New to Warmoth. Finish question.

[voxic]

Hello everyone. I'm new to Warmoth. I am looking to get something super high quality and custom for my 40th and after seeing a quote for a custom shop Fender (over $6,000) I started looking at alternatives. I always knew about Warmoth, but I guess I never realized thay had a build section, I thought it was more of an in-stock only product.  How wrong I was! 

Anyway, I'm in the market for quilted maple top and have been building guitars on the site and noticed most of the graphical representations are pretty close to the stock photo in the guitar builder. However, "Flame Burst" seem waaaaay off to me. Much much darker in the stock photo, which is my preferred look. Also the stock photo seem like it bursts from black on the edge and the graphic has literally no black in it. It looks like two different finishes to me with the graphic seeming to be bursting from red edges.

I know this is more of a question for Warmoth, just wondering if anyone has experience with this finish. I'm hoping they did not change the recipe and the lighter/brighter look is what the finish is.  And when ordering, do they allow customers to dictate anything about the finish, like "I like the darker look please"?

I attached a photo for reference.

 

[Cactus Jack]

Welcome to the forum.

I have a flame top fire burst Tele. See the build thread in the link here:

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=31662.0

I have multiple figured top Warmoth instruments. While the finish is always impeccable, in all instances the actual color has been darker in person vs website photos. The only way my bodies look like the website is to put them in direct sunlight.

Regarding quilt tops, if you want something special you’ll definitely want to use the Unique Choice option. That’s the only way you’ll have any idea what your body will look like. Without paying for the upgrade, you get what you get. Lots of threads on the topic if you search around.

Last comment. If you’re hoping for that amazing 3D quilt effect, I suggest you stay with a light finish. I have Fire Burst, Tigers Eye, and Aqua Marine, and while the figuring is amazing, all three lack depth of any kind. Folks here have said the darker the finish the quicker you lose the pop, I can attest to that.

Last last comment, take you’re time. There are a lot of options to chose from. Post ideas, ask questions, there are folks here who can help with everything from color to electronics. Take your time and enjoy the process.

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum.

I just went through the builder and selected fireburst and while I could see a difference it was not as pronounced as your photo though it was there.

Remember the builder gives an impression and the stock image is likely to be closer to reality.

What might be worth doing is contacting Warmoth sales and enquire regarding the differences you have seen and what you are looking for and see what they may be able to suggest.

This may also be of use.

https://www.warmoth.com/pdf/BodyFinishes.pdf

 

[PhilHill]

Welcome to the Forum. Cactus Jack and stratamania give good advice there, not much I can add except to second their statements. Throughout the history of computers there has always been difficulties with digital photo display and how human eyes see things. So there can often be differences in color and the effect of light. Good luck with your quest.... :icon_thumright:

 

[voxic]

Welcome to the Forum. Cactus Jack and stratamania give good advice there, not much I can add except to second their statements. Throughout the history of computers there has always been difficulties with digital photo display and how human eyes see things. So there can often be differences in color and the effect of light. Good luck with your quest.... :icon_thumright:

Oh no doubt!  I'm actually an IT Pro for the last 17 years, so very familiar with graphics and rendering. I only raised the question because it just looks like a completely different finish to me with the stock photo having dark/black edges with a red/orange center and the graphic having red edges with a bright orange center (according to my photo). And it looked that way both on my Dell laptop and on my iPhone 11 pro. I just wanted to be sure that stock photo was correct because that would be the finish I'd want of the two.  Thanks for the warm welcome!  I'm now toying with the purple to trans burst or possibly finding a local painter to give me what a truly want, which is something like the nebula burst in my avatar.  I'm so glad I chose to build my own for this "special" guitar, it will make it so much more meaningful than paying for like a $3600 ESP USA or something.

 

[voxic]

Welcome to the forum.

I have a flame top fire burst Tele. See the build thread in the link here:

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=31662.0

I have multiple figured top Warmoth instruments. While the finish is always impeccable, in all instances the actual color has been darker in person vs website photos. The only way my bodies look like the website is to put them in direct sunlight.

Regarding quilt tops, if you want something special you’ll definitely want to use the Unique Choice option. That’s the only way you’ll have any idea what your body will look like. Without paying for the upgrade, you get what you get. Lots of threads on the topic if you search around.

Last comment. If you’re hoping for that amazing 3D quilt effect, I suggest you stay with a light finish. I have Fire Burst, Tigers Eye, and Aqua Marine, and while the figuring is amazing, all three lack depth of any kind. Folks here have said the darker the finish the quicker you lose the pop, I can attest to that.

Last last comment, take you’re time. There are a lot of options to chose from. Post ideas, ask questions, there are folks here who can help with everything from color to electronics. Take your time and enjoy the process.

Thank you for linking to your Fire Burst, it is very helpful.  I'm definitely using the Unique Choice (UC) selector.  Maybe you can help me with something on there that I'm not understanding. Preface, I don't know a whole ton about finishes and woods, and I'm sure you guys on here are dang near experts by now. When I select the $295 level in UC, the quilt seems much more faint and lighter and, in the graphic, seems to wash away easily under the dyed or trans finishes. Whereas a cheaper UC selection (like $225) seems to appear starker and more pronounced under a dyed finish. What dictates this? And what dictates the additional cost?  I assumed it would be like 3A vs 5A figuring, but in my experience 5A figuring practically jumps off the guitar in a 3D effect. The $295 UC pics don't look 5A to me and the $225 seems better than the $295. Any idea what am I missing here?

Pics show what i mean

 

[stratamania]

Remember those are graphic representations and will not reflect things as they actually would be.

 

[Cactus Jack]

You are experiencing the most difficult aspect of purchasing a custom body from Warmoth. You're required to plunk down your cash, wait 8-10 weeks, and hope the end product meets your expectations. It's a risk, but at the end of the day Warmoth does have a great return policy. Several folks, including myself, have wrestled with this topic numerous times. Here is a recent thread where the topic was discussed:

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32287.0

If the features you want are fairly standard you might want to keep an eye on the Showcase. With the Showcase you know what you'll get, with the understanding that colors will be slightly different due to studio lighting, professional photography, and computer/phone screens etc. The value can be fantastic, as discussed in the thread above.