Who's done a Warmoth?!?
- Thread starter BennyD
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rinse_master
New member
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
MattPete, how did you get a 13 degree angled Strat headstock? Did you have to cut the shape yourself from a blank?
MattPete, how did you get a 13 degree angled Strat headstock? Did you have to cut the shape yourself from a blank?
MattPete
New member
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
Nope, I asked for it!
Acutally, I had been planning that guitar for some time, and thought that if that since they had stanadard strat headstock, they could easily do an angled one. Then, a little before I was going to place my order, I was browsing the thrift shop and saw some necks with 13 degree angled strat headstocks. So, when I ordered my parts, that's what I asked for, and they said 'no problem'.
Actually, there are a lot of things that they don't have on their web site that they'll do. For example, they list strat conversion necks in 24 3/4 Gibson scale. I thought 'hey, if they can do that, then they can do a 13-degree Warmoth headstock neck in Gibson scale!' I was right. I asked, and they delivered, and that's how my VIp has a Gibson scale neck. So, I guess 2 of my necks have specs that aren't listend on the Warmoth web site (Gibson scale 13-degree, and strat neck with 13-degree strat headstock).
With Warmoth, it never hurts to ask.
rinse_master said:
Nope, I asked for it!
Acutally, I had been planning that guitar for some time, and thought that if that since they had stanadard strat headstock, they could easily do an angled one. Then, a little before I was going to place my order, I was browsing the thrift shop and saw some necks with 13 degree angled strat headstocks. So, when I ordered my parts, that's what I asked for, and they said 'no problem'.
Actually, there are a lot of things that they don't have on their web site that they'll do. For example, they list strat conversion necks in 24 3/4 Gibson scale. I thought 'hey, if they can do that, then they can do a 13-degree Warmoth headstock neck in Gibson scale!' I was right. I asked, and they delivered, and that's how my VIp has a Gibson scale neck. So, I guess 2 of my necks have specs that aren't listend on the Warmoth web site (Gibson scale 13-degree, and strat neck with 13-degree strat headstock).
With Warmoth, it never hurts to ask.
rocksoldier
New member
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
But how would you rate the playability, tone and overall quality compared to a gibson, fender or US Jackson, when right assembled and setup.
And also, would a warmoth play good if i just put it together myself and then let a pro do the set up?
But how would you rate the playability, tone and overall quality compared to a gibson, fender or US Jackson, when right assembled and setup.
And also, would a warmoth play good if i just put it together myself and then let a pro do the set up?
rinse_master
New member
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
Cool!, I was thinking about an EB music man headstock with 13 deg angle, that dream project might just happen yet!....MattPete said:
MikeRocker
What's Your Forum Nameologist?
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
I built a Warmoth Telecaster (I'll try to post a picture) and was so thrilled with how it turned out that I'm halfway through another project. Prior to building the Tele, I had little guitar tech experience, just installing new pickups and minor set-up work. A few things to keep in mind:
-Warmoth does have in-house finishing, but they use polyurethane. Many vintage nuts insist that nitrocellulose lacquer (which Fender used in the 50s) sounds better. Having never attempted a finish before, I finished both neck and body in nitro myself, and with a little trial and error (PRACTICE WITH SCRAP WOOD FIRST!!!) it turned out awesome. A great resource for supplies and instructions is www.reranch.com. You can buy everything you need for much cheaper than having Warmoth do the work.
-Warmoth guitar parts are better suited to Fender-style guitars. As their Gibson-style necks and bodies are bolt-on, they are not going to behave like true set-neck Gibsons. Not to say that they're bad, just significantly different.
-Warmoth has an option where they will cut and install a nut on your new neck. I went for this, only to assemble and string up the guitar and realize that the slots were cut too low - if I bent the high E more than a half-step, it popped out of the slot. When I called to complain about this, they refused to give me a refund or credit, claiming that it had been too long since my order (In my defense, it took quite a while to do the finish, and how could I string up the guitar until that was done???). I ended up taking the guitar to a local repair shop and having a bone nut professionally installed. The moral of this, based on my experience: Save your $15 or $20 (can't remember what they charge), buy a bone nut blank, and have a competent guitar technician cut and install the nut (if you can't do it yourself). The nut they charged me extra for was worthless.
Other than the nut business, it was a very fun satisfying experience that turned out as well as I hoped it would going in - the guitar is killer. Feel free to post any questions.
MikeRocker
I built a Warmoth Telecaster (I'll try to post a picture) and was so thrilled with how it turned out that I'm halfway through another project. Prior to building the Tele, I had little guitar tech experience, just installing new pickups and minor set-up work. A few things to keep in mind:
-Warmoth does have in-house finishing, but they use polyurethane. Many vintage nuts insist that nitrocellulose lacquer (which Fender used in the 50s) sounds better. Having never attempted a finish before, I finished both neck and body in nitro myself, and with a little trial and error (PRACTICE WITH SCRAP WOOD FIRST!!!) it turned out awesome. A great resource for supplies and instructions is www.reranch.com. You can buy everything you need for much cheaper than having Warmoth do the work.
