To warmoth or not to warmoth...

[iamthesuck]

I have the opportunity to either get a model from the PRS S2 line or build a WGD guitar from warmoth. The PRS models I was looking into are the Vela and the Custom 22 Semi Hollow. Without going too deep into everything, I'm not sure what to do. I can get the controls I want, generally the woods I want, and other benefits from warmoth. But some sacrifices would have to be made, for example I can't get the neck wood combination I wanted. Another thing that keeps me away from warmoth is the time spent waiting on parts and the time to make it, as well as the chance of me ****ing something up. I also need to spend a lot of time researching to make sure my plans aren't idiotic.

Do you guys have any thoughts?

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

You can't go wrong with either of those choices.

All I play anymore are Warmoths. I remember when I ordered my first one, I was a bit nervous about messing something up but I took my time and followed basic rules like measure twice, cut once, pre-drill all holes with a smaller bit than the screw going in and so on. It's really a fun and rewarding experience to piece together a Warmoth. They are some of the best guitars I've ever had the pleasure of playing or owning. They are well worth the wait too, almost all good things in life are worth waiting for anyway.

That being said, I am sure the PRS would be a great guitar too.

 

[HALENisking]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Warmoth all day! I say that as a big PRS fan. IMO a custom Warmoth will have more mojo than an s2 series guitar, and at least the same level of quality but most likely more. You should go into more detail about your build ideas, I'd be interested to know

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

So it would be a WGD shape (I'm a MAJOR deadhead/phan). Mahogany Body, bubinga top. the bubinga is pretty bright, not sure how much that would affect tone. Neck would be maple with goncalo alves fretboard, ss6105 frets (just a blind guess), 1-11/16 nut, and mother of pearl dot inlays. I'm going to get most of the work done by warmoth (inserting inserts, fretting, blah blah). Ideally I'd want to wire it and attach the neck and other bits then go. They'll finish it for me. My other big worry was the time commitment. As a college student I won't have a ton of time to work on it (maybe a few weeks in august and that would be the max till christmas).

Oh and pickups would be an Alt8 Bridge; Screamin deamon, jazz, PGn, or Super 2 for the neck

 

[Mincer]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

The thing about Warmoth is that have to absolutely love the research, love sourcing just the right parts, and love the time it takes to put it together. I love mine, and loved the process of putting it together. It is not for the impatient type, or for someone that just wants a good guitar to play. Once it is together, you have to love the process of tweaking it perfectly or backing up and switching something out if it isn't right. Warmoths don't go for a lot on the used market either, since they are tweaked for a specific owner- but most people who build them hang on to them for life. You can read a blog about my process here.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Both USACG and Warmoth can yield some awesome results with every piece basically hand selected as you want it!!!

2013 USACG/Warmoth Iceman: This is my EVH/Brown Sound Guitar, incredibly comfy neck, an Custom - Custom Build, USACG Quarter-Sawn Maple/Maple Fretboard Neck - 12” Radius, 22 Jumbo Frets, R2 1 5/8” Nut, Gotoh SG38 Tuners, Warmoth Mahogany Iceman Body in Pearl White, Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB-Custom Custom A2 Hybrid Trembucker, DiMarzio 500K Pushull Volume/3 Way LP Style Selector Switch/Fender TBX Tone x 2, Cup Jack, ’89 Ibanez Metal Pickup Mounting Rings and Vol/Tone/Tone Knobs, Recessed ’85 Original Floyd Rose w/Threaded Screw In Arm and 37mm Big Brass Block, DiMarzio Cliplock Black Strap



2013 Warmoth Stratocaster Deluxe - Custom Build, Warmoth Wenge/Ebony Fretboard Neck - fabulous raw Wenge Neck, beautiful body, first EMGs I've ever loved...they'll peel the paint off the walls and melt your face and actually sound l"Vintage/Passive" in tone and responsiveness and sound like nothing else, 12” Radius, 22 Jumbo Frets, R2 1 5/8” Nut, Sperzel Locking Tuners, Warmoth Mahogany w/Flame Maple Top Stratocaster Body in Brown Burst, EMG James Hetfield Set, EMG Volume/Tone Pot/3 Way LP Style Selector Switch/”Kill Switch, Side Mounted Cannon Jack, Recessed ’86 Original Floyd Rose w/Threaded Screw In Arm and 37mm Big Brass Block, DiMarzio Cliplock Black Strap

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

So to get down to some of the nitty gritty... about how long do the parts take to ship, and if it comes prerouted, cut, finished, etc... how long would it take to assemble?

 

[Mincer]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Honestly, if you are questioning shipping and assembly time, you'd be better off getting something off the rack. Getting something custom built isn't something you can rush.

 

[superpete]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

i just got a warmoth neck. it took longer than i hoped, but it is perfect. i love it. it exceeded my expectations and was worth everything i paid for it.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

The downside of a Warmoth custom creation is that, the more personalised your specification, the lower its potential resale value falls.

Make certain that you are choosing a guitar configuration that you will always want. My Warmoth La Cabronita Telecaster Especial is just such a guitar.

