I need YOUR help to sway my decision

[imminentG]

Okay, I'm not going to pull any punches, I'm gonna just be real upfront with everyone.

I love Warmoth, I've been dreaming about this company for years before I ever knew it existed.
Before that, I was trying to get into Carvin for lack of other American custom options.
I have been weighing the pros and cons of going either way for years, but just about a month ago my younger brother pulled the trigger on an SB5000 and it showed up in the mail just two days ago.
The construction is impeccable and the whole thing is very attractive to me, not having to put it together and at a mildly cheaper price than if I went with my perfect W route.

THE THING IS, I can't in good conscience get a custom instrument and sacrifice all the neat little unnecesarry gadgets and features that would make a Warmoth PERFECT for me.
I am pretty hip to exotic woods, Earvana nuts, and Babicz bridges (say what you like, I am PICKY :guitaristgif: about tuning and intonation stability and their tele bridge is not so INYOURFACE with the logo as the others are), and I feel that a signature guitar of mine would have to have all the little bells and whistles (albeit in most cases arguably uneccesary, as I know I'm about to hear that, I understand).

If I may explain, my family has recently inherited a sizeable amount of money and all I have asked for as my birthright as the firstborn is a guitar to remember my father's passing.
He was a guitarist, drummer, and harmonica player and 2 tour combat veteran in Vietnam. Interestingly enough, he wasn't the most supportive of my brother and I when we picked up instruments years ago.
It might sound weird to some, but his attitude towards our playing influenced it early on to become what it is continuously growing into today. Were it not for our (at times) tumultuous relationship, I would've never grown to be fond of certain things in the area of jazz fusion, or drummer's music. In case I get cowbelled :doh: I included a picture of him circa mid '90s.

Price is not exactly the biggest issue in building this guitar- either way I go, realisticly speaking, it'll be in the ballpark of 1500-1800 crippled US dollars.

What would YOU do? Even if you had to shell out 450 alone for a REAL unique Warmoth paintjob?
I mean, you can TELL what I wanna do, but I wanna hear the real meat and potatoes feedback from real Warmoth owners.
Anybody have issues with dead spots or anything like that in their necks?
Would putting it together pose that much of a challenge that it could produce nuances in the instrument that nifty unneccesary gadgets can't fix?
The electronics of it is easy enough, but with such an expensive finish, I feel awry about poking holes in it myself.
I feel like all I need is a little push- the thing could be ordered tonight, if you know what I mean.

 

[JaySwear]

this is easy for me to say since it's not MY money i'd be shelling out, but i say go warmoth. sounds like you have a pretty specific idea of what you're looking for. and as cool as the carvin might be, if warmoth can get you EXACTLY what you want then why settle? if the price is a problem then you might want to wait a month or so until you can make up the price difference. but no matter what the brands are i think if i had a choice between a really nice instrument or the instrument of my dreams i'd have to go with the instrument i had been dreaming about.

EDIT: and i forgot to mention, i think necks are what warmoth does best. never had any trouble with mine regarding dead spots.

 

[AprioriMark]

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your father's passing.  Here's an internet man-sidehug.  

I would encourage you to build a guitar for one reason:  The process of learning, growing and building with your own hands will be much more meaningful than having someone else do it.  I know this firsthand, as several of my instruments are (unknown to anyone else) tributes to people I've lost.  It's cathartic for sure.

Some things to look out for:  

-Warmoth necks will need a setup by a pro.  Some people call them "bolt on and go," and I admit to having done that, but I always end up having someone set it up... mostly because of the fret ends.  Find someone good to shape them.  The rest of the setup is usually included in that work, but don't be afraid to adjust your own truss rod and action if it's not.

-The clearcoat on their transparent (body) finishes is very thin.  Don't go crazy with the buffing, and polish by hand.  

-Triple check that you have ALL the parts you need.  Screws, pots, knobs, WIRE, etc.

Other than that, good luck on this experience, and take it SLOWLY.  Please ASK QUESTIONS before you do something you're unsure of.  There are no better instruments than those made with Warmoth parts.  Their necks are perfect, their finishes are second to none, and the options given are quite simply amazing.

(Another passing man-hug)

-Mark

 

[NQbass7]

If this guitar is meant to be something for you to remember your dad by, then I would say go Warmoth.  Like Mark noted, if you put it together yourself, it'll mean that much more to you.  It becomes more than just a guitar, it's YOUR guitar that YOU built (and in your case, for YOUR dad), not someone else's guitar that you bought after telling them how to put it together.

I looked at Carvin for a long time before deciding to go with Warmoth, and I'm glad I did.  My guitar is MINE, all the way from the custom neckplate to the solder blobs in the control cavity from the wiring I didn't quite get right the first time.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Assuming you have the abilities to properly assemble and set-up a Warmoth project, I'd say go Warmoth. At least you know the neck and body will be made of good quality woods, and made in the USA. You also have more options to choose from as opposed to a standard production guitar, or even the semi-custom Carvins. At the end of it all, you'll have a guitar that is not the same as what anyone else has. There will be a certain uniqueness about it, even if it has a traditional body shape.

I wanted a custom guitar that I could decide all the secs on, but since I'm not a famous guitar player, I cannot just walk into a prestigious guitar manufacturer and have a "signature model" made for me, so I went with Warmoth and got what I wanted that way. I have $1400 invested in my guitar, and it turned out great. That's a LOT less expensive than having a custom guitar built by John Suhr or Tom Anderson, or Fender's Custom Shop.

Oh, and 'not trying to take anything away from Warmoth, but you may want to check out USACG as well. They offer some cool stuff. I had them build the neck and had Warmoth build the body. 'Got exactly what I wanted.

 

[jay4321]

Never had any issues with a Warmoth neck, except a somewhat shoddy Earvana install they took back and made right (back when they first started doing that). No dead spots or really any issues at all.

You mentioned Earvana, and all I would say on that is if you go that route, buy the aftermarket drop-in type with the overhang, which fits in a standard nut slot. No sense cutting a wider nut channel, in case you remove/replace it one day it will be easier to do.

 

[jay4321]

And, to answer your question:

I would design a custom body w/ custom headstock for the project. No Warmoth Tele copies, or copies of anything at all. I'm sure we could come up with a design that works for you that looks good.

 

[jay4321]

Also you Dad's clothes remind me of Jim Martin's, so I say make it Flying V-like.