Neck; Warmoth vs Musikraft

[zenguiar]

I'm looking for a soft V neck .950 to 1.00 nitro finished ready to bolt on, has anybody had experience with Warmoth or Musikraft necks? Or are there better companies? How's the fret work? Overall quality? Any other recommendations? Thanks

 

[Freeman Keller]

I have assembled several guitars with Warmoth necks and they are very high quality. In an interview Ken Warmoth said they expect the finial user to do a fret dressing but he knows most people don't bother ( I do). I have also used a couple of Mighty Mite necks, they are half the price of a Warmoth but definitely require fretwork. Warmoth publishes profile drawings of all of their options - you should be able to decide whether that fits you needs.

Also be advised if you are thinking of a roasted neck that instructions are included for reaming the tuner holes - follow them.

 

[EsquireOK]

Musikraft all day, every day, over Warmoth.

Can't stand Warmoth. Too much show and not enough go. High prices. Unwillingness to do very simple custom requests. Mediocre fretwork. In most cases, a neck "style" locks you in to certain options, which cannot be changed. E.g. You can't choose the radius (or can't choose certain radii), nut width, or truss rod adjustment style on most of their necks. Those things are the meat and potatoes of a custom neck; they're the things that need to be able to be spec'd to make the order worthwhile.

Musikraft has way more of the options that actually matter, and their fretwork is superior, IME. Warmoth has only a handful of neck profiles. Musikraft has dozens, if not scores. You can choose your nut width, profile, radius, and truss rod type on most of their neck styles. You can get a vintage-correct Round-Lam ("veneer") board there. And MK don't front like they are this amazing "custom" shop, and then turn around every single time and tell you they can't do a simple mod.

Warmoth is the place if you want flashy woods and a wide selection of cheesy inlays. For most anything else, there are better options. They used to be the real deal, back in their old days, but they have become so middle-of-the-road since then, that I almost consider them the Guitar Center of made-to-order necks and bodies.

 

[schmee]

I have had multiples from both companies. Both are pretty good. Some notes:
-Neither really finishes the fret ends completely. Playable, but not as well finished fret ends as a Fender MIM neck.
-I bought a MusiKraft soft V neck, but beware, it's really a pretty hard V shape. Definitely not like my Fender Clapton soft V at all.
-I ordered the standard MusiKraft edge rolling, it was pretty sharp; I would order the heavy edge roll.
-Warmoth wants to sell the multi radius fretboard for some reason. They are pretty good but I prefer a standard 10"-12" radius or so.
-Warmoth pushes the side adjust truss rod and I dont like it at all. I discovered selling the last one I had that it is a heavy neck. You could readily feel the difference holding a neck in each hand.
-Finishing is expensive from either company and I imagine nitro will be more so.
-One of my favorite necks is a Warmoth "59" shape. It's like a good soft V feel in your hand although it's not a real V.

BTW, I got an amazing WD neck from the Stratosphere a year back. It just happened to have every spec I wanted so I bought it. It was pretty cheap too. (like $150!) It's the best soft V I've gotten aftermarket (I've had USACG, MusiKraft and Warmoth, none were as good as this neck)

 

[Peegoo]

No matter which one you choose, go with stainless steel frets.

When polished up, they're slicker than wet ice under the strings...and they last forever.

 

[pi]

I like Warmoth, and have had a few of their necks. But they don't have a lot of neck profile options, and I don't think they offer the specific profile you're after. Although I haven't tried them, I would probably choose Musikraft in this instance.

 

[zenguiar]

Musikraft all day, every day, over Warmoth.

Can't stand Warmoth. Too much show and not enough go. High prices. Unwillingness to do very simple custom requests. Mediocre fretwork. In most cases, a neck "style" locks you in to certain options, which cannot be changed. E.g. You can't choose the radius (or can't choose certain radii), nut width, or truss rod adjustment style on most of their necks. Those things are the meat and potatoes of a custom neck; they're the things that need to be able to be spec'd to make the order worthwhile.

Musikraft has way more of the options that actually matter, and their fretwork is superior, IME. Warmoth has only a handful of neck profiles. Musikraft has dozens, if not scores. You can choose your nut width, profile, radius, and truss rod type on most of their neck styles. You can get a vintage-correct Round-Lam ("veneer") board there. And MK don't front like they are this amazing "custom" shop, and then turn around every single time and tell you they can't do a simple mod.

