Questions regarding 1st planned Warmoth build

[vegababy]

Hi Everyone !!!

First post here, eventhough I've been lurking around since a couple of weeks and found pleanty of useful information already...

My main guitars have so far always been mid to late 80's japanese reissue Strats which I've customized heavily. Different pu's, frets, fretboard radius, tremolo etc.... Having always been a huge fan of the 'SuperStrat/Frankenstein guitars' era (Van Halen's Frankenstein, Vai's Meanie, early Charvels etc.) I thought this time instead of finding another good used vintage jap Strat with even the color I want and all the customizing...I might actually 'design' one and build it from Warmoth parts exactly like I want it and it would probably cost me as much as what I've usually done...

Anyway, to cut a long story short, what I'd like to build is of course another Superstrat but more in the style of old Charvels.

I'm thinking so far:

Alder Strat body, top routed s-s-h, recessed Floyd Rose, no fancy color, probably just Alpine White or Sonic Blue with matching headstock.

Neck is definitely going to be Warmoth Pro, flamed maple, 1-11/16" nut width, vintage tint, 6100 frets and either Rosewood or Ebony fretboard.

And here come the questions:

1) How good are the neckpockets on Warmoth guitars ? Don't mean to offend anyone with this question, I'm just curious.

2) Are the wholes drilled for pickguard etc. ?

3) I'm not sure if I should go for the traditional (Fender) maple/ rosewood option or ( Charvel) maple / ebony. How much would an ebony board affect the tone of the guitar ? I like its darker look but I don't want to make it sound too harsh and bright. Maybe one of you guys has both options tested and could share experiences ?

4) Very unsure about the neck profile. I'm torn between Standard Thin and SRV shape. I don't like my necks too thin like Ibanez but I also don't like baseball bats or 'v' shapes.
I find necks on new American Fender Strats a little too thin and prefer more the custom shop reissue 60's models. I don't know if the SRV is too thick. It almost looks like on the Warmoth site that it's got a little 'v' shape. Is that true ? I've had an asymmetric neck before on an ESP I used to have and liked that, so that would not be a problem. Is the SRV shape exactly like on the Fender model or 'just a name' from Warmoth for slightly fatter 60's necks ?

5) How are the neck profiles measured on the Warmoth site. Is that from top of the fretboard to the back of the neck in the middle ? What do you guys recommend how I could measure my own necks ?


Sorry about this rather long post but I'm sure some of you had similar problems when it came to the first build. Been making lists already etc. but sometimes options can also raise questioning yourself and what you'd actually really want .

Thanks in advance !!!

 

[sundin4prez]

1) the neck pockets a very tight...which is good
2) pickguard screw holes , you will have to do them yourselves


the other questions i will leave it to the other guys.....

 

[tfarny]

+1 sundin's post...
People here say that fretboard wood is not a major determinant of tone, which makes sense if you think about it. Maybe ebony adds a touch of brightness, but pickup magnet choice will affect tone a lot more than something like fretboard wood. My guitars all have rosewood necks and they sound totally different depending on their pickups. Go with look / feel that you want.

Maybe you should consider 59 roundback? That has almost the exact dimensions of the PRS 'wide fat' neck which is on McCarty and some other models (also on the SE singlecut which is everywhere) so you could go play one and see. Personally I love those PRS necks. I've never played SRV or 59 but it's your taste, anyhow - I wouldn't listen to someone elses opinion about neck shapes. There are some long posts somewhere here talking about neck contours which may be helpful too.

Also, a suggestion: definitely go for the heel contour. It does make a difference up high.

Also, you MUST come back and post pics of your axe once you've got it together.

 

[vegababy]

Thanks to both of you ! Appreciated !

Forgot to mention that the heel contour was already in my 'plans'. Not doing it without !

I don't think the roundback is for me. Don't like PRS at all (sorry !) and I've got an old early 70's Les Paul which I never play. Not my type of necks...

