How long do your Warmoth necks last?

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benbreard

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I've been a *huge* Warmoth fan/customer for years. I've done 3 guitars and a bass with various specs and I'll start by saying they've been amazing workhorse guitars for me. So, up until now, I've been completely satisfied. My first one from 2007-ish has a modern neck on it and developed a strange issue where there's kind-of a back bow starting at the 2nd fret. Long story short, my tech recommends just replacing the neck - not the end of the world. Yesterday, I noticed my strat has gotten uncontrollably "slappy". I grabbed the fret rocker and sure enough there are two high frets now. This guitar came finished from the factory and the stainless frets have historically been fine.  This guitar is 8 years old and my tech told me yesterday it's starting to twist but thinks leveling the frets will more or less fix it.

.....so 2 of my 4 warmoths are kinda failing. :( I don't really like the idea of these guitars having a ~10 life to them. I honestly don't spend enough time on the forum to know if this is common or not. I do play these guitars a lot and gig w/ them, but they're also extremely well taken care of and not abused. I have other higher-end guitars that are older and show no signs of developing neck issues. Should I stick w/ Warmoth? Do other people consider the parts "disposable"?

Thanks for any feedback. Cheers,
 
Wood moves mostly based on environmental effects. So, twists, bows, etc. can happen sometime between fairly early and never. This ins't a Warmoth thing; it's just how an organic material reacts/behaves in a constantly changing world. Warmoth is good about choosing and "seasoning" their wood, and their manufacturing techniques are top-notch, so age and/or stability isn't usually a problem. If it shows up early, the warranty should cover it. But, they put a time limit on that because there's just no way to remain responsible for what something is going to do 5, 10 or 50 years down the road.

Like any product, usually once something deteriorates to the point where you feel it needs attention, you have to make a value judgement about what it'll cost in time/money to put back in original shape vs. simply replacing it. Even fancy necks aren't terribly expensive, but regardless of cost, sometimes there are things like sentimental value, or some difficult to replace "feel" or appearance. So, do you throw $200-$500 at "fixing" it, or just buy a new one? It's up to you.
 
Incidentally, I've been working with Warmoth parts of my own and others for roughly 12 years, with 45+ years of goofing around with guitars in general. I've never heard of anybody just "tossing" one, or even replacing it for that matter. I wouldn't consider them "disposable" at all.
 
I don't buy this FAILING crap at all. I've worked on 100 year old Gibsons and Washburns that were quite playable. Worn is one thing. Worn out is another thing entirely.
 
Maybe one or the other or both of your well-brokein-in parts needs some major maintenance, if you use them a lot.  Fret level, maybe even a refret (I mean, maybe not for the neck with stainless frets, but nickel silver does wear quite a bit)?  I wouldn't throw in the towel on either part yet.  Maybe get a second opinion from another tech?
 
Is it possible that this is simply your tech's opinion that replacing a bolt on neck of any description would be better use of either your money or his time than a few hours of twiddling he might not want to do? Particularly if it has backbow and doesn't have a double expanding truss rod?
 
Duuuude that sucks! Mine have been great so far (my eldest is like 6 years old) so I am lucky. But I also live a germ free life drinking REO Genesis Bacto+ shakes every day which flushes them out of my body and keeps germs off my guitars so they're basically still good as new.
 
BigSteve22 said:
The Aaron said:
Entropy: it ain't what it used to be.
Click to expand...
Bro, paraphrasing the second law of thermodynamics, who says we ain't smart!  :laughing7:
Click to expand...


Ha! My life basically reads like Flowers for Algernon.

I'm enjoying it while it lasts - it's only a matter of time before I'm living those last few chapters.  :help:


But for these times, I am jest happy to no things.
 
Well, I appreciate the helpful responses. :) Maybe using the word "failing" is dramatic, but I can't think of a better word to describe this. It's not a good feeling when you pickup a work horse and ....it doesn't work well.

