I was pretty active back in 2007-2009, both building Warmoths and being a participant of this forum. I'm coming back around, and have been happy to see some of my old friends still here. I made some suggestions back between '07 to '09, and I will make them again. I'm also going to make a few more.
I also am not going to hold my breath. :laughing7: But, if no one requests anything, nothing gets done, right? OK, so here goes.
1) Please bring back the metal "Warmoth Made in USA" decals. Perhaps another vendor can be sourced who doesn't require the purchase of 5000+ of these. They are very cool and unique, and fit the nature of a Warmoth build exceptionally well. I'm sorry, but those decals that ship with the necks are cheesy, at best. And for those of us who get a finished neck from Warmoth, or one that does not require a finish, how long is that decal going to stay attached, anyway? It would only work if it was put on the headstock and then a clear coat applied over it.
2) Please offer routing for flush trem covers. This can't be any more difficult than a CNC program. The control panels are routed so that the covers are flush with the back, so why not the trem covers? I recognize some people do not want trem covers, and for them, fine. For those of us who like them, it would certainly give a more "finished" look to the completed instrument. I can't think of a guitar brand with a trem cover that is not flush with the back. Even $99 imports with cheesy Floyd copies have recessed trem covers. :laughing7: I would gladly pay a $35 upcharge for a flush trem cover.
3) Please offer non-dot inlays in materials other than pearloid, corian, etc. "Real" Made in USA guitars, such as Jackson, use materials such as Mother of Pearl for their sharkfin inlays. I have a Warmoth with the pearloid sharkfins and it looks OK, but side by side with the MOP inlays, the difference is obvious. I would expect materials such as pearloid to be used on cheapie imports. Nowadays, the less-expensive imports are being made with much higher quality components. I have two import BC Rich guitars (Mockingbird ST and Draco Ghost) that were made in South Korea. The materials and fit/finish on these guitars is exceptional. The Mockingbird cost $550 and has pearl diamond-shaped inlays. The Draco Ghost cost has abalone crown-shaped inlays and cost $899. These quality of these two guitars is much like the quality of Made in USA guitars just seven to ten years ago. I am happy to have nice materials for dot inlays, so I often have opted for dots when I would have preferred to have had an more unique inlay, but it really is something I have settled for, and not something I would have specifically chosen. There obviously is the option for no inlays, but some people like inlays.
4) I appreciate the ability to ask for the lightest slab of a particular type of wood for a body, but at a $40 upcharge, I would like to see some sort of assurance that the body will be under a particular weight. I tried to do this the other day, and while the customer is apparently guaranteed the lightest slab of wood that is currently on-hand, there is no guarantee that the body will be at or under a particular weight. Most of the time, this would probably work out fine. But here is an example. I have a WGD that I built from a Warmoth body I bought off of Ebay. The body is black korina, and has beautiful markings, but it is incredibly heavy. Like 7+ pounds heavy. This is probably why the original owner sold it. I am going to replace it, and inquired about the ability to select the weight. I was told that there is no guarantee. So, worst case scenario, I pay $40 extra for the lightest slab on-hand, and it turns out that they all would make six to 7 pound bodies. You see my point. I mean, if one can buy and "Ultimate Choice" piece of wood for the grain, why not an "Ultimate Choice" with the weight of the slab posted?
5) I would like to see two options for the paddle headstock sizes. The current one, 9" x 4", is likely to be adequate for most headstocks. Clearly, the reason for the paddle headstock is for a custom one the end user has in mind and is handy with wood working and finishing, or to make one that Warmoth will not make to protect themselves from copyright or patent infringments. There is one I have in mind, but I will admit it is a copy of a well-known headstock that Warmoth does not make. Well, they make something similar, but it is disproportionately large. This particular heastock I have in mind would require a paddle minimally 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", accounting for sanding, etc. I recognize Warmoth doesn't want to waste wood, so a second paddle size would make sense. They have a couple of headstocks that would require a paddle this size, so it's not like there would be no precedent. And all it would take is a CNC program.
6) Chambered WGD. Going back to my post about my "obese" WGD, I asked W and was told chambering is not an option for the WGD. But yet it can be done for a Strat. It's just a CNC program away!
