Is it worth it?

[reluctant-builder]

I know this is a Warmoth forum, so if this is a violation, I heartily apologize ... but I'm curious if anyone cares to weigh in on whether it's worth it for me to spend 98 bucks on a Mighty Mite Swamp Ash Strat body:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SWAMP-ASH-LEFT-HANDED-GUITAR-BODY-4-FENDER-STRAT-B-/220826988117?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item336a506e55

Yes, I'm left-handed.

And, of course, I would buy a Warmoth neck to put on the thing.

 

[Tipperman]

For me personally, no. For you it might be, though. Partially because I don't much like swamp ash.

 

[Cagey]

Tough to say. But, it's not drilled for any particular bridge, so if you don't have a drill press you might want to pass on it.

 

[Jusatele]

A build is just the sum of it's parts

what you put into it is what you get out of it

 

[nexrex]

I would say go for it. For me $98 is good value. Not sure about Mighty Mite, some of the other after market bodies I have seen have non standard sized neck pockets, and screw holes that don't line up. Might be worthwhile asking him what these are like (if they match fenders specs exactly) before buying.

 

[mayfly]

I made a strat using a $70 agile body.  The end result is good, but it took forever to get it all sorted.  Bridge holes, pickup cavities, block hole, neck pocket, etc all had to be modified to get it to work.  I had to drill the bridge holes myself come to think of it.  The neck pocket was the biggest PITA and it's something that's easy to make a mess of if you don't have required skills, knowledge and tools.

If you're good with your hands and have the time, why not.  If you're not good with your hands, you'll end up with something that will sit in the closet for the next 10 years until the wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever throws it out.

One final note - make sure you know what you're getting.  my agile body was advertised as being one piece with a lacquer finish.  I got a 5 piece body with a poly finish.

 

[erogenousjones17]

Can't view the listing at work, but it seems similar (albeit reversed) to the MM body I used to build the Strat in my avatar. It was ok, but as Trevor said, it wasn't perfect. The bridge rout is slightly off, the pre-drilled screw holes needed to be filled in and redrilled, etc. Basically, I put a fair bit of work into it to get it right. That said, while the project was originally intended as merely a practice piece, the resulting guitar has become my #1, and I feel particularly attached to it. There's some sort of mojo there that I don't have with some of my other guitars. I guess you really do get out of a build what you put into it.

Long story short, if you're not afraid of having something that may require some extra work, go for it--you can't beat the price. If you're looking for something that'll come together seamlessly, you may want to pass on this one.

 

[reluctant-builder]

It seems like a cool project ... but I'm not sure if I want to fire on it for a few reasons.

I just bought a Heritage H-535. It wasn't anywhere close to its list price, but it sure wasn't cheap, either. I've got the Jazzmaster body and neck coming, whenever that will be, and I've got the Musiclander build idea gnawing at my brain.

Thankfully, I live alone, so I don't have to answer to anybody about what I buy and where I put it ... but, while I've still got a fair amount of free space, I've got five electrics with another coming. I play them all, but despite that this body is so cheap, it will need pickups, pots, knobs, paint, etc., etc. So it's still a bit of an outlay.

Per Cagey's comment, I don't have a drill press ... but would it be that impossible to drill out holes for a two-point tremolo, without a drill press?

As a friend likes to say: These are some first-world problems, dude.

 

[tfarny]

Without a drill press, with a typical NYC apartment dweller's tool kit? Nope. And you just bought a Heritage 535 and didn't show it off here?

 

[reluctant-builder]

The only reason I didn't show it off is because I don't have any batteries for my camera!  :-\

 

[rapfohl09]

As just a little more reinforcement for Trevor's comment, nothing ever fits together easily unless they were made to. I have bought Strat necks that were "standard Fender specs" and bodies with neck pockets that were "standard Fender specs" and guess what, they didn't fit. It wasn't impossible to figure out, thankfully the pocket was undersized not oversized.

But just know that no two guitars are the same, and with Warmoth we are spoiled with a huge number of parts that bolt right up to each other, but that rarely ever happens elsewhere.

One last piece of advice: It may only cost 78$, but it's gonna cost you a lot of your time.

