Help me figure out how to make my options work

[ElectricPoo]

Hi folks! First post..... I really love the idea of building a Warmoth. I built my first guitar that I learned to play on because it was something I wanted to do and had a couple others. I say had because it's been a wild year. Father in law passed away on Monday April 22nd, then when my wife and I left the funeral home to pay for his cremation on the 26th, we got home and the house was on fire. Everyones safe, dogs are good, and that's all we can ask for. Don't leave your wireless headphones plugged in on the charger people, they can explode. Then a month later we got rear ended by a dually carrying a dump trailer, totaled the truck and I've got these weird tingly feelings in my left shoulder blade than come and go, but there's so much to deal with from the other stuff, I put the doctor on hold til we're back home. My carrot for myself is taking the money they give me for my guitars and all the other stuff I lost and just building a really nice guitar that I love out of the deal. That's the goal anyways.

I love (and now kind of need) light guitars, and didn't think it could get better than the SG I built, but in the process of living on my mother in laws couch (and having nothing to do except stare at my phone) I bought a used Lefty Dean V from Facebook marketplace. The nut slot is TORE UP and the fretboard has de-laminated from the neck around the first 3-4 frets but I love it. I love the V shape, it's super comfy and it's what I would like to build. The problem lies with some of the options I want. I know Warmoth has a secret menu but some things that would seem obvious to me aren't on there, and some pretty extravagant things are. It must indeed be a secret menu because I can't find a complete list. Here's what I'm looking to make, and the issues I'm running in to.

An arched pattern, string through V without the V plate, with nylon saddles
24.75 Scale neck, 24 fret, 3x3 headstock, painted black but no finish on the neck
Stainless frets

Without the v plate, I lose the ability to ground the tailpiece. Without the ability to ground that plate + WITH nylon saddles, I lose the ability to ground the strings via the bridge. I've seen string through base plates that you can ground but none are for the arched shape, plus I'm always keeping weight in mind.

I can find a Warmoth 24.75 scale neck with a 3x3 headstock that I love, but only 22 frets. The Epiphone Prophecy V has 24 frets, and comes in lefty but does not have stainless frets... and I wouldn't want to pay to get a refret on a new guitar that I'm not in love with. Plus it's a stoptail. Also I want a raw neck, and I like bare wood. Plus I don't like binding.

I want a single coil in the neck, and I only mention that because of the 24 fret/V thing but aside from that and the grounding issue I'm good on the electronics.

It's really just that unique configuration that I can't seem to find an answer for. I can find a Chinese neck on Ebay that'll work but again, refret. Plus fitment would be more of an issue I imagine and I've heard such great things about the Warmoth fitment, if I'm going all out, I'd like to give it a try.

I hate to mention other companies on here..... but anyone know if they can (either alone or combined with Warmoth) make this happen? I mean of course I could always just pay someone to build it for me, but I've worked on everything I own my entire life. I built my first guitar so I could learn about it then learned to play. I'm into that stuff and hiring someone to do it would take that magic away.

Any advise helps, Thanks peeps!

 

[stratamania]

I am not sure what the actual question is?

If it is about not being able to ground the strings, an easy solution, use active EMGs as they do not require a ground to the strings.

 

[aarontunes]

There is a lot to cover here....I'll do my best.

An arched pattern, string through V without the V plate, with nylon saddles
24.75 Scale neck, 24 fret, 3x3 headstock, painted black but no finish on the neck
Stainless frets

We offer string-thru recessed TOM with an arched pattern. That's a standard menu option. However, it will not fit a plate, and we don't offer fitting plates. What you could potentially do is call in and have us omit the arched pattern string-thru holes, and then drill them yourself to fit whatever plate you have in mind.

Without the v plate, I lose the ability to ground the tailpiece. Without the ability to ground that plate + WITH nylon saddles, I lose the ability to ground the strings via the bridge. I've seen string through base plates that you can ground but none are for the arched shape, plus I'm always keeping weight in mind.

