My first build

[Megatron]

I was simply suggesting that Warmoth send an email out telling me which order was completed and what was shipped. My account on warmoth.com indicates this order was shipped. Triggering an email event based on this annotation adds zero cost or time to the process. I know the margins are slim, but for the cost of some of these products, an additional notification would be appreciated. Especially when the customer service support is so stellar and personalized.

 

[bass917]

I too found it strange that they didnt sent an email to say it had been finished/shipped. Not worried either way although most other online retailer ive delt with do even if its just to thank you for the business. But what do i know, im clearing blocked drains and their selling thousands of guitar parts online so i guess they know what their doing.
Progress pics would be super cool like some of the Chinese sellers do, but it all comes down to time and money, build option maybe; 4 progress pics for $10, id do it.

 

[ragamuffin]

Hmm, I've always gotten an email when my orders shipped

 

[Rick]

I remember a time when you ripped out a form from the magazine and mailed it off with a check then got the whatever back in the a mail.  Do people even know what a check is or how to hold a pencil?.  Do people have patience anymore?  Point is with a reputable company you need less hand holding.  Those Chinese in their low wage gulag have to.  Don’t worry, it’ll be alright.

Me too, I always got an email telling me the order was received with an eta.  On the eta date I’d check the website and get the tracking number.  Easy.

 

[Cagey]

I remember a time when you ripped out a form from the magazine and mailed it off with a check then got the whatever back in the a mail. 

I'm old enough to remember doing that to get pictures developed. Send off a roll of 120mm film in an envelope out of a magazine/newspaper with a couple/few bucks, wait 100 years, and get back 3 or 4 out of 24 pics that you even recognized, let alone wanted to keep. Sad stuff, yet it was magical enough to make you do it again, hoping you learned something about photography in the process so your success rate improved.

To this day, even though there's no film to buy and pics are essentially free and instantaneous, I'm too careful/frugal about taking shots.

 

[Cactus Jack]

Warmoth updates shipping, generally with UPS, and then UPS sends notifications. Check your inbox for Quantum View.

With that said I totally understand about communication. In general the more the merrier with custom items. I have no idea what percent of sales custom orders are but think of how sweet it would be to see your item progress through systems. I would pay a premium for that service.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I've always gotten emails when my order shipped. I don't need step-by-step updates on progress. It's not practical.

 

[Cagey]

It's not practical.

It can also be aggravating. Ever order something from Newegg? Or, to a lesser degree, Sweetwater? In an effort to achieve "top customer service", they pester the hell out of you with emails for every little thing. It's a good thing there's no actual paper involved with Newegg's communications. Simply ordering a $5 thumbdrive would cost a tree its life.

 

[Megatron]

Getting ready for the build and setup: My neck has a 10-16" compound radius, and I'm using a 510 trem unit with individually adjustable saddle heights, what should my radius be at the saddles? Should it be 10" or 16" or perhaps greater than 16" (I read that somewhere)? Would setting it to 16" defeat the purpose of it being 10" at the top of the neck? Thanks!

 

[Cagey]

Ideally, you want about an 18" radius at the bridge. If you set it there, and go through each string plucking at each fret and stretching it a step and a half or two, you'll find if you can lower that string's saddle a bit more. Keep going until it boinks out, then raise it a hair, and you're golden.

 

[Megatron]

Arrived!

Pumped about my color choice of fiesta red with the roasted neck and the azurite malachite inlay with white nut. I think this is going to look amazing with the pearloid pickguard and all the chrome I've got.

From what I can tell, the neck fit is a touch loose, but I don’t know how tight it should be. I’ve seen videos of fujigen/ibanez neck pockets so tight that you don’t need bolts to keep the two together (without strings obv). Thoughts?

Otherwise, smells kinda funky. I went raw with the neck and both body and neck are roasted, so they stink a bit. I guess we’ll see how it changes over time.

Gonna study up a bit on the forums and youtube and come back with questions and progress pics. Aiming to assemble next week.

 

[Rick]

Take a close up of that inlay.  Looks great!

