Warmoth build - Wood choice question

[Lance]

I haven't done a partscaster in a while but the wife caught me looking at the Warmoth site and she ended up having fun picking Strat bodies and necks. Anyway, she's into (and that's always half the battle on major purchases).

I found we really nice alder body with a maple top. Also, we have a flame maple neck (with flame fretboard). Is this going to be too bright?



Also - side question for that someone that's bought from Warmoth..... The body is already finished but I'd like them to route a bucker in the bridge rather than the SSS. Do they do this after finishing if you request it?

[boris bubbanov]

Yeah, I know. Those images on the webpage are the sirens' call, for sure.

I just ordered 4 additional Warmoth necks, to go with the rosewood I ordered and the 5 Warmoth webpage necks I've just finished nitro-ing and nutting in tha last couple weeks. Nice nice necks, very consistent and very high quality.

I don't know how familiar you are with Warmoth T type and S type bodies. I was surprised and not in a pleasant way the one T type I got there. The body is on the small side, the chamfer is way too much and there's nothing remotely authentic about the detail around the jack cup, router hump. And the neck pocket was way too shallow for any neck I had and had to be deepened 1/8th inch. Light at 4 pounds 1 ounce, it has been somewhat of a dud sound wise, before and after the neck pocket was reworked. Every single body I got from USACG has been far better, far better.

So look carefully at the detail on these W bodies. Seriously doubt they'd re-work that S-type body. Nice folks, but this is premium mass production stuff, not custom. Buy the item off the shelf as is, order precisely as indicated on the chart and you'll be fine. Do your own supplemental shaping, finishing, routing.

If you want custom, go talk to Tommy at USACG. None better.

[Lance]

Anyone with have any thoughts to an alder body with maple cap mated with a maple neck?

[Colt W. Knight]

Originally Posted by Lance

Anyone with have any thoughts to an alder body with maple cap mated with a maple neck?

Fender and other guitar builders do it all the time with fantastic results. Youd only run into a brightness problem if the maple cap was a thick piece of wood instead of the normal thin sheet of flame maple.

[AndyGio]

I've had showcase bodies re-worked, but that was years ago, so I'm not sure if they still do it.

[Lance]

great - that's what I needed to know!

I was mostly concerned with the wood selection. I once had a custom all maple dinky-sized strat (solid maple body). While it looked great with the flames all over, it had to be the thinnest sounding guitar I'd ever heard.

The rework is really trivial. They just need to route a bucker in there. It's hardly brain surgery.

[Al Nico]

I believe the Warmoth S body maple caps are 1/8", which have little to no bearing on tone. I have a light swamp ash S body with a 1/8 maple cap, and it certainly doesn't sound much different from a solid swamp ash body.

I've never had any issues with neck pocket depth on Warmoth S or T bodies, but BB is correct that the jack cup area is not squared-off like a vintage body. Electro-socket jack cup is recommended for sure...

[Lance]

Not a problem on the jack cup....it'll be strat style! Actually, there's nothing "correct" I'm planning on doing with this build! I'm thinking of building something of an 80's power strat with a bucker in the bridge position.

Now....if I can just grow some of the hair back and stuff my big behind into a pair of spandex pants I'll be there!! ;)

[dunworl]

Originally Posted by Lance

Snip...

Also - side question for that someone that's bought from Warmoth..... The body is already finished but I'd like them to route a bucker in the bridge rather than the SSS. Do they do this after finishing if you request it?

If you add the body to a shopping cart, there are drop down menus with bridge and pickup routing choices.

[Al Nico]

Ohh, 1 more point:

If the body is pre-finshed and you ask them to route new pup cavities, there's a much higher chance for paint chipping away at the newly routed cavity edges. I noticed this problem is worse on maple. So,, if you were going for the non-pickguard look, this may be a concern.

[Lance]

OK.....trigger is pulled. They did the bucker route as a no-charge!

[boris bubbanov]

Warmoth has gotten real easy to get along with lately.

I mean it, the guys are much more relaxed taking orders, and they're making suggestions. Something has changed this year?

[Wardpike]

Easy enough to deal with to get them to build me a triple-neck or quad-neck body? Hmmm, that would save me a lot of time.

[BritishBluesBoy]

Big fan of Warmoth here... Built a beautiful Rosewood Tele out of their parts... Have just ordered some more bits for another partscaster I'm re-doing...

Careful. This stuff is addictive.

[Lance]

As far as the order process, it went very well and I found the guy I worked with helpful. We went over the order twice to make sure the parts were as I asked and prices agreed.

The only thing that didn't go quite as planned so far was that I was considering getting stainless frets. The neck description said "your choice" on the frets but the picture clearly showed frets already installed. I knew the description had to be wrong. They pulled it and confirmed it already had regular jumbos installed. No biggie.