The TOM bridge (and consequently the strings and plate if you chose to use one) gets grounded via the studs.

I can find a Warmoth 24.75 scale neck with a 3x3 headstock that I love, but only 22 frets. The Epiphone Prophecy V has 24 frets, and comes in lefty but does not have stainless frets... and I wouldn't want to pay to get a refret on a new guitar that I'm not in love with. Plus it's a stoptail. Also I want a raw neck, and I like bare wood. Plus I don't like binding.

The 24 fret extension is a standard option on all our Gibson-scale conversion necks. Where are you not seeing it?

I want a single coil in the neck, and I only mention that because of the 24 fret/V thing but aside from that and the grounding issue I'm good on the electronics.

Single coil in the neck is a standard option.

It's really just that unique configuration that I can't seem to find an answer for. I can find a Chinese neck on Ebay that'll work but again, refret. Plus fitment would be more of an issue I imagine and I've heard such great things about the Warmoth fitment, if I'm going all out, I'd like to give it a try.

The build requirements you've laid out above seem like just another Tuesday for a Warmoth build, with the exception of the bridge plate. Any reason why you don't want to just use top ferrules? Just for the aesthetic?

I hate to mention other companies on here.....

Mention away. We're not scared.

but anyone know if they can (either alone or combined with Warmoth) make this happen?

As mentioned above, this is fairly easy. Everything you've asked for is standard menu stuff except the bridge plate. If that's the only thing keeping you from moving forward, call in and talk to our reps about omitting the string-thru holes so you can drill them yourself to match whatever plate you want to use. However, we aren't able to coordinate with other guitar builders to produce one-off designs.

I mean of course I could always just pay someone to build it for me

Having a guitar custom built by a luthier with all your requirements above would be a substantial amount of money. Far more than a Warmoth build.

but I've worked on everything I own my entire life. I built my first guitar so I could learn about it then learned to play. I'm into that stuff and hiring someone to do it would take that magic away.

You sound plenty qualified to drill the string-thru holes!

Any advise helps, Thanks peeps!

No problem.

 

[Hodgo]

One thing that was not mentioned that is a secret menu option is asking Warmoth to pick an ultra light example of your wood. You mentioned weight being an issue - unless you’re thinking of poplar or basswood, I’d probably pay the $15 or so to have them pick from the primo stuff.

I’d also recommend looking at the Velocity if you’re not dead set on a V. It’s gotta be one of the smallest bodies they offer and would probably be a few ounces lighter than a V made from the same material.

Lastly, regarding weight, I cannot stress how important a big fat wide strap can be for saving your shoulder. Will you look like a nerd? Probably. But you’re playing a V soooooo…. (Just kidding)

 

[ElectricPoo]

I have not seen a 24 fret extension on an Hombre, Warmoth, or Vortex neck and have tried all 3 in the builder. If just does not show up for me. Where it says "Number of frets" it only says 22 as an option. No extra dropdown for 24 fret on the neck, but on the body there definitely is. If I could get a 24 fret extension neck with the option to move the single coil back to accommodate it, I'd have everything solved except the grounding, as the neck was the biggest issue. People are acting like I'm saying I couldn't find ANY aspect of the build on there.... sorry for the confusion. I was just listing what I preferred so you could see where I'm hitting bumps. I only mentioned the body because of the ferrule plate as a means to ground if I went with nylon saddles (I don't want actives). I only mentioned the V because I have read of people having issues with 24 fret extensions on the V's, and even then I can't get those extensons to show up on my screen as an option

But if it's an option, then its all good. I prefer nylon saddles but I'd easily go with brass and not be bothered if I could get that neck in Gibson scale at 24 frets then that is the good news I needed on the day. Just tried the builder with a Warmoth Neck as I'm typing this. Tried all different options, couldn't get it to offer 24 frets in a Gibson scale, only option is 22. Just tried it with the Vortex, same 22. Just tried it with the Hombre, same. Can't take a screenshot on my laptop because when I try it deactivates the drop-down menu and just shows 22 frets as my selection. The dropdown menu on all 3 only has 2 items: ---Please Select--- and 22. Just tried it on my phone, same thing.

