Warmouth neck versus Glendale neck

[RBrooks]

Like an earlier statement you've got to compare apples to apples not oranges.
Dales necks can only be compared to Warmoths more expensive necks
and there the pricing favors Dale's in terms of quality and dollar value.
The Glendale parts to me are not copies of Fender parts but improvement of Fender parts . I love my Glendale bridge pieces and bridge , and yes they are expensive but they are worth it. A great feeling neck with great fret work is worth it in terms of playablility and intonation.
Try to buy a Fender custom shop neck for less than a Glendale . thats the correct comparison.

And yes USACG necks are good, but put a nitro finish and a bone nut on a highly flamed neck with staggered tuners. thats not going to be inexpensive either.

[HOBBSTER01]

I kinda understand the bridge aspect as commented on by others here.
I had a Glendale bridge on a parts guitar I did awhile back.
Honestly the bridge was nice and helped to produce a very tight clean sound.
Worth the money?
The jury is still out IMO.
A neck for $750?
No way.
Too expensive no matter how you add it up.

[Shepherd]

This isnt a neck handmade by some old world craftsman who puts his heart into creating it. It's spit out by the hundreds on a cnc in 10 minutes. $750US = $920CDN =

[Lostheart]

Originally Posted by Shepherd

This isnt a neck handmade by some old world craftsman who puts his heart into creating it. It's spit out by the hundreds on a cnc in 10 minutes. $750US = $920CDN =

Well, if it comes from USACG it is indeed cut by CNC but there is also a lot of hand work involved to finish it. As a USACG neck user myself I can attest that they are perfect and never sport a single flaw. They have a quality control that other neck manufacturers IMHO simly do not have...

[Nick JD]

Originally Posted by Lostheart

Well, if it comes from USACG it is indeed cut by CNC but there is also a lot of hand work involved to finish it. As a USACG neck user myself I can attest that they are perfect and never sport a single flaw. They have a quality control that other neck manufacturers IMHO simly do not have...

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/neckpricing.html

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by RBrooks

And yes USACG necks are good, but put a nitro finish and a bone nut on a highly flamed neck with staggered tuners. thats not going to be inexpensive either.

Well,
Nitro finish -
A little bit of grain filler for the skunk stripe - the whole can is 15$ ( enough to do a lot of projects)
one can sanding sealer for color - 5$
one can of DEFT nitro - 5$
1200 grit wet sanding paper - 5$
Rubing compound and glaze - 35$( However this quantity is enough to do 10-12 car bodies, so it will last forever making a neck)
Fender just uses 35$ gotoh tuners on their high end stuff.
A bone nut - 3.82$

If you have the patience to build/assemble a guitar and set it up properly, you can build a neck just like the glendale.

Companies charge a lot for finishing because there is a lot of time involved, not necessarily skill.

[Euripidespants]

*Hijack*

Screw cap wine bottles are easier, cheaper, and less prone to damaging the wine than cork stopper bottles, which are criminally under regulated.

*hostage thread released*

My only opinion is that if we sold all our guitars that we scrimped on, sold 'em, got one tele with the best gear we could afford on it, we'd practicing more and arguing on the internet less. A tele is a means to an end. If one guys likes his 750 dollar neck more, and it means he plays more, then, well, its worth it. Can't put a number on not sucking at guitar.

[craigoslo]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

If you like the "Pro" neck, then by all means stick with Warmoth.

Over half of all their necks on their Webpage display are the Pro variety, which for me means they don't exist, since I very much dislike those heavy, strange sounding things.

Of those that remain, the choices, for so many necks, is really not that much.

Warmoth does not offer, for example, a 22 fret 7.25 fret neck, nor a 21 fret 14 inch radius neck. Yes, the limited number of necks at USACG come in a bewildering variety of compound radii, construction types for different Fender periods, fret sizes Warmoth does not offer like my favorite 6125. There are variations on the Warmoth site but they are mostly clones of one another, once you view the site carefully. There are no thickness choices between the 59 Roundback (not big enough for me) and the 2 beefy sized Fatback and Boatneck shapes and if you crave something inbetween you gotta shave 'er down.

Something people overlook, I don't know why. The prices at W (except for 1-2 discolored ones) are their Regular prices, you just get a picture preview of what you're buying and the wait is shorter since all you pick is frets, and a finish if you like. By comparison, the necks on the USACG are really "specials" and I've bought off that page at $119 and $129. Sometimes you choose frets. Sometimes they're already fretted, sometimes they're even finished.
So maybe it could take you a year to get a dozen USACG necks cheap within a range of dimensions you will like. At Warmoth, if they don't have "your" neck today, it is pretty certain they never will. Outside of a small selection of options, thou shalt never go.

I just ordered a neck from warmoth. I want a strange combination of options that wasn't officially available(according to the website).
I just sent a e mail with what I wanted and presto; "no problem, but there will be an upcharge." I have seen pics of the neck that is now on route, and it looks amazing. I am quite sure it will be worth the hefty price tag.

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by craigoslo

I just ordered a neck from warmoth. I want a strange combination of options that wasn't officially available(according to the website).
I just sent a e mail with what I wanted and presto; "no problem, but there will be an upcharge." I have seen pics of the neck that is now on route, and it looks amazing. I am quite sure it will be worth the hefty price tag.

That's a business model that works if you have the capacity to fill the orders: Don't say no to special requests, quote an upcharge that makes it worth the hassle. A lot of customers, not all, will pay up to get what they want.

Saying no to special requests tends to send your customers to your competition.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by craigoslo

I just ordered a neck from warmoth. I want a strange combination of options that wasn't officially available(according to the website).
I just sent a e mail with what I wanted and presto; "no problem, but there will be an upcharge." I have seen pics of the neck that is now on route, and it looks amazing. I am quite sure it will be worth the hefty price tag.

