Got my new Warmoth neck BUT !

[lidesnowi]

On the shots in your first post, it looks like the old frets are a good bit lower, and obviously if you have the new ones dressed the playing surface will lengthen. However, it does look like the "angle guy" got a little too enthusiastic. I always do my own frets, and I've never had a neck from Warmoth or USACG that didn't need at least a little work on the ends, though they are usually level enough to last a year or so before a full level/crown/polish. I would personally rather have them straight up and I'll decide what shape I want, my ideal is the classic "hotdog" ends and there's no way to reach that on a fret that's already over-beveled. Warmoth has a tricky call to make, because people will complain if they can't play immediately on a neck that isn't finish-dressed, but to dress a neck properly you have to do the fret ends individually and it would add $100 to each neck's price. So, they bevel... and bevel... :sad1:

It´s the same SS6100 frets on both necks.

 

[AprioriMark]

This is my one major gripe with Warmoth, and I've taken a lot of needless crap for bringing it up here in the past, but I'll do it again because this needs to be fixed.  I've purchased many, many necks (both guitar and bass) from Warmoth over the years, and the fret ends vary quite a bit.  I get that Warmoth does not want to get into fretwork, but there should at least be consistency in the product.

THERE NEEDS TO BE A STANDARD FOR THE ANGLE OF THE BEVEL ON WARMOTH NECKS.

1) I understand that people have varying tastes.  Offer "Standard" and "No Bevel" (at least) as options.
2) Post a nifty little picture that demonstrates the standard angle of fret bevels on the neck builder.
3) ?????
4) Profit.

I mean seriously, just wtf.

-Mark

 

[AutoBat]

They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.

 

[stubhead]

THERE NEEDS TO BE A STANDARD FOR THE ANGLE OF THE BEVEL ON WARMOTH NECKS.

Yeah, I would at least agree with that. Autobat has 30 degrees and 15 degrees on the same neck, the two pictures Cagey posted are markedly different to me - the gold are much less beveled. I would have a hard time putting the ends I like on the ones that are beveled so much, but I am insanely picky about stuff like that. I guess some guy just takes a swipe at them on a belt sander, and he has different mood swings... If Warmoth makes a neck I wnat, I'll make sure to order the unbeveled ends. Here we go:

http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/Fretting3.htm

Manufacturers vary a bit on how they bevel and round the fret ends, but the object is the same....no sharp edges!

Can someone over bevel the fret ends? Yes, one of the pitfalls often besetting a beginner is to over bevel the fret ends. An over beveled fret has ends that are angled too far inward and will affect the outer strings.  In severe cases the outer E strings may lie over or terribly close to this bevel and cause the string to roll off the frets edge when playing. How do you fix that? Refret it , you can't put back what has been filed off.

These here are pretty hot-doggish, though I'd do them a bit more than that - a perfect hemisphere is the ideal to shoot for.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Burn Unit is the same way, never had a string pop off the fret end while playing. But I always bend towards the center of the neck on both E strings. Pull down on the low E, push up on the high E.

 

[simple]

Burn Unit is the same way, never had a string pop off the fret end while playing. But I always bend towards the center of the neck on both E strings. Pull down on the low E, push up on the high E.

Ah Burn Unit....always a pleasure seeing pictures of this guitar.  :icon_thumright:

 

[erogenousjones17]

Burn Unit is the same way, never had a string pop off the fret end while playing. But I always bend towards the center of the neck on both E strings. Pull down on the low E, push up on the high E.

Seems to me you're just looking for trouble if you try and do it any other way... :dontknow:

And yeah, that is one swanky gitter.

 

[jay4321]

But I always bend towards the center of the neck on both E strings. Pull down on the low E, push up on the high E.

Yeah pulling strings off the fretboard shouldn't be an issue tied to the beveling, unless it's really extreme

 

[lidesnowi]

Good news
The neck is fitted and plays better than I expected :icon_scratch:!
This Boat neck profile with 1 3 / 4 "width and 16" radius is incredible, I can not stop playing it  arty07: i played it nonstop for 6 hours strait once i got it on the guitar and it instantly became my main instrument!

Thanks all you guys at Warmoth!

 

[BigBeard]

I can't believe the consensus on this board about this subject...... I have never once touched a fret out of the box on a new neck!!!!  Not just Warmoth products, but Mighty Mite and Eden too, they all make a great product that doesn't need phucked with to be playable!!!  You know the money you would waste on having someone hack up that nice new neck is about half of the price of another neck. 

 

[Soylent]

I can't believe the consensus on this board about this subject...... I have never once touched a fret out of the box on a new neck!!!!   Not just Warmoth products, but Mighty Mite and Eden too, they all make a great product that doesn't need phucked with to be playable!!!  You know the money you would waste on having someone hack up that nice new neck is about half of the price of another neck. 

Like always, I agree with BigBeard.  :icon_thumright:

 

[stubhead]

I have never once touched a fret out of the box on a new neck!!!!  Not just Warmoth products, but Mighty Mite and Eden too, they all make a great product that doesn't need phucked with to be playable!!!

