General Newbie Questions

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2
Hi All,

This is my first post here on the board after lurking for a bit, and getting interested about guitar building and luthier work. I have a few concerns I'll detail below.

1) Has anyone done a neckthru Warmoth build by cutting a channel down the middle of the body to fit a neckthru body neck blank? If so, please tell (or link) me your experiences. I'm thinking about trying this after I've successfully completed a bolt-on build.

2) I've been doing my own Floyd Rose setups and truss rod adjustments for years. However, when it comes to fret levelling and crowning etc, I'd have someone else do that. I've read mixed reactions to factory necks delivered. what should I expect with current neck builds?

3) I plan to leave it bare unfinished until after I have it put together and playing nice, then disassemble to either stain or dye. Does anyone else do it this way? To make sure the guitar/bass will work proper before finishing? Anything to look out for after finishing and reassembling?

Thanks in advance for any first time build advice. I've seen a lot of nice work here.
- Jack (Max Axe Attack)
 
1) get one bolt on build under belt before tackling a neck thru.  It’ll give you understanding.  Since the bolt on works so well I wouldn’t bother with neck thru, it’d so much more work.
2) the warmoth necks come out great from the box, but if you want it perfect after you’ve put it together go to a luthier.
3) not even fender assembles first and then finishes, if you source the body and neck from warmoth you’ll have no worries.  Me, I finish first then assemble. 
 
Welcome to the forum.

1 - If you want a neck through I'd either follow Rick's advice or go another direction. Warmoth specializes in bolt-on neck instruments so it seems like you'd pound a square peg in a round hole.

2 - I'd say most folks play the neck right out of the box. Personally, I assess the frets and have decided to level and dress every neck I own. I'm not a good enough player to feel the difference the mm change makes to the setup, it's just something I wanted to learn and now do by default.

3 - I would think assembling pre-finish would be a major PIA. Once finish gets in the holes, around the neck joint, on the neck etc., nothing would fit the same. Even stuff as simple as tuners and ferrules would need adjusting.
 
Jack Of All Trades said:
Hi All,

This is my first post here on the board after lurking for a bit, and getting interested about guitar building and luthier work. I have a few concerns I'll detail below.

1) Has anyone done a neckthru Warmoth build by cutting a channel down the middle of the body to fit a neckthru body neck blank? If so, please tell (or link) me your experiences. I'm thinking about trying this after I've successfully completed a bolt-on build.

2) I've been doing my own Floyd Rose setups and truss rod adjustments for years. However, when it comes to fret levelling and crowning etc, I'd have someone else do that. I've read mixed reactions to factory necks delivered. what should I expect with current neck builds?

3) I plan to leave it bare unfinished until after I have it put together and playing nice, then disassemble to either stain or dye. Does anyone else do it this way? To make sure the guitar/bass will work proper before finishing? Anything to look out for after finishing and reassembling?

Thanks in advance for any first time build advice. I've seen a lot of nice work here.
- Jack (Max Axe Attack)

Wile what you propose for question 1 would be possible, a better way would be to get a body blank and cut out a neck blank sized portion from the middle and glue the two sides to the neck. A channel would require precise measurements and an elaborate fixture for routing. As Rick suggests I'd say get a few stardard builds under your belt first, depending on your wood working experience.

Question 2, Warmoth necks come in a excellent state of semi finished, meaning that frets need to be finalized. If your not comfortable doing it yourself, taking it to an expert would be advisable.

Question 3, The main problem I see with assembling and playing unfinished is that there will a big possibility of getting scratches and dings in the wood that may or may not be readily visible when you do go to finish. Sometimes surface imperfections do not show up until after your apply the finish and then it's too late.
 
Warmoth neck blanks are still bolt-ons. They don't sell a version to add body sides to for making a neck-thru guitar.
 
Cagey said:
Warmoth neck blanks are still bolt-ons. They don't sell a version to add body sides to for making a neck-thru guitar.

That's what I figured from looking at the blank sizes that they list. So I assumed that the OP was talking about an actual neck thru blank from someone else. But your right, it's probably best to point that out.
 
Carvin used to sell them (that would probably be Kiesel now), but I'm not sure if they still do. I know the bolt-ons were well done; I still have one around here somewhere. Pretty thin, though, and almost no options - you either liked their necks or you didn't.
 
Cagey said:
Carvin used to sell them (that would probably be Kiesel now), but I'm not sure if they still do. I know the bolt-ons were well done; I still have one around here somewhere. Pretty thin, though, and almost no options - you either liked their necks or you didn't.

From what I understand, yes Kiesel is an offshoot of Carvin as Carvin concentrates on electronics nowadays. I investigated some of their stuff years ago, and while it seemed well made, I just didn't care for some aspects of it.
 
Right. I wouldn't use those parts now, but at the time (probably 15-20 years ago?) they were a pretty good deal if you could live with their idea of the proper wood/profile/radius/frets. I think for $150 you got a Rosewood over Maple neck, fretted and ready to run but without finish or mounting holes. Not exactly ready-to-fly, but they'd fit into to a Fender-spec neck pocket.
 
Regarding #3. I assemble all mine to the point where I can see things all fit. Then I take it apart and apply a finish. I don't string it up and play it before the finish is on. I generally apply a fairly thin finish and it doesn't really build up a lot. Once the finish is applied, I do have to be careful to clean holes and watch around the neck pocket for buildup.
 
Thanks to everyone for your replies and input on my concerns. I hope to be making a neck and body order within the next couple of weeks for my first build. I'm sure there will be other questions pop up, and I'm grateful there's a community forum here for builders to discuss, give advice, show their projects, etc. I actually can't wait to get started. In the past, I've spent small fortunes on brand name guitars, and many always left something to be desired. I've seen some really awesome looking builds from you all here that have inspired me to take the leap on attempting my own. Thanks again!

- Jack (Max Axe Attack)
 
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