Still, I'm pretty nervous about this....it's an awful lot of cash to drop on something that could sound or play terrible.

Well.....I guess the proof will be the results.

Here's the body. It'll be a tiger strat with circa '80s appointments (blackout hardware and bridge bucker).


and it's modeled after Ray, our Great Dane (here's a baby picture). The colors are washed out but it's just like his coat. He weighs in at 160 lbs. now!

[woodman]

Originally Posted by Lance

Still, I'm pretty nervous about this....it's an awful lot of cash to drop on something that could sound or play terrible.

Well.....I guess the proof will be the results.

a sentiment shared by all us amateur builders! that's part of the thrill of building ... will the dice come up sevens or snake-eyes? just eyeballing it, i'm sure if you don't like it, somebody will take it off your hands .... beautiful!

[TheBends]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Yeah, I know. Those images on the webpage are the sirens' call, for sure.

I just ordered 4 additional Warmoth necks, to go with the rosewood I ordered and the 5 Warmoth webpage necks I've just finished nitro-ing and nutting in tha last couple weeks. Nice nice necks, very consistent and very high quality.

I don't know how familiar you are with Warmoth T type and S type bodies. I was surprised and not in a pleasant way the one T type I got there. The body is on the small side, the chamfer is way too much and there's nothing remotely authentic about the detail around the jack cup, router hump. And the neck pocket was way too shallow for any neck I had and had to be deepened 1/8th inch. Light at 4 pounds 1 ounce, it has been somewhat of a dud sound wise, before and after the neck pocket was reworked. Every single body I got from USACG has been far better, far better.

So look carefully at the detail on these W bodies. Seriously doubt they'd re-work that S-type body. Nice folks, but this is premium mass production stuff, not custom. Buy the item off the shelf as is, order precisely as indicated on the chart and you'll be fine. Do your own supplemental shaping, finishing, routing.

If you want custom, go talk to Tommy at USACG. None better.

I'm sorry, but I would have to disagree.
I've had my own Partscaster body routed and painted to MY specs, and it came out wonderfully! The body is normal telecaster size. The Fender Neck that I own fit right into the neck pocket, and no shaping was required.
The body I chose was Maple on top of Swamp ash. It has killer sounds, and in no way does it resemble a "dud".
I think this is just a bit biasness towards Warmoth. They offer neck pocket options on the sight, and they label the dimensions in the showcase. Warmoth even changes their dimensions to match Fender necks. If your neck was not the right shape for the pocket(and they list the pocket size), then why would you purchase that body?
This is buyer error in my opinion.
And by the way, USACG are using the same CNC machines that Fender and Warmoth both use.
This doesn't mean they mass produce their products.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by TheBends

I think this is just a bit biasness towards Warmoth.

Well.

Maybe I am kinda partial towards USACG.

But I have 10 Warmoth necks built into guitars, 5 more Warmoth necks in nitro which are being polished, have been nutted, and are about to receive tuners.

And I have 5 more Warmoth necks that will be here on May 22.

These are all great necks, very proud to have them.

I let the reader decide if I'm demonstrating bias against this company. If I thought Warmoth was The Demon Himself, then why am I buying so much of their product?

I am glad you liked your body. I wish I liked mine.

[milnersXcoupe]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Yeah, I know. Those images on the webpage are the sirens' call, for sure.

I just ordered 4 additional Warmoth necks, Nice nice necks, very consistent and very high quality.

I don't know how familiar you are with Warmoth T type and S type bodies. I was surprised and not in a pleasant way the one T type I got there. The body is on the small side, the chamfer is way too much and there's nothing remotely authentic about the detail around the jack cup, router hump. And the neck pocket was way too shallow for any neck I had and had to be deepened 1/8th inch. Light at 4 pounds 1 ounce, it has been somewhat of a dud sound wise, before and after the neck pocket was reworked. Every single body I got from USACG has been far better, far better.

So look carefully at the detail on these W bodies. Seriously doubt they'd re-work that S-type body. Nice folks, but this is premium mass production stuff, not custom. Buy the item off the shelf as is, order precisely as indicated on the chart and you'll be fine. Do your own supplemental shaping, finishing, routing.

If you want custom, go talk to Tommy at USACG. None better.

Thanks ! I'm planning a 7 string Tele build and had the T-Type body in mind.

T-Type / tummy cut / chambered - lightened - Swamp Ash .

The smaller size might play well being it's a guitar not bass - but the body being a tonal dud without traditional Tele shaping reads a $320.00 waste of cash.

Could you post some .jpgs of the T-Type so I can get a better idea ?

I'll be checking USACG .


thanks -