Warmouth neck versus Glendale neck

[golfnut]

I'm looking at Tele necks and I was wondering if anyone can tell me what the difference between a Warmouth neck and a Glendale neck would be? I'm speaking strictly in terms of quality. Warmouth necks being roughly around $150 to $200 and Glendale necks being $750, I'd like to know what makes Glendale worth $600 more.

[boris bubbanov]

The last time a bespoke neck was ordered for me from Warmoth, the unfinished neck cost the buyer $ 238 plus shipping. (Thanks, Girl! )

Finishing is gonna cost you something, in most cases, unless it is all exotic woods. Then depending on how low you take your action and how fussy you are, the frets will need to be given the once over. Finally; you better like your neck from Warmoth. If you try and send it back you will not enjoy the ride, from what I've heard over and over.

***

My impression is that Dale's necks are ready to bolt on, isn't that correct? No matter. The cost for getting that last 5-10 percent of the way home is simply worth the geldt to a certain number of people. The rationale is this: The heart and soul of true outstanding performance from any guitar is found in the neck. The neck is job #1. So, buy the fussiest, most sweated over neck that God created, bolt it up to your trusty old guitar in place of the existing neck and you have no more excuses. Make some music.

You know, in all fairness to Dale, Warmoth almost always has a few necks there on the Webspecial Page for $ 999. (I understand the wood cost them more and wears their tools out). The only difference is, best I can tell Warmoth puts no more effort into the $ 999 necks in terms of customer support, etc., than they do with the $ 200 ones.

[golfnut]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

The last time a bespoke neck was ordered for me from Warmoth, the unfinished neck cost the buyer $ 238 plus shipping. (Thanks, Girl! )

Finishing is gonna cost you something, in most cases, unless it is all exotic woods. Then depending on how low you take your action and how fussy you are, the frets will need to be given the once over. Finally; you better like your neck from Warmoth. If you try and send it back you will not enjoy the ride, from what I've heard over and over.

***

My impression is that Dale's necks are ready to bolt on, isn't that correct? No matter. The cost for getting that 5-10 percent of the way home is simply worth the geldt to a certain number of people. The rationale is this: The heart and soul of true outstanding performance from any guitar is found in the neck. The neck is job #1. So, buy the fussiest, most sweated over neck that God created, bolt it up to your trusty old guitar in place of the existing neck and you have no more excuses. Make some music.

You know, in all fairness to Dale, Warmoth almost always has a few necks there on the Webspecial Page for $ 999. (I understand the wood cost them more and wears their tools out). The only difference is, best I can tell Warmoth puts no more effort into the $ 999 necks in terms of customer support, etc., than they do with the $ 200 ones.

Thanks. I guess I didn't look closely at the $200 necks. I just assumed they were finished. I've never bought a neck after market before. If I do decide to buy a neck I want the best I can buy.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by golfnut

Thanks. I guess I didn't look closely at the $200 necks. I just assumed they were finished. I've never bought a neck after market before. If I do decide to buy a neck I want the best I can buy.

I really don't mind finishing my own necks, but I do want serious assurance that if the thing goes wrong somehow, I can call the proprietor and he will respect me. So, I buy a lot of parts and parts assemblies from Dale Clark (Glendale) but as for the necks I'm pretty much exclusively doing USA Custom Guitar, not Warmoth. I have at least a dozen Warmoth necks and I can't complain too much because I never got one I felt needed to be returned. Meanwhile, I now have more USACG necks and they're just one step nicer, one step closer to being bolted onto the guitar and played well. I'm talking, where the rubber meets the road. As you may have noticed, the Glendale headstock is proprietary. Well, so is the USACG, but if you buy unfinished you can reshape it into a real valid Broadcaster headstock and because that kinda thing is my forte I don't allow for that at all.

From my perspective, the USACG neck is quite a bit better value for money than the Warmoth, plus I trust the people to get it right - but if not to make it right.

[tschommer]

I say definitely go with Warmoth, they make great stuff, and unlike USACG they offer you a great variety of stuff from their showcase. Their Pro construction with the standard thin profile is a perfect neck for me, and the side adjust truss rod mechanism is also really cool. Too bad they just really, really messed up their web site last week.

[popeye]

Is it me or is EVERYTHING on Glendale's website overpriced ?

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by popeye

Is it me or is EVERYTHING on Glendale's website overpriced ?