 

Clearly, some people are willing to settle for a neck that is "playable" rather than excellent or even, dare I say, "perfect." If you've never had the pleasure of owning a neck that is properly dressed, you'll never know what you're missing... In about a dozen necks from Warmoth and USA Custom, I have never seen one that couldn't benefit from some final fretwork! A single, hard, even bevel is not adequate by professional standards. I don't mean you can't play one, and I don't mean you never got paid $15 & a bowl of... ice cream for playing a sockhop with your (unfinished) Warmoth, but if you were to hand one of those guitars to Paul Gilbert/Elic Crapton/Tony Iommi/Fill In The Blank, he'd look at you like.... "huh? Why isn't this guitar finished?" :icon_scratch:

You know the money you would waste on having someone hack up that nice new neck is about half of the price of another neck.

 

This is why so many of us have bought fret-rounding files, read up on Erlewine's book, practiced on old beaters.... because we LIKE to have guitars that play better, and it is expensive if you won't do your own. However, given this level of intransigence, perhaps the only way you will ever learn what a great guitar feels like is to spring for a level, crown & polish once, then you'll know.... except it sounds like the only people you know "hack up" their work. I personally would much rather have one perfect guitar than a whole pile of P.O.S. semi-finished ones - they're good for decor, I suppose.  :toothy12: But then, I play mine. So crappy bitey rough unfinished frets are worth learning to fix, for ME.
If all you do is hang them on the wall because you don't care what they play like, spirit-catchers & Jerry posters are a lot cheaper.  :hello2:

 

[jay4321]

You can absolutely play Warmoth necks right out of the box, but a good setup and level job can improve things further in some cases. 2 of my W necks were pretty much fine, two others needed a little tweaking to get perfect. I just looked at Warmoth's note on this and its consistent with my experience. Just make sure you're having someone good working on it if you do decide to go that route, and not some chump at the local Music Bodega consignment shop.

Having said that, it's up to the owner to decide if turning a 9.5 neck into a Perfect 10 is worth the trouble and/or expense. I don't think there's really a wrong answer either way you go.  

 

[AutoBat]

I don't see anyone else working on my W neck since I got it from the brown truck.
Stubhead's post came off very snobbish, whether or not that was his intent.

 

[jay4321]

I could see someone building shredder-type guitars seeing the need for a little more precision. With mine I needed some nut work so they were in the shop anyway. 

 

[JaySwear]

only one of my W necks needed any work at all, and it was some very minor nut filing. i understand that some people might have gotten necks that needed some (or serious) work, but mine were great! :icon_thumright:

 

[tfarny]

I'm pretty sure Stubhead said exactly what he meant to say! I basically agree with him too. At some point, all my necks go in for a little bit of fretwork and that has always kicked them up a notch. A fine instrument needs a fine personal professional touch to get it just right, I don't care if it's a violin, a strat or a kazoo.

 

[Watershed]

I have never once touched a fret out of the box on a new neck!!!!   Not just Warmoth products, but Mighty Mite and Eden too, they all make a great product that doesn't need phucked with to be playable!!!

 

Clearly, some people are willing to settle for a neck that is "playable" rather than excellent or even, dare I say, "perfect." If you've never had the pleasure of owning a neck that is properly dressed, you'll never know what you're missing... In about a dozen necks from Warmoth and USA Custom, I have never seen one that couldn't benefit from some final fretwork! A single, hard, even bevel is not adequate by professional standards. I don't mean you can't play one, and I don't mean you never got paid $15 & a bowl of... ice cream for playing a sockhop with your (unfinished) Warmoth, but if you were to hand one of those guitars to Paul Gilbert/Elic Crapton/Tony Iommi/Fill In The Blank, he'd look at you like.... "huh? Why isn't this guitar finished?" :icon_scratch:

You know the money you would waste on having someone hack up that nice new neck is about half of the price of another neck.

 

This is why so many of us have bought fret-rounding files, read up on Erlewine's book, practiced on old beaters.... because we LIKE to have guitars that play better, and it is expensive if you won't do your own. However, given this level of intransigence, perhaps the only way you will ever learn what a great guitar feels like is to spring for a level, crown & polish once, then you'll know.... except it sounds like the only people you know "hack up" their work. I personally would much rather have one perfect guitar than a whole pile of P.O.S. semi-finished ones - they're good for decor, I suppose.  :toothy12: But then, I play mine. So crappy bitey rough unfinished frets are worth learning to fix, for ME.
If all you do is hang them on the wall because you don't care what they play like, spirit-catchers & Jerry posters are a lot cheaper.  :hello2:

Well said.  Warmoth necks are certainly playable out of the box.
And mighty fine at that.

I have never left one as is though, but I have amassed quite a few fret tools over the years.
Why not?

At a minimum, I'll roll the edges.
It's a preference.  I like rolled edges.
It's OK if you don't.

From there, a little relief on the last few frets helps.
There is an art to fret ends.