Help me design a Warmoth neck

[rspst14]

Hey guys, I'm just about ready to order a Warmoth neck for my Strat project, and I could use a little bit of help on a couple of questions...

1. Does anyone have a Warmoth neck with the Boatneck profile? I'm trying to decide between the Wolfgang and the Boatneck profiles. I really like the neck on my Wolfgang, but wouldn't mind having something just a little thicker. The Boatneck seems to be pretty thick, I'm wondering if it might end up being a little too thick. I have average sized hands, and I like necks that are thick, but not baseball bat thick. Should I stick with the Wolfgang profile, or go with the Boatneck?

2. This is probably a long shot, but does anyone have any experience with Goncalo Alves as a neck wood? Supposedly it's a warmer sounding wood that doesn't need any finish, so it's nice and fast-feeling. I've definitely decided on using this, matched with an Ebony fretboard. Since neither Ebony or Goncalo need to be finished, how do you maintain them? My Wolfgang neck only has an oil finish, and I apply a coat of lemon oil every 6-8 weeks to keep the neck nice and fast. The guys at Warmoth admitted that they weren't overly familiar with Goncalo, but they recommended using an oil that promoted moisture retention without drying out the neck. Is lemon oil okay, or is there a better oil for this purpose?

3. Anyone have stainless steel frets on one of their guitars? If so, what are the neck/fretboard/body woods, and do you find the tone any brighter than with nickel frets? I'm putting the neck on an alder American Strat body, and I figure a goncalo/ebony neck will be warmer than a maple/rosewood neck. If stainless steel frets are brighter sounding, would the warmer neck wood be enough to offset it?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ryan

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Help me design a Warmoth neck

Don't know about the boatneck profile, but lemon oil works great with my ebony and rosewood fingerboards, it should work well with Goncalo too. SS frets are a touch brighter than nickel, but with a thick neck and warm woods, it shouldn't make much of a difference.

 

[MattPete]

Re: Help me design a Warmoth neck

Hey guys, I'm just about ready to order a Warmoth neck for my Strat project, and I could use a little bit of help on a couple of questions...

3. Anyone have stainless steel frets on one of their guitars? If so, what are the neck/fretboard/body woods, and do you find the tone any brighter than with nickel frets? I'm putting the neck on an alder American Strat body, and I figure a goncalo/ebony neck will be warmer than a maple/rosewood neck. If stainless steel frets are brighter sounding, would the warmer neck wood be enough to offset it?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Ryan

All 3 of my Warmoths have stainless steel frets (see wood combos below). Although all 5 of my guitars (there's a Gibson SG not listed below) sound different plugged and unplugged, the Warmoth's don't jump out as being brighter than my Kramer or Gibson. I do have one guitar that can be too bright, but that's the Warmoth with the maple cap.

My conclusion is that the SS frets don't make a sonic difference worth mentioning. Maybe you would notice a difference if you had 2 otherwise identical guitars and compared them back-to-back. If you blindly picked up the SS guitar and started playing, I doubt you'd go "wow, that's bright. It must have ss frets!"

My hunch is that SS got a bad rap because it is so hard to work.

 

[theodie]

Re: Help me design a Warmoth neck

If you want something a little bigger than the wolfgang neck I would go with the warmoth 59 roundback neck. This is not one of their regular neck shapes but, they do make it!!!!!! It feels like a 50s les paul neck. I love this back shape!!!! I also have a wolfgang and a guitar with the 59 neck so I know exactly what you are after. It is a little thicker than the wolfgang But, I dont think it is as thick as the boatneck. Good Luck!!!!

 

[Fatty]

Re: Help me design a Warmoth neck

Just a general tip: If you don't see something on their website that you want done, just ask. When I ordered my last neck, I asked them if they could round off the fretboard, which they could do for an extra $15.00. I also upgraded to a Ziricote fretboard for an extra $20 or so. (Ziricote isn't priced out on their site).

 

[theodie]

Re: Help me design a Warmoth neck

I would use tung oil on the back of the neck. The back of the wolfgang neck is tung oil also. I would put 1 coat of oil on it a week for 5 weeks (without playing it) Then it should be ready to go.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Help me design a Warmoth neck

If you want something a little bigger than the wolfgang neck I would go with the warmoth 59 roundback neck. This is not one of their regular neck shapes but, they do make it!!!!!! It feels like a 50s les paul neck. I love this back shape!!!! I also have a wolfgang and a guitar with the 59 neck so I know exactly what you are after. It is a little thicker than the wolfgang But, I dont think it is as thick as the boatneck. Good Luck!!!!

Thanks for the tip, I'll email them about it and see what they say.

When you say boatneck are you referring to the D shaped necks,(gradual curving sides with a flat bottom?)
I'm not familiar with that wood-what family is it From,also Wenge may ne an option for a wood that doesn't need to be sealed,(dark sounding).
Stainless frets will add a touch of brightness,so a warm wood would be a nice combo.

I'm referring to Warmoth's boatneck profile...http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/necks/necks.cfm?fuseaction=back_shape

Here's what they say about Goncalo..."Very dense smooth texture with a waxy fast feel - no finish required. Color is tan with darker chocolate stripes (used by Smith & Wesson for pistol grips). Articulate clean warm tone. Primarily used as a Neck wood and mates well with Pau Ferro or ebony fingerboards."

Ryan