new build completed - disappointed in warmoth neck

[liverpool1]

just finished my build two days ago.  after two days of trying every adjustment in the book, i'm still don't have a guitar that's useable.  here's why:

i ordered a warmoth tele body and a tele neck.  the neck was plain maple, nothing fancy.  while waiting for those to be done, they posted a nice, showcase tele neck at a discounted price, so i bought that one, too.  so thanks to this forum i finished the body.  turned out just like i wanted.  put the neck on.  seemed to have a nice fit.

then i strung it up. buzz everywhere. i had to raise the saddles basically as high as they would go until the buzz was gone.  onto intonation - i'm not sure what in the production was wrong, but  i had to move the saddles so far back that the allen wrench adjusters are sitting on the screws that hold the metal bridge plate to the body.  and actually they need to be moved back further but i can do this because the saddles are so high up the screws that hold the saddles are already at a ridiculous angle - they stick out above the strings!

yes, i adjusted the truss rod.  the problem i came to found is warmoth necks!  check out the pictures.  i have a MIA tele from 2006 i'm using to compare the two.

the warmoth neck is WAY thicker.  i measured the neck pocket specs on the body and they are right on.  i don't know what the neck height is supposed to be, but it is 3/24 to 1/8" thicker!  what the heck.

this also affects the pickups because i can't get them close enough to the strings in stock form.  i could cut the rubber standoffs, but i didn't since i'll still use this body.

so i measured out the plain old maple one.  same thing.

the good news is i have a loaded body that's nice and ready to go.  bad news is i need to find a source for a correctly sized neck.

only reason i didn't send these back is i bought them in summer but didn't get around to assembling it until now.

 

[liverpool1]

more pics.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The action is absurdly high.  I know you said there was buzz, but Warmoth fretwork doesn't claim to be finished, so it may need finishing.  Also, many of the necks I've received from them had the nut a bit high for my taste.  The intonating, your ears or tuner may be playing tricks on you.  Your starting off point should have the same distance from 12th fret to nut as 12 th fret to saddle.

 

[Updown]

I'd say  .... take it to your local guitar tech, get him to have a peek a boo  :glasses9:  at it.

Make sure it's not a Tele conversion neck 24 3/4''  :dontknow:
What bridge are you using ?
Did you finish the neck ?

Plus don't forget about this .... http://www.warmoth.com/Ordering/Warranty.aspx

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Whether a conversion neck or standard 25.5" inch scale should make no difference in the bridge's ability to intonate if it is a Warmoth or Fender body.

 

[Updown]

Cheers STDC  :icon_thumright:

Stupid me  :doh:

 

[Cagey]

If there's a bow to the neck, you'd end up with the strings buzzing pretty seriously or even fretting out unless you raise the action pretty high. Maybe even too high to be playable, as they appear to be in the pictures.

If it was me, I'd do the quick'n'dirty check of fretting any string at the 1st and 17th frets to see if there's any clearance under the string at about the 8th fret. If not, the neck is somewhere between flat and bowed. Loosening the truss rod should correct bow. On a good Tele neck strung up with .010s, you probably want about .008"-.012" of clearance under the string when doing the previously mentioned check. That will forgive most sins in fret height on a new neck.

As has been mentioned, Warmoth doesn't level or dress their frets before shipment. For one thing, on a brand-spankin' new neck, the frets should be pretty level anyway. They won't be perfect, but they'll beat most OEM necks. They don't dress the ends because not everybody wants their frets dressed the same way. Finally, they don't set truss rod tension because they don't know what you're going to use for strings, and they don't file the nuts to their optimum height for the same reason. Still, a new neck from Warmoth is absolutely playable; you just may need to make some adjustments. Kinda like adjusting the seat when you get in a car for the first time. Nothing wrong with the seat - it's just not set up for you.

 

[AutoBat]

Looking at the pictures the Warmoth neck doesn't look seated in the pocket all the way.  You can get a surprisingly tight fitment with the screws and still not have proper wood to wood contact on the neck.  I've had it happen to me. 

 

[mayfly]

Looking at the pictures the Warmoth neck doesn't look seated in the pocket all the way.  You can get a surprisingly tight fitment with the screws and still not have proper wood to wood contact on the neck.  I've had it happen to me.

+1. This is probably your issue.

 

[tfarny]

You really ought to take this in to a good professional before giving up. My guess is the neck isn't seated properly as someone else mentioned. Plus it probably needs fretwork, as all necks really do. The warmoth nuts are always cut too high as well. Getting a really good playing warmoth requires you to pay a professional or do some slightly difficult stuff yourself, no way around it.

 

[Cagey]

Looking at this shot...

I'd say it's seated as well as it's ever going to be, and it doesn't look "thick" to me.

I'm still betting it's bowed.

 

[tfarny]

I think that's his non-warmoth neck for comparison. And the action on that looks crazy high.

 

[Cagey]

That could be. Wasn't clear. You're right about the action, but if that's the bowed neck, it's what I'd expect to see.

 

[Cagey]

yes, i adjusted the truss rod.

Not to impugn your setup abilities, but I don't know you at all since you're a new poster. So, I have to ask: you do know that tightening (clockwise rotation) the truss rod adjustment will pull the neck back at the nut, gradually taking the neck from relieved, to straight, to bowed back, right? If you're tightening in the hopes of lowering action, you'll be like the newbie carpenter who complains to his boss "I cut the damned thing three times, and it's still too short!" <grin>

If there's a bow to the neck, you'll have to raise your string height to the sky before it stops buzzing and/or fretting out.

 

[DLD]

First off, the frets probably need leveling. That should solve all the buzzing issues. The intonation should also improve.

#2. The nut may need a look over also.. That should solve action and intonation issues, if it's cut too deep you need a new nut and that will solve buzzing.

#3. Truss rod may need adjusting.... Will solve buzzing and action.

#4. I ordered my necks unfretted and no nut. My luthier is going to set it up anyways, might as well have him do it, that way he sets it up the way I like it and he does it in conjunction with what bridge I'm bridge I'm using and any other variants. It's not as easy as ordering parts, screwing it together and wham you've got the best guitar in the world. Somebody who knows what they are doing still needs to set it up and make things work right...

Hope this helps...

P.S: I had the same problem with the thickness of my necks. They did seem thicker? MY parts are with my luthier, I hope it turns out good.

 

[tylereot]

One very simple trick might be revealing: sight down the neck.  Point the headstock to a window, and get your eye on the bottom of the guitar.  You might see a neck problem, a nut problem or a fret problem looking at it that way.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I would simply recommend that he call the shop & discuss this with Rob the Sales Manager.
There's so many variables and he'd be better serviced going direct to the source before taking any action.

 

[tylereot]

The neck sure doesn't look seated correctly, to me.  It looks like it slants forward in the neck pocket from this picture. 

 

[BlueTalon]

I'm pretty sure that's an optical illusion from a reflective pickguard.

Besides, if it really was off-angle the way it looks, he'd have a problem adjusting the bridge low enough.  That's not his problem.



Unless I'm just not seeing the same thing you are seeing.