RSA tele body unboxing, and questions for newbie

[jim232777]

Decades ago I saw someone playing a dark burgandy Tele (probably a G&L version, but whatever...) that struck me as a beauty and I've always remembered.  This roasted swamp ash body was available in the store as I was debating a couple different build options, so figured this was my chance at something similar.  I was also somewhat inspired by the color of a build I saw by Rgand.

The original I remember had a rosewood fretboard and a chrome pickguard.  I've got a roasted maple neck/rosewood board on order; not going with the chrome guard, but trying to decide what.  That decision to come later.

So here is the unboxing, and I have a couple questions.  First off, it's very pretty and Warmoth did a great job piecing together the 2 pieces.  The joint goes right through the control cavity, and from the front it almost looks one-piece (you can see the joint on the edges and back).

I have a couple questions on what I do next:
An insert with the body said not to do anything to it until I've checked neck alignment and scale length with the neck, and I have 10 days to do that.  However, I'm still waiting on the neck from Warmoth, with several more weeks expected.  Do I just assume that part is good since both come from Warmoth?  There's just no way to check in time, so should I go ahead and start finishing?

OK. so started working on the other questions, but decided they should go in the DIY finishing category. 

 

[stratamania]

Probably wait till the neck arrives before checking alignment and proceeding, just to be on the safe side.

 

[mayfly]

Sorry to be contrarian, but if it were me I'd grab a neck with the same scale length from my current guitars, slap it on, and make sure everything was cool.  Having said this, the chances of things not being cool are very slim.

I did just this with a client's guitar, even up to the point where he had the guitar with the donor neck for about a month before his actual neck came in and I could finish the build.

 

[jim232777]

And there's the dilemma...    I could assume Warmoth matches with Warmoth, wait for the neck, or disassemble a guitar.  I hate to take apart a working guitar, as it adds wear to the fasteners and joint.

I do have a Squier I keep because the top-loader bridge is friendly to a string bender I like to mess around with.  It's not often played, so could be the donor.  Biggest sacrifice is the cost of strings, I guess, so wouldn't break the bank.

 

[stratamania]

And not all Squiers are created equal. So you cannot test with a part unless you know it is on spec to begin with.

 

[jim232777]

And not all Squiers are created equal.

LOL, definitely true.  I think I'll go ahead and break down the Squier and test it though.  If something is off, I won't know whether it is the Squier neck or the Warmoth body.  But if it lines up, it's highly likely all is good.  For the squier made in China in 2017 to be off in exactly the same direction and amount as a body from the US in 2021 is very long odds.  I still may wait on the Warmoth neck to be sure, but it will be one more piece of data.

 

[jim232777]

Build thread
https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=33062