Contoured heels & why the resale of Warmoths is soooooo bad

[benbreard]

Resale spoiler, it's because people like me do things like this:

I've had this Mary Kaye white strat for a decade. It's awesome, but under going some major surgery w/ a new neck and pickguard. While I can easily work around a traditional heel, I figure life is too short to work around my instruments when I can correct it w/o too much hassle. (for my tastes)

This is what the point of no return looks like:

Not too shabby, but I wasn't satisfied with the paint transition on the bottom side:

I taped and cut the corner again:

While not perfect, I'm much happier with this:

After a couple coats of tung oil:

This is pretty much exactly what I was after here. Hopefully my new neck will arrive soon and I can finish this guitar's Xmas makeover.

 

[aarontunes]

FYI, I've been pushing for Warmoth to adopt and offer this Fender heel for years now. I'll keep fighting the good fight.

 

[benbreard]

It would be a great option to offer for sure. I do really like the current contour that warmoth offers. ....but since this was a showcase purchase, this path was the only practical option I could come up with.

One thing that sucks is the plate Fender makes for this join has a sharp edge on it and that's right where my palm hits. It's not rounded off at all like a normal neck plate. This might be the next thing I alter. There's definitely room for someone to make a better base plate to Fender's specs.

 

[Mx481james]

Very nicely done!
You are so right to do it , who cares how it devalues the guitar it's about playing it . I've said on here before that these guitars are worth half of what we spend on them .
You taking the initiative  to make your guitar personal to you is for more valuable than the dollar value of it.

 

[Rick]

To me countoured heels are a big meh.

 

[benbreard]

@rick2 I don't get that at all, but I suspect you're in the majority as traditional heels are by far the most common.

I find it irritating to change my left hand position to reach the upper frets. I mean I can do it, and have for ~30 years, but I find it more enjoyable not to have material there to block access. ....but I think most people are in agreement w/ you.

 

[teleme01]

4 my 2 cents,  i usually find myself playing between the 5th and 12 frets

 

[mayfly]

I'm with Rick.  I really don't see what the big deal is.  When I play up there, I don't even notice the heel.  It just goes along with the instrument and you adapt.  It's a big shrug to me.  :dontknow:

You don't see violin / viola / cello / bass players complaining about the heel on their instruments ... 

 

[benbreard]

Keep in mind I'm not trying to convert anyone to the church of the contoured heel. I just thought this was a reasonably cool thing to post on this forum and may be of interest to others.

 

[Rick]

What you did was a cool thing, I didn't mean to lay on the harsh.  I was just expressing my view on the overall concept of the countered heal: indifference. You did an excellent job and I salute!  :headbang1:

 

[stratamania]

You are not alone in modding heels. Another recent thread.

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=33472.msg464465#msg464465

With Strats and Teles personally if the heel is contoured or not I don't really notice much of a difference but I have been playing the things for getting on towards 5 decades. I won't say no to a contoured heel that said.

 

[BroccoliRob]

for me the contour heel is more about that dank scoopage on the back of the lower cutaway. so smooth, so round,

so pure

 

[GT1-Reach]

FYI, I've been pushing for Warmoth to adopt and offer this Fender heel for years now. I'll keep fighting the good fight.

Aaron... That would be so great... A little dream come true

 

[stratamania]

FYI, I've been pushing for Warmoth to adopt and offer this Fender heel for years now. I'll keep fighting the good fight.

Of course that may need a change to the modern construction neck or an avoid notice...

 

[Strat Avenger]

I contour the heels on all my Warmoth builds. I find it ludicrous that here in the 21st century, so many guitars still have that squared-off chunk of wood where the neck joins the body. The reason Warmoth doesn't offer it is because it interferes with the side adjustment feature on their Modern necks, which I personally have no use for. There's nothing wrong with a top-adjust truss rod.

 

[TheOtherEric]

I contour the heels on all my Warmoth builds. I find it ludicrous that here in the 21st century, so many guitars still have that squared-off chunk of wood where the neck joins the body. The reason Warmoth doesn't offer it is because it interferes with the side adjustment feature on their Modern necks, which I personally have no use for. There's nothing wrong with a top-adjust truss rod.

+1. Not only do I have no use for the side-adjust feature, I completely despise and fear it tremendously.  I just bought my first Warmoth side-adjust neck last year, and I've already completely forgotten how to adjust it properly without destroying it.  This puts me at very high risk of destroying it at some point.  Not cool at all.  There's nothing wrong with headstock-adjust!

 

[ragamuffin]

I've already completely forgotten how to adjust it properly without destroying it.  This puts me at very high risk of destroying it at some point.  Not cool at all.  There's nothing wrong with headstock-adjust!

Righty tighty, lefty loosey? There's definitely no need to worry about destroying it.

 

[TheOtherEric]

I've already completely forgotten how to adjust it properly without destroying it.  This puts me at very high risk of destroying it at some point.  Not cool at all.  There's nothing wrong with headstock-adjust!

Righty tighty, lefty loosey? There's definitely no need to worry about destroying it.

NOT SO!  The instructions explain how you can destroy it.  There are stories of guys turning the side-adjust and hearing the dreaded PING, meaning they just destroyed the truss rod assembly internally. There's an entire 1-page set of complicated instructions and cautions setting up the two screws (one of which is hidden, in the heel), and without it, you couldn't hope to set this up properly.  That's so, so, so wrong.  Granted, after being initially set up, you MAY NOT need to ever re-set it, but that's just optimism.  Even if this side-adjust usually operates ok, the entire concept is flawed due to its complexity and risk.

 

[stratamania]

The key is with the side adjust is that initial and any further larger truss rod adjustments (if needed) are made at the heel. The side adjust should be only for minor movement if needed. I have not had any problems with them but I can see if someone tried to do adjustments with the side adjust that should have been done at the heel they could run into issues.

 

[BroccoliRob]

I contour the heels on all my Warmoth builds. I find it ludicrous that here in the 21st century, so many guitars still have that squared-off chunk of wood where the neck joins the body. The reason Warmoth doesn't offer it is because it interferes with the side adjustment feature on their Modern necks, which I personally have no use for. There's nothing wrong with a top-adjust truss rod.

+1. Not only do I have no use for the side-adjust feature, I completely despise and fear it tremendously.  I just bought my first Warmoth side-adjust neck last year, and I've already completely forgotten how to adjust it properly without destroying it.  This puts me at very high risk of destroying it at some point.  Not cool at all.  There's nothing wrong with headstock-adjust!

Lmao, my dude, i dont think anyone is saying theres something explicitly >wrong< with headstock truss rods..

But like, Facts R Facts™, the modern rod is more stable. more metal. \m/

Despise is a pretty strong word, maybe you should come over and chill with me and hit up my HypoRanch®, I'm pretty sure i got the formula right this time
let's get mellow, my mello