Buying Bodies from NON Warmoth Suppliers.

[AGWAN]

Now in a perfect world it would of course be Warmoth that I buy from, with Warmoth I know 100% that they build quality, and stand behind it.

In a perfect world... I could just get what I wanted off the rack. but I'm weird, and I like weird things. and I'm weird handed.

So I've been Wandering. Scouring the internet for builders that can give me what i want... a lefty Iceman that actually feels and looks Ibanez. Wild Finishes and custom touches a Plus.

I've come across two builders who will build cheapish. Perle and Sims. At every turn I'm told to avoid Sims like the plague. so I'm left with Perle.

Perle can send me a Swirled, AANJ Iceman body for around 500 bucks. built to fit up with an RG neck, or he can sell me a neck (Used, or one he built)

Now

the question this thread is here to ask is. How do you know if a Builder is building Quality, when they lack the Resources and Brand Rep of Warmoth or Carvin?

EDIT________________________________

For an example, here is a couple.... examples.

and a link to his super high tech site.

http://www.perleguitars.com/custombodies.html

 

[DangerousR6]

The answer to you question is....you don't, not until you've bought your first guitar body from them and mated it with other parts. And just because a builder has limited resources doesn't mean they can't build quality products....Guitars weren't always built with the latest and greatest equipment, I have a neck on my spalted tele that was hand made, and the quality is just as good as Warmoth....

 

[AGWAN]

I guess I should just give this guy a chance?

I mean, if he ever answers my email.

 

[Jusatele]

I bought a neck from Warmoth when they only advertised in the back of Guitar Mags in the classified section. They had a newspaper type catalog they sent you and it had very limited items. When I started this project I got online and was amazed at how they had grown but then they always have gone overboard to put out a good product. All Business's start somewhere.

 

[Velcro]

My friend bought a iceman(swirled) from there, it was as good as any warmoth I've ever built or played.

 

[AGWAN]

My friend bought a iceman(swirled) from there, it was as good as any warmoth I've ever built or played.

thank you for telling me this

 

[BigBeard]

Yes the Turtle puts out a good product.  But they aren't the only gig in town.  I have used many other sources for parts with really no dissapointment.  Mighty Mite puts out just as nice of a body and neck as W does..... and for way less money.  Sure W is the place to go if you want something exotic...... but that beint said, you want something even more exotic than the Turtle offers with that swirl job.  My advice to you is to go with the small time builder....... not only to see how his quality is, but I bet he needs your build far more than Warmoth does.  Unless the guy you are referring to does the volume that the Turtle does, I can almost bet he needs the job far more than the Turtle needs it.  Also when you go with a small time builder, you normally can talk to the person who is actually doing the work.  Not that Spike isn't a nice guy to talk to, but all he does is answer the phone, the sales people at W don't actually go out and work on the products as far as I know.  I would rather talk to the guy that is actually putting carbide to lumber than a salesman.

The one thing that really gets me about this board is how most members think that Warmoth is the only place that sells a quality guitar part.  That just isn't true, and there are many suppliers that put out a great product, if not better quality than you get with W and for way less money.  Take the chance, I bet you won't be dissapointed in not choosing Warmoth.  This board is not a good place to get an unbiased opinion of Warmoth's quality.  Unless you can find a thread where someone is complaining about them, and you have to find it before it gets censored.  Yes, the mods and admin of this board do not let criticism of the Turtles quality stay up for very long, they usually will delete the posts and ban the person making the post.  That doesn't give you a very honest and unbiased opinion of their quality.  I mean you see someone on here complain about a problem and before you know it, the thread and the member are gone.  This board is just another means for free advertising for the turtle. 

Ok I'm off the soapbox.......  Go buy the non-warmoth, I think you will be much happier than if you go with the Warmoth honestly.

 

[AGWAN]

^ XD! thanks man! I hear you!

Luckily I am on other forums, and I can hear the opinions uncensored there, so I'm not too worried. I know warmoth has a few faults. but the Pro is really a fabulous neck, and when matched to their surgically precise neck pockets... I know I can make the rest of it work out!

And just because I want THIS Iceman to be more Ibanez than fender doesn't mean I don't plan to build another Iceman from warmoth.

And I know I'll be building a baritone Telecaster someday.

I still have dreams for at least 3 Warmoths. but right now the neck joint and fretboard are really bugging me. once I have a 24 fret to play with, building a second with 22 won't be to big of a deal.

 

[Paul-less]

BB on a rant? Oh boy, duck for cover boys!


But really, the rant was win on a Business 101 level. The 2nd best kind of win. (First is politics)

 

[BigBeard]

BB on a rant? Oh boy, duck for cover boys!


But really, the rant was win on a Business 101 level. The 2nd best kind of win. (First is politics)

I'm done ranting for the day I think!  :icon_thumright:  

 

[AGWAN]

I personally enjoy the openness here, I had an experience with the Admin's on my music Forum that was so bad you'd never complain again.

I mean, the musician that owned it lied and stole. about everything. When she lied about her name, we were like "Okay whatever" When she lied about her age we went "Yeah thats no big" When she lied about being a direct Descendent of Alice Liddell (Of Alice In Wonderland fame) we thought "Um... She has no living descendents..." then she went "AHHHHHH I'MMA BAN YOU!" When she sold us posters and books. and delivered the books 3 and 1/2 years late and the 80 dollar posters never showed up. we were like "Um, can we get what we paid for?"

And she went "AHHHH YOU'RE SLANDERING ME WITH LIBEL! I'MMA BAN YOU!"