 

[PhilHill]

Arrived!

Pumped about my color choice of fiesta red with the roasted neck and the azurite malachite inlay with white nut. I think this is going to look amazing with the pearloid pickguard and all the chrome I've got.

From what I can tell, the neck fit is a touch loose, but I don’t know how tight it should be. I’ve seen videos of fujigen/ibanez neck pockets so tight that you don’t need bolts to keep the two together (without strings obv). Thoughts?

Otherwise, smells kinda funky. I went raw with the neck and both body and neck are roasted, so they stink a bit. I guess we’ll see how it changes over time.

Gonna study up a bit on the forums and youtube and come back with questions and progress pics. Aiming to assemble next week.

Ideally the neck should fit tightly, but not where you have to force it, into the pocket when being inserted straight down from above. I don't know if you live in different climate zone than Warmoth, if so there may be a little change once things acclimate. As long as you don't have a lot of sideways play in the fit you should be fine. Looks Nice, Enjoy.

It occurs to me that I should probably say more. Take the neck and insert it into the pocket and hold it where it should normally sit, then take a piece of copy paper and try to insert it down in between the neck and the pocket on each side. If the paper slides in and out easily, try two thicknesses of paper, If it's still easy, it may be a little too loose. In that case you might want to call or e-mail Warmoth and discuss it with them. Good Luck

 

[rgand]

Beautiful! Congrats.

 

[Axkoa]

Damn that fiesta red looks awesome, and it fits the neck so well. I saw a picture of a fiesta red strat a few days ago and I really want one now. Already planning my second build based around one of these bodies, roasted maple/rosewood neck, Fishman Fluence pickups, graphtech saddles for some piezo action.

 

[Cagey]

You're going to love those Fishman pickups. I know I was quite pleasantly surprised. They're all they say they are.

The only thing I don't like is having to have a  battery in the guitar. I know modern batteries aren't the leaky device destroyers they used to be years ago, but it does still happen if you tempt fate. The alternative would be to use one of Fishman's USB rechargeable battery packs, but I don't consider them a panacea, either. First, they cost $100, and it's not like you can find a spare at your local party store or gas station in an emergency like you can with a 9V Duracell. Then, you have to remember to keep a charging cord and power supply of some sort around at all times. Yeah, they supposedly last 200 hours on a charge, but let's face it: everybody lies about battery life. Usually, you can live with it, knowing that ahead of time. You keep the little rascal charged, right? Except, they only die when being live really matters.

But, they really are very satisfying pickups.

 

[Megatron]

Take a close up of that inlay.  Looks great!

Will post soon! Also thinking to do a voiceover slide show build for youtube since I don't want to dedicate too much time to it, but I also want to help guide others who are learning how to do their first build. I really think Warmoth should do a couple in-depth build video tutorials.

RE azurite malachite: Opted for this uncommon inlay (over abalone or mother of pearl) because it really puts a unique stamp on the guitar and highlights that it's a custom-made instrument. You just don't see this kind of inlay in the wild. I looked up a couple images of these necks online and found the dots are primarily black, so from a distance it looks just like black dots, but upon closer inspection it's got a distinctive unique pattern which is what I was going for. The turquoise has a very similar effect but from a distance it just looks blue and I was worried it would give off a plastic-y vibe and clash with the red. (In a perfect world, Warmoth would have the same choice as PRS private stock inlay. Drool: https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php/privatestock/acoustics).

 

[Strat Avenger]

Getting ready for the build and setup: My neck has a 10-16" compound radius, and I'm using a 510 trem unit with individually adjustable saddle heights, what should my radius be at the saddles? Should it be 10" or 16" or perhaps greater than 16" (I read that somewhere)? Would setting it to 16" defeat the purpose of it being 10" at the top of the neck? Thanks!

You don't need to worry about radius when you have a bridge with individually adjustable saddles. It's Floyd Rose and similar bridges that require the proper radius for good playability.

 

[Megatron]

Take a close up of that inlay.  Looks great!

Here you go!

Build pics coming soon.

 

[rgand]

Nice neck. That'll do the job.