I promise I'm not over here trying to be stupid and I did my due diligence.... Does it show up for you guys when you try?

 

[stratamania]

The TOM bridge (and consequently the strings and plate if you chose to use one) gets grounded via the studs.

If he is using Nylon saddles, that would break the ground continuity. @ElectricPoo sure you don't want EMGs or lose the nylon saddles and go passive.

I have not seen a 24 fret extension on an Hombre, Warmoth, or Vortex neck and have tried all 3 in the builder

You have to select the options above that allow the options to show up.

 

[ElectricPoo]

Like what? I don't see how anything I'm selecting would disqualify me for 24 frets. Are you sure you're doing Gibson conversion scale?

 

[ElectricPoo]

There is no combination of things I can select that show me 24 frets for Gibson conversion scale.

 

[stratamania]

Like what? I don't see how anything I'm selecting would disqualify me for 24 frets. Are you sure you're doing Gibson conversion scale?

No, I am sure I was not but for 25.5"

I have not seen a 24 fret extension on an Hombre, Warmoth, or Vortex neck and have tried all 3 in the builder.

I was answering the above.

Perhaps try to be more concise. e.g.

I have not seen a 24 fret extension in Gibson conversion scale on an Hombre, Warmoth, or Vortex neck and have tried all 3 in the builder.

 

[ElectricPoo]

I already mentioned that multiple times.

 

[aarontunes]

Like what? I don't see how anything I'm selecting would disqualify me for 24 frets. Are you sure you're doing Gibson conversion scale?

My apologies. I may have given you bad info on the Gibson-Scale conversion/24 Fret Extension combo. I'll double check to day and get back to you ASAP.

 

[Rick]

E-Poo, you can also call Warmoth directly at :

MON - FRI 9AM TO 5PM PST
(253) 845-0403

They are nice people and will answer your questions, plus, it's easier if you have follow-up questions.

 

[J-Bones]

The only 24.75"-scale neck with 24 frets that I'm aware of is the 7/8 Warhead. Now, I have heard tales of other headstocks being used for 7/8 necks, and I've also heard tales of various bodies being routed for 7/8 bridge and pickup locations. . . But the possibility of any such Abstract Wizardry would have to be confirmed through customer service.

 

[ghostrider25]

I'll let the others offer advice, but I just want to say that I hope your guitar(s) turns out to be your dream guitar because it sounds like you deserve it for all you've been through.

 

[ElectricPoo]

I'll let the others offer advice, but I just want to say that I hope your guitar(s) turns out to be your dream guitar because it sounds like you deserve it for all you've been through.

Brother..... you have no idea. I don't sleep. My schnauzer is 16.5, active and happy, but has a baseball sized tumor on her butthole. We have to mix pumpkin and miralax in her food twice a day to make sure she has the runs, or else she'll get a blockage and it's all over. She can't eat the other dogs' food so we have to constanty feed when hungry and take away. Luckily I'm a pool guy and I work for myself and can swing home a few times a day. Our other older dog Leela is the same age and has a heart problem so she's on diuretics. She pees about 20x a day. We're in a rental with a 4k deposit so we dont want to ruin the floors. We had a dog door at home but we don't have one here. My wife is a special ed teacher so I stay up until I physically can't every single night letting the dogs in and out, that way she can get to her job on time since she has a boss to answer to. Then I get as much sleep as I can before starting my day, but it's not much because our construction guy refuses to deal in the afternoons because he doesn't want to get home late. So I catch sleep when I can. There's also the constant back and forth with Traveler's Insurance who's adjuster has lied repeatedly. We've made department of Insurance claims. Easily the worst year I've ever lived but we have our health and our dogs so we try to be thankful for those things but man, it gets hard to force a smile sometimes. And during all this I'm still more concerned with saving my customers money instead of sticking them like every other pool guy does. The extra money would be nice, but I jsut try to keep doing the right thing.

