DIY Axes VS Brand Names

Stratoplayer

New member
If I made a LP Doublecut from the highest quality Warmoth parts, would a Gibson LP Doublecut be better anyway? Would there be an inherent tone difference?
 
it's bolt on vs. set neck.......if the pieces of wood are good and the neck pocket is tight.....i don't think it would be much of a difference but it wouldn't really sound like a real gibby.........who knows though...it might sound better.....plus the contour neck pocket thing is kinda cool.....
 
I think a Warmoth strat and a Fender Strat would be a better comparison. I am currently making 2 guitars, one walnut strat and one ash strat.
 
I honestly don't think there would be much of a difference, or at least the drawbacks of a DIY aren't nearly enough to stop you from making one. So I think I will :)
 
DIY is very satisfying and a lot of fun. Take care and go for it.

No stew-mac or warmorth over here, I had to build the body myself! Making templates for all the routes is half the work IMO ;)
 
Please take my comments about Warmoth necks as my opinion only - there are plenty of satisfied customers out there.

After an unintended A/B comparison between a MIM Fender neck and a "Warmoth construction" neck on a MIM Strat, I think that the "Warmoth construction" with a double truss rod and an extra thick fingerboard sucks tone and clarity out of a guitar - especially treble.

Don't get me wrong, Warmoth makes good quality bodies, and I'm sure that the "Vintage Modern" and "Vintage construction" necks sound better. Unfortunately, IIRC you can't get a tilt-back headstock unless you get "Warmoth construction".

I'm about to start a carved-top tele style body, 1-piece mahogany with 1-piece rock maple top, mahogany neck w/ rosewood fingerboard in conversion scale for 24-3/4", tune-o-matic bridge, and Seth Lover pickups. The body and neck are from USA Custom Guitars. It'll take me months to get it completed based on past experience, but I'm hoping that it will sound very much like a Les Paul and possibly play as well or better.

You might consider a neck from USACG and body from Warmoth since USACG doesn't make an LPS style body. I'd thought about doing that, but a bolt-on LPS doesn't have much of a neck pocket compared to a tele or strat style body - take a look at the silouttes on the Warmoth site.

Chip
 
Personally, I think a Warmoth DCLP and a Gibson are two totally seperate animals. (Different woods, bolt on vs. set, scale length [you can get warmoth in either 25.5" or 24.75"]) I prefer the sound and feel of my Warmoth DC (25.5") to a Gibson, but that's just me.

-alex
 
The Gibson sound nicer!

Warmoth is over priced and kinda snotty!

If you don't believe me - give them a call!
 
Re: DIY Axes VS Brand Names

Stratoplayer said:
If I made a LP Doublecut from the highest quality Warmoth parts, would a Gibson LP Doublecut be better anyway? Would there be an inherent tone difference?

If you get as close as possible (we will assume identical in all other respects for this post), the Warmoth will be a tad brighter, as well as having a slightly faster, more articulate response because there´s no glue in the pocket dampening the tone.

The effect isn´t huge, but it´s there:cool:
 
Interesting. I've always heard that glued-in necks sustained better, but didn't realise that conversely damped the tone
 
I got really good service on the phone from Bill ? and Bob Randolph when I was putting together the order for the frankenstrat in my avatar.

However, Warmoth seems to have experienced a lot of turnover in the last year or so and I haven't had any consistency in the knowledge of the guys answering the phone. A couple of times, I knew as much or more about their product line than the guy on the other end of the phone.

It is annoying that Warmoth applies an "upcharge" for virtually everything not on the plain vanilla menu - especially when they're using CAD/CAM to make everything. Also, I've run into unexpected brick walls - like when I wanted a 21-fret Tele neck with rounded edges on the fingerboard and a 10-16" compound raduis. "No, we won't do that" isn't what I expect from a "custom" guitar parts shop.

That's my $0.02... what's Stratman got on his mind?

Chip

P.S. Warmoth's prices are fine, until they start with the upcharges.
 
BTW - USA Custom Guitars made me that tele-style neck no problem, with an "E.B." contour just like I wanted.

Chip

P.S. Mojo is here - he won't let me edit my earlier post!
 
Fresh_Start said:
"No, we won't do that" isn't what I expect from a "custom" guitar parts shop.

I think because of the volume of orders they deal with now, they've kind of moved from a "Custom Shop" to more of a "Parts Shop" if that makes any sense. More along the lines of producing common parts rather than tailoring a specific part to any one players needs. They still make an awesome product, no doubt.. (I've got my 3rd Warmoth in the works right now) they're just not as flexible as they could be.

-alex
 
From what I hear.
It seems like Warmoth are deffinatly not a custom guitar shop.

More just the place to get your generic guitar parts, that u can slap together to make an Ax if u want to.


Thats what im getting anyway,
 
Back
Top