Umm,

Have you tried any of their stuff?

Yeah, it may be more than some other suppliers. But, from what I've seen, worth every penny. In other words, I intend to buy from them again.

YMMV.

Cheers,
Geoff

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by tschommer

I say definitely go with Warmoth, they make great stuff, and unlike USACG they offer you a great variety of stuff from their showcase. Their Pro construction with the standard thin profile is a perfect neck for me, and the side adjust truss rod mechanism is also really cool. Too bad they just really, really messed up their web site last week.

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.

[newtwanger]

Here's something I replied the last time this came up. The closest Fender-licensed thing 5A flame-wise to a Glendale is a Musikraft Private Stock neck, Warmoth are cheaper (and they are "cheaper" in every sense too). You've got to consider the big picture, and for some it is not worth it, for others it is.


Musikraft Private Stock = $400 and up.
Mark Jenny finishing of neck = $250
Bone nut installed = $50
Gotoh tuners installed = $50
Hmm.. $750 right there.

Add ALL things up and you'll see the price is on par with ordering it all up yourself, then let's say you have a problem with the neck and it needs replacing, you think Mark will refinish it for FREE, I mean he didn't sell it to you, not his problem?

Dale takes care of his customers and supplies what they want at a price they will pay (alot quite frankly), maybe not you, but some of us are really glad he's there.



p.s. Last week I received my latest order from Dale and it was not the parts that I ordered. He told me to keep what he sent and sent me out my actual order immediately (got it today). That's going above and beyond.

[Doug 54]

I thought USACG made 'em for Glendale

??

[newtwanger]

I thought USACG made 'em for Glendale

If they do then Dale must reshape the headstock (which I think he's far too smart to do), or maybe I'm blind and it's not shaped like a Fender headstock?

[viking]

As far as I can see , the shape is just a little different like USAGC

[newtwanger]

You are correct, not a Fender-license headstock shape. Not far off though.. so it's still pleasing to the eye.

[Doug 54]

im pretty sure i read usacg does it
usacg could send them 4 him 2 shape

[Lostheart]

Originally Posted by Doug 54

im pretty sure i read usacg does it
usacg could send them 4 him 2 shape

Heard the same thing. He's not making the bodies he's selling (he farms them out to Brian Poe) so why should he make his own necks? Makes no sense to me.
IMHO he's getting aftermarket necks (USACG, Musikraft) and shapes them (or has them shaped) to his taste...

[btlnckr]

Ditto on USACG! They're the guys to go with, they'll build exactly what you want, profile, thickness etc. They built a strat neck for me "V" w/.88 @1st fret & 1" @ 12th V-all the way up w/ 10-14 comp. radius rswd bd-no inlay. I danish oiled it & I might even go with some tung oil now (I don't know if that's possible over the Danish though) GREAY NECK, GREAT FOLKS! GREAT SERVICE. I'm goin' back.

Bri

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

I really don't mind finishing my own necks, but I do want serious assurance that if the thing goes wrong somehow, I can call the proprietor and he will respect me. So, I buy a lot of parts and parts assemblies from Dale Clark (Glendale) but as for the necks I'm pretty much exclusively doing USA Custom Guitar, not Warmoth. I have at least a dozen Warmoth necks and I can't complain too much because I never got one I felt needed to be returned. Meanwhile, I now have more USACG necks and they're just one step nicer, one step closer to being bolted onto the guitar and played well. I'm talking, where the rubber meets the road. As you may have noticed, the Glendale headstock is proprietary. Well, so is the USACG, but if you buy unfinished you can reshape it into a real valid Broadcaster headstock and because that kinda thing is my forte I don't allow for that at all.

From my perspective, the USACG neck is quite a bit better value for money than the Warmoth, plus I trust the people to get it right - but if not to make it right.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by Lostheart

Heard the same thing. He's not making the bodies he's selling (he farms them out to Brian Poe) so why should he make his own necks? Makes no sense to me.
IMHO he's getting aftermarket necks (USACG, Musikraft) and shapes them (or has them shaped) to his taste...

Dale used to do a standard Fender Telecaster headstock ( see Glendale # 19 at the TGP member sales site ).

He doesn't do that anymore. For the proprietary Glendale shape, my estimate is that Tommy has the template on file and shapes the headstock in Puyallup just as Dale wants them.