Everything I asked for, like -

6125 frets;

One piece Pau Ferro neck, with VM or vintage truss rod configuration;

12 string neck with VM truss rod configuration, etc.

They just politely said NO!

Since I've been on the phone with 'em enough times to order and receive 12+ Warmoth necks, I gotta say flexibility is not what I found at all.

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by Euripidespants

*Hijack*

Screw cap wine bottles are easier, cheaper, and less prone to damaging the wine than cork stopper bottles, which are criminally under regulated.

*hostage thread released*

My only opinion is that if we sold all our guitars that we scrimped on, sold 'em, got one tele with the best gear we could afford on it, we'd practicing more and arguing on the internet less. A tele is a means to an end. If one guys likes his 750 dollar neck more, and it means he plays more, then, well, its worth it. Can't put a number on not sucking at guitar.

I enjoy the nuts and bolts of guitars more than actually playing them most of the time. Kind of like there are race car builders and race car drivers. Sometimes people are both, but they are ussually one or the other. I get a tremendous amount of joy watching someone play one of my guitars or a guitar I set up for them. Especially when they can't believe how well it sounds and plays.

[bosstone]

I have had two All Parts necks and they were very good.

[Al Watsky]

Sure, everyone has their own price point and delivers different customer service.
I like the weight distribution of a traditional truss rod. So the Warmoth Pro is not the way I go. I had one of their necks, it was great , worked perfectly yet didn't please me , it was a bit heavy. Yet the timber selection was VG. Nice maple , a little figure , not too much. Good Indian RW board.
I finished it. Used it for a second and sold it at a break even point. Which is great for a used part. Shellac under Nitro. very tasty.
Their trad necks are fine.
USCG's necks are excellent. Tommy "will" get you what you want weight-wise.
I haven't ordered enough necks from them to say, but doubtless they have the timber.
For a fact they will work with you on weight and figure on a body. Real important.
If you can do your own finishing and fretwork , more options are open.
I have been buying Fender necks that get parted out. That can be real cool too.
If Glen is buying his stuff from a supplier it becomes about what wood he asks them to select and how he, prep sands them for finish, and how he applies his finish. Thats whats going to make his neck stand above the rest. If he has an eye for wood prep and finishing, its possible that his neck is worth $750.
If a person were to hand make and finish a select piece of timber that was fashioned into a Telecaster neck you can be sure it would be double that price.

[fullerplast]

Been using Warmoth necks for about a dozen years. Never had an issue, problem, or trouble with ordering.

[Euripidespants]

I probably shoulda mentioned that I have a Warmouth neck on a strat and its a great neck. Brazilian rosewood fretboard, boat shaped profile, 6105 frets. It is finished with poly, though....

[mody]

Wow, this is the only thread specifically on Glendale necks on the internet‽

I was told I was crazy to order one. I went ahead anyways, been playing it for months now, in hind sight all arguments against the idea have become laughable. I'm playing a lot more thanks to it, and I can't seem to put it down even when I'm not. For that reason alone I know exactly where my next whole guitar's coming from, considering the quality of his other parts, I use one of his second gen chimemaster bridges. His stuff's worth every penny.

There are reasons why lots of bolt on guitars cost a lot more than 2 to 3 grand. I think I got very lucky, specially now that they're not for sale individually anymore.

Would love to see Fender CS sell master built necks individually, what do you think they'd cost? Bet they'd be out of stock rather soon.

It's the neck that's most important part of any guitar, sure you'd want to partner it with equally respectable parts, but I've found the tone always follows the neck, good or bad.

[boris bubbanov]

Welcome, Mody!

I'm glad it worked out beautifully.

I would much rather see a fellow spend the extra money on the neck, than on the body. Save money by using Keystone pickups from Bill and Becky Lawrence; this sort of thing. But there's one element I did not emphasize and I wish I had earlier. The actually fitting of the neck to the body, to permit a really sweet setup, remains crucial even if $ 1,000 were spent on the neck.

I would always recommend more, not less time, effort, pain, money into the neck and less into the body - but you still gotta get the neck mating properly into the neck pocket and the bridge assembly has to be right. From a playability, sound and function standpoint, a lot of what remains of the "body" end of the guitar after those elements are done right is almost fluff. Meanhwile, the only part of the entire neck that is not crucial is the headstock shape - and yet in many cases the only aspect of the neck that gets anal attention is A) The nut, and B) Shaping the headstock.

[mody]

Hi Boris,

I totally agree with everything you've said.

I'm going to get flamed for this but here's what I did, I put that glendale on my 15 year old MIM body, the neck pocket wasn't optimal, MIM's have a bit of a horror story for a pocket, voids n things. But that's not my long term intention, I've got a super light one peice ash 50s strat body from Bernie (edenhaus), with a 2 tone nitro finish that's been sitting in my LA office for 2 months now, haven't been able to get it down just yet. As frustrating that is it's amazing what how a good neck can keep you busy. In the mean time I got a chimemaster to go with the body. I've been using Jerry Amalfitano's pups (SP) I'm very content. Cant imagine how much better it's going to get with the new body and bridge.

So time goes by since my last post here, my apologies about that... but I fell in love with blackguards. I've committed to a Glendale Retro Blackguard, what a dream come true man, it doesn't matter how the strat works out in the end, this thing is the bomb.

I crave nothing more but to get more time to play.

Cheers,
Mody

[Ricky D.]

No flame from me, Mody. I scrimp and save my hobby money to build and modify more guitars. But, I can only play one at a time. With 3 good electrics and a build in process, I'm not getting much use out of some of them. I think when I finish the current build I'll swap some necks around, probably feel like a whole new group of guitars.