I had great fun discussing the quality of warmoth with a friend of mine.

[AGWAN]

Yeah, for me the biggest drawback on a Warmoth is that Neck joint. Fender Joints bother me Less than LP joints... but I still love  the round over on the Ibanez.

 

[Cagey]

What's the difference between a Fender neck joint and a Warmoth neck joint? As close as I can tell with some pretty expensive gauges, they're exactly the same thing, although the Warmoths are more consistent. But, I'm only measuring length, width, depth and floor angle. Time doesn't apply, but maybe there's a sixth dimension I should know about?

 

[JamesL]

I don't like most of fender's neck joints either  :laughing7:

Of all the Fenders I've owned the only one I have left is a neck through carved top tele.  ccasion14:
*jizz*

 

[AutoBat]

only downside i can think of is that some trem screws can go thru to the rear cavity.  not that it affects playability, but it's for the greater good to accept more trem options.

 

[Strat Avenger]

What's the difference between a Fender neck joint and a Warmoth neck joint? As close as I can tell with some pretty expensive gauges, they're exactly the same thing, although the Warmoths are more consistent. But, I'm only measuring length, width, depth and floor angle. Time doesn't apply, but maybe there's a sixth dimension I should know about?

I said the Fender Deluxe.  It has a nicely contoured corner that does not dig into the palm of your hand when going for those high notes.

 

[AGWAN]

I hope Cagey was asking you that... because I also made it rather obvious (though implied) that I know fender and Warmoth neck joints are the same.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I hope Cagey was asking you that... because I also made it rather obvious (though implied) that I know fender and Warmoth neck joints are the same.

'Not sure what you mean by "the same".  Warmoth's contoured heel is completely different from Fender's Deluxe contoured heel. Maybe we're not talking about the same thing though. When you say "AANJ", I assume you're referring to a contoured heel (although we all  know that banez contours the back of their necks to blend into their rounded contoured heel, which might be what you were referring to).

 

[JamesL]

I hope Cagey was asking you that... because I also made it rather obvious (though implied) that I know fender and Warmoth neck joints are the same.

'Not sure what you mean by "the same".  Warmoth's contoured heel is completely different from Fender's Deluxe contoured heel. Maybe we're not talking about the same thing though. When you say "AANJ", I assume you're referring to a contoured heel (although we all  know that banez contours the back of their necks to blend into their rounded contoured heel, which might be what you were referring to).

He meant the same on a non contoured neck joint...

 

[Jusatele]

Strange all this talk about Fender neck joints, I have owned a lot of Fenders, and Never have I had a complaint about the neck joint.
Electronics, yep I can complain about that, but never the neck joint.
The Strat is the Players Guitar, most everyone owns a Strat of some sort, or a copy of one. You can play them all night long, they are extremely comfortable and fit the hands great.
And they do have a custom heal on the AM Deluxe version for those who want it; I just get the AM STD and have never had a complaint about the neck heal.

but that is just my opinion.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Since Paul Gilbert, and whether or not his sig models are masterbuilt or off of the shelf came up earlier, I offer this.  It's a lot to watch if just interested in hearing about his neck joint, but his newer ones don't have the standard neck joint, but the older one which resembles the W contoured heel.  I like his logic. "I use the old style neck joint.......because it's bigger, it's a little more difficult to get your hand around, but I don't care because it makes the tone a little thicker...."  Tone is purely subjective, and his may be polarizing.  You either love it or hate it, but you can't argue that he is very fluid up the neck.  "But PG has long skinny fingers," some might argue.  What about Yngvie?  He plays a Strat with the Fender neck joint (and 21 frets at that!), and his fingers are getting so short and chubby he can't pickup keys off of the floor.  Eric Johnson - medium to small hands (skinny fingers) and a Fender neck joint. 

Skip to around 4:33 where he talks about the neck joint.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB-7P7RYanE[/youtube]

 

[Strat Avenger]

Paul Gilbert is awesome.

His "logic" is interesting, as the ESP style heel contour  I did on my Warmoth is actually thicker than ESP's (same in every other way though), and I just kind'a figured (my "logic") that it would make for a more solid, more stable, and MAYBE more toneful connection between the neck & body.

I have seen numerous Ibanez AANJs that were cracked (and no, not just the paint, the WOOD), and I attribute this to the thinness of the contoured heel.

As for Strats; the ONLY thing I do not love about my American Standard Strat is the thick, square heel-joint. If it had the American Deluxe contour and neck plate, I'd say it was absolutely perfect (for me).

 

[JamesL]

I don't HATE the fenderneck joint, I just don't like playing the high register as much on them. which in my personal playing the highest I usually go is like 15-17 anyway, so it's not a huge deal.

 

[Jusatele]

I can understand that, with single coils I find I can get all the tension in the world out of 19 frets, but give me a humbucker axe and I want to go further and further to get that same edge of the time zone feel. and yes, that heel is there, but you get used to it and use it as a marking point,
Funny, about 3 months after getting my PRS I banged the neck hard against a cymbal and created a dent from hell in the back, I now depend on that dent for a place to anchor my thumb when playing the axe, I find it gives me confidence as to where I am at and can relax my ear a bit.

 

[JaySwear]

my RG570 had the big neck joint and i absolutely loved it. must be the way that i fret (probably improperly) but the big neck joints don't bother me much. i leave my thumb on the neck (before the joint) and stretch my fingers to reach the 21st and 22nd frets. i could reach the 24th on the 570 this way too. love the big neck joint though, just feels very solid and sturdy. i don't know if i buy the "thicker tone" argument, there are just way too many factors on a guitar to attribute that to a neck joint, but it does feel great.

anyway, my 2 current warmoths don't even have the contoured heel. i honestly didn't notice a huge difference in feeling between the contoured heel and the regular old big block heel.

PS: thanks for the video i hadn't seen before, turbo deluxe