Anyway, those are my thoughts. :icon_thumright:
I also am not going to hold my breath. :laughing7: But, if no one requests anything, nothing gets done, right? OK, so here goes.
1) Please bring back the metal "Warmoth Made in USA" decals. Perhaps another vendor can be sourced who doesn't require the purchase of 5000+ of these. They are very cool and unique, and fit the nature of a Warmoth build exceptionally well. I'm sorry, but those decals that ship with the necks are cheesy, at best. And for those of us who get a finished neck from Warmoth, or one that does not require a finish, how long is that decal going to stay attached, anyway? It would only work if it was put on the headstock and then a clear coat applied over it.
2) Please offer routing for flush trem covers. This can't be any more difficult than a CNC program. The control panels are routed so that the covers are flush with the back, so why not the trem covers? I recognize some people do not want trem covers, and for them, fine. For those of us who like them, it would certainly give a more "finished" look to the completed instrument. I can't think of a guitar brand with a trem cover that is not flush with the back. Even $99 imports with cheesy Floyd copies have recessed trem covers. :laughing7: I would gladly pay a $35 upcharge for a flush trem cover.
3) Please offer non-dot inlays in materials other than pearloid, corian, etc. "Real" Made in USA guitars, such as Jackson, use materials such as Mother of Pearl for their sharkfin inlays. I have a Warmoth with the pearloid sharkfins and it looks OK, but side by side with the MOP inlays, the difference is obvious. I would expect materials such as pearloid to be used on cheapie imports. Nowadays, the less-expensive imports are being made with much higher quality components. I have two import BC Rich guitars (Mockingbird ST and Draco Ghost) that were made in South Korea. The materials and fit/finish on these guitars is exceptional. The Mockingbird cost $550 and has pearl diamond-shaped inlays. The Draco Ghost cost has abalone crown-shaped inlays and cost $899. These quality of these two guitars is much like the quality of Made in USA guitars just seven to ten years ago. I am happy to have nice materials for dot inlays, so I often have opted for dots when I would have preferred to have had an more unique inlay, but it really is something I have settled for, and not something I would have specifically chosen. There obviously is the option for no inlays, but some people like inlays.
4) I appreciate the ability to ask for the lightest slab of a particular type of wood for a body, but at a $40 upcharge, I would like to see some sort of assurance that the body will be under a particular weight. I tried to do this the other day, and while the customer is apparently guaranteed the lightest slab of wood that is currently on-hand, there is no guarantee that the body will be at or under a particular weight. Most of the time, this would probably work out fine. But here is an example. I have a WGD that I built from a Warmoth body I bought off of Ebay. The body is black korina, and has beautiful markings, but it is incredibly heavy. Like 7+ pounds heavy. This is probably why the original owner sold it. I am going to replace it, and inquired about the ability to select the weight. I was told that there is no guarantee. So, worst case scenario, I pay $40 extra for the lightest slab on-hand, and it turns out that they all would make six to 7 pound bodies. You see my point. I mean, if one can buy and "Ultimate Choice" piece of wood for the grain, why not an "Ultimate Choice" with the weight of the slab posted?
5) I would like to see two options for the paddle headstock sizes. The current one, 9" x 4", is likely to be adequate for most headstocks. Clearly, the reason for the paddle headstock is for a custom one the end user has in mind and is handy with wood working and finishing, or to make one that Warmoth will not make to protect themselves from copyright or patent infringments. There is one I have in mind, but I will admit it is a copy of a well-known headstock that Warmoth does not make. Well, they make something similar, but it is disproportionately large. This particular heastock I have in mind would require a paddle minimally 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", accounting for sanding, etc. I recognize Warmoth doesn't want to waste wood, so a second paddle size would make sense. They have a couple of headstocks that would require a paddle this size, so it's not like there would be no precedent. And all it would take is a CNC program.
6) Chambered WGD. Going back to my post about my "obese" WGD, I asked W and was told chambering is not an option for the WGD. But yet it can be done for a Strat. It's just a CNC program away!
Anyway, those are my thoughts. :icon_thumright:
