how complete is Warmoth's fretwork?

[dean corll]

Hello,

I'm wanting to order a Warmoth Pro neck with stainless-steel fretwire and was wondering if the fretwork is completely finished?  Is there work still needed, like rounding the edges, leveling, beveling, etc.?

Thanks,
DC

 

[bbl4ck]

Warmoth necks do not come completely finished, but they are certainly playable. 
I recenlty had a fret crowning done to Mr. Cray and it really turned out nice.  It played good before, but not it is just great...
:rock-on:

 

[imminentG]

Some people say you don't need to do anything to the necks once you get them.
I say, have fun with your fret-buzz and other nonsense.
It is just not a good estimate to assume that you got a perfect neck, the way I see it, they just don't come that way.

 

[AutoBat]

http://www.warmoth.com/Bass/Necks/FretWork.aspx

 

[Superlizard]

I always go with 6130 fretwire (my preference) and I haven't had to do a durn thang
with the fretwork, save wear off the lacquer goop on their maple neck frets by playing (frets get
covered with lacquer too which is a natural part of the process).

 

[exaN]

I've only own 1 Warmoth neck so far and they are definitely playable but it's obviously not perfect out the box. A good fretwork is always recommanded anyways so the guitar plays to your likings.

 

[Dan025]

that's a trick question, the frets are not finnished, just installed. that said many, dare i say most necks they put out are damn good with no work. expect to have them done but assemble and inspect it first, if they are playable and you want to save a buck be thankful.

 

[shaggydawg]

Yeah, as others have mentioned, it depends on your definition of "playable". If you want to see (and haven't seen this already) what CAN be done to a Warmoth neck if youre obsessive about it, check out what happened with my SS-fretted neck.

The fretwork gets really OCD in this series, starting with the episode below. Be ready to spend an hour or so if you want to watch the entire process! 

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4R4wDnb1po[/youtube]

 

[jalane]

I've ordered 2 necks from them total, both had 6150 frets and compound radius.  The first i ordered was 93% perfect, but a couple of the higher frets needed a little work.  Nothing major, in fact i got a way with it for awhile with a little bit higher action than i prefer.  The 2nd neck was perfect out of the box. 

 

[AprioriMark]

Warmoth necks do not come completely finished, but they are certainly playable. 

:rock-on:

This ^^

I've owned a lot of Warmoth necks, and helped friends assemble guitars with many Warmoth necks.  I've only had a few that weren't totally wonderful.  Just keep in mind that you'll need to have fretwork done, and it's a bit of a crapshoot as to how much.  I have a personal beef with the inconsistency of the bevel of the fret ends.  Though it's never "bad" (when you consider that their frets are NOT supposed to be finished), it does vary more than *I feel* it should based on the consistency of every other facet of Warmoth parts.

Like I said though, most were "playable" out of the box, and I had all but a few worked on by a luthier.

-Mark

 

[Paul-less]

If you do not have the frets finished professionally after aquiring the neck from Warmoth, you are playing an unfinished product. The quality of a guitar does not shine through until it is tweaked in all aspects to be as playable as possible.

You wouldn't play on worn flat frets, with huge dips where the strings sit?
Why play frets that are incorrectly shaped the OTHER direction?

 

[dean corll]

thank you all for the replies; they confirmed what I already suspected.

:rock-on:

dc

 

[-CB-]

Some Fret-101

Fretting a neck, and RE-fretting are two totally different animals. 

Fretwire comes extruded with the crown as it needs to be - the only reason to re-crown is in the case of frets that have had their crowns altered in some way, usually by filing or grinding.