Interesting with the fretboards. I wouldn't think that it makes such a huge difference but then again a lot of people say that all maple necks have more punch or 'its warm tone comes from the rosewood fingerboard'... Would be really interesting to test if there's really an audible difference.

Does anyone know how Warmoth mesures their neckcontours ?

Anyone here who's got both, Standard Thin and SRV ?. Sure it's very personal when it comes to necks but maybe I would get an idea in which direction both go...

To be honest, it woudln't be a huge problem if I ordered one neck, don't like it and order another, BUT I'm going for matching headstock and not sure if it then would still match...



p.s. I'll definitely be posting pics as soon as my list is complete and have the parts !

 

[jimh]

You could try the 'Wolfgang' profile,  Slightly offset .  Fatter on the Bass side, thinner on the treble side.  Big fat bit for chunky riffing, thin bit for widdly solos.

I just finished my first Warmoth build a couple of weeks ago (Fatback Maple on Maple neck onto a Swamp Ash body, and the pocket is as tight as a gnat's chuff.  you couldn't get a cigarette paper in there.

Would'nt like to comment on fingerboard wood tone.  I've only got Gibsons with rosewood, and my warmoth with (bridseye) maple.  Never done any other combinations so have no opinion.

Either way.....Good Luck and welcome

 

[vegababy]

If I just knew hot to interpret the Warmoth contour measures. Is it a diameter thing ? Is the actual fretboard included in the measure ??? All those questions !

Great to hear about the neck pockets. Something you don't see everyday (even on custom shop guitars from a company starting with 'F').

 

[tfarny]

Your question about neck measurements is one for Greg, or you could call them up and find out.
I've got an American standard strat from 2004 right now and a standard thin W neck, and they feel exactly the same to me, if that's useful to you. About the PRS, just to clarify, the 59 is not like their standard 'wide thin' neck but the 'wide fat' which is not on every model. And it doesn't matter to me if you don't like PRS.
Good luck on the build, and post pics!!

 

[Nando Vallart]

They measure the neck thickness with this:

A Caliper!


I would say if you don't want it too bright, get away from Ebony.. Go rosewood... Even with a small influence, like guys says here, it would be a little less bright... and you're looking forward a simple strat sound, as your description (just to make clear: it's quite like a better fender strat with HSS...)
About back contours... try an american standard Fender... would be close to the warmoth standard... And I would say SRV, because I like to play with baseball bats, and the SRV is thicker  :icon_biggrin:

About if the color will match: if you make the body and neck in one order, when the painter mix the color (or something like this, I'm stupid in finish), he would paint the body and headstock with the same tint, so, it WILL match... (as I understand reading warmoth's site, if I'm wrong, please correct me Warmoth guys!)

 

[dudesweet157]

I have both the SRV and the Standard Thin countours.  For me, I loved the way the Fender SRV neck felt in my hands, and silly me thought that the nut width was 1-11/16".  I was WAY wrong, it is 1-5/8".  My Warmoth SRV feels huge compared to the Fender.  It is the same basic shape, but there is A LOT more meat on it that the Fender.  The Standard Thin shape is what my VIP has (1-11/16" also, I bought it second hand).  I find it to be a bit lacking in depth as it doesn't fill up my hand the way the SRV did.  I also think it is a bit thinner than the AMSe Fender necks.  I think I'm just a 1-5/8" nut width guy.  That little .0625 of an inch DOES make a difference in the feel, and you need to make sure you factor than into your neck equation.  

You were talking about how you like 60's Fender necks, I think you'd love the Wolfgang profile with 1-5/8" nut width.  It's a bigger than the Standard Thin, but not quite as big as the SRV, and if you don't like it, you can give it to me! :toothy12:

 

[tfarny]

Like I said, vegababy, it's very individual, like someone trying to convince you that boxers are better than briefs.

 

[dudesweet157]

Boxers pwn. briefs BTW.  So much more room...