I got stainless frets on each of these mainly for the longevity. I don't think the tone is a problem like some of TGP'ers. There's not really a lot of signs of wear on these. I would be curious on if any of you think this could have been self inflicted. I did refinish the neck on the strat about a year ago. (details w/ pointless pictures here: http://mrguitar.net/blog/?p=1913) My tech said he didn't think this was relevant at all to the twisting. He thought it was more of the consequence of quarter-sawn birds eye maple. ...shrug.

Either way I decided to pay the $$ to "fix" it. It's disappointing to basically spend the same amount as what a new neck would cost. ...but I really like this guitar and want it back to it's full potential. If it becomes a problem in the future I'll replace it for sure. So far it sounds like not a lot of other people have experienced things like this.

 
The Aaron said:
Ha! My life basically reads like Flowers for Algernon.

I'm enjoying it while it lasts - it's only a matter of time before I'm living those last few chapters.  :help:


But for these times, I am jest happy to no things.
Click to expand...
OK Charly, jest watch yo sin-tax: it's "I be jest happy to no things"
 
Warmoth parts are definitely not designed, built, or regarded as "disposable". They are pro-level parts as good as or better than anything on the market. We get letters and photos all the time from people who have been using and loving their Warmoth parts for decades.

That said, necks are made of organic materials, and despite best practices and techniques can, over time, sometimes do what organic things do. A.k.a warp, twist, bend. If your Warmoth necks are doing something weird, it's not something that necks from other manufacturers aren't also doing at a more or less equal rate. That's just the nature of, well, nature.

The other thing to consider is that no matter how well you treat something it will eventually require adjustment and/or maintenance. Doesn't matter whether you use it or not. Time never sleeps.

Without seeing it, it's impossible to say what's going on with your neck, but if it's been "an amazing workhorse" for eight years, I would tend to guess the latter. I feel like your luthier's suggestion that you're better off buying a new neck than fixing the current one is mostly a valuation of what he charges vs Warmoth's prices.
 
If your tech honestly said that's a quartersawn neck I would stop him from working on it immediately. That's not quartersawn, and furthermore, birdseyes run laterally through growth rings and they don't look like that on quartersawn wood.

You didn't say what the other neck is made of and whether it's finished. All wood can move, though some species are more stable than others. Maybe the necks have a problem, but I wouldn't trust this tech's opinion.
 
AirCap said:
I think your luthier had another boat payment due....
Click to expand...

Ha! No doubt. Talk about a hole in the water you pour money into...

Nice boats can be had pretty reasonably here in Michigan, as our recreational boating season is rather short. Too many people buy one and find out they have loan payments and storage/docking fees 12 months out of the year, but can only use the thing for a few months. One day it dawns on them they're paying $400/mo for 12 mo., so not counting gas/maintenance, etc. actually using it effectively ends up costing ~$1,600/mo. That's a lot to pay to get well-sunburned. So, they dump 'em at fire-sale prices just to get out from under them.
 
Cagey said:
AirCap said:
I think your luthier had another boat payment due....
Click to expand...

Ha! No doubt. Talk about a hole in the water you pour money into...

Nice boats can be had pretty reasonably here in Michigan, as our recreational boating season is rather short. Too many people buy one and find out they have loan payments and storage/docking fees 12 months out of the year, but can only use the thing for a few months. One day it dawns on them they're paying $400/mo for 12 mo., so not counting gas/maintenance, etc. actually using it effectively ends up costing ~$1,600/mo. That's a lot to pay to get well-sunburned. So, they dump 'em at fire-sale prices just to get out from under them.
Click to expand...

That's what I have seen. The boat isn't so much., but the costs around it are.

That said, I grew up near the water and knew plenty of people who made frequent use of a boat.
And if you have ever been on a decent sailboat on a good breezy day, you can definitely see the allure. It's a pretty cool thing. Lotta work though.
 
I've played 400 year old instruments .... So they can last if you care for them
 
I don't quite get the "it is starting to twist" bit.

Either it has a twist or it doesn't, right?
I think it would be difficult to determine if it is on its way of twisting further wouldn't it?
Does this tech have a premonition or use Tarot cards?
 
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