Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm sure a lot of you have heard of these guys. https://stratosphereparts.com/

So where does this stuff come from? Fender bodies that were never drilled for a PG? Factory seconds? Do they just buy up inventory from big boxes and part it out? Are used guitars really worth more that way?

Inquiring minds.....

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I've wondered that myself, and obviously - it's working well for them. Pretty sure I've purchased some parts from them in the past. An outfit called "gibsondependable" on Squeebay does the same thing. Breaking down a guitar into components seem to be quite profitable. Heck - I've done it.

There are also sellers who deal in broken stuff from cargo shippers with butter fingers and drunk drivers on forklifts. Check out "cargo largo" and "jeffsmusicgear" for prices. Once in awhile, I get lucky and buy broken stuff to fix and sell, but since I'm a cheap bastard I don't bid very high.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I've bought from the "salvage" sites, done repairs and still wound up parting things out. A couple of years ago I could buy a Tribute + for around $200, repair the headstock break and make $100 on it. Now every DIY out there has driven the prices beyond profitability. Then they screw up the repair and try to sell it for 75% of new on ebay and Reverb.

I've done the math of a few recent used sales and for the extra $75 I would have gotten on average parting out a nice newer Fender would have required at least 4 hours work to strip label and list the parts....... They must be buying bulk. I suspect this is a new dumping ground for the "2CND" and "B" guitars so thhey do not wound up marked seconds and have a lower value than dirt.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I don't think this type of thing would have made it to a "2nd" or "Used" stamp.

Did that come from them?

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

It was one of the salvage sites. I did buy a strat body from the Stratosphere however. Nothing wrong with it.

I've bought a number of broken and cracked headstocks from the ones Chris mentioned and a couple of others. I've "straightened" bass necks that in several cases were simply a matter of someone not knowing proper adjustment techniques. I have a very nice Ibanez SR670 that had a "bad neck". I gave $265 for it. The only thing wrong with it was that the truss rod rattled. Hmm, 1/4 turn to snub it up and it's become my favorite. Not bad for a $650 retail bass. One of the basses had a "humped" neck. When you managed to get the over turns off the truss rod and let it stabilize for a week, then adjust it properly, I had a nice playing Squier jazz 5 string for $100.

I’ve bought quite a bit from Stratosphere. Always very happy with what they supply but their shipping is cost prohibitive and on top of that the Aussie $ isn’t worth the paper it’s written on these days!


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They can be slightly expensive except they are consistently good quality so rather than buying from an unknown seller I’m usually down to pay a little more with more confidence that I won’t have problems.

I’ve bought 2 or 3 Fender bodies and one Fender neck. I believe I’ve purchased a Fender
mustang bridge there and a few pickguards too.

So yeah where do they get their stuff!?!?