Cheap Build Warmoth Strat

[OperatorAce]

Any tips to building the ultimate bare-bones cheap strat, assuming I would finish bare wood with some oil-based clear finish?

I'm just curious what can be done to bring costs down in perhaps some non-obvious ways!

 

[DavyDave53]

Buy a Squier guitar and swap out the neck with a Warmoth neck and good set of tuners.

Sell the Squier neck of Flea Bay.

Upgrade the pickups and electronics later.

 

[OperatorAce]

Personally I'd be looking at doing the build 100% built in the US as much as parts are made here anymore.

 

[line6man]

100% US made is just silly. There's no such thing, when raw materials come from all over the world.

The best way to keep costs down is to go with a simple, no-frills build. Check out the Screamin' Deals section of the showcase for a discounted body and neck. Or order a neck and choose a less-expensive raw wood. There are American-made pickups that aren't too expensive, but American-made hardware will be very expensive.

 

[OperatorAce]

Honest question: is the hardware on Fender MIA stuff not made in the US?

 

[DavyDave53]

Fender calls a guitar 'Made in America' if 51% of its content are American.

Also all 'American Fenders' are finished in Mexico.

 

[OperatorAce]

Interesting. I know the MIA strats play better than the MiM guitars ( better fretwork mostly from what I gather), and have better pickups, but is that realistically as far as the differences go?

 

[m4rk0]

I have made some really awesome strats from Screaming deals bodies/necks, a bottle of tru oil and GFS parts! better than your average MIA Fender.

 

[jay4321]

Fender's MIM guitars aren't too bad. I buy MIM bodies off of eBay all the time and mess with them. Arguably the best sounding body I have in my entire collection is a black '07 MIM - I actually owned the whole guitar at one point but I've had several necks and pickup configurations in it. Nowadays it's got a Warmoth nitro-finished neck on it and it's been like that a while. I really need to make time to refinish that because it sounds good with everything, I just can't imagine keeping a poly finish on it while the neck ages nitro-style.

In general you'll find 3-4 pieces of wood in the solid-coated bodies, a hard/thick finish, and all of the electronics are crap. In my experience the effect of # of pieces is overstated, as is the type of finish. It is a problem if you ever decide to try and refinish one (major PITA). There's the raging debate of nitro vs. poly but I'll leave that to others. I'll just say that in my own collection, poly holds up just fine against my nitro guitars, although I think nitro looks and ages better and that's why I like it.

Anyway, the MIM Strat - they're typically alder today, often routed HSS, with the neck pocket being almost wide enough to fit a humbucker but not quite. You'll need to route a little to get one to fit.

But if you're on a budget, the modern MIM Standard bodies are a perfect fit for Warmoth necks. Gut the electronics out but you can keep the bridge, trem springs, neck plate (etc.). They're a dime a dozen but I'd look for one with the bridge included in the sale and get it for $100 or less in nice condition.

You can do more with a Warmoth body, things like the contoured heel and routing options. And of course there's all of the wood options and you can usually see what you're buying. But the cost goes way up. My black MIM body would have cost me maybe $150 tops in perfect condition had I bought it that way. My custom Warmoth job was around $200, plus $300 for the nitro paint job, plus shipping, plus a little extra for the bridge, neck plate. It looks cooler but at quadruple the cost, and at the end of the day they both basically sound like Strats.

 

[jay4321]

But if you want to do a through-and-through Warmoth, just keep on eye out on the Screamin' Deals section but also check stock for everything else (sort by price). Find something unfinished with a beauty mark or some cheaper wood if you want, there's nothing particularly wrong with say poplar or basswood. I like basswood a lot actually as far as sound it just dents easy. It's not uncommon to see something show up for $130 or so, but then there's shipping. You'll have to buy finish for it and get hardware too which adds up fast. Even when going the cheap route it's really not all that cheap.

By the way, as far as the necks, I think MIMs are generally fine too. You'll want a new nut and tuners (Schaller's are a direct replacement). The plastic inlays and the MIM headstock logo look a little off to me but functionally they're okay. I like them best after taking a little fine sandpaper to the back. I recall two MIM necks from the 90s (one Strat, one Tele) that really stood out as excellent players. The worst was a 90s Precision bass neck with a bad dead spot on the A string. Off the shelf though I've had better experiences with them overall than say Mighty Mites & AllParts, but that's just anecdotal experience over a smallish sample.

I still like the Warmoth Pros best. The heel cut looks a little weird but apart from that, there's so many custom options with them and the truss design works well for me. If you're just looking for a common maple 9.5" radius, C-shape Strat neck though there are lots of cheaper options that aren't bad at all. Like any neck though they play best when the guitar is properly set up to your liking.

 

[OperatorAce]

Do you know of any good resources for applying a clear, inexpensive yet durable finish to say, a natural maple/walnut/alder body?

 

[Cagey]

A wise man I worked for at a software house used to like to tell customers "You've got three choices: fast, good, and cheap. Pick two."

Finishes are much the same way. In terms of raw material, most finishes are relatively inexpensive. Time is more the issue, which impacts cost most dramatically. If you're doing it for yourself, then you often don't care so much about time. So, then it becomes a matter of tool cost. A wipe-on sort of finish like the various "oil" stuff is easy - you can use inexpensive cloths. But, it's not very durable. You'll tear it up in no time flat. Stepping up to a spray rig will cost you some money, but you can shoot lacquer. Very nice finish, but a lotta work and time to get it right. Past that, you could shoot poly, which is the best, but you really need a dedicated spray booth with all the attendant costs.

The way I look at such things is you have to decide if you're going to to do it more than once. If so, then it's always cheaper to buy the tools to do the job properly and do it yourself. Be prepared to screw up - everything has a learning curve to it - but the rewards are fantastic. A good nitro finish will cost you at least $300 from anybody who knows what they're doing, but you can do it yourself for around $50. All the money in those jobs is in labor, not material, and even at that most guys are doing a labor of love. The amount of effort that goes into a good lacquer finish puts a $300 job in the range of minimum wage or less.

The various "oil" finishes are relatively easy as far as tool requirements, but the end result is pretty flimsy. If you work hard enough at it, they can look fantastic. I've seen some pieces on this board that were just stunning. But, it's a lotta work, and it won't last. On the plus side, you can do one even in an apartment.

Sprayed catalyzed poly is the best but is pretty much out of the question for the vast majority of people. It's toxic as hell, requires a very clean atmosphere, etc. You really need to be in that business in a real way to do it right. For what Warmoth charges for a finish, it's a bargain and a half.

 

[OperatorAce]

For what Warmoth charges for a finish, it's a bargain and a half.

All great points, but this is probably the best point of all. Considering the time, you are right. It's not really worth it, especially if you make more than min wage and have the option of working an extra shift. Especially if you're not doing it for the experience of it (although I'd love to some day).

 

[Cagey]

Not just that, but it's a catalyzed poly finish. Very sturdy. You can beat the snot of those things and they stay good-looking. Water, alcohol, sweat, snot, tears, hooker dust - they're water off a duck's back. Some guys like their guitars to look like they've been through the wringer, but I prefer mine to look like I'm not some sort of toothless trailer-trash who uses a Hefty bag for a case.

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

For what Warmoth charges for a finish, it's a bargain and a half.

All great points, but this is probably the best point of all. Considering the time, you are right. It's not really worth it, especially if you make more than min wage and have the option of working an extra shift. Especially if you're not doing it for the experience of it (although I'd love to some day).

While we're on the subject, beware of cheap finishing offers on ebay.  I went that way once, was not happy with it.