 

[vegababy]

I would say if you don't want it too bright, get away from Ebony.. Go rosewood... Even with a small influence, like guys says here, it would be a little less bright... and you're looking forward a simple strat sound, as your description (just to make clear: it's quite like a better fender strat with HSS...)
About back contours... try an american standard Fender... would be close to the warmoth standard... And I would say SRV, because I like to play with baseball bats, and the SRV is thicker  :icon_biggrin:

About if the color will match: if you make the body and neck in one order, when the painter mix the color (or something like this, I'm stupid in finish), he would paint the body and headstock with the same tint, so, it WILL match... (as I understand reading warmoth's site, if I'm wrong, please correct me Warmoth guys!)

I'll be definitely getting me one of those measuring tools on Wednesday and will be running round the house like a maniac measuring my Strats ! I did it 'by eye' today with one of those precision rulers (don't know the correct word) and it seemed like most of my Strats fall into the Standard Thin category.

You know, I was first going for Rosewood because that's what I've played all my life but I've always liked the darker look of ebony and when I did some research into guitars I've always liked (just for inspiration) I found out that ALL of the new Charvel customshop guitars with dark fretboards have ebony...Confused !

You're right about the matching headstock and that's why I said in my post before...I NEED to get the first one right because that's the only one that'll truely match !

 

[vegababy]

I have both the SRV and the Standard Thin countours.  For me, I loved the way the Fender SRV neck felt in my hands, and silly me thought that the nut width was 1-11/16".  I was WAY wrong, it is 1-5/8".  My Warmoth SRV feels huge compared to the Fender.  It is the same basic shape, but there is A LOT more meat on it that the Fender.  The Standard Thin shape is what my VIP has (1-11/16" also, I bought it second hand).  I find it to be a bit lacking in depth as it doesn't fill up my hand the way the SRV did.  I also think it is a bit thinner than the AMSe Fender necks.  I think I'm just a 1-5/8" nut width guy.  That little .0625 of an inch DOES make a difference in the feel, and you need to make sure you factor than into your neck equation. 

You were talking about how you like 60's Fender necks, I think you'd love the Wolfgang profile with 1-5/8" nut width.  It's a bigger than the Standard Thin, but not quite as big as the SRV, and if you don't like it, you can give it to me! :toothy12:

Right...a friend of mine has a Fender SRV that I've played a couple of times and found the neck to be a bit too huge already. That narrows it down then if you say that the W SRV is even bigger....

I've played the old EB Wolfgang as well and also (sorry) never felt really comfortable with the shape. Like someone here on the forum has said before that you really feel the asymmetric shape. Then again, I find the EB guitars strange anyway. Could just be because they are quite small and they feel even smaller because of the headstock. Maybe I've just played Strats for too long (20+ years !).

You're also right about the nut measure. Not entirely sure yet but I'm leaning towards 1-11/16".

I've done some research on this as well and almost all new Fenders are listed with 42mm which is a bit bigger than 1-5/8" or do they just round up ?

Also, thank you so much for all your help. Sometimes it can already help just to discuss things like that even though, as said before, I've gotta make the final decision myself. Just not an easy undertaking !

 

[PJ]

Hi Everyone !!!

First post here, eventhough I've been lurking around since a couple of weeks and found pleanty of useful information already...

My main guitars have so far always been mid to late 80's japanese reissue Strats which I've customized heavily. Different pu's, frets, fretboard radius, tremolo etc.... Having always been a huge fan of the 'SuperStrat/Frankenstein guitars' era (Van Halen's Frankenstein, Vai's Meanie, early Charvels etc.) I thought this time instead of finding another good used vintage jap Strat with even the color I want and all the customizing...I might actually 'design' one and build it from Warmoth parts exactly like I want it and it would probably cost me as much as what I've usually done...

Anyway, to cut a long story short, what I'd like to build is of course another Superstrat but more in the style of old Charvels.

I'm thinking so far:

Alder Strat body, top routed s-s-h, recessed Floyd Rose, no fancy color, probably just Alpine White or Sonic Blue with matching headstock.

Neck is definitely going to be Warmoth Pro, flamed maple, 1-11/16" nut width, vintage tint, 6100 frets and either Rosewood or Ebony fretboard.

