NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

[Silver]

Spent a loooooong time on this. Built up the parts for a couple of years as and when I had time/money. Had some trouble with USACG over the body (see previous thread), went with Warmoth.

Here's the specs:

Neck: Wenge with Macassar Ebony fretboard. Unfinished. 10-16" compound radius. 'Wolfgang' asymmetrical profile. 1 5/8" nut width. Stainless steel frets. Side inlays only.

Body: One piece mahogany. Contoured heel. 9v battery box. Clear satin finish.

Hardware: Kahler hybrid tremolo... it can be locked into a fixed bridge! Schaller S-locks. Kahler nut with integrated string retainer (no need for string trees). Schaller locking tuners (not required but make string changes easier).

Electronics: Seymour Duncan Blackouts, standard model. 3-way switch (Bridge, Bridge & Neck, Neck), with master volume and one tone for each pickup.

Here are the pics:

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Weighs in at 7.8lbs.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Cool as. How's that Wolfgang neck treating you?

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Cool as. How's that Wolfgang neck treating you?

Love it.

I played a musicman years ago that had basically the same shape and nut width. Found it great for my small hands!

It feels chunky, but it plays smooth. It is .815" at the 1st, .940" at the 12th...but plays faster than many thinner necks I've tried.

The nut width makes a big difference though. I like a narrow width. My friend has a Warmoth neck with the same profile but 1-11/16th width and it feels much bigger.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

I like that, nice build!

 

[GreatOz]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Did you get Warmoth's custom battery box option or did you put one in somewhere else for the blackouts?

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Did you get Warmoth's custom battery box option or did you put one in somewhere else for the blackouts?

Standard Warmoth 9v battery box in the back.

 

[ErikH]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Very nice. It looks like a hotrodded version of my old frankenstrat (Warmoth neck and Chandler body). I recently did a Warmoth build too. Had the neck since 2012 on a couple different bodies (Fender and Mighty Mite) but finally got a Warmoth body from the Showcase. The whole thing weighs 7lbs, same as my old one. Plays and sounds great too. How do you like the Kahler? I haven't used one of those in years.

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Very nice. It looks like a hotrodded version of my old frankenstrat (Warmoth neck and Chandler body). I recently did a Warmoth build too. Had the neck since 2012 on a couple different bodies (Fender and Mighty Mite) but finally got a Warmoth body from the Showcase. The whole thing weighs 7lbs, same as my old one. Plays and sounds great too. How do you like the Kahler? I haven't used one of those in years.

I cannot understand the popularity of the Floyd Rose over the Kahler. I like Floyd trems, and have one on another guitar, but how come Kahler's are almost unheard of now?!!!

The Kahler is great. I love the way they feel. Stiff enough to flutter, but soft enough that trem use is easy and predictable.

The guitar sounds great and sustains for days, so I can't see any negative effect from the Kahler.

 

[ErikH]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

I cannot understand the popularity of the Floyd Rose over the Kahler. I like Floyd trems, and have one on another guitar, but how come Kahler's are almost unheard of now?!!!

The Kahler is great. I love the way they feel. Stiff enough to flutter, but soft enough that trem use is easy and predictable.

The guitar sounds great and sustains for days, so I can't see any negative effect from the Kahler.

IDK either. I have one Floyd guitar, but I rarely play it anymore.

The whole Floyd vs. Kahler thing was the VHS vs. Beta of the guitar world.

Both of my Strat builds have the Gotoh 6-screw vintage trem on it. I was glad to see the same trem is still available 25+ years later. I hardly use the bar so it's set down pretty good like a hard tail anyway but I like the feel of that bridge.

 

[Old Guy]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

WOW! Kick ass build, man!! Enjoy it, brother. Sound clips?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Looks like the fretboard is also wenge.

 

[dystrust]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Looks like the fretboard is also wenge.

It's pretty typical for Macassar Ebony to be striped like that.

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Yeah, I specifically chose that piece of Macassar Ebony too... I liked how stripey it is.

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

WOW! Kick ass build, man!! Enjoy it, brother. Sound clips?

Got no means of recording at the minute, and my chops cannot do this guitar justice.

Been a really busy 4 years for me so I've barely played. It's coming to an end in May and I'm going to have guitar lessons again. So this guitar is for that.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Looks very nice, cool combo of classic and modern. Classy as hell!

 

[Mincer]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

I love everything about this guitar.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Very nice guitar!

I love the looks of wenge (color and grain) and use it a lot in my builds. But it is very porous and takes a lot of work to fill and smooth. For a neck that doesn't need the pore filled, it is magnificent. Without any finish at all (not even sealer) it feels silky smooth and hard.

 

[RorySquier]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

Wow...now that's a sweet looking Strat guitar. I really dig the specs on it with the ebony fret board, strap locks, the pick ups, etc. How is the Kahler trem compared to a Floyd Rose?



;>)/

 

[Silver]

Re: NGD: Warmoth Strat build!

I dig the Kahler. Much easier to live with than a Floyd in my opinion... Set up, tuning, etc.

The feel is easier. On a Floyd I feel that the further you move the bar from its resting position, the more resistance you get... Like it increases exponentially (probably the physics of a spring?)... but with the Kahler you have a cam system to help you so it just moves easier.

It's nice.