Ordering a flamed roasted maple neck - tips?

[brain21]

So in August or so I'm going to be ordering a flamed, roasted maple neck.  1 piece.  Obviously I'd like to get it as flamey and caramel-y looking as possible.  I've seen lots of flamed roasted maple necks where the back looks flamed as does the headstock, but the fretboard looks plain or close to it.  IDK if this is a function of the woodgrain and the way/direction it's cut or what.

So... silly question...

All that in mind are there any tips to getting Warmoth to pick out a nicer blank for you so you can get a nicer flamey board?  Like literally if you ask nicely when ordering will they take an extra 5 or 10 minutes to go through a few extra neck blanks and pick one for you?  Is construction type something that matters here (Vintage, vintage/modern, etc.)?  Do I need to pick out one of the special wood blanks in that ordering form where you can select from the actual pieces of wood?  That would cost more and possibly the fretboard color could be very different from the next color when roasted.  Perhaps calling them on the phone to order instead?  Or does it not matter at all, it's all just the luck of the draw?

What have your experiences been?  I imagine that calling might be the way to do it, but I also imagine that due to C19, there's just not a lot of people there taking calls.  I know that they're really behind on neck orders now, and I wouldn't want to add to stress of them by calling either.

What have your experiences been?  THanks!

 

[gingataff]

Does Warmoth offer 1 piece necks in roasted flamed maple?
When selecting a roasted vintage neck (non flamed) in the neck builder you get the option for a 1 piece neck in the fretboard list. But choosing roasted flamed doesn't specify 1 piece, so I'm assuming it would be a separate fretboard.

 

[davi3blu3]

I'm curious about this too. I see when Shopping In-Stock there are different grades of flame ... "High Grade", "Very High Grade", etc. A decent jump in price too - but I'm not seeing these options when I play with the customizer?

 

[brain21]

Well, I can tell you this....

Go into the customizer and select a Baritone scale neck.  It asks for shaftwood and you can select roasted maple.  Then you can select the fretboard.  You can select roasted maple.

That's what I did a while back, and what I received was a 1-piece roasted maple neck. 

IDK if the same applies for "regular" necks or not.  I'm specifically looking for Vintage Modern.  It does appear that some, like a regular vintage/modern or modern has a separate flamed fretboard, and you can select it as such in the builder.  IDK if the fretboard comes from a different piece of wood, or if Warmoth simply cuts the fretboard off of the top of the neck to insert the truss rod, and then glues the same piece back, or what.

However, as davi3blu3 mentioned, there is no option to select the grade of either, and if you look in the showcase there are regular, high grade, and very high grade flamed necks.  If you look in the "wood choices" section where you can pick out the individual pieces of wood for an extra cost, there is no flamed roasted maple option.

 

[ragamuffin]

If you're seeking a very highly flamed neck like some of the more expensive ones that you see in the showcase, you definitely want to give them a call instead of ordering online through the builder. They'll probably be willing to pick out a high grade piece of flamed maple at an upcharge, otherwise it's just luck of the draw.

 

[brain21]

If you're seeking a very highly flamed neck like some of the more expensive ones that you see in the showcase, you definitely want to give them a call instead of ordering online through the builder. They'll probably be willing to pick out a high grade piece of flamed maple at an upcharge, otherwise it's just luck of the draw.

OK, thanks for the confirmation.  I was afraid of that.  Because I know that they are SUPER busy in the neck department I really hesitate to give them a call, but I might just have to.  THanks!

 

[brain21]

Well, I grabbed this one off of the showcase.  It was almost exactly what I was looking for.  Amazing figuring, nice and dark, 1piece, V/M construction, 22 frets.

The big deal to me is I *really* wanted a right-hand reverse.  It is the standard profile, and I'd really like to try out the EVH.
I'm going to call and say "hey, I just bought this neck, what are the chances of me getting another neck for the same price, that is basically identical except right-hand reverse at about the same price?" and see what they say.  I'll probably pay extra to get the EVH profile, but I will also wait until this one arrives so I can see how I like the Std thin.

Specs:
Vintage/Modern Construction
One Piece High Grade Roasted Flame Maple
Nut Width 1-11/16"
GraphTech Black TUSQ XL - Standard Nut
Standard thin
Frets 6105
10-16" Compound
No Finish

 

[stratamania]

You will always pay more for a build to order neck than one that is in the showcase. But at least you have a neck to reference when making a request.

 

[musicispeace]

Yes I would definitely call them to discuss this since its a real investment and you have a clear sense of what you want. That said, I opted to get a roasted flame maple neck out of the showcase as I wanted to see what I was getting and approve highly of it already when I ordered it. I found one I really liked in the $337 price range and its pretty figured. If I was going to custom order one I might bite the bullet and order the highest flame grade....and call them before hand.

As for color of the wood, I have two roasted maple Warmoth necks and a couple of other roasted maple Warmoth necks have passed through my hands that I sold. They all were/are a beautiful color. I knew Tommy at USACG and they made great necks when they were in the business but their source of roasted maple was more putty colored and I always thought less beautiful out of the box. But some Tru Oil on theirs could make up for a lot of that.

 

[brain21]

Thought I'd share what Warmoth told me regarding the flamed roasted maple necks as well as 1-piece vs 2-piece necks:

"We only had a limited amount of One Piece suitable Roasted Flame that we could use and, we put that all up online.
Also, those were aggressively priced to move as they aren’t representative of normal availability.

You are welcome to add 3A (+ $200) and 5A (+ $400) specs to Roasted Flame neck builds.

There is literally no way to get something similar (One Piece) or anywhere near the bargain you got on that neck.

NOTE: Higher grade means… Tighter figure, more complete coverage, higher figure density…etc.

That said, figure is just one of those mysteries of the universe… as a standard grade blank may come out looking far above its station and, transversely, higher grade blanks may not initially reveal the level of opulence expected once shaped, bended, and final sanded. Some serendipity is involved in this aspect.

So, The One Piece Roasted Flame necks are kind of Unicorns..."

 

[brain21]

After what Warmoth said I decided to take another look at the in-stock options.  I found almost exactly what I was looking for!
Roasted flamed maple neck and board (2-piece, but thats ok).  High quality flames (so at least the +$200 AAA upcharge)
VM Construction
59 Roundback, which would have been my 2nd or 3rd pick (after Wolfgang and SRV)
22 frets.

I priced it through the builder and added $200 for the AAA upcharge (and really, it looks much more like their AAAAA grade necks like the previous one I purchased and posted above).

It would have cost $542.  I grabbed it for $385.  If they graded it at 5A, then it would have been $742.  Yikes!  Either way I think I got a good deal.

As luck would have it, my tax return was deposited yesterday.  Def. serendipity.

Its weird the other neck is a one-piece and supposedly a higher grade of flame, and cost $17 less.

 

[musicispeace]

Super good find! I am so glad you are happy about it. Well done. In person they are real stunners.