 

[BTMN]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Lot of good advise in here.

Love the two Warmoths I own.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Lot of good advise in here.

Love the two Warmoths I own.

Not to de-rail,BTMN,but don't think I've seen those?

Lotsa good advice indeed!
I love the Warmoth body I got(Showcase/discount) & wouldn't bat an eye about getting one of their necks for it(Rev CBS,RW & scalloped!)

I scan eBay for Warmoths,everyone's pretty much spot on about resale,also...

Good Luck & Have Fun!!!

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Or you could buy ready-made Warmoth parts and DIY. Bodies are already finished, and you might find a neck that already suits your desires in their "hot and ready" selection (usually one someone ordered but blew their money during the wait and couldn't take delivery).

Every Warmoth I've had were great quality guitars. However, they do have an almost fanatical Jihadist adherence to Fender specs, and for me, that's a major turn-off. I'd love to get a *real* 24 fret Jackson-style neck from them, with a neck heel that conforms to Jackson's specs and not Fender's, a 12-16" fretboard radius (instead of neck profile), with a Floyd nut, and any headstock shape I wanted, but last time I looked, they were operating under the highly mistaken assumption that putting a 24 fret board on a 22 fret Fender neck was not as stupid as it actually was. Their Strat and Star bodies are perfect. The "Soloist" body I had was a joy to behold but an absolute trainwreck to play. I've never found a Strat-style shape I can stand for very long, but this thing was just wrong in every way you can imagine, except the finish, which was the most beautiful 5A quilted maple and translucent blue I'd ever seen. I swear it looked like a travel brochure for the Bahamas.

For those who have joygasms with their Warmoths, I salute you, but they are definitely not for everyone.

As for the issue of the time it would take to put it together: once you have all the parts in one place, if it takes you more than 1 hour to assemble, you've done something terribly wrong. If it takes a week, you need to stick with store-bought imports, or be a bit more specific in the fret size, board radius, and finish you want when you order it.

 

[BTMN]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Not to de-rail,BTMN,but don't think I've seen those?

Lotsa good advice indeed!
I love the Warmoth body I got(Showcase/discount) & wouldn't bat an eye about getting one of their necks for it(Rev CBS,RW & scalloped!)

I scan eBay for Warmoths,everyone's pretty much spot on about resale,also...

Good Luck & Have Fun!!!

Bought a fully asssembled all Korina Warmoth LP off Evilbay years ago and a Korina V with a Bird's Eye Maple neck from Dave's Guitar in Lacrosse, Wn last year. Both ahve Rosewood fingerboards. The LP has the shaved neck joint area and really has great access for a bolt on.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Love that LP!!!
:headbang:


V's cool,too,but I gotta have a br p/up...


Thanx!

 

[Aceman]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Damn Gene…do you EVER run out of guitars?!?!?!?!?!?

 

[Aceman]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

I don't have a Warmoth, but I can easily think of a dozen I'd make. But as said - an act of deliberate purpose and patience.

Plus, don't know I'd go semi hollow either.


Sounds like you wanter speed over everything, and don't know exactly what you want.

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

It's not that I want speed over everything; on the contrary, if I had a totally open schedule I'd go warmoth in a heartbeat. But there are limited times when I can work on this stuff. I know mostly what I want, but if it isn't august, it's christmas and that's a pretty big jump. I'm a college student, so I just have those windows of time.

Also - to anyone here who knows, would a goncalo alves fingerboard offer anything over a Rosewood one? Because if not, I might be able to order from the in stock list. Although I was thinking a purpleheart neck would be cool.... lol there are a lot of options. I think that the most extreme I'd get on the neck is roasted maple and goncalo alves. Anyone have any suggestions on that end?

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Just a little FYI, to order a custom neck it takes about 4 to 6 weeks for them to ship it out to you if you are not getting a finish. If you are ordering a body that needs a finish it will take them 8-10 weeks (and in some cases longer) for them to ship it out to you. I placed an order for my latest body on April 14 and it still has not shipped. I am ok with that though. I am still deciding on what neck to order and I've been through this with a few Warmoth guitars now.

As far as the goncalo alves goes, it's a beautiful wood. It offers a bit more articulation than rosewood but it also does not have a super smooth tone either. It has a bit more bite than rosewood for sure. However, you are talking about a fingerboard and not an actual neck wood. Fingerboards offer a bare minimum of the overall tone. Most of what you hear will be from the wood of the neck itself, not the fingerboard. Basically if you get a roasted maple neck no matter what fingerboard you choose, the overall tone will be that of a roasted maple neck.

Ordering from the showcase results in a neck that will be at your doorstep no later than 14 business days in most cases if the neck or body does not require a finish.

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: To warmoth or not to warmoth...

Awesome! Thanks for that info. I absolutely intend to buy a body out of the showcase, I just need to decide on the neck. Nut, Frets, bridge, etc. I know what to buy. Tuners I'll have to research and I'll have to choose a neck pickup. I'll probably call them in a few minutes and go over the whole build. Hopefully that helps