*********

Don't know if this is still true, almost certainly is, but Warmoth's source of Indian Rosewood was great - that and almost immediate availability is why I went for those in '07 and '08.



Warmoth Vintage Modern neck on fabulous USACG maple cap alder.



They never have those deals anymore. For $ 157 they had a lot of light or subtle birdseye and/ or figured necks. "Bonus" they called them, but their supply of "bone" must have run out.

[mrmorrison]

After all the reading and research I did, I came to the conclusion that Musikraft was the best way to go. I'm looking forward to getting my neck and I hope that it looks very close to a '61 Fender.

[cminor7b5]

Originally Posted by mrmorrison

After all the reading and research I did, I came to the conclusion that Musikraft was the best way to go. I'm looking forward to getting my neck and I hope that it looks very close to a '61 Fender.

Can you give us a review when you get the neck?

My only experience is the tele I built using MK neck and body. I won an ebay auction for a 21 fret, cocobola, maple neck with a tele headstock for $140. Had them vintage satin nitro it for $80.

Once I had the neck I had to get a body, right? Not having any experience assembling a guitar I thought the best chance of parts fitting/aligning would be to buy from the same supplier. So when a translucent buttersotch korinna body came onto ebay i bid on it and won it for $202!!

I wan't going for the ultimate in spec adherence to the appropriate era fender but I wanted the body shape and radius etc to be close.

When I factored money into the equation I'm very satisfied with my purchases.

I think it also may make a difference if you are setup to finish/alter/assemble like some of the members are. This would give you a broader range to purchase from.

I would like to build a second tele. Probably won't happen for a long time and I know I'd have to spec this one with the builder but I would use MK again. I dealt with Scott and Jim over the neck finishing and was treated very well.


cheers


I guess with the time and money involved in these builds most people stick with the companies they're happy with.

[ctelep]

Originally Posted by tschommer

I say definitely go with Warmoth, they make great stuff, and unlike USACG they offer you a great variety of stuff from their showcase. Their Pro construction with the standard thin profile is a perfect neck for me, and the side adjust truss rod mechanism is also really cool. Too bad they just really, really messed up their web site last week.

Agreed. Warmoth makes top quality necks. I actually just got a tele neck from them with the Gotoh truss rod. I'm hoping to have my Telepcaster finished in a month or so.

[Shepherd]

$750 for a neck?! Cant help but laugh at that.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by Shepherd

$750 for a neck?! Cant help but laugh at that.

I know it sounds funny, but the neck is the key to everything; the key to the guitar's tone. The one part that determines most of the guitar's playability.

The MSRP on the CS No-Caster is $ 3,000 - $ 3,500. If you can create your own with some $ 150 pickups and a $ 750 neck, is that really so strange?

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

Umm,

Have you tried any of their stuff?

Yeah, it may be more than some other suppliers. But, from what I've seen, worth every penny. In other words, I intend to buy from them again.

YMMV.

Cheers,
Geoff

High quality? Yes!!!
Worth every penny? I don't think so.

Love their saddles, and if they ever dropped the prices on some of their other products, I would buy from them more often.

[Shepherd]

I understand and agree with your view on the importance of the neck Boris, but I just cant justify the price. $200 for a Musikraft neck, $26 for tuners, $50-100 to finish. All basically off the shelf stuff. Mighty expensive decal.

[Colt W. Knight]

750$ for a neck is ridiculous. Especially since he gets them from USACG. Essentially you are paying Glendale 500$ to finish the neck.

[Tony Reid]

A one piece flame maple neck from USAG is $350; tuners, $50; fitted nut, $60 (approx). Perhaps allow a little more on the cost of the neck for added care in selection of the wood.
That leaves $290 (or a little less) for finishing + Dale's R & D for the design.
That is still expensive, but what price for quality, especially with the guarantee that Dale offers.
All you have to do is buy one dud neck for whatever price, only to discover - after finishing, installing the nut, fitting to the guitar and setting up with a fret dress or plek - that it is not what you want, and you will have ended up spending a whole lot more by the time you get a good neck and go through the whole process again.... (sorry about the long sentence, but I speak from bitter personal experience - an expensive lesson that is not easily learned with so many apparent good deals available on eBay!)

