Korina Hollow Carved Top Tele Build

[markuus99]

Body and neck just arrived today! So happy with how this body came out. Honey burst over the black korina looks so good. A little bit darker than I expected but I think it looks fantastic. Burst is subtle with the darker color and the wild korina grain.

Got a Hipshot fixed bridge and going to order some Fralin noiseless P90s, probably with cream covers Think I’m going to go with amber LP tophat knobs but we’ll see. Going to ream out one of the pot holes for a toggle switch.



Neck looks great- Vortex tiltback Gibson scale conversion with macassar ebony on walnut with a satin finish and mother of pearl inlays.

Only problem so far is I’m feeling a lot of grain through the finish on the back of the neck. I can scrape a fingernail in several spots and feel the grain, which isn’t what I expected.

 

[stratamania]

Nice set of parts.

Only problem so far is I’m feeling a lot of grain through the finish on the back of the neck. I can scrape a fingernail in several spots and feel the grain, which isn’t what I expected.

The satin finish on necks is thin. If it is not meeting expectations, it would be better to mention this to Warmoth sales.

 

[markuus99]

@stratamania Yes just sent them a message! Not sure if this is normal with the thin satin finish on walnut, or if the grain maybe wasn't filled sufficiently. Not what I was expecting, but I'll get that figured out.

Absolutely love how the body came out though. This has been on my wishlist for about 4 years and this body is just what I wanted.

 

[stratamania]

Hopefully, something gets figured out

 

[Rick]

I've got a not warmoth mahogany neck with satin finish on the back, and it's not smooth like a gloss. The finish is real thin and tight to the wood. Not sure if this is what you're feeling. It's smooth but not gloss. Grain on mine is not filled like gloss. Have you played a satinneck before? Might be worth a trip to your local shop and talk with a luthier or try a couple satin neck guitars.

 

[markuus99]

I've got a not warmoth mahogany neck with satin finish on the back, and it's not smooth like a gloss. The finish is real thin and tight to the wood. Not sure if this is what you're feeling. It's smooth but not gloss. Grain on mine is not filled like gloss. Have you played a satinneck before? Might be worth a trip to your local shop and talk with a luthier or try a couple satin neck guitars.

I have a few guitars with a satin neck- most similar would be my Martin GPC-16E which has a satin finish over I think mahogany on the neck. The new Warmoth feels like that except I can really feel the grain in a few spots where the grain is really open.

 

[markuus99]

Update: I reached out to Warmoth and apparently being able to feel the grain through the thin satin finish is expected with satin finish on walnut. I'm going to return this neck.

Nothing wrong with it, but just not what I expected and I don't think I've encountered information to this effect anywhere on the site or on unofficialwarmoth. So I guess be aware if you order a grainy wood with a satin finish! The finish is barely there and it will be textured in places, rather than a smooth satin surface. Just not my preference.

Thankfully I had not assembled anything or bolted the neck on the guitar yet, so I'm going to return the neck. I guess I'll have to wait a little bit longer to put this guitar together! Body is definitely not going anywhere.

 

[Dero08]

Update: I reached out to Warmoth and apparently being able to feel the grain through the thin satin finish is expected with satin finish on walnut. I'm going to return this neck.

Nothing wrong with it, but just not what I expected and I don't think I've encountered information to this effect anywhere on the site or on unofficialwarmoth. So I guess be aware if you order a grainy wood with a satin finish! The finish is barely there and it will be textured in places, rather than a smooth satin surface. Just not my preference.

Thankfully I had not assembled anything or bolted the neck on the guitar yet, so I'm going to return the neck. I guess I'll have to wait a little bit longer to put this guitar together! Body is definitely not going anywhere.

I’d keep the neck … sand it up to like 2-3k grit and apply a few coats of tru oil or shellac.

 

[stratamania]

@markuus99 thanks for the update.

What do you plan for the next neck?

 

[markuus99]

@stratamania Oh boy that's a great question. Figuring that out now and planning on ordering that as soon as the return is processed.

I will likely do similar specs but mahogany neck wood with a gloss finish, and I can always knock back the gloss on the back of the neck with a Scotch-Brite pad for a more satin feel.

I also think an Indian Rosewood neck would look fantastic with this body, but just don't think I love raw wood necks. I have an unfinished roasted maple neck on my Strat that I burnished up and it's nice, but I generally prefer the feel of my guitars with satin finished necks. I know rosewood is super different than roasted maple, and I love the feel of rosewood fretboards, but not sure how I'd like a rosewood neck.

I had chosen walnut as a similar look to rosewood, but thought it wouldn't have the wood grain texture because it requires a finish. I think the thing that I didn't mesh with on the neck I ordered is it was mostly smooth satin, but had rough/textured spots in various places where the gain was especially open. It wasn't consistent across the back of the neck, which I didn't like. Maybe I'd have gotten used to it, but I found it distracting.

 

[stratamania]

Perhaps also consider a close grained wood that does not require a finish, but there is nothing preventing you from putting on a tru-oil finish, for example. (Note tru-oil might not be a good choice on oilier woods like rosewood).

 

[markuus99]

@stratamania I have done both of the above and looking to do something different this time.

For now just took the body back out to admire and wow it looks great. Will start assembling this soon. After seeing body in person I’m really thinking a mahogany neck would look great with the body with a dark hardwood fingerboard.




Most nervous about installing the ferrules, but I splurged on one of the StewMac ferrule installation tools. My local library has a free little maker center with tools including a drill press so that should make it easier. It’s quite humid where I am right now so might wait until that dies down a bit to do that.

Slightly nervous about installing P-90s straight, not drilling through the back for the pickup screws, and reaming out one of the pot holes for a switch, but I’ll take my time and should be fine.

 

[stratamania]

With the tool you have bought and a drill press, it should be no problem installing the string ferrules. However, you will probably need to clean out some finish from the holes first.

Use some tape on your drill bits to mark the depth you want to drill for pickup mounting etc. Stewmac even sells bits with depth stops but they are a little more costly.

 

[markuus99]

@stratamania Yeah I won’t drill through the back but that’s my worst fear! If I screw something up it’ll be something I didn’t think of…

When you say I should likely clean out some finish- how should I go about that? As in lightly sand to remove a little bit? I looked briefly at the size earlier and those holes sure seemed quite small for the ferrules.

 

[markuus99]

Also of course I find out after my body arrives that Warmoth will install ferrules for $20! Less than I spent on the Stew Mac tool. Seems like a no brainer and would have definitely done if I knew. Oh well.

 

[stratamania]

When you say I should likely clean out some finish- how should I go about that? As in lightly sand to remove a little bit? I looked briefly at the size earlier and those holes sure seemed quite small for the ferrules.

A simple makeshift tool would be just some sandpaper wrapped around a piece of dowel or pencil or similar.

Also of course I find out after my body arrives that Warmoth will install ferrules for $20! Less than I spent on the Stew Mac tool. Seems like a no brainer and would have definitely done if I knew. Oh well.

Hindsight is always a clearer view. And, we have all been there.