New build

[Bill in SC]

I see a hollow mahogany or alder '72 Telecaster, with a AAAAA flame tiger maple top in my future. I want the BEST piece of tiger maple Warmoth has, and will be willing to pay an additional $25 for it. I will use the all pau ferro neck I have on my other thinline. There will be one volume and one tone control, and she will be adorned with a Gibson Burstbucker Pro at the bridge and a Gibson Classis '57 in the neck. I sold the Rio Grandes out of my mahogany thinline, and I think I have my Stratocaster sold to a dude in Germany. I should be able to start the order within a few days. Spike is going to hook me up. I am VERY EXCITED, to say the least!
Bill in SC
BTW: my mahogany thinline body will most likely be for sale when I get the new body. It is shielded and will come with the Warmoth black pickguard and string ferrules installed. Satin poly rattle can finish. Probably ask about $225 for it, and will offer it here first. It is in great shape except for a few buckle marks on the back. For now, until I get my new body, I'm going to install the Gibsons in it and play the heck out of it!
BTW2: Between my regular chambered thinline, and my hollow thinline, there is absolutely NO comparison in tone. The hollow body has incredible tone and sustain. It just resonates like a tuning fork! I had read that the Warmoth hollow bodies were that way. Just SO superior in tone to the chambered bodies. Heck they are basically the same in price, yet IMHO, far superior. If you've never tried a Warmoth hollow Tele, you should certainly consider that option.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Hey! I asked how much for a 5A Birdseye Maple, and they said that would be $300 for it... Shoulda be 300 for the 5A + $25 to pick the best 5A =)

 

[Bill in SC]

Hmmmm, Spike told me the AAAAA maple top was $75 extra, added to the standard hollow tele price. Hope my excitement is not in vain!

Here's his e-mail to me:

Hollow tele bodies come stock with the tummy and forearm contours.
The AAAAA Flame (Tiger) maple top will add $75 to standard hollow body pricing.
That will include the routs you depicted in the links below.
The F hole is an actual hole in the top but only goes to a similarly shaped chamber below.
So that won’t provide any sonic attributes but does look like a “real” f hole to most onlookers.
The body itself will start at roughly $257 (depending on wood choice) and add the price above for the highly figured top.
Please let me know if I can be of any further help. We usually get back to our emails within a day but as we are now heading into our busy season, correspondence can back up a bit. Thanks for your patience in those situations.

 

[DiMitriR33]

i thought $150 for 5A but maybe they thought i wanted a carved top? or was it because i wanted a quilted top?

 

[Bill in SC]

Wow that's  wide range of quotes. $300, $150, $75. Maybe when the highest quote was given, the material may have been in short supply at that time. Maybe the highest quote was for a material other than maple. Keep in perspective that we are only talking about a guitar sized 1/4 thick piece of maple. Maple is certainly not in the exotic category, even when it is highly figured, nor is it in short supply. I had thought to myself that their most radical maple top would add about $100 to the cost. When Spike quoted me $75, that sounded about right, and I am willing to pay $100 for a top, hand picked piece. I better get my order in before he changes his mind. 
Happy New Year from sunny SC!
BB in SC

 

[Nando Vallart]

Mine was Birdseye, not flamed... Should be it...

 

[m4rk0]

BTW2: Between my regular chambered thinline, and my hollow thinline, there is absolutely NO comparison in tone. The hollow body has incredible tone and sustain. It just resonates like a tuning fork! I had read that the Warmoth hollow bodies were that way. Just SO superior in tone to the chambered bodies. Heck they are basically the same in price, yet IMHO, far superior. If you've never tried a Warmoth hollow Tele, you should certainly consider that option.

Hey Bill,
So you are saying that a Warmoth Hollow Tele sounds better than a Warmoth Thinline (with the 3 large chambers)? or the other way around? Could it be different because of the thickness of the top?
I wonder what the general experience and preference is, with all the thinlines that were built here over the past months.

 

[jackthehack]

While the verbiage is clear as mud, I think he meant that the hollow Thinline is superior to the hollow chambered Tele; I'd have to agree. I did my Thinline with a relatively light mahogany body and then took at least another 1/16" off it sanding it back several times getting the finish right, it's noticiably louder/has more sustain than my ES335 either unplugged or amped.

 

[Bill in SC]

Sorry I was not clear. Yes, from an acoustic standpoint,  the hollow thinline is FAR superior to the chambered thinline. Of course I only have one of each to compare with. I'm hooked on Warmoth's hollow design.
Bill in SC

 

[m4rk0]

ok, this is great advise!
So I am better off ordering a hollow Tele with Thinline Routing instead of a regular thinline?
so 40+ small chambers will give better tone/sustain than 3 large chambers?

 

[Bill in SC]

ABSOLUTELY!  Once again, I had read that the hollows with the small 40+ chambers had better resonating qualities. I had no idea if it was so until I tried one. Really, there is a BIG difference! Of course once again also, I only have one of each to compare to, I guess I am not the only one who thinks that way.

jackthehack said:
<the hollow Thinline is superior to the hollow chambered Tele; I'd have to agree. I did my Thinline with a relatively light mahogany body and then took at least another 1/16" off it sanding it back several times getting the finish right, it's noticibly louder/has more sustain than my ES335 either unplugged or amped.>

Being basically the same price for the hollow as the regular chambered, it is pretty much of a no brainer for me from now on. Also, another plus is that the hollows come standard with the tummy and forearm cuts.