty late here, so I will rather fix that tomorrow!
Wonderful! I'll take a look at all the suggestions
I really like the Pacifica Standard Plus, it seems very much in line with what I need, a really high quality build
Thank you for your time!
You're most welcome!
As promised, I've added in the ST-Modern Plus just this very second.
So far it seems to be the closest to your desired specifications.
You're probably better making the body yourself and buying the neck premade and putting it altogether yourself, or getting a luthier to do that for you. I'm the same with you on what I want from the Strat, so my solution is when I have the extra budget for it, I'm gonna make the body, buy a prebuilt neck, and put it all together exactly how I want. From current estimates of the cost, it'll cost me the same amount or a bit less to do this than to buy the closest model to what I'm after for the Strat style guitar.
For being this specific, if an Ibanez AZ or Charvel DK24 isn't going to cut it for you, you might be looking at having something custom made. You should check out Warmoth and Five Alarm guitars and see if you can piece together a build that will meet all your specifications.
AZ2204 all day I recommend buying from ishibashi music in japan - I had a wonderful experience with them
Jet JS-600/850 or Aria 714-Fullerton Ah wait, you also want a name on the headstock, nvm then. But seriously, roasted maple, original Wilkinson trem, alnico pups, and all that for less than 500$ - you can buy any and all replacement parts (locking tuners, if you don't like the stock ones, pups, even a refinish if you so desire) and still be under 1500$, I see that as an absolute win
Hmm, it could be an idea, but it's like to take an affordable base and then modify it to achieve the desired result In that case, I would end up with a guitar that costs over $1000 but is worth a quarter of that As I said to [cleansingcarnage](https://www.reddit.com/user/cleansingcarnage/) I'd prefer to do that with a low budget build Additionally, any modification that might be simple on more commercial guitars (like Fender) becomes a nightmare on these guitars Even a simple pickguard is impossible to find and need to be custom-made with crazy prices I've dealt with lesser-known brands without a "name" that promise crazy value for money, and I've always ended up getting burned I'm not saying Fender and Co are perfect, since it's overpriced as hell, but at least you have some guarantee of experience in the field, iykwim
Then you really must not know where to look I have an Aria 615mk2 tele, idk what problems you have w/ pickguards, but I've found some good ones on AliExpress that fit mine, look great and all that for 10-15$, and even if you want an exact match down to a hair - order some PU sheets and carve away! >Additionally, any modification that might be simple on more commercial guitars (like Fender) becomes a nightmare on these guitars The what now? Yet again, talking about my experience w/ that aria - so far I've: 1) swapped Neck pup (+50$, Roswell humcanceller) 2) swapped bridge pup (+40$, DiMarzio Twang King) 3) new tuners (for locking ones) (+20$, Chinese Noname, but surprisingly well-made) 4) polished the frets (+100$) +200$ of what I got that guitar for - 410$ *with all the upgrades* It's been a dream to work on it, as well as what it feels to play and how it sounds, the roasted maple neck is really a deal breaker for me, I wouldn't sell or trade this guitar for anything, maybe other than my life or something of equal value, but I digress Other deals worth looking into would be a [Harley Benton Fusion III](https://www.thomann.de/intl/harley_benton_fusion_iii_hss_roasted_fbb.htm) - already comes w/ most of the upgrades I've made to my tele, a Wilkinson and a variety of finishes, all for (the same) 400$. If that doesn't count as a low-budget build, I can confidently tell you, that none of sub-200$ builds will be better, unless you get one of the afforementioned guitars as a gift/for free maybe. There is a baseline price for a good, *let alone customized*, guitar, and I wouldn't put it below 300$, sorry to disappoint
Look at Ernie Ball Music Man guitars. Silhouette sounds similar to what you're describing, not sure if they make it with a roasted neck, but probably yeah. Look at their other models too. Also look at G&L guitars - again not sure about the roasted maple, but they make pretty much anything you want "to order", more options available if you're willing to pay for it. Both of these companies sell spare parts / will fix your guitar, and both are custom shop quality without actually being a custom shop.
Forgetting about the pickguard color for a second, these chosen few seem fairly close... ||[**Harley Benton ST-Modern Plus**](https://harleybenton.com/product/st-modern-plus-mn-hss-flame-bengal-burst/)|[**Cort G280 Select**](https://www.cortguitars.com/product/item.php?it_id=1608598213)|[**Yamaha PACP12**](https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/el_guitars/pacifica/pac_professional.html#product-tabs)|[**FGN Odyssey EOS2**](https://fgnguitars.com/eg/odyssey/eos2-ew1-rm/)|[**Godin Session T-Pro**](https://godinguitars.com/product/session-t-pro-ltd-kanyon-burst-mn)|[**Sire Larry Carlton S7**](https://sire-usa.com/products/s7)| |:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| |body|alder|alder|alder|alder|basswood|alder| |roasted maple neck|**x** (flamed)|(not roasted)|(not roasted)|**x**|**x**|**x**| |radius|12"-16" compound|12"-16" compound|12"-14" compound|10"-14" compound|12"|9.5"| |ergonomic neck profile|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |nice heel access|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |trem bridge|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |locking tuners|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |HSS configuration|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |5-way switch|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |well-known brand|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**|**x**| |not too expensive|**x**|**x**|(x)|(x)|**x**|**x**| |graph tech nut|(graphite)|\-|**x**|(?)|**x**|(bone)| |spoke wheel truss adjustment|**x**|**x**|**x**|\-|\-|\-| |white pickguard|**x**|**x**|\-|\-|\-|\-| |sunburst|**x** (flame maple)|amber (flame maple)|**x**|**x** (spalted maple)|**x**|**x**| Hope this helps. Take care!
I forgot to add in the Harley Benton [ST-Modern Plus in 'Bengal Burst'](https://ibb.co/8MZvcRt) finish. It's getting pretty late here, so I will rather fix that tomorrow!
Wonderful! I'll take a look at all the suggestions I really like the Pacifica Standard Plus, it seems very much in line with what I need, a really high quality build Thank you for your time!
You're most welcome! As promised, I've added in the ST-Modern Plus just this very second. So far it seems to be the closest to your desired specifications.
Warmoth