When a neck is fretted, the fretboard is new, and very very precise.  The fretboard controls how level the frets will be, as that is what the frets ride on.  When a neck is RE-fretted, the board is usually older, played on, has had frets pulled from it... etc...and the work is done by hand, and less precise.

~~~

In my experience, the Warmoth neck fretwork is as good or better than what you get from Fender, or Gibson on a finished guitar.

That said - you might need help removing finish, or help with a sharp fret end, or other minor tweak.  In the vast majority of the cases, no fret leveling (as opposed to finish leveling) is needed.  Zero, zilch nada none.

In my experience with oh... wazzit now... eight necks or so, I've had exactly one (1) fret issue, and that was a fret that was not fully seated at fret 22.  Thats it.  Tap down with plastic hammer, done.  No recrown or filing or such. 

On the other hand, I've got the patience and skill to determine the exact problem, and tools and determination to correct issues.  If you dont have any of that, expect to pay someone to correct problems for you.  Dont expect that person to be good at it, if they're used to re-fretting. 

A "pull, sand, press and file" man will (usually) not be the guy to go to for a NEW neck's minor issues.  The first thing they do is sell you on (or just perform) what they know how to do, which is file or grind frets and recrown and polish.  This is a lot like taking your car to Sears for auto work.  You could have a hole in a piston, and they still want to sell you a battery - because thats what the do.  You always need to be mindful of getting the right person, with the right skills and experience for the job.  You need someone who knows new necks, not someone used to dealing with worn frets.

It really upsets me, when I hear about some fret-man sanding down a brand new Warmoth neck.  Breaks my heart really. 

 

[lidesnowi]

Warmoth necks do not come completely finished, but they are certainly playable. 

:rock-on:

This ^^

I've owned a lot of Warmoth necks, and helped friends assemble guitars with many Warmoth necks.  I've only had a few that weren't totally wonderful.  Just keep in mind that you'll need to have fretwork done, and it's a bit of a crapshoot as to how much.  I have a personal beef with the inconsistency of the bevel of the fret ends.  Though it's never "bad" (when you consider that their frets are NOT supposed to be finished), it does vary more than *I feel* it should based on the consistency of every other facet of Warmoth parts.

Like I said though, most were "playable" out of the box, and I had all but a few worked on by a luthier.

-Mark

Yeah the inconsistency of the bevel of the fret ends  i ask myself WHY how can that be  :icon_scratch: 
Apart from the fret bevel issue my new Quarter sawn  Tele neck 1- 3/4" Boat profile  the nicest neck i ever played on even if i slip off the edge from time to time!

 

[stubhead]

I always have to do the fret ends, but that's true of Ibani, Fenders, USA Custom and most others. Warmoth frets are generally very level, though I did have one high 23rd fret (on a 24-fret seven-string neck). When Warmoth frets are high, they usually seem to be on the high frets of an oddball neck - seven-string, baritone etc. I personally wouldn't play on unfinished frets, but I play several hours a day, and in hot sweaty bars where the skin on the bottom joint of your fingers gets soft. I don't like playing on a neck that's "biting" me, but some people don't seem to mind. I've been doing my own fretwork since the 1980's sometime, and I can get a Warmoth or USA Custom neck done in less than two hours. Fretwork is pretty easy if you've got good eyes (or adequate magnification) but it is tedious - there's no substitute for attention. 22 frets X 4 corners = 88 corners. "Shortcuts" remove too much metal, unnecessarily.

 

[tfarny]

I guess the work is about as good or better than a standard tele or strat, better than your basic Gibson fretwork on an axe from guitar center. But it will need some work from a skilled hand to get to the level of a custom shop, boutique builder level. Which is what you should be aiming for.

 

[AprioriMark]

I guess the work is about as good or better than a standard tele or strat, better than your basic Gibson fretwork on an axe from guitar center. But it will need some work from a skilled hand to get to the level of a custom shop, boutique builder level. Which is what you should be aiming for.

I'm going to agree and disagree.  It's important to note the differences between a Gibson or Fender and a Warmoth fretjob.  Warmoth's frets are UNFINISHED but generally MUCH MORE TRUE than F or G.  I'd call leveling fretwork very rare of Warmoths; you'll mostly be doing shaping of the ends of the frets.  Warmoth makes a rough cut and sends it out... extremely playable but perhaps not comfortable.  Fender of Gibson will make the ends of the frets all happy and comfortable (even on cheaper models), but the fretwork itself is nowhere near as good.

So yeah, as Tfarny has said before many times, Warmoth frets are NOT finished (just like everything else they produce).  I would add onto that the fact that they're the best out there as a place to start.

-Mark

 

[Superlizard]

I'm curious as to what style fretwire (Dunlop 6150 for ex) people are using where they
feel the need to bevel/smooth the fret edges...?  :icon_scratch:

 

[stubhead]

The bigger they are, the harder they chew... if you get 6100's on a scalloped neck (I did) and Ralph the Bevel Guy was shooting for 15 degrees that day (he was), those babies will slice you to bits. 

You might be able to take it up with Ralph prior to finalizing the order, but I haven't seen "chewy" vs. "non-chewy" on the options list (yet?)  :cool01:

 

[jimku]

I just bought a one-piece birdseye maple Warmoth neck with gloss finish and 6150 frets.  I will remove the clear finish from the frets and dress the fret ends, then install it on my guitar and play the crap out of it.  If it needs fret leveling I will know it.  If not, it IS a FINISHED neck and all I would gain from a fret levelling job is a needless hole in my wallet.