Warmoth is the place if you want flashy woods and a wide selection of cheesy inlays. For most anything else, there are better options. They used to be the real deal, back in their old days, but they have become so middle-of-the-road since then, that I almost consider them the Guitar Center of made-to-order necks and bodies.

Thanks, Thats what I was thinking because Warmoth doesn't offer Soft V .950 to 1.0 like Musikfraft does. I used to use USA custom guitars for all my necks but they went out of business and MJT owns them....

 

[schmee]

Thanks, Thats what I was thinking because Warmoth doesn't offer Soft V .950 to 1.0 like Musikfraft does. I used to use USA custom guitars for all my necks but they went out of business and MJT owns them....

Read my post. The MusiKraft soft V is quite sharp actually!

 

[radiocaster]

I don't have any experience other than writing Warmoth a lot. It seems Warmoth will not let you order certain combinations of radii and nut widths with certain necks and certain features. They won't let you order a snakehead neck in any wood that's not maple, shaft or fingerboard.

But other than that, Warmoth does offer a lot more tropical woods on their other necks.

 

[Phrygian77]

I have a lot of Warmoth necks. I only have one Musikraft neck. The Musikraft neck is the only neck I've ever had the skunk stripe come unglued on. That turned out to be a fairly easy fix with thin CA glue.

Neither company does final fret work. But, they are usually good enough that they are playable without doing it.

Warmoth, as others have said, like their compound radius and modern construction. That's what you'll find the most of, ready to ship, in their 'showcase'.

 

[FuncleManson]

I've used one of each and am happy with both.

My Warmoth was an unfinished roasted maple (fretboard also) boat neck (soft V, about .97/.97) with stainless frets and a 10-16" compound radius. $252, including shipping, last September.

My Musikraft was a quartersawn maple/dark rosewood board, .905/1.00 profile, stainless frets and a 9.5" radius. $522, including shipping, last November.

Costs vary depending on what features you're looking for. I think, in general, Musikraft prices run higher. They charge more for stainless frets, roasted maple and installing a nut. Warmoth's finishing prices are higher, but it's a little hard to compare because they each have different options.

It sounds like you know pretty much what you want. It's not difficult to go to each site and mock up what you're looking for to see what's most cost-effective.

 

[Phrygian77]

Can't stand Warmoth. Too much show and not enough go. High prices. Unwillingness to do very simple custom requests. Mediocre fretwork. In most cases, a neck "style" locks you in to certain options, which cannot be changed. E.g. You can't choose the radius (or can't choose certain radii), nut width, or truss rod adjustment style on most of their necks. Those things are the meat and potatoes of a custom neck; they're the things that need to be able to be spec'd to make the order worthwhile.

This is part truth and part exaggeration. You can't get 22 frets on their Vintage neck (heal adjust), and you can't get a 7.25" radius on a Vintage/Modern (headstock adjust) or their Modern neck (double truss rod w/ heal & side adjust). Those are the limitations that I'm aware of.

 

[Redleg37]

I have a Warmoth bass and the neck is perfect. It is easily as good as any Fender American I've played. I've also had a Mighty Mite neck and had no issues.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

Unless you can find an in stock model with Warmoth or Musikraft, I would go with Parklane Guitars any day of the week.

 

[zenguiar]

Unless you can find an in stock model with Warmoth or Musikraft, I would go with Parklane Guitars any day of the week.

I just checked out Parklane and they look pretty good, it sounds like the owner once worked for Musikraft...

 

[zenguiar]

Read my post. The MusiKraft soft V is quite sharp actually!

Thats ok, a buddy of mine once had a vintage 56'strat with a sharp v and it fit real nice in my hand..

 

[El Tele Lobo]

I just checked out Parklane and they look pretty good, it sounds like the owner once worked for Musikraft...

Yes. He did. I have one of his necks and it is AMAZING!

 

[Antoon]

My experience with a thin modern construction Warmoth neck: It is extremely stable. SS frets (which did not require any extra work) and roasted wood maple were relatively cheap options. Downside is that the neck is rather heavy.

 

[Wayne Alexander]

I've had several Musikraft necks, all exactly what I wanted, well made, good fretwork (no leveling needed before installation). I've had a couple of Warmoth necks - good quality, but not as many options as Musikraft, and the fretwork was good but not as good as Musikraft. When other guitarists pick up my guitars, they're always knocked out with the Musikraft necks. The Warmoth necks feel like...necks.

 

[johnnylaw]

I’ve been satisfied with both, but Musikraft truly gets the nod from me.