Newbie Question - how does a Warmoth assembled guitar compare to a USA Fender?

[tfarny]

Stubhead, you are Frackin' awesome.

 

[bagman67]

Stubhead, you are Frackin' awesome.

+1


If I ever want to see the piss taken out of an outrageous assertion, Stubby's my favorite piss-taker-outer.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

There's always a tough love message there, except I don't think he loves us.

-turn off the TV
-practice
-it ain't the gear
-learn to do a good setup

 

[bagman67]

There's always a tough love message there, except I don't think he loves us.

But he does think you have a good personality.

 

[Strat Avenger]

This linguistic hoopery is acutely evident in the manufacturing claims of brands like DeTemple and D'Pergo, where they just need hundreds and hundreds of hours luthiering expertly away and $4,000 - $7,000 to painstakingly duplicate a 50's Fender slapped together out of the then-cheapest stuff available as quickly as possible by semi-skilled workers.  :icon_scratch:

+1000 !

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Stubhead, you are Frackin' awesome.

Sucker MC's call him "Sire".

 

[buckallred]

I bought my warmoth parts and paid a luthier to do the final assembly and setup.

The result: I honestly believe my strat is equal to or better then any Fender Custom Shop instrument. That said, I have seen some warmoth guitars on ebay that are all screwed up because tuners are installed crooked, etc. It is a shame to see beautiful warmoth parts ruined by being assembled incorrectly.

 

[B3Guy]

Go Warmoth, get it set up by a reputed luthier, and you'll struggle to go back to Fender/Gibson/etc. I built a Warmoth a while back with a raw neck and a chambered swamp ash body, and I could ahrdly be happier. It is the most incredible instrument I have ever played. Now that I've used a raw neck, I can't see myself owning a finished neck guitar ever again. The action is perfect, the graph tech nut and Wilkinson tremolo hold perfect tune through intense whammy action, and even the simple finish and wood of the body are absolutely gorgeous. Pabloman graciously gave me a loaded pickguard and hardware from an American Standard HSS strat, so everything besides neck, bridge and body are essentially stock Fender . . .

but those Warmoth parts once set up by a luthier are in a completely different league from any Fender I've ever played.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Please forgive my ignorance... I've never looked into the "build your own" guitar thing and have only had factory made Fenders, Gibsons, Martins, etc.

I know it would be really cool to put together one's own, unique, custom guitar such as one can do with Warmoth components.

What I don't know is how the quality and playability of the instrument would compare to a top quality USA made Strat or Tele.

Any comments that will help me understand how these build-your-own customs compare to the top quality Fender models would be much appreciated!

Thanks, in advance.

There is no comparison.  A properly built/set up Warmoth is every bit as a "top quality, USA-made Strat or Tele."  Warmoth products are not "bobo" parts, they are top-notch products.

As for resale values, they are dirt cheap.  Reason being is because some people frown upon companies like Warmoth and see them as "kit guitars" or "just parts."  Ignorance is bliss and it's a great asset to those who are looking for high quality, used guitars.

I own three American-made, electric guitars; a 1995 Fender Telecaster Plus, 2003 Jackson USA KV2, and my Warmoth.  My Warmoth sounds and plays better than both, the Fender and Jackson.  This sounds cliche' but honestly, my Warmoth is the best-playing guitar I've ever played, and I've played a lot of guitars.

FWIW, a guitar is only as good as the person who assembles/sets it up.  You could have the best parts on the planet and it could be the worst guitar ever if it's not done right.  If you don't know what you're doing, have a qualified luthier do the job for you, otherwise you'll just have a bunch of expensive, wasted wood.