My wife and I watch WWE together. Bret The Hitman Hart came out last night. It was the best thing that's happened to me since this all started. And I love Brett, but that shouldn't be anyone's highlight of a 6 month period. But those are the victories we have to savor because if we didnt have those, we wouldnt have anything good going on.

Sorry to vent. But sometimes I just need to. [Mod Edit - content removed]

 

[ElectricPoo]

Just called. Nope. Because A) They don't sell enough 24 fret extensions to justify the cost of making the jigs/tools for the Gibson scale necks and B) It pushes the neck pickup too far towards the bridge (which I wouldn't mind, but that doesn't matter)

Musikrafts site doesn't give me the option either. Plus their 3x3 headstocks are hideous and they don't offer a v body.

Oh well. Thanks anyways guys.

 

[ghostrider25]

Brother..... you have no idea. I don't sleep. My schnauzer is 16.5, active and happy, but has a baseball sized tumor on her butthole. We have to mix pumpkin and miralax in her food twice a day to make sure she has the runs, or else she'll get a blockage and it's all over. She can't eat the other dogs' food so we have to constanty feed when hungry and take away. Luckily I'm a pool guy and I work for myself and can swing home a few times a day. Our other older dog Leela is the same age and has a heart problem so she's on diuretics. She pees about 20x a day. We're in a rental with a 4k deposit so we dont want to ruin the floors. We had a dog door at home but we don't have one here. My wife is a special ed teacher so I stay up until I physically can't every single night letting the dogs in and out, that way she can get to her job on time since she has a boss to answer to. Then I get as much sleep as I can before starting my day, but it's not much because our construction guy refuses to deal in the afternoons because he doesn't want to get home late. So I catch sleep when I can. There's also the constant back and forth with Traveler's Insurance who's adjuster has lied repeatedly. We've made department of Insurance claims. Easily the worst year I've ever lived but we have our health and our dogs so we try to be thankful for those things but man, it gets hard to force a smile sometimes. And during all this I'm still more concerned with saving my customers money instead of sticking them like every other pool guy does. The extra money would be nice, but I jsut try to keep doing the right thing.

My wife and I watch WWE together. Bret The Hitman Hart came out last night. It was the best thing that's happened to me since this all started. And I love Brett, but that shouldn't be anyone's highlight of a 6 month period. But those are the victories we have to savor because if we didnt have those, we wouldnt have anything good going on.

Sorry to vent. But sometimes I just need to. And I want people like snarky Spock to understand that when I mute them, it's because I've been through enough and I don't need attitude form someone who can't be bothered to read.

Brother, I get it. We went through an insane 3 year stretch that overlapped the pandemic in which my wife and I were taking care of her terminally ill mother. She was bedridden and we did everything... every... thing... for her. Tons of other stuff happened in there as well culminating with my dad passing away and then her passing away the morning of his funeral. I also have horrendous sleep apnea which I needed treatment for, but was struggling to get.

I remember leaving the house at one point to run an errand to Walmart and feeling excited for that.... it's Walmart for crying out loud. That shouldn't be the highlight of someone's day, but being at Walmart meant I was briefly responsible for only myself.

Be careful with lack of sleep. It creeps up on you and can affect you in unexpected ways. For me, personally, the lack of sleep for such an extended period of time coupled with the highest levels of stress, I became incredibly depressed to the point of being suicidal. I even knew, intellectually, the reason I felt the way I did, but it didn't matter. Once I finally got treatment and still "bad" sleep by normal people standards, my outlook on life was restored.

Anyway, I really hope that you build some incredible guitars, your dogs are comfortable, and you get some much needed rest!

