Just finished - Warmoth Tele body with MIM Neck

[frown]

Just finished putting this one together over the weekend.

It's a replacement Tele body [flame maple over extra light mahogany, contoured heel, forearm contour and belly cut] from the showcase that I snagged for $319 and Tru-oiled myself.

I had a MIM Tele which I've upgraded virtually everything on - pickups are SD Hot Stack and Vintage Stack, push / pull independent volumes that blend, electrosocket jack output, Hipshot stainless steel bridge with Calaham Stainless steel compensated saddles. Jim Dunlop Dual Design Straplocks. Stainless neck screws with Fender 'F' logo neckplate [while I await my stainless steel Icon Plate's to arrive in the post]. The neck is a MIM maple on maple with jumbo stainless steel frets [the original frets were like crinkle cut chips!], machines heads are Fender locking and nut is a black one [not sure what material].

Plan is to order a custom fatback Warhead neck with Tele heel in a raw wood - undecided on what just yet, but will be lighter colour than my two previous builds, so Canary, roasted Maple, Afra and the likes of are being considered - something that compliments the body top!

I now have a MIM Tele body in Ice / Agave Blue to get shot of now so that may end up on Ebay [unless I get round to completing and launching my own 'Auction Item' site before the end of the year!], and this neck whenever I get the new one in my grubbly mitts!

 

[bagman67]

Well, that's a handsome bit of kit, there.  Nice work. 

 

[stratamania]

Looks great... How do you find the Callaham saddles  ? I literally just ordered a callaham with stainless saddles about an hour ago...

 

[frown]

Well, that's a handsome bit of kit, there.  Nice work.

Thanks Bagman! I suppose I should give most credit to nature for creating that yummy flame maple figure though.

 

[frown]

Looks great... How do you find the Callaham saddles  ? I literally just ordered a callaham with stainless saddles about an hour ago...

Hi Stratamania,

I mainly chose them for the material, then colour co-ordination with the rest of the hardware. I've not tried the brass saddles that came with the Hipshot bridge, but knowing they would be 'zingier' than steel, I wasn't worried about the change - my larger concern was intonation, which these do perfectly as they're compensated.

As for the sound, They sound fairly neutral to me - not bright or dark in anyway. Tonally they aren't much different that the 6 x solid steel saddles of the original MIM bridge, maybe a touch 'boingier' than the previous set up.

No regrets with their purchase and installation or performance.

 

[pbroox]

Did you buy that body out of Showcase about two weeks ago? It looks exactly like the body I had my eye on for a few weeks but when I went to order it it was sold.

My lesson was: you snooze, you lose!

Looks fantastic. nice work. I kept picturing that body (if indeed it is the same body) with a maple fingerboard neck in a natural finish and I think it works a treat what you've done.

I ended up ordering another fully contoured Tele-style Hybrid body while my other Tele build is stuck in mid-build limo.

nice to see it became a neat build treated with taste

 

[frown]

Did you buy that body out of Showcase about two weeks ago? It looks exactly like the body I had my eye on for a few weeks but when I went to order it it was sold.

My lesson was: you snooze, you lose!

Looks fantastic. nice work. I kept picturing that body (if indeed it is the same body) with a maple fingerboard neck in a natural finish and I think it works a treat what you've done.

I ended up ordering another fully contoured Tele-style Hybrid body while my other Tele build is stuck in mid-build limo.

nice to see it became a neat build treated with taste

Hi Pbroox,

Yes I did buy from the showcase [ http://www.warmoth.com/Showcase/ShowcaseItem.aspx?Body=2&Path=Body&ctrlRout=183&bridgeRout=206&i=T4130 ]- saw it one day and the gears in my head started turning... So I grabbed my wallet and started the order process before it disappeared from me!

Less is more in my view and with a Warhead neck being the endgame, I think it will be even better than it is now!

Let us all see how your build turns out too!

 

[stratamania]

Hi Frown,

Good to hear that the Callaham saddles have good intonation. The bridge I ordered should arrive tomorrow but it may be a little while till I get that particular project done.

 

[Surf n Music]

Pumping out beauty after beauty. Nice work  :icon_thumright:

 

[frown]

Pumping out beauty after beauty. Nice work  :icon_thumright:

I try  :icon_biggrin:

 

[frown]

Just ordered a Warmoth Pro, roasted maple, fatback, Warhead, Schaller tuner ream, SS6100 frets, no inlay, 21 fret with custom request for Tele heel and quartersawn cut...

It's going to replace the [jumbo stainless re-fretted] Fender neck that's currently on on the Warmoth body, that's going to be swapped with the glossy neck on my MIM Cabronita, which in turn will be sold on as I'm not a fan of shiny necks...

Will post more when I obtain tuners and the neck arrives...

 

[Cagey]

You're going to be very pleased with that neck.

 

[NicosRebel]

Love the natural finish  :icon_thumright:

 

[frown]

You're going to be very pleased with that neck.

I have a feeling you're right about that Cagey!

I went for the roasted maple for colour amongst other reasons, as I hope it will drop nicely in the palette between the tru-oiled mahogany back and flame maple top. The current MIM Fender satin finish neck is nice [even better with jumbo SS frets], but it's yellowy tinge looks greyish to me and while extremely playable, it bugs me that the match isn't quite there. Roasted maple should fit better visually and with a fatback, physically too!

 

[frown]

Love the natural finish  :icon_thumright:

Thanks Nicos, tru-oil brings out the grain beautifully. With body figuring like this, I wouldn't want to hide any of that flame - even under a transparent finish or a fade. Yet again my fave philosophy of 'less is more' is befitting once again!

 

[stratamania]

Seeing this thread reminds me I have an unfinished Tele project awaiting that Callaham bridge. The way it's going I think the reverse Strat will get done first and the Tele hopefully by the end of the year.

 

[frown]

Had UPS message notifying of delivery date for today!  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Day-mun]

@Frown: How ya like that Hot-Stack in the bridge? I got one waiting to go in the next build, and so I wonder whatcha think of the tone/output.

 

[frown]

@Frown: How ya like that Hot-Stack in the bridge? I got one waiting to go in the next build, and so I wonder whatcha think of the tone/output.

Hi Day-mun,

I like it a lot actually - got a nice amount of zing [but not harsh or thin] to it when turned up full and it cleans nicely when backed down.

Splitting it is obviously a thinner tone, which makes it great for funky rhythm styles [not that I'm great at playing that way!], while mixing with the neck [Vintage Stack] especially when split, can get some very quacky sounds with the right volume balance.

My fave sound is probably the bridge in full fat mode, backed of a touch, with the neck split and backed off also, through a slightly overdriven amp - nice and ballsy with hard pick attack, but subtle and almost plummy when softer approach is taken.

Hope that helps?

New neck arriving today may change all the tones though...  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Day-mun]

Thanks! That helps me feel good 'bout my pickup choice for this next one of mine. -Enjoy your New-Neck-Day!  ccasion14: