Online Custom Build

[PackerBhoy]

There are many unflattering things about Warmoth on the interwebs.  Some are 1st hand experience, and some ignorant, no experience, just flat out wrong responses.  Remember, there is no truth detector on the internet and on this forum it's safe to say we are Pro-Warmoth.  We may not be the most unbiased people to ask.  However, many of us are repeat customers.  Some of us also will not buy a guitar off the shelf from a retailer anymore.  That should say something right there.

What I would caution you on is to do your homework thoroughly.  Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible.  Not their fault, and can explain some of the unhappiness on the web.  Warmoth parts are not kits.  Even a fully assembled instrument from Warmoth parts that makes a sound in an amplifier is not a finished instrument.  Every Warmoth neck I've ordered has had the nut a little high.  This is by intention as they do not have anyway of knowing what string gauge or action you prefer, so this can be setup to owner's choice.  Also, the fretwork, while good enough to most, may need a proper setup by a professional.

If looking to build a fnished guitar from Warmoth parts to save a few bucks, Warmoth may or may not be for you.  Their choices can go from very frugal and plain to quite extravagant.  The reason should be that you choose Warmoth to get exactly what you want and couldn't find elsewhere.  Sometimes it's less than the factory made equivalent, sometimes it's more.    

That was really refreshing to read, greatly appreciate your honesty.

When you say, "Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible", what are some things that wouldn't be compatible?  And wouldn't Warmoth know these things not to be compatible when they get the order?  To me, it would seem that in their best interests that they would try to stop these things from happening, to not alienate a customer.

All the best,

alex

 

[Danuda]

There are many unflattering things about Warmoth on the interwebs.  Some are 1st hand experience, and some ignorant, no experience, just flat out wrong responses.  Remember, there is no truth detector on the internet and on this forum it's safe to say we are Pro-Warmoth.  We may not be the most unbiased people to ask.  However, many of us are repeat customers.  Some of us also will not buy a guitar off the shelf from a retailer anymore.  That should say something right there.

What I would caution you on is to do your homework thoroughly.  Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible.  Not their fault, and can explain some of the unhappiness on the web.  Warmoth parts are not kits.  Even a fully assembled instrument from Warmoth parts that makes a sound in an amplifier is not a finished instrument.  Every Warmoth neck I've ordered has had the nut a little high.  This is by intention as they do not have anyway of knowing what string gauge or action you prefer, so this can be setup to owner's choice.  Also, the fretwork, while good enough to most, may need a proper setup by a professional.

If looking to build a fnished guitar from Warmoth parts to save a few bucks, Warmoth may or may not be for you.  Their choices can go from very frugal and plain to quite extravagant.  The reason should be that you choose Warmoth to get exactly what you want and couldn't find elsewhere.  Sometimes it's less than the factory made equivalent, sometimes it's more.    

That was really refreshing to read, greatly appreciate your honesty.

When you say, "Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible", what are some things that wouldn't be compatible?  And wouldn't Warmoth know these things not to be compatible when they get the order?  To me, it would seem that in their best interests that they would try to stop these things from happening, to not alienate a customer.

All the best,

alex

If you talk to them on the phone they will warn you about incompatibility issues.  If you just build from the online guitar builder the computer does not know what you are building and wont catch you missing something since all the parts are selected individually.  For instance you could build out a tele body and then go to the neck builder and build a strat style neck that you want to put on it.  If you are not looking carefully you won't nottice that they are not compatible with eachother without modification and the builder does not "know" that you also ordered a tele body.

 

[mayfly]

There are many unflattering things about Warmoth on the interwebs.  Some are 1st hand experience, and some ignorant, no experience, just flat out wrong responses.  Remember, there is no truth detector on the internet and on this forum it's safe to say we are Pro-Warmoth.  We may not be the most unbiased people to ask.  However, many of us are repeat customers.  Some of us also will not buy a guitar off the shelf from a retailer anymore.  That should say something right there.

What I would caution you on is to do your homework thoroughly.  Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible.  Not their fault, and can explain some of the unhappiness on the web.  Warmoth parts are not kits.  Even a fully assembled instrument from Warmoth parts that makes a sound in an amplifier is not a finished instrument.  Every Warmoth neck I've ordered has had the nut a little high.  This is by intention as they do not have anyway of knowing what string gauge or action you prefer, so this can be setup to owner's choice.  Also, the fretwork, while good enough to most, may need a proper setup by a professional.

If looking to build a fnished guitar from Warmoth parts to save a few bucks, Warmoth may or may not be for you.  Their choices can go from very frugal and plain to quite extravagant.  The reason should be that you choose Warmoth to get exactly what you want and couldn't find elsewhere.  Sometimes it's less than the factory made equivalent, sometimes it's more.    