And when we went "Um, why did you ban that polite girl for wondering where her 150 bucks went?"

BANNING!

"Why did you ban that person for asking why you banned that person?"

BANNING!

"are you nuts?"

BANNING!

"Is your plan to just ban everyone  you owe money to/stole from?"

BANNING!

*Sneezes*

BANNING!

And with that, the most active music fan forum on the internet. that had over 10,000 posters. was reduced to 14 emo teenagers telling EA how great she is.

SO... thats my rant. and because of it. I'm not even phased by the Severe Warmoth/Fender bias here. it is what it is and the mods are at least sane enough to let us talk about other companies.

 

[mayfly]

I  agree that this forum is the most open forum with the most lenient moderators that I know of.  It's also the forum with the best and most honest information available, with the best folks giving it.  Of the many others that I used to frequent, two standouts in the other direction are the Rickebacker forum, and the Bose L1 forum.   Holy crap - these guys will ban you, threaten to sue you, or give you all kinds of grief if you even suggest that their respective products might not be perfect in every way.  God help you if you mention other manufacturers on there.

I think that the Warmoth forum moderators give us all kinds of leeway, but there is one thing to keep in mind - it's their forum; not ours.  It's their house, they make the rules.  The rules are pretty lenient, but they are there.

Back on topic, I bought a body from WD Music for my latest tele because it was pre-routed for a bender.  I have not seen this body in person yet, but judging from the comments of the gentlemen finishing the body I can safely say that it is nowhere near warmoth quality.

End result looks pretty nice though:   :headbang:

And of course the matching neck is a Warmoth Neck!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[rapfohl09]

Well I will reinforce what everyone else has told you and tell you to NOT go with sims if we are talking about the one in America, as I guess there is one in europe too. I wont bore you with every detail but I just got out of 3 month ebay battle with that guy just trying to get him to ship the item, then just said I wanted a refund which I had to go through the resolution center to get. He really does awesome work, and I was willing to pay for it, but I just didnt get the items.

the only other company ive worked with is KnE and they do great work, but not really what your looking for. im also thinking a mighty mite neck for my next W body.

 

[whitebison66]

I've worked with KnE before, and I'd recommend him. He made the Iceman and Telecaster bodies that my friend Mimi painted.

He also made Dangerous' Krankenstein!

 

[mayfly]

And with that, the most active music fan forum on the internet. that had over 10,000 posters. was reduced to 14 emo teenagers telling EA how great she is.

ok , so where is this forum? I'm curious...

 

[AGWAN]

it was Primarily Goth, which is a warning sign right there.

But thanks to the artists Virtuoso Violin skills, and her ability to play from Classical to Metal. there were many of us there that were...normal...

Once upon a time

http://www.forum.emilieautumn.com/

they keep adding to the rules. I think reading the rules you must agree to... will completely inform you on how insane that Admin is.

 

[erogenousjones17]

The internet is a strange place full of strange people. It also has the power to transform meek and otherwise insignificant people into tyrants. Something to do with the lack of real, face-to-face interaction. It's an interesting phenomenon.

 

[Jusatele]

The internet is a strange place full of strange people. It also has the power to transform meek and otherwise insignificant people into tyrants. Something to do with the lack of real, face-to-face interaction. It's an interesting phenomenon.

It is the fact that they are not accountable for their words, If they were in person people would pummel them. Plus, online you can say whatever you want, embarrass yourself to the max and next week you have a whole new audience to spout off to as the other audience just ignores you.

 

[jackthehack]

Why would you pay $500 on that? There are a couple of unfinished mahogany Iceman bodies in the Showcase for $230.  You should be able to replicate that nasty looking Pollockeque finish yourself for way under a $100. I wouldn't trust that neck pocket for shit from the looks of it.....

 

[OzziePete]

Why would you pay $500 on that? There are a couple of unfinished mahogany Iceman bodies in the Showcase for $230.  You should be able to replicate that nasty looking Pollockeque finish yourself for way under a $100. I wouldn't trust that neck pocket for shiteeeee from the looks of it.....

On that angle.....you could ask Tonar nicely if he wants to try that sort of finish. He seems to have quite rep around here for great finishess, but more in the retro look, trad style. Or Mayfly might want to tell you who the guy is who is doing that bright blue TeleBender for him & see if they are interested.

Yeah, more OT, I try to keep an open mind too about my options on guitar parts. But my location in Australia does limit me a bit and can expose me to rip off merchants, as they would usually not reside in my own country (we're a small market) and I'd have to try and get some sort of resolution to a purchase problem long distance and without the rights that a citizen within that suppliers' own country would have against them, so it makes you wary. So I usually buy from well established businesses and ones that have their act together with international orders. People like Stew Mac, WD Music, Might Mite, Carvin etc...

I am greatly appreciative when people mention the likes of Sims (USA). I came close to losing a sale when I thought about JackOfRoses for some custom parts, only when I went to do the order they had stopped making guitar parts....initial emails weren't promising though, they had no chroming contractor on their book even tho they offered chromed parts and I wasn't getting a good vibe there. I recently didn't receive a part worth about US$14 from Allparts too, but that was probably a despatch mistake and for the time and cost it would take to make a complaint it ain't worth the $14 - but I will keep that in mind when next I have to deal with them. A repeat will definitely get a claim. I must add that I have ordered from Allparts before, they have been around for years, and I have encountered no previous problems with orders.

If you haven't received a reply email, there may be a phone number to call if you wanna try to contact them. Or you can take that slow reply as a clue to their business practices, and maybe think they aren't up to the job.  :dontknow: