New High Grade Roasted Flame Maple Neck...and some mock up photos w/bodies

[EVH_5150]

First post here, and first Warmoth product ever purchased.  The quality of this roasted flame maple neck is beyond my expectations.  I chose this from their showroom lineup then added SS 6150 frets and black Tusq nut. 

When I ordered the neck, the idea was to replace the factory neck on a Fender "Eric Johnson" model (I loved everything but the lacquer), but I just can't bring myself to take it apart.  So the next idea is to build my first Partscaster!  I'm leaning towards a VTS body from MJT but have looked at several ready-made bodies in Warmoth's gallery.  The difficulty I'm having is matching up the color combination between the roasted maple and any of their wood-grain finishes.  So, I think the best option is to do something with a painted body. 

Here are my top choices in no particular order with Turquoise and Lake Placid Blue with or without stripes. 

 

[new-killer-star]

That's an amazingly absolutely beautiful neck. I have a similar neck and stained the body of my jaguar to get it to mostly match...

 

[EVH_5150]

That's an amazingly absolutely beautiful neck. I have a similar neck and stained the body of my jaguar to get it to mostly match...

That's awesome!!!

 

[Cagey]

I would be tempted to mate a neck like that with a white, off-white or cream body. Let the neck show off as the centerpiece it is.

 

[EVH_5150]

I would be tempted to mate a neck like that with a white, off-white or cream body. Let the neck show off as the centerpiece it is.

Now that's an interesting idea!  Since I'm leaning heavily towards the blue w/white stripes...maybe reverse those?  Hmmmm....

 

[Cagey]

I've always felt that you mate up outstanding bodies with non-descript necks, or vice-versa. You don't want them to compete for attention. It's kinda like not mixing striped pants with patterned shirts. Gets too busy, and oddly enough, with so much demanding attention, loses attraction.

 

[exaN]

Blue body + roasted maple neck is such a great combo.

 

[zebra]

I like you instincts about matching roasted maple necks with solid-colored bodies, and of course what Cagey said about noisy neck/quiet body and vice versa. 

I put a roasted maple neck (looks very much like yours) on a butterscotch blonde body, and it never looked quite right (until it was moved to a candy apple red body, which looks great).  So having some contrast between body and neck is good.  Black and white are obvious, but I really like seeing the roasted maple necks with more Fender-y 60s pastel paint jobs. 

 

[EVH_5150]

Blue body + roasted maple neck is such a great combo.

I really like the Placid Blue "Allen Hinds" Xotic model.  It has a similarly colored neck and a bright blue body.  It looks great.

 

[EVH_5150]

I like you instincts about matching roasted maple necks with solid-colored bodies, and of course what Cagey said about noisy neck/quiet body and vice versa. 

I put a roasted maple neck (looks very much like yours) on a butterscotch blonde body, and it never looked quite right (until it was moved to a candy apple red body, which looks great).  So having some contrast between body and neck is good.  Black and white are obvious, but I really like seeing the roasted maple necks with more Fender-y 60s pastel paint jobs.

You see, I was going to originally mate this to a candy apple red body but when I showed the mock up to my wife she had an immediate "oh no" reaction based on the color.  I thought it was gorgeous but she said it didn't look right.  I was bummed.  :sad1:

 

[frown]

Oooh this is cool. Can’t wait to see how this evolves.  :icon_thumright:

Reminds me I must get back to developing my visualiser: https://frownonline.co.uk/virtual-guitar-builder/ - been stalled for a long time now...  :icon_scratch:

 

[EVH_5150]

Oooh this is cool. Can’t wait to see how this evolves.  :icon_thumright:

Reminds me I must get back to developing my visualiser: https://frownonline.co.uk/virtual-guitar-builder/ - been stalled for a long time now...  :icon_scratch:

It seems like it's evolving by the minute, LOL.  Too many choices!!!!

 

[musicispeace]

I'm with Cagey. I tend to go for plain bodies and interesting necks, fret boards especially in my case.

 

[ToneGrinder]

LOOOOOVE the Turquoise.  I have been planning on doing a very similar build after my current one.  Turquoise strat with an aged parchment type pick guard and roasted flamed maple neck.  Something just right about that combination.  Ernie Ball put out a 'Vintage Turquoise' Cutlass model a couple of months ago that really caught my eye.  Unfortunately their narrow V necks just don't work for me.

 

[Rick]

How about a highly figured swamp ash body?  Plain black pickguard.  Very nice neck.

 

[Snowdog777]

love the roasted flame maple

 

[Rick]

I would be tempted to mate a neck like that with a white, off-white or cream body. Let the neck show off as the centerpiece it is.

If you went with a cream or off-white body, what pickguard would you use?

 

[EVH_5150]

I would be tempted to mate a neck like that with a white, off-white or cream body. Let the neck show off as the centerpiece it is.

If you went with a cream or off-white body, what pickguard would you use?

Yeah, good question....

 

[Cagey]

Depends on the body. Most color bodies you'd have to take on a case-by-case basis. If it were one of the white finishes you could probably indulge whatever whims you have. But, with a white-type body I think I'd continue with a white, off-white or cream pickguard, then black pickups/hardware all around. If you'd like some color in your life, get a rear-routed carved top of some sort (VIP, Soloist, Tele) and skip the pickguard altogether, then you could do chrome all the way around. Either way would be classy without being gaudy or ostentatious.

The finish Warmoth uses is some remarkably tough stuff. Pickguards aren't as necessary as they were back 100 years ago when everything was lacquer or something that wouldn't take any abuse. Today's catalyzed polys are more scratch-resistant than the ABS plastic 'guards that are ostensibly protecting them.

 

[EVH_5150]

Great advice!  At the moment I'm leaning towards building something similar to the Suhr Pete Thorn model with a soloist body (hence no pickguard) and his set of Thornbuckers in nickel finish.  I love the ocean turquoise body color they offer, so I'll see if Warmoth could get close to that.