That was really refreshing to read, greatly appreciate your honesty.

When you say, "Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible", what are some things that wouldn't be compatible?  And wouldn't Warmoth know these things not to be compatible when they get the order?  To me, it would seem that in their best interests that they would try to stop these things from happening, to not alienate a customer.

All the best,

alex

I have one example of this.  A while ago I was building a telecaster and placed an on-line order for most of the bits on the warmoth site.   I didn't realize at the time, but I had made a mistake - I specified the control plate for a telecaster bass instead of a telecaster guitar.  Just a typing error.

They send me a nice email back saying something to the effect "we noticed this - is this really what you intended?"  the answer was no - I had screwed up.  We resolved it fast and I got what I needed.

I have another example of this.  I was ordering a bunch of stuff for a thunderbird bass, and I also ordered some string trees for a guitar.  They notified me again about this.  This time though, it was intentional.  I thanked them for checking the order but let them know that yep I intended to order that part.  Again resolved fast and I got what I needed.

With regards to "your choices may not be compatible", for example if you had ordered a telecaster neck with a strat body - the parts will not fit.  at all.  If you ordered a LP scale neck with a telecaster body, the parts will fit - but the guitar will never play in tune because of issues with scale length.  If you ordered a strat with the 720 option and wanted a pickguard - the parts again will not fit.  There are dozens and dozens of these little incompatibilities that may trip you up.  However, if you publish here what you intend to order, we can check it for you and offer suggestions.  Then you can phone up the folks at Warmoth to double check it again.

With regards to the quality of the finished instruments, I'm a semi-pro player who has been at it for 40 years.  I've owned or played almost every type of instrument you could name.  The warmoth guitars that I have now (and I think I have, er, 6 of them)  are the finest instruments I have ever used.  HOWEVER - the quality of the finished guitar is more than just the quality of the parts.  You need to take care in assembly and you need to take double care when setting up the instrument.  I'm very careful when setting up, say, the nut.  I spent about $50 on special tools just for this one task.  I take similar care when setting action, neck relief, intonation, and fret dressing. I have collected additional tools for these tasks as well.  But you need to do these things, or have a pro do it, in order to have a great playing instrument.

 

[PackerBhoy]

"However, if you publish here what you intend to order, we can check it for you and offer suggestions.  Then you can phone up the folks at Warmoth to double check it again."


That is fantastic--  this forum is amazing.

It may be awhile yet, as we're looking to next year for my son's 18th birthday.  But to know that I can do this is extremely reassuring.

All the best,

alex

 

[B3Guy]

Alex, use the guys on this forum. I joined less than a year ago, and I know so much about guitars now it isn't even funny! the truth is, there are a lot of folks on this forum who genuinely like to be helpful, and also know a lot about guitars. don't be shy to ask any questions. you may be stretched and challenged a lot to stray away from traditional neck woods and run-of-the-mill electronics, but it is a good thing!

I joined just wanting to build a stratocaster, and now I don't even know what to call my plan, but it isn't a strat, that's for sure!

Good luck, and have fun!  :icon_thumright:

 

[Mor Paul]

Trevor, I don't remember that bass!

And a little note... the LP necks are conversion necks, designed for the strat bridge placement. Warmoth's 24 3/4 scale necks will fit on things like strats.

And like they said, just tell us your plans, and we'll help get everything together.

 

[Dan025]

im a bit late on this one but what happens alot is people mis understand that warmoth makes replacement parts and though they carry all the componants to make a guitar they dont build it, people get the parts and bad mouth them on the internet because the customer service refused to build the guitar and level and dress the frets. one thing i can tell you is warmoth takes pride in the product and service and as long as you understand that there are limitations that they dont do because it is not company policy you will be happy. some of the policy is the way it is so hat they can build licenced fender parts which they would not be able to do if they sold guitars.

if something is wrong with the product and it does happen they have a pretty good return policy on warranty defects, if the mistake was made by you at the time of order they will take it in return as long as it is not an odd ball set of options and there was no modifications made.

the paint and finish is fantastic and the wood is as well. assembly is quite easy but setup is best left to someone that has done it before. it is not too difficult but it requires a lot of reading a few tools an understanding of geometry and a good amount of patience.

on this board we have some machinists, engineers, some very talented guitar players, hobbyists, electricians, set designers, and other talented and capable people. if you have a question someone here will answer. and if you do wind up having a problem with warmoth make sure you take it up with warmoth, not the internet.

 

[Mor Paul]

on this board we have some machinists, engineers, some very talented guitar players, hobbyists, electricians, set designers, and other talented and capable people

And me!

 

[line6man]

on this board we have some machinists, engineers, some very talented guitar players, hobbyists, electricians, set designers, and other talented and capable people

And me!

You're a hobbyist, aren't you?
Talented guitar player?

 

[Dan025]

oh and a couple smart ass kids  :icon_thumright: 

well to give credit where it is do, when i was there age i was often told "you are the smartest kid i know" really people told me that, and i would say that max and line6man are in that category.  and max has a better sense of humor.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

When you say, "Warmoth will sell you exactly what you order, and sometimes your choices may not be compatible", what are some things that wouldn't be compatible?  And wouldn't Warmoth know these things not to be compatible when they get the order?  To me, it would seem that in their best interests that they would try to stop these things from happening, to not alienate a customer.

All the best,

alex

A few that come to mind are tuner size and tuner ream compatibility.  You'll need to know before ordering, especially if outsourcing the hardware from anyone besides Warmoth.  Pole peice spacing on the bridge pickup, as it relates to string spacing on the choice of bridge.  If getting a hardtail, which one goes with which routing, and so on.  If getting a side jack, 7/8" is usually the best all around as the electrosocket and all of the jackplates will cover that hole.  The deepsocket jack however is too small for that.  If getting the deep socket, will it interfere with pot placement, and so on.  The sales staff usually does catch this stuff, but they're human too and at any given time can't know every detail about every combination.  If getting a compound radius neck, know what to expect.  Does it work with the radius of the T-O-M bridge, and so on.


Misconceptions that pop up on other forums about Warmoth relate to anything from playability to fit and finish.  Playability, well that's a setup issue.  Who's to blame for that, the people that made it and said it should be setup, or the guy that put it together and didn't set it up?  Their finishes have been called "thick poly" by some.  Well, they are Poly, but thick?  They are super thin.  Thick poly describes some of the stuff that Fender is doing now.  Lastly, the necks.  They make them in 3 styles.  All 3 are licensed by Fender, and according to Fender they are subject to Fender's QC from time to time.  The wording of the license says the quality must meet or exceed Fender quality.  So by a binding legal document, they have to be better than Fender.  Every Warmoth neck and body I've paired, with the body laying flat and the neck placed in the pocket with out screws in it, the headstock had daylight underneath it.  How's that for a snug neck joint? 

 

[elfro89]

I posted this already, but it hasn't shown up.  If it does, my apologies for doubling up...


Thanks for all the clarification, as I had read some unflattering things about Warmoth on the web.  That's why I was glad to find this forum, so that I could get some real answers from some real people who have experience with Warmoth.  Thanks for the clarifications.

So, let me get this straight:  I would order up all the pieces on  http://www.warmoth.com  in the "Online Custom Builders" section.  Once I order everything I want (including the paint job/finish), they send it all to me (including having it painted/finished--  I don't do that part, they just don't send me paint, correct?) for me to get assembled.  That's it?

Also, do they ship to Great Britain?  That would be more convenient for us, though we do have relatives in the US (we have dual citizenship).

Thanks for the help.

alex

they send you all the parts ready made, you won't have to put a finish on the guitar unless thats what you specify. But you will have to put it all together, which can be tricky if you have never done it before.

They do ship to the UK  :icon_thumright: just be weary of import charges when the item gets here. with vat at 20% your looking at an extra £200 on top of a package valued at £1000, and then another charge by the British company that delivers the package. It's a bit hefty but its worth it! And then if you pay a guitar tech to put it together for you, thats anywhere between another £100-£200 depending on who you go to.

It is a bit pricey because of the whole VAT crap thats going on the now, but on the other hand I don't think anything is quite as special as having your own guitar built for you/by you. And if you can afford it -  do it would be my advice.

 

[PackerBhoy]

A few that come to mind are tuner size and tuner ream compatibility.  You'll need to know before ordering, especially if outsourcing the hardware from anyone besides Warmoth.  Pole peice spacing on the bridge pickup, as it relates to string spacing on the choice of bridge.  If getting a hardtail, which one goes with which routing, and so on.  If getting a side jack, 7/8" is usually the best all around as the electrosocket and all of the jackplates will cover that hole.  The deepsocket jack however is too small for that.  If getting the deep socket, will it interfere with pot placement, and so on.  The sales staff usually does catch this stuff, but they're human too and at any given time can't know every detail about every combination.  If getting a compound radius neck, know what to expect.  Does it work with the radius of the T-O-M bridge, and so on.


Misconceptions that pop up on other forums about Warmoth relate to anything from playability to fit and finish.  Playability, well that's a setup issue.  Who's to blame for that, the people that made it and said it should be setup, or the guy that put it together and didn't set it up?  Their finishes have been called "thick poly" by some.  Well, they are Poly, but thick?  They are super thin.  Thick poly describes some of the stuff that Fender is doing now.  Lastly, the necks.  They make them in 3 styles.  All 3 are licensed by Fender, and according to Fender they are subject to Fender's QC from time to time.  The wording of the license says the quality must meet or exceed Fender quality.  So by a binding legal document, they have to be better than Fender.  Every Warmoth neck and body I've paired, with the body laying flat and the neck placed in the pocket with out screws in it, the headstock had daylight underneath it.  How's that for a snug neck joint? 