 

[ElectricPoo]

Man, I'm sorry to hear about all that. That's a lot to go through, but sounds like you did everything you could which hopefully you view as highly honorable and one of the biggest tasks you'll ever face in life completed at the highest level. You get it. Its just a lot. It's a lot and it's always. With no breaks. That Walmart thing resonates so hard, it's the tiniest dumbest things but just that liiiiiittle thing means it all goes away for however long.

I'm worried about my body more than anything with the sleep. I don't know what I got going on in there. I feel ok. Not great, about how I would expect to feel. I just hear about diseases and things that you can get from not sleeping and I don't want to end up with friggin cancer at the end of all this. I don't want to end up a miserable mess either. I just refuse to dump it in my wifes lap. We have a brand new bed since the fire, but neither of us uses it. I sleep on the couch for my couple hours, she sleeps on a human sized dog bed we got for the girls. She begs me to go to bed but I just don't want to put all that on her. No sense in both of us losing sleep. In my heart I feel its the right thing to do, but I know I can't just keep doing it, there's a limit. But I'll be damned if I'm going to put anything else on her. She's the one who lost her dad. She's been through everything I have in whole ordeal, plus she lost a parent. So I just gotta man up and deal. Planning out this guitar is my getaway. My wife knows it. She loves that it's SOMETHING. And its SO stupid and meaningless in the big picture, but it keeps the brain busy on positive stuff. So I'm going to try Halo guitars maybe? Their website doesnt really show you what you're building... I don't know. I don't love it. I may just buy 10lbs of sandpaper and get to work on some wood. My parent's have 1.5" thick cherry computer desk that my dad made in '95. I'd love to use that chunk. I have no faith in my ability to install and shape frets, but I might not have a choice. I just don't want to do all that to be disappointed in the end. I don't want to buy a bunch of tools. I'm out of patience. It's just not the best way at this point in time.

 

[aarontunes]

Just called. Nope. Because A) They don't sell enough 24 fret extensions to justify the cost of making the jigs/tools for the Gibson scale necks and B) It pushes the neck pickup too far towards the bridge (which I wouldn't mind, but that doesn't matter)

Musikrafts site doesn't give me the option either. Plus their 3x3 headstocks are hideous and they don't offer a v body.

Oh well. Thanks anyways guys.

Glad you called. After inquiring yesterday I found that indeed the 24 fret extension had never been programmed for Gibson-scale conversion necks. I knew that at one time, but had forgotten. Good to be reminded.

Also, thanks for the heads up. I didn't realize Musikraft had gotten back to making bodies again. They stopped all body manufacturing completely some years ago...during the pandemic as I remember. Now that the dust has settled (sort of) they must have the bandwidth for it again.

 

[Hodgo]

Glad you called. After inquiring yesterday I found that indeed the 24 fret extension had never been programmed for Gibson-scale conversion necks. I knew that at one time, but had forgotten. Good to be reminded.

Also, thanks for the heads up. I didn't realize Musikraft had gotten back to making bodies again. They stopped all body manufacturing completely some years ago...during the pandemic as I remember. Now that the dust has settled (sort of) they must have the bandwidth for it again.

Musikraft has some crazy short lead times these days. Last two necks I ordered shipped within a month. I ordered one during the pandemic and it was a good 6mo wait though.

@ElectricPoo - Musikraft does fully custom necks, their normal 24 fret neck won’t work but they do some crazy one offs and are probably willing to work with you if you call.

Warmoth is the only supplier I know of that does a 24 fret extension for stock Fender bridge placement, but any luthier is more than capable of building something that will fit a Warmoth neck pocket.

It’s been said in threads before, but the further you stray from Warmoths option list (and the reason the secret options are secret) the likelier you are to end up needing to do some hacking to make it all work. Warmoth is the best in the industry when it comes ensuring their parts are as compatible with Fender spec as possible, but you’re not looking for that - so getting your dream build completed is going to require some creativity and some custom stuff no matter who you shop with.