[CaptainCat37]

With due respect to Warmoth and Glendale...has anybody tried Stew-Mac's necks? They have tele necks for about $135 I believe. Maple and rosewood with the frets already dressed and the nut already cut. Tuners you have to purchase separately though. I was thinking about purchasing a neck from them.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by CaptainCat37

With due respect to Warmoth and Glendale...has anybody tried Stew-Mac's necks? They have tele necks for about $135 I believe. Maple and rosewood with the frets already dressed and the nut already cut. Tuners you have to purchase separately though. I was thinking about purchasing a neck from them.

Stew Mac has their hand in everything - banjos, mandolins, all kinds of luthiery and finishing supplies, an enormous list of increasingly imported stuff.

I think they make some things themselves still (Waverly tuners), but as far as necks are concerned I believe they buy from overseas. Mighty Mite, perhaps. They used to have a better, Canadian source but that was a while back.

I've bought necks off the USACG webspecials page for under $ 135 at least twice. But against the quality of USACG, I dunno if I would buy a Stew Mac neck for $ 65. Honest.

[Lostheart]

Originally Posted by Colt W. Knight

750$ for a neck is ridiculous. Especially since he gets them from USACG. Essentially you are paying Glendale 500$ to finish the neck.

I highly doubt that USACG is charging Dale the price they have on their site.
No matter what everyone says here $750 is way too much for such necks...
Everyone can go a lot cheaper (at least $200) for the same quality if they buy direct from USACG and have someone finish the neck...

[Doug 54]

Stew Mac necks

fret too low
Not big enuf neck contour

[newtwanger]

$750 Necks are ridiculous, laughable apparently?


Nice to disrespect other peoples purchases. I'm sure your Saga kit plays just fine....until you can save up for a real Rondo.

[Doug 54]

whatever the market will bear.


I would guess USACG would charge < $ 250.oo for neck.
Hey-- if Glendale can get- why not??
He stands behind his products-- and is supper meticulous!

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by newtwanger

$750 Necks are ridiculous, laughable apparently?


Nice to disrespect other peoples purchases. I'm sure your Saga kit plays just fine....until you can save up for a real Rondo.

Saga rocks!


To the extent some players don't recognize the value of a top end neck, that means better selection for you and me!

[Nick JD]

$750 ... It seems the old adage about the fool and his money is still current.

I thought $380 for a brand new MiA with tuners and nut was expensive!



What do the Glendale necks have the Fenders don't?

EDIT: those necks are only $340 now.

[Shepherd]

For $750 they could at least get the headstock shape right. Cork sniffing at it's best. Maybe it's cryogenically treated

[rhinocaster]

I've never seen an inexpensive Glendale part.

I've also never seen a Glendale part that wasn't worth the asking price.

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by Shepherd

For $750 they could at least get the headstock shape right.Cork sniffing at it's best.

It's right for a Glendale guitar. Had it been a copy of a Fender headstock, you'd have been up his ass for that instead. Boris is right, there's a bunch of Eden necks out there made just for YOU. They're next to the screw cap bottles of wine at you corner store.

Originally Posted by Nick JD

What do the Glendale necks have the Fenders don't?

What does your MIA Fender neck have that a Squier/MIM/MIK/MightMite/Eden neck doesn't? You must be sniffing cork too.

[Lostheart]

Originally Posted by newtwanger

It's right for a Glendale guitar. Had it been a copy of a Fender headstock, you'd have been up his ass for that instead. Boris is right, there's a bunch of Eden necks out there made just for YOU. They're next to the screw cap bottles of wine at you corner store.

What does your MIA Fender neck have that a Squier/MIM/MIK/MightMite/Eden neck doesn't? You must be sniffing cork too.

Wow, someone's really strung up here, huh?
I suggest we all chill and have a nice cup of tea...

[Nick JD]

Originally Posted by newtwanger

What does your MIA Fender neck have that a Squier/MIM/MIK/MightMite/Eden neck doesn't? You must be sniffing cork too.

It's not mine - I wouldn't pay anything for a neck. I was merely indicating that the "real thing" can be had brand new for half of $750 - and still be overpriced so that it makes more profit than the actual whole guitar.

[Colt W. Knight]

I just finished building a very nice tele, and the total cost was less than 700$. I made a 1 piece pine body, bought a Warmoth neck, wilkinson split post tuners, wilkinson bridge, OC DUFF pickups, and a tweed hardshell case. It plays and sounds AWESOME.