New guy - first Warmoth buy

[Geetars]

New guy here from Alaska, been a wanna be guitarist for a long time now and am finally getting around to making it happen. I've got a couple of guitars already and looking to upgrade one of them with a Warmoth strat body.

Years ago I bought a MIJ Fender Tele with dual humbuckers and I also managed to snag a lefty MIJ Strat neck at the same time, now I need a body for it. I've already ordered a loaded pickguard (Crossroads) from EMG and I plan on getting the bridge and back plate form Warmoth. I'm planning on buying a 3 tone sunburst body already finished and ready to install everything, routed for 3 single coil pups. Looking forward to this project.

 

[PhilHill]

Hello Alaska! Welcome to the Forum. Good luck on the project and take pictures and post them please, we love guitar project logs. You'll find plenty of smart and experienced folks here who are more than willing to help if the need comes up. :icon_thumright:

 

[Geetars]

Hello Alaska! Welcome to the Forum. Good luck on the project and take pictures and post them please, we love guitar project logs. You'll find plenty of smart and experienced folks here who are more than willing to help if the need comes up. :icon_thumright:

Thanks,  I'm sure it will!!  ccasion14:

 

[rgand]

Welcome to the forum. It'll be good to follow your progress. This is one of the most helpful forums you'll ever find. As Phil said, there are lots of experienced people here waiting to pass on what they know.

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum.

Don't forget to order your body with a battery box rout which makes it easier when you swap batteries...

 

[Logrinn]

Welcome to the forum, Geetars.

 

[Geetars]

Welcome to the forum.

Don't forget to order your body with a battery box rout which makes it easier when you swap batteries...

Actually, the loaded pickguard I’m buying from EMG says the battery can be changed without the need for a battery box, you simply unscrew the end of the pickguard (4-5) screws, lift battery out, replace, reinstall screws. The install is super easy with no soldering involved too.

 

[Seamas]

Welcome to the forum.

Don't forget to order your body with a battery box rout which makes it easier when you swap batteries...

Actually, the loaded pickguard I’m buying from EMG says the battery can be changed without the need for a battery box, you simply unscrew the end of the pickguard (4-5) screws, lift battery out, replace, reinstall screws. The install is super easy with no soldering involved too.

I am unfamiliar with EMGs, so I have no idea how long the batteries last, but I know you can basically bank on batteries being dead or dying in the most inconvenient times and places. (at a gig, in poor lighting, etc)
In general, I am loathe to screw and unscrew pickguards--or any other wood screw-for reasons other than a pickup swap or something.
The fewer times the better.

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum.

Don't forget to order your body with a battery box rout which makes it easier when you swap batteries...

Actually, the loaded pickguard I’m buying from EMG says the battery can be changed without the need for a battery box, you simply unscrew the end of the pickguard (4-5) screws, lift battery out, replace, reinstall screws. The install is super easy with no soldering involved too.

You could do that but if you are buying a body specifically for EMGs a battery box is an easier option than fiddling with a pickguard.

@Seamas the batteries will last a fair while as long as the guitar cable is unplugged from the output jack when the guitar is not in use for any time.

In terms of batteries dying at a gig it is better to be prepared and carry a battery, a spare guitar lead etc. There are far more things that can go wrong on a gig than a battery replacement.

 

[VinceClortho]

Welcome Geetars!

The way the EMG loaded pickguard is setup is the battery is located underneath the pots (which are mounted on a board giving it enough clearance for a 9v to fit).  To replace, you remove the screws around the lower part of the pickguard, bend it upwards, and work the battery out.  It is not difficult, but like Seamas, I'd prefer to mess with screws that go into the body as little as possible and flexing the pickguard like that is a little unnerving, for me at least.  I'd personally be much more inclined to add a battery box if the option was available.  Makes swapping batteries a 10 second process with no tools necessary.

Another option if you'd rather not go the battery box route would be to install 4-40 brass threaded inserts in the body and use machine screws to affix the pickguard.  You are still reefing on the pickguard to get the battery in and out but it would assure the ability to remove and replace those screws as many times as you want without wood damage or loosening.

 

[Seamas]

There are far more things that can go wrong on a gig than a battery replacement.

Especially gigging after going to Taco bell.

 

[VinceClortho]

On a side yet related note, I've been using one of the newer USB rechargeable 9v batteries in a guitar fitted with Fishmans for a while.  Instead of replacing the battery, I just pop open the battery box, plug in a micro-USB cable, and let it charge away. 

Not necessarily this brand, but this is the idea:

 

[stratamania]

There are far more things that can go wrong on a gig than a battery replacement.

Especially gigging after going to Taco bell.

No idea, I have never gigged in a country that has one...or eaten in one when I have been in the US. Am I  missing some culinary experience  :icon_thumright:

 

[PhilHill]

No, your missing an unpleasant digestive experience. :icon_thumright:

 

[stratamania]

No, your missing an unpleasant digestive experience. :icon_thumright:

I shall continue to avoid them...apparently there are some in the UK now but I cannot say I have noticed them.

 

[rgand]

No, your missing an unpleasant digestive experience. :icon_thumright:

I shall continue to avoid them...apparently there are some in the UK now but I cannot say I have noticed them.

Don't go out looking. Some things are better left un-experienced. There is worse out there but not by much. :tard:

 

[stratamania]

No, your missing an unpleasant digestive experience. :icon_thumright:

I shall continue to avoid them...apparently there are some in the UK now but I cannot say I have noticed them.

Don't go out looking. Some things are better left un-experienced. There is worse out there but not by much. :tard:

I shall avoid...but who eats this stuff...

 

[PhilHill]

I guess it's those that fall under the heading of "There is no accounting for taste".  :-\

 

[Vulpez]

Excellent choice!

I've been playing EMGs for nearly four years now, their strat pickups are awesome!

Really looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

 

[Geetars]

A little more info about myself, I am not a gigging musician nor am I a shredder. I play for my own enjoyment and have been messing around with guitars for close to 20 years but never really took it serious enough to be good at it.

That said, I pick my guitar up every day and practice ranges from 15 minutes to a couple of hours. My end goal isn’t to be up on a stage, I just want to be good enough to jam with friends and have fun.

Back to the EMG’s, I’ll have to look into the battery setup for this loaded pickup, if the wires are long enough I may have a battery box route done just to save from the hassle of unscrewing the pickguard and risk damaging something.

I do have a question for you guys concerning amps, What’s a good tube amp that’s versatile enough to play blues, hard rock and metal? Right now I’m playing through a Roland Micro Cube, it does the job for now but I need more versatility and volume. 

Oh and I don’t eat at Taco hell.  arty07: