My main guitar, ten year old soloist carved top

[unstrung]

Hey all. This has been my main guitar for ten years.

Soloist carved top body is mahogany with flame maple front in tiger's eye dye.

Neck is maple with rosewood board. Dig that Jackson headstock - I see that's not available anymore. Locking Schaller tuners... compound radius and standard thin profile.

Wilkinson trem. Duncan Distortion in the bridge and Dimarzio Fast Tracks.

This guitar gets really heavy, it is definitely a metal axe. The lead tone from the bridge really screams, which is awesome when you're playing on point but horrible if you're off. The single sized pickups get a stratty sound but it's not your typical strat sound. And they keep up with the bridge pickup's output, which for me is very important.

All my other guitars pale in comparison to this one. It just feels perfect. I've finally come to accept this and am looking to convert my other strat piece by piece into another Warmoth.

Nothing is perfect though: In my few transactions with Warmoth I've found they can make errors. For instance, I asked for this to have a contoured heel but that didn't happen. I wasn't going to send it back - I'd waited far too long as it was. I was a lot less patient back then. My other complaint is that my Wilkinson trem system doesn't hold tune. Though I think that might be fixable, probably around the nut.

 

[DocNrock]

Hi!  Welcome to the board!  Your guitar looks great.  I personally love it. 

I can't comment on any of the problems you are having, but I will say that Warmoth is not without potential issues.  Just have to pick up the phone and call them (less than 10 years later).  ccasion14:

Looks like a great axe, though.  Congrats on the build!

 

[Slackjaw]

Awesome guitar!  :guitarplayer2:

Although, I would say that your tuning issues are more due to selection of components, which is hardly Warmoth's fault. The angle of the headstock in combination with the break angle to the tuning posts on that Jackson style headstock is not conducive to tuning stability with a non-locking trem. Not saying it would be impossible to keep in tune, but definitely more difficult than other setups...

 

[unstrung]

Ah yes, the headstock angle. I think you're right about that being the cause of my tuning woes.

It's an awesome guitar with the perfect feel for me. I'm seriously considering assembling a new one with everything that's good about the guitar, while fixing everything that ought to change. Like a locking trem, for one.

 

[bagman67]

Don't go too crazy trying to fix things down at the south end of the guitar, when the north end might be a more useful route to pursue.  Locking tuners and a well-cut nut may be the solution to your woes, rather than the gimcrackery that is Der Floyd.  And cheaper, too.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Straight string pull is going to be your friend when it comes to not using a locking nut.
A Strat or even a Tilt Back Strat headstock will do wonderfully in conjunction with locking tuners and a well setup nut.

Once you do that, "Bob's your uncle".

 

[unstrung]

Yep the guitar has locking Schallers. So really all I can do for the trem situation is work on the nut... unless I feel like replacing the neck with a straight one (I don't).

I will sometime down the road be getting another soloist, with the locking trem. It's just got to happen, even if I work out the situation with the Wilkinson on this one. I need two.  :guitarplayer2:

 

[Jesse]

Yeah those Jackson headstocks look cool but they're really meant for a locking nut and a Floyd.  I don't think you'll ever get really great tuning stability with that.

You might want to consider getting a neck with a Strat headstock.  You could even get a veneer that matches the body, which would be cool.  You could go with a 10-16" compound radius, which most modern Jacksons have and a roller nut.  That would help stability a lot.

 

[unstrung]

You live and you learn! The next one will have an original Floyd.
I'm going to try basswood with a hard ash carved top.