And here come the questions:

1) How good are the neckpockets on Warmoth guitars ? Don't mean to offend anyone with this question, I'm just curious.

2) Are the wholes drilled for pickguard etc. ?

3) I'm not sure if I should go for the traditional (Fender) maple/ rosewood option or ( Charvel) maple / ebony. How much would an ebony board affect the tone of the guitar ? I like its darker look but I don't want to make it sound too harsh and bright. Maybe one of you guys has both options tested and could share experiences ?

4) Very unsure about the neck profile. I'm torn between Standard Thin and SRV shape. I don't like my necks too thin like Ibanez but I also don't like baseball bats or 'v' shapes.
I find necks on new American Fender Strats a little too thin and prefer more the custom shop reissue 60's models. I don't know if the SRV is too thick. It almost looks like on the Warmoth site that it's got a little 'v' shape. Is that true ? I've had an asymmetric neck before on an ESP I used to have and liked that, so that would not be a problem. Is the SRV shape exactly like on the Fender model or 'just a name' from Warmoth for slightly fatter 60's necks ?

5) How are the neck profiles measured on the Warmoth site. Is that from top of the fretboard to the back of the neck in the middle ? What do you guys recommend how I could measure my own necks ?


Sorry about this rather long post but I'm sure some of you had similar problems when it came to the first build. Been making lists already etc. but sometimes options can also raise questioning yourself and what you'd actually really want .

Thanks in advance !!!

What my research tells me, is, that if you want a good, "close" replacement for a vintage Fender neck, say from the 60s-70s, it would be the '59 Roundback profile, with 1 5/8" nut width. Dimensionally, this is very close to my 1970 Tele. Unfortunately, Warmoth builds just about everything else for their pre-built Showcase, so don;t try to find one pre-built. I've been watching for months and haven't seen one. I think Warmoth's product strategy is to offer everything other than Fender vintage replacement profiles, unless special ordered. Seems an odd strategy, but I guess it works for them, if not the customer.

 

[DocNrock]

Here's an alternate thought regarding tone, body and neck woods, and pups/electronics.

I agree with everything that has been said regarding the majority of your tone coming from your pups.  To be sure, all you have to do to siginificantly change the tone of any guitar is to change the pups to ones with a different output and eq profile.  That said, if you consider it from the flip side, I think you can change the tone of the pups by putting them in guitars made of various woods.  I think it is the whole package, woods and electronics, that ultimately determine the tone that you get from your guitars.

 

[simple]

I think Warmoth's product strategy is to offer everything other than Fender vintage replacement profiles, unless special ordered. Seems an odd strategy, but I guess it works for them, if not the customer.

The Fatback, Boatneck, SRV and Standard Thin were taken from actual Fender necks. Because Fender neck manufacturing spans many years and many factories. There are big swings in thier neck profile tolerances even if they are called the same thing.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

My standard thin is almost a dead-on copy of my mid 80's contemporary strat, and if I remember correctly that was really close to the Am Std of the time.  Remember those those ones with lace pickups and that monster Wilkinson rolling nut?  The ones before Fender switched to the LSR.  Well at any rate, it is definitely thinner than the Gibson I have.  The only other neck I have to compare it to is a '69 thinline reissue from the early 90's.  That one has a slightly v'd neck.  Not a huge neck, but that shape gives me trouble.  I have also read that Gibson necks have a large variability in the same contour from different times, it doesn't surprise me if the same happened to Fender.  Different owners, employees, and so on over the years.  Just measure the width at the nut and the thickness at the 12th fret to compare them to Warmoths, if there is a contour that is close, go for it.
Patrick

 

[PJ]

Gregg.....OK......say I have a 70s Tele, and I want a close profile match to the C-shape that was offered for many years by Fender. Which Warmoth profile is that/ Do they offer such a profile? I know it's not a Boat or a Fat - they're significantly bigger back profiles than a Fender 70s C-Shape. Is that a 59-Roundback? I'm really not sure.