New Arrival!

[Crazy Dave]

My stuff finally got here! Had some trouble with customs, but it's being sorted. They're idiots, the guys from Warmoth packed well and clearly indicated value on the packages, and still they manage to mess it up. "There's no paperwork with 'em" is what they said. It was right there on the box.  :tard:

Body is Poplar, I must say I was surprised at how pretty it is. I may go with a clear finish on this one.
The neck is a superwide fatback bubinga/pau ferro. One of the nicest guitar necks I have ever seen. It feels just right too.

The build quality is just insane, and I'm comparing to luthier-grade stuff. People keep saying this, but there's nothing like experiencing it firsthand.

Next posts will be in "work in progress". All I've done so far is take pictures and assemble some stuff on my pickguard. I'm going to take it slow and enjoy every minute.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Schlieren]

holy heck that poplar is gorgeous

 

[Nando Vallart]

It's looking really cool!

 

[baskruit]

holy heck that poplar is gorgeous

Yeah, that's almost a Swamp Ash-like grain. Nice.

 

[Nando Vallart]

holy heck that poplar is gorgeous

Yeah, that's almost a Swamp Ash-like grain. Nice.

I didn't read all the post and I was totally thinking it was Swamp Ash

 

[-CB-]

No secrets because I've said it before... but I had a Telecaster Deluxe once, that was factory overspray "black" over sunburst.  Then some doofus painted it red with rattle can - probably rustoleum.  I stripped it all down, saw a nice poplar body, and being financially strapped, finished the wood with several coats of Kiwi Brown Shoe Polish.  It looked ok actually... scary thought.  Poplar is nice wood, it lends itself to dyes and stains pretty well too.

 

[whyachi]

That's some amazing grain, I never cease to be amazed at the quality of wood - even cheap wood - that Warmoth kicks out.

 

[Schlieren]

That's some amazing grain, I never cease to be amazed at the quality of wood - even cheap wood - that Warmoth kicks out.

if i didnt tell anyone, no one would EVER be able to guess the tele body i received was alder

same with the brazilian rosewood fingerboard, &c.

warmoth has a knack for picking out the atypical examples on an alarmingly regular basis

 

[jay4321]

Man that poplar is crazy... Dave

 

[bbl4ck]

Yea, yea, yea the body is nice.
But how about that neck!!!  Bubinga & Pau Ferro.  Yum, yum.  :icon_thumright:
You got a great build going on...
Good luck, welcome to the forum, and we had better be seeing more pics!
:rock-on:

 

[exaN]

Nice grain! Kinda rare on poplar.

Sounds like it's going to be a sick build. Keep updating.

 

[BigBeard]

Nice grain! Kinda rare on poplar.

Yes you totally lucked out with your poplar on this strat!!!  Every time I use poplar for anything (not guitars) I always get the nasty green streaks.  That setup you have there looks killer!!!!

Go with some sort of wood finish.  I'm a huge fan of 'furniture' guitars, and I tend to leave the paint for the Harley's and the street rods and let my guitars show their natural woody beauty

 

[Crazy Dave]

Man that poplar is crazy... Dave

LOL!  :toothy12:

Further update here :

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=11950.0

I've oiled the neck lightly, and man does that bubinga look cool.  :headbang1:

 

[SlingBass]

That's as pretty a piece of poplar as I believe I've seen - leaves you many options for a solid, semi, OR clear see-through finish.  The body should also sonically work well with the wood choices of you neck, too.  May I suggest you mount your strap pins last...as the bubinga will be slightly heavy, and the poplar will be slightly light.  By installing the strap pin on the upper horn just a wee bit closer towards the neck than usual - you'll find the instrument will balance extremely well.  Just sayin'...

 

[Crazy Dave]

May I suggest you mount your strap pins last...as the bubinga will be slightly heavy, and the poplar will be slightly light.  By installing the strap pin on the upper horn just a wee bit closer towards the neck than usual - you'll find the instrument will balance extremely well.  Just sayin'...

Thank you! Good tip! The Sperzel tuners on there are quite heavy, so that would make it worse. Body's got 2 coats of wax now, and it really looks cool, sort of a "dragged" Mary Kaye look. I think I could slap the whole thing together tonight. I hope.  :blob7:

 

[dbw]

Whoa, sweet poplar.  Not green at all... I would have thought it was swamp ash!

 

[SlingBass]

May I suggest you mount your strap pins last...as the bubinga will be slightly heavy, and the poplar will be slightly light.  By installing the strap pin on the upper horn just a wee bit closer towards the neck than usual - you'll find the instrument will balance extremely well.  Just sayin'...

Thank you! Good tip! The Sperzel tuners on there are quite heavy, so that would make it worse. Body's got 2 coats of wax now, and it really looks cool, sort of a "dragged" Mary Kaye look. I think I could slap the whole thing together tonight. I hope.  :blob7:

There are those who would also raise the bottom end pin higher - seen more on basses (i.e. Spector), but *I* find it positions the strap in such a way as to be restrictive of right body/arm movement, plus prevents the guitar to sit straight if you set it on the floor and lean it against something.  FAIL!  Put a couple of fingers under the top horn, move them to slightly different positions, and that should provide you an idea of where to mount the pin.  It's not rocket science - but it will work for you.  Also...some might claim that more coats of wax or finish is better for a more durable and better looking end appearance.  *I* believe less is more (2 coats is ample), and will allow for the wood to breath better, which will provide a more realistic sound of your chosen wood.  Of course you understand what opinions are like...  :laughing7:

 

[Crazy Dave]

There are those who would also raise the bottom end pin higher - seen more on basses (i.e. Spector), but *I* find it positions the strap in such a way as to be restrictive of right body/arm movement, plus prevents the guitar to sit straight if you set it on the floor and lean it against something.  FAIL!  Put a couple of fingers under the top horn, move them to slightly different positions, and that should provide you an idea of where to mount the pin.  It's not rocket science - but it will work for you.  Also...some might claim that more coats of wax or finish is better for a more durable and better looking end appearance.  *I* believe less is more (2 coats is ample), and will allow for the wood to breath better, which will provide a more realistic sound of your chosen wood.  Of course you understand what opinions are like...  :laughing7:

I managed to put the whole thing together yesterday afternoon. As you say, 2 coats of wax is plenty, and positioning the top strap pin slightly closer to the neck was good advice. That neck is huge and quite heavy, but the whole thing balances pretty evenly (it might slide a bit with a slick strap,  but I'm using suede).

It's the best strat I've ever played (the best guitar I've ever played is still my Zachary Z2-T, but that is another story). Tad on the heavy side, but very resonant, even with the 10's I have on there (normally use 11's, but the nut seems to be cut for 10's, and I don't have any nutfiles). It's amazing how easy it was to put this together and set the neck up to play like butter. I love it. Just need to set intonation and mess about with pickup height a little more and I'll be all set. All this for a little less than what a run-of-the-mill American Std Strat goes for here, with the added fun of putting it together myself.  A big  :headbang1: for Warmoth!

I'll take some pictures later.