 

[stubhead]

It depends. (As you may already deduce....) The Mighty Mite bodies are what Stew-Mac sells, and from my limited experience with them the holes and routing do line up well. Being unfinished, you're not going to have to deal with some of the "issues" that the Stew-Mac bodies have. I was given a Precision bass body of theirs, and it had a thick poly finish over a "quilted-maple" veneer. But under all that was a lovely single piece of swamp ash... so I measured out the exact rectangle for the Gotoh bridge, and used a chisel to excavate down to the swamp ash and affixed the bridge to it. And I peeled all the poly out of the neck pocket so there would be a wood-to-wood contact with the neck. And, it's a great bass now - plays great, sounds great (I have never yet understood the part about a solidbody needing to "breathe"). But if you have five guitars but can't afford a battery for your camera, you might want to think about practicing for a while and let the moola levels rise a bit before piling up more instruments.

 

[line6man]

I don't have a drill press ... but would it be that impossible to drill out holes for a two-point tremolo, without a drill press?

Perhaps you could find an aluminum block with an opening for the bit, perpendicular to the bottom surface?
I would not drill trem stud holes without a drill press. It's simply too risky. If you don't have a drill press, find someone who does. Put an ad on Craigslist seeking the use of someone's drill press for a couple of holes.

 

[reluctant-builder]

I think, with the Jazzmaster set to arrive soon, I'll satisfy myself with that. I don't want to get too big for my britches, and I've spent enough money already.

Now, though the picture quality is horrific because all I had at my disposal was a cellphone camera, here is the H-535.

 

[mgaut051]

Classy, except that it's backwards :icon_jokercolor:

 

[Strat Avenger]

'Nothing wrong with mixing & matching parts (my Warmoth body has a USACG neck), but you do take a gamble on things fitting together properly if they aren't made by the same manufacturer. You also need to determine for yourself what your qualifications are to do the work required (like drilling holes, routing, etc.) when making such a decision as you presented. For me, it was much more feasible to have Warmoth rout out the body for the components I wanted than to try doing it myself, but if you're an expert at such things, it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[pabloman]

I don't have a drill press ... but would it be that impossible to drill out holes for a two-point tremolo, without a drill press?

Perhaps you could find an aluminum block with an opening for the bit, perpendicular to the bottom surface?
I would not drill trem stud holes without a drill press. It's simply too risky. If you don't have a drill press, find someone who does. Put an ad on Craigslist seeking the use of someone's drill press for a couple of holes.

DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!!  I tried it and I'm still getting emails from guys wanting me and my wife to meet them at a hotel.

 

[bagman67]

I don't have a drill press ... but would it be that impossible to drill out holes for a two-point tremolo, without a drill press?

Perhaps you could find an aluminum block with an opening for the bit, perpendicular to the bottom surface?
I would not drill trem stud holes without a drill press. It's simply too risky. If you don't have a drill press, find someone who does. Put an ad on Craigslist seeking the use of someone's drill press for a couple of holes.

Way to class it up, Pabloman.  Nice.  :laughing7:

DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!!  I tried it and I'm still getting emails from guys wanting me and my wife to meet them at a hotel.

 

[Mor Paul]

Set up a second email account for spamish stuff.

 

[stubhead]

You also need to determine for yourself what your qualifications are to do the work required (like drilling holes, routing, etc.) when making such a decision as you presented.

Exactly. I've sunk bridge posts with hand tools, cut a whammy slot with a drill and Dremel, but if you know how, you wouldn't ask. I actually like using hand tools for stuff, but the only way to get posts vertical and accurate that way is.... slow-ly. I encourage people who want to lay into this stuff, but if you have to start way back at "using a conical stone to sharpen your gouge chisels" it may be a long time before you're playing music....

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/sharpeningchiselsandplaneirons.aspx

http://liutaiomottola.com/Tools/SharpenGouge.htm

http://www.logbuildingtools.ca/sharpening_devices.html

If you do decide to "find" a drill press, I think you'd be better off with someone you know, at least someone who likes to build things in their garage. You'll have the posts, you can tell them how deep they should be sunk, and do the measuring yourself. - The high E string should be right at the scale length to 1/16" behind the scale length. Or between zero and 1/32" back from the 12th fret. In this picture, the piece of wood labeled "flat" is actually a jig with holes drilled the exact amount apart that the posts should be, with some hardware store bolts the same size as the bushing threads - it made it a lot harder to get them crooked. But I had this stuff lying around, by the time I could've tracked down a hobby dude and made an appointment, the posts were in. Know thy limitations (and strong points).

(the black line at the tip of that stick was actually a hole I drilled, then sawed it open, angled the sides back and glued some innertube rubber in - much, much more funner for polishing frets than the fingers....)