I'm learning so much already!  It's a bit like practicing guitar by yourself, and then jamming with others--  you grow so much as a player in a way you couldn't do otherwise.


I'm sort of partial to Fender-type necks, especially that of my 25 year-old Strat.  It's maple , and has a gloss on it--  and that gloss extends to the maple fretboard.

If we were to go with this same type of setup (gloss maple neck) as seen in the link below, would the fingerboard have that gloss too?

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/necks/neckfinish.aspx


alex

 

[PackerBhoy]

In saying that, my son is partial to rosewood fretboards.

Would that be able to get a gloss treatment as well, or is that just reserved for maple?

alex

 

[PackerBhoy]

They do ship to the UK  :icon_thumright: just be weary of import charges when the item gets here. with vat at 20% your looking at an extra £200 on top of a package valued at £1000, and then another charge by the British company that delivers the package. It's a bit hefty but its worth it! And then if you pay a guitar tech to put it together for you, thats anywhere between another £100-£200 depending on who you go to.

It is a bit pricey because of the whole VAT crap thats going on the now, but on the other hand I don't think anything is quite as special as having your own guitar built for you/by you. And if you can afford it -  do it would be my advice.

This is a consideration we would take into account.  And we'd probably have it sent to a relative or friend in the US, and perhaps have it put together there.

alex

 

[Mor Paul]

It is not possible to get the gloss on the rosewood fingerboard. Rosewood doesn't take a finish very well sometimes. Also, it is generally preferred raw.

 

[Strat Avenger]

With regard to an earlier post; I will never buy another  *new* factory production guitar again.

 

[PackerBhoy]

It is not possible to get the gloss on the rosewood fingerboard. Rosewood doesn't take a finish very well sometimes. Also, it is generally preferred raw.

I didn't think so, as I'd never seen one.  And you're right, it is rather raw--  which I don't particularly like (though my favorite guitar has a rosewood fretboard), and my son prefers.

 

[Cletus]

Hi Everyone,

First post here.

I have a 16 year old son who wants a really nice guitar for his 18th birthday.

I see on the Warmoth website that there are some really nice guitars that can be completed by Warmoth (Online Custom Build), and I think that is something he'd like (as it would be more professional than him building one by himself, something he's never done).  I guess the main point is that he would have a custom guitar that he has designed, with everything he wants.

Does anyone have any knowledge as to the quaility of the build Warmoth would do, including the paint job?  I've read some reviews saying that Warmoth Customer Service is pretty poor (almost non-existent), and that concerns me.

Any help or advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

All the best,

alex

In all honesty I have to say that I haven't found the customer service to be great in terms of getting back to me promptly, however the information I get back is great. I must also point out that as I'm in Australia I realise time zones are an issue, but there's not 3 days between Sydney and Seattle. All in all I'll be a happy enough camper when my neck and body arrive, but yeah- sales staff have no excuse for taking three days to get back to someone.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It is not possible to get the gloss on the rosewood fingerboard. Rosewood doesn't take a finish very well sometimes. Also, it is generally preferred raw.

I didn't think so, as I'd never seen one.  And you're right, it is rather raw--  which I don't particularly like (though my favorite guitar has a rosewood fretboard), and my son prefers.

Look at the 3 neck varieties that Warmoth makes.  The Vintage and Vintage Modern are closest to what Fender makes now.  If getting a Maple neck with Maple fretboard, the neck and fretboard are the same piece of wood with no seam (one piece neck) and have a different variety of wood known as a "skunk stripe" on the back used to plug the hole for truss rod installation (Vintage and Vintage Modern).  On the Warmoth Pro, if getting a Maple neck Maple fretboard, it is 2 pieces of wood glued together and no skunk stripe is there as the truss rod is installed before the 2 pieces are mated together.  The Warmoth Pro is the only neck they make with their double expanding truss rod.  It is a rock solid way of building a neck and usually doesn't require seasonal adjustments like the other 2 construction types.  However, the 2 piece Maple neck and fretboard is a detail that some Fender afficionadoes scoff at.  If getting a Maple neck and Rosewood fretboard, those are obviously 2 varieties of wood, so no skunk stripe on any of the 3 styles of Warmoth necks as the trussrod is inserted before mating the 2 pieces.  Confused?  Look at the different neck constructions on the main site and by using the search filters in the "in stock" section.