-Warmoth guitar parts are better suited to Fender-style guitars. As their Gibson-style necks and bodies are bolt-on, they are not going to behave like true set-neck Gibsons. Not to say that they're bad, just significantly different.
-Warmoth has an option where they will cut and install a nut on your new neck. I went for this, only to assemble and string up the guitar and realize that the slots were cut too low - if I bent the high E more than a half-step, it popped out of the slot. When I called to complain about this, they refused to give me a refund or credit, claiming that it had been too long since my order (In my defense, it took quite a while to do the finish, and how could I string up the guitar until that was done???). I ended up taking the guitar to a local repair shop and having a bone nut professionally installed. The moral of this, based on my experience: Save your $15 or $20 (can't remember what they charge), buy a bone nut blank, and have a competent guitar technician cut and install the nut (if you can't do it yourself). The nut they charged me extra for was worthless.
Other than the nut business, it was a very fun satisfying experience that turned out as well as I hoped it would going in - the guitar is killer. Feel free to post any questions.
MikeRocker
boonhogganbeck
New member
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
I've never done a Warmoth. I've been thinking about custom building a strat though, and many people have told me that the parts are better from USA Custom Guitars. Here's the link: http://www.usacustomguitars.com/
I've never done a Warmoth. I've been thinking about custom building a strat though, and many people have told me that the parts are better from USA Custom Guitars. Here's the link: http://www.usacustomguitars.com/
Fresh_Start
New member
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
My first project guitar was a Warmoth franken-strat:
I had them finish it and was really happy with it at first. Both the body & neck were off the "Thrift Shop" (now called the "Showcase"). The quilt is pretty darn good IMHO, and the neck is quartersawn maple. (BTW the bridge pickup is "right side up" now for whoever noticed it before.)
While MikeRocker is right about ReRanch being a great resource for DIY finishing, I have been working on my second project FOREVER because finishing is a bear if you are a perfectionist like me and have no experience. If you can, I'd recommend having someone else finish the first project so you can learn everything else, then take on the finishing aspect of building a guitar.
Warmoth does offer the greatest variety of body shapes, and their wood is generally very good. However, I got frustrated on my second project by Warmoth's policy of applying an "upcharge" every time you move an inch away from the basic menu. I didn't understand why they couldn't make a 10-16" compound radius neck with 21 frets. They just said "No."
That's when I looked around for alternatives and discovered USA Custom Guitars. Tommy Rosamond is simply a great guy who never says "No". He and several of his employees are Warmoth veterans, and they all are guitar players. That makes a big difference when you're asking for advice, picking out wood, etc. (Not knocking "Bill" at Warmoth - he's a great guy too, but some of the guys there don't know anything about guitar construction as far as I can tell.)
Then there's the "Warmoth construction" neck. I'll ask forgiveness from y'all who've read this before...
I unintentionally did an A/B comparison of a Fender neck and the Warmoth neck on my MIM Strat because I wanted the back contour, compound radius, and bigger frets on the MIM body. What I discovered was that the Warmoth neck sucked the highs & chime out of the guitar compared to the Fender neck. The double expanding truss rod is a lot of metal in your neck, and Warmoth routes a big, deep channel under the fingerboard for it. Also, the fingerboard is extra thick - not a problem with maple, but not great with rosewood or some other wood that's supposed to be "warm". I expected the Warmoth neck to sound better and ended up deciding never to use a "Warmoth construction" neck again. The "Vintage" and "Vintage/modern" construction necks from Warmoth are fine as far as I know, but the options are more limited there. In fact, I've got an unfinished USACG neck waiting for some attention to go on that Warmoth body.
Sorry about the long post - I have at least as much fun building guitars as I do playing them. (I'm better at building and wiring than playing anyway... )
Go for it and have fun
Chip
My first project guitar was a Warmoth franken-strat:
I had them finish it and was really happy with it at first. Both the body & neck were off the "Thrift Shop" (now called the "Showcase"). The quilt is pretty darn good IMHO, and the neck is quartersawn maple. (BTW the bridge pickup is "right side up" now for whoever noticed it before.)
While MikeRocker is right about ReRanch being a great resource for DIY finishing, I have been working on my second project FOREVER because finishing is a bear if you are a perfectionist like me and have no experience. If you can, I'd recommend having someone else finish the first project so you can learn everything else, then take on the finishing aspect of building a guitar.
