Complete noob question, How long does it take to assemble a warmoth?

[Slanderous]

This has probably been answered 1000's of times on this forum sorry but I'm planning to order all my parts finished etc so the only thing I will need to do is assemble the parts and do the electronics.  My main question is how long would it take me to assemble my guitar and do the electronics?  It seems like only a days work but I'm sure I'm wrong.  Thanks in advance.

PS: 2 little questions

Is copper shielding really needed for the electronics?

Anyone know how long the wait is for custom necks at the moment?


Thanks.

 

[jimh]

How good are you with a screwdriver, and a soldering iron?
How complex is your wiring going to be.  Have you done any before?

This question is tricky to answer, as everyone has different experiences, and works at their own rate. 

For what it's worth, i finished mine in about a day, but I already had the pickguard wired (from a previous guitar).  That was to fit neck to body, install tuners, bridge, fit the pickguard, and get a playable setup.

I've since tweaked the setup as the guitar settled a bit over time as I "played it in".

Your mileage may vary.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

 

[riverbluff]

The ones I have assembled went together pretty quick.  Usually about 6 hours worth of work for major assembly then about 2 hours to wire it up.  Setup usually takes me about another hour or so.  The last custom neck I ordered took about 6 weeks to come in.

The need for copper sheilding has been widly debated.  I have put it on 3 of mine and I really haven't notoced a difference between the sheilded ones and the unshielded ones.  I think it comes down to using good wire, makeing sure you have good solder joints and have a good ground.

V/R
Bill

 

[mayfly]

The first warmoth I made I built at work over 4 lunch hours - which were 1 hour exactly and included lunch.

I actually built it at my desk with the exception of the soldering where I went to one of the soldering benches.  It's there where I truly learned how much RoHS solder sucks  

 

[jimh]

It's there where I truly learned how much RoHS solder sucks 

+1 

 

[Rick]

If all the parts are "finished" then assembling the wood parts and hardware, about 4 hours.
Soldering, I bring to a tech and get it back the following week with a set up and fret dressing.  That's about $100.

You don't need copper sheilding. 

 

[Slanderous]

Great, looks like something I can do over a summers day. I'm also doing a string through body guitar to make it a little simpler than a trem.  I have been studying some wire diagrams and it seems pretty simple.  Was just going to do two  500k push pull pots for an H-H set up. Coil tapping for both pups. 


If I wanted to by an unfinished guitar I'm guessing it would take about 1 week to complete the guitar?    Seems very difficult though to finish a guitar but it would give me more options.

 

[tfarny]

Finishing takes a very long time if you include 'curing time' - waiting for the finish to harden before sanding out. Figure on many hours of sanding, painting, tweaking, maybe starting over once or twice, and a month or more waiting for it to cure. "Self-finished" is not where you want to go if you're concerned about how long it takes to solder a couple of humbuckers in.

 

[Slanderous]

Finishing takes a very long time if you include 'curing time' - waiting for the finish to harden before sanding out. Figure on many hours of sanding, painting, tweaking, maybe starting over once or twice, and a month or more waiting for it to cure. "Self-finished" is not where you want to go if you're concerned about how long it takes to solder a couple of humbuckers in.

Agreed,  would I be able to get something in the "in stock section" finished before it was sent tome and if I could how would I tell them?

 

[jimh]

I did.

just e-mail or phone one of the guys and tell them the code for the showcase item you're interested in, and the finish you'd like.  They'll then tell you if that finish is possible on that particular piece, and how much.  Easy.

 

[Slanderous]

I did.

just e-mail or phone one of the guys and tell them the code for the showcase item you're interested in, and the finish you'd like.  They'll then tell you if that finish is possible on that particular piece, and how much.  Easy.

Hey thanks man really appreciate it.  :icon_thumright:

 

[jimh]

:icon_thumright:

And Welcome!

 

[Alfang]

I've had some builds playable within 90 minutes of starting and all the parts sitting in front of me and nothing pre-assembled.

This does not include any setup time, for which you can spend as long as you want to get it perfect  ie....30 to 60 minutes a day over the course of a week, ( or more)  i like to make a truss rod adjustment everyday to get it correct, and monitor it every couple days till it stops moving,  meanwhile the nut can be slotted to the correct depth, I use the dial indicator from stew mac, it's an awesome tool. I recommend you all get one along with the entire selection of nut slotting files.

I do a initial intonation at about day 3 when the neck is getting close to straigh ( Flat, that's how I like em)  Then when the neck stops moving i adjust bridge height and then final intonation. 

By the way, a guitar is a living beast and needs periodic (seasonal) truss rod adjustments, intonation can change dramatically as your action changes. 

sorry to ramble way beyong OP's initial question

 

[Slanderous]

I believe the neck I am ordering is coming with the graphite nut installed? It's from the in stock section.  Isnt it pre installed?