My 2nd Warmoth Build: Diamondback SG Style

[Dero08]

My first Warmoth build was a Tele Deluxe style that I intended to use for slide. I wasn't quite happy with the upper fret access, so started this one to replace it:

At the time (Spring 2021), there were no Diamondback bodies or hombre necks in the showcase, and I wanted a neck that had a rosewood fretboard and was either mahogany or similar.

Mahogany body, traditional route, with a contoured heel. Wenge neck with indian rosewood fretboard, Gibson scale, gold frets, gold inlays.

Dark Moon Alnico 2 pickups, CTS pots, orange drop caps, graphtech ratio locking tuners, tone pros bridge/tailpiece.

https://flic.kr/p/2ohzLhV

 

[Dero08]

I'm not sure if you've had this problem, but I always have warmoth install the bridge studs for me ... but that means i have to commit to a hardware color before finishing the body. In this case, I was initially planning on a natural-looking finish, potentially on the darker side to match the wenge neck, so went with gold hardware. I ended up going with a traditional SG look.

grain filling with timbermate ... lesson learned. I applied the grain filler with a small paint brush, because that's how Fletcher Guitars did it in a video I watched. That was the last time i did that ... it was so hard to sand that stuff off as it went on very thick. I now use a rag to apply it, and try to wipe as much off the top while it's still wet.

https://flic.kr/p/2ohvMDD

I mixed up some red aniline dye (Keda) in water, and ended up applying 2 coats:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohzLh4

I then mixed some red oil soluble aniline dye into golden oak danish oil and applied a few coats, then finished with three coats of arm-r-seal:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohAW6u

 

[Dero08]

I applied about 8-10 coats of tru-oil to the neck, wet sanding up to 4000 grit with the tru-oil, going with a higher grit each application:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohzLhz

Lesson learned: don't use a hairdryer to blow off the saw dust, because it will make your wife furious.

https://flic.kr/p/2ohAW69

 

[ragamuffin]

The finish looks fantastic!

 

[Dero08]

Lesson learned with the electronics: I had issues with grounding in this guitar and on my tele deluxe ... the shielding paint was killing the circuit ... took me a lot of time and frustration to figure that out. You can't see it here, but my new method is to to put the shielding paint on, then put on several coats of poly over it .. problem solved!

https://flic.kr/p/2ohzVRE

 

[Rick]

Gorgeous

 

[Dero08]

Here's the final build:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohvJik

https://flic.kr/p/2ohvJi5

I don't love the gold and red, and am not happy with how the pickup covers turned out (they looked better on Dark Moon's website).
I don't love the sound ... the pickups have a bit of a nasaly/out-of-phase sound to me, and the high-end has way to much treble. I find myself rolling the treble WAY back.

My future plans:

1. cannibalize the hardware, and replace with chrome. Use this hardware and this neck for my current mooncaster project that's in the works.
2. replace the entire circuit ... going with Seymour Duncan Vintage Blues pickups with chrome covers, and replacing the capacitors with Luxe Black Beauty caps.
3. replace the neck with this one ... I was looking for a relatively inexpensive gibson scale-length neck with a rosewood fretboard ... and ended up going with this all rosewood neck:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohA2pJ

https://flic.kr/p/2ohAPii

Was looking for the least expensive, yet quality hardware, and found these Fender locking tuners for like $40. Because it's a right hand reverse headstock, I had to find left-handed tuners. luckily, they are often times cheaper

https://flic.kr/p/2ohw3NX

 

[Dero08]

I finished the neck by sanding pretty high ... like maybe 800 or 1000. I applied 3-4 coats of shellac (mixed up some super blonde flakes into alcohol), then pore filled with aquacoat grain filler. It went on really easy and sanded off really easy. Then applied a few more coats of shellac, let it cure for around 2 weeks, dry-sanded with super assilex up to 3000, then buffed out with 2 types of Menzerna polishing compound using my random orbital sander.

 

[ragamuffin]

Personally I wouldn't change a thing!

Expensive tone caps are a waste of money if you're looking for sonic change/improvement, though PIOs do look really cool

 

[Dero08]

Personally I wouldn't change a thing!

Expensive tone caps are a waste of money if you're looking for sonic change/improvement, though PIOs do look really cool

On the caps impacting tone ... yeah, I've watched some videos on that ... am i sucker for wasting money on "high-end" things ... probably

Interested in your thoughts ... why do I love my tele deluxe, and just like this one:

- I have the same pickups in both (Dark Moon Aurora)
- different tone woods in body and neck
- Deluxe has modern wiring with PIO caps, velocity has 50s wiring with orange drop caps.

 

[Dero08]

Gorgeous

Thank you!

 

[triple jim]

the pickups have a bit of a nasaly/out-of-phase sound to me, and the high-end has way to much treble.

Have you verified that the pickups are really in phase, both with each other, and between the two coils of each pickup?

 

[Dero08]

Have you verified that the pickups are really in phase, both with each other, and between the two coils each pickup?

no ... how do i do that? I am considering using these pickups for my mooncaster, so it would be helpful. I also have a set of gold Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pros that I may use ... undecided at the moment!

 

[teleme01]

i am exxperiencing a little neck envy

 

[triple jim]

no ... how do i do that? I am considering using these pickups for my mooncaster, so it would be helpful. I also have a set of gold Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pros that I may use ... undecided at the moment!

You can doublecheck wire colors, or for a really positive test, you can swap wires. To test one humbucker, swap the wires of one coil and see if it gets better or worse.

According to the diagram on the Dark Moon site, green and white should be connected together, black is ground, and red is output.

 

[Spud]

Personally I wouldn't change a thing!

Expensive tone caps are a waste of money if you're looking for sonic change/improvement, though PIOs do look really cool

I generally agree, but I can hear a bit of sonic difference between orange drops (not expensive) and the little ceramic disk caps. YMMV I don't mean to suggest that I can hear/tell what sort of cap is in someones guitar they are playing. However, when replacing caps, I can hear a little difference before and after.

 

[Dero08]

a new neck (all rosewood, Gibson scale, right hand reverse headstock, finished with shellac), new hardware (fender locking tuners, tone pros bridge and tail piece), new caps (luxe .015 black beauty in the neck, .022 in the bridge), new pickup (seymour Duncan vintage blues ‘59), speed knobs:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohTJQv

https://flic.kr/p/2ohUwaj

 

[Dero08]

You can doublecheck wire colors, or for a really positive test, you can swap wires. To test one humbucker, swap the wires of one coil and see if it gets better or worse.

According to the diagram on the Dark Moon site, green and white should be connected together, black is ground, and red is output.

the gold dark moons are the single conductor shielded vs the four conductor … I have the four conductor in the tele deluxe though.

 

[Spud]

a new neck (all rosewood, Gibson scale, right hand reverse headstock, finished with shellac), new hardware (fender locking tuners, tone pros bridge and tail piece), new caps (luxe .015 black beauty in the neck, .022 in the bridge), new pickup (seymour Duncan vintage blues ‘59), speed knobs:

https://flic.kr/p/2ohTJQv

https://flic.kr/p/2ohUwaj

I like that guitar! May I suggest strings?

 

[Dero08]

I like that guitar! May I suggest strings?

lol ... I don't have the energy for the strings and setup.