Warmoth does offer the greatest variety of body shapes, and their wood is generally very good. However, I got frustrated on my second project by Warmoth's policy of applying an "upcharge" every time you move an inch away from the basic menu. I didn't understand why they couldn't make a 10-16" compound radius neck with 21 frets. They just said "No."
That's when I looked around for alternatives and discovered USA Custom Guitars. Tommy Rosamond is simply a great guy who never says "No". He and several of his employees are Warmoth veterans, and they all are guitar players. That makes a big difference when you're asking for advice, picking out wood, etc. (Not knocking "Bill" at Warmoth - he's a great guy too, but some of the guys there don't know anything about guitar construction as far as I can tell.)
Then there's the "Warmoth construction" neck. I'll ask forgiveness from y'all who've read this before...
I unintentionally did an A/B comparison of a Fender neck and the Warmoth neck on my MIM Strat because I wanted the back contour, compound radius, and bigger frets on the MIM body. What I discovered was that the Warmoth neck sucked the highs & chime out of the guitar compared to the Fender neck. The double expanding truss rod is a lot of metal in your neck, and Warmoth routes a big, deep channel under the fingerboard for it. Also, the fingerboard is extra thick - not a problem with maple, but not great with rosewood or some other wood that's supposed to be "warm". I expected the Warmoth neck to sound better and ended up deciding never to use a "Warmoth construction" neck again. The "Vintage" and "Vintage/modern" construction necks from Warmoth are fine as far as I know, but the options are more limited there. In fact, I've got an unfinished USACG neck waiting for some attention to go on that Warmoth body.
Sorry about the long post - I have at least as much fun building guitars as I do playing them. (I'm better at building and wiring than playing anyway... )
Go for it and have fun
Chip
MikeRocker
What's Your Forum Nameologist?
Re: Who's done a Warmoth?!?
Fresh Start is right about do-it-yourself finish, it is very tedious. I actually ended up stripping the guitar about halfway through because the color wasn't right (I had to mix dyes myself to get the color I wanted). But overall, the only part that wasn't a lot of fun was the grain filler on the swamp ash body. It is thick and messy and you have to be really careful to fill all of the grain or the finish will have pits. An easy way to avoid this is to use alder - no grain filler required. Although when you use dark brown grain filler, it looks amazing under a translucent finish
.
Although the finishing did take a long time, it was quite enjoyable to do. I had no previous experience, and it turned out great. I get complements on the guitar constantly. Also, I have now finished my second body now, and it went MUCH easier and faster than the first. I highly recommend it. Again - test each step on scrap wood first. And remember, if you screw up, you can always get out the lacquer thinner and start over!
Although I've been mostly happy with Warmoth parts (see my above post about the bad nut), I think my next project is going to be with USA Custom parts. I've heard great things about them, and they seem to have more options (which they don't charge extra for). And, frankly, I'm still cheesed over Warmoth charging me for a worthless nut. Over them refusing to give me a $15 credit for a faulty part, they are going to lose hundreds of dollars in business. Bad way to run a business.
If you are thinking about a DIY finish, again, check out www.reranch.com. (I'm not affiliated with them at all, he's just a nice guy with great products and tons of useful information on his site). They've got all the standard Fender and Gibson colors in nitro spray cans, and even have a sunburst (2 or 3 color) in spray cans!
Mike
Fresh Start is right about do-it-yourself finish, it is very tedious. I actually ended up stripping the guitar about halfway through because the color wasn't right (I had to mix dyes myself to get the color I wanted). But overall, the only part that wasn't a lot of fun was the grain filler on the swamp ash body. It is thick and messy and you have to be really careful to fill all of the grain or the finish will have pits. An easy way to avoid this is to use alder - no grain filler required. Although when you use dark brown grain filler, it looks amazing under a translucent finish
. Although the finishing did take a long time, it was quite enjoyable to do. I had no previous experience, and it turned out great. I get complements on the guitar constantly. Also, I have now finished my second body now, and it went MUCH easier and faster than the first. I highly recommend it. Again - test each step on scrap wood first. And remember, if you screw up, you can always get out the lacquer thinner and start over!
Although I've been mostly happy with Warmoth parts (see my above post about the bad nut), I think my next project is going to be with USA Custom parts. I've heard great things about them, and they seem to have more options (which they don't charge extra for). And, frankly, I'm still cheesed over Warmoth charging me for a worthless nut. Over them refusing to give me a $15 credit for a faulty part, they are going to lose hundreds of dollars in business. Bad way to run a business.
If you are thinking about a DIY finish, again, check out www.reranch.com. (I'm not affiliated with them at all, he's just a nice guy with great products and tons of useful information on his site). They've got all the standard Fender and Gibson colors in nitro spray cans, and even have a sunburst (2 or 3 color) in spray cans!
Mike
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