Showcase question

[Bill in SC]

The question is, why are the showcase bodies routed for anything but a neck? More often than not, when I am browsing the showcase, the bodies of interest in my choice of wood and price range, are always routed for something totally different than what I am looking to build. For instance, I like thinlines with humbuckers and no pickguard, but the majority of the thinlines are already routed for single coils and a Tele bridge. This only leaves me with, usually, and 12 to 15% (humbucker) of the bodies to choose from, and most all of them are routed for a pickguard, which leaves me with -0-% to choose from. It just seems like sales could be boosted if all the electronic/bridge/trem routings were left undone. Then, you could have one or two employees that just routed showcase bodies as orders came in. Just an idea that I think would aid in sales of showcase bodies, at least from my perspective.
BB in SC

 

[JamesL]

Wow! I feel the same way! I always had the same problem with the showcase.. That's why I've always sucked it up and dealt with the pain of custom orders lol.

 

[jackthehack]

The pickup routes on any Tele or Thinline in the Showcase can be re-routed as you please; if you want a humbucker at bridge you have to use the Gotoh Tele humbucker bridge. Unfortunately most all the Thinlines are top routed; but on a regular Tele you can 86 the pickguard and just install the control plate.

 

[Suds]

but on a regular Tele you can 86 the pickguard and just install the control plate.

Could please dive this comment a little deeper cause I think you may have solve my problem........My problem is that I want a solid tele body, but I want it to look like thinline.  ie.  Thinline pickguard and slanted electronics and no F-hole tho.



Suds :blob7:

 

[simple]

The question is, why are the showcase bodies routed for anything but a neck?

Three reasons I can think of.

1) If the body does not go back into the factory, Warmoth has less labor time in the body which keeps prices lower.

2) There is a large percentage of people who will not buy a body if the routs are not there. That is either fueled by new customers who do not know that we can rout after the fact, or the customer cannot easily imagine the body with routs in it. For whatever reason, history has shown us that unrouted bodies linger on the Showcase longer than their routed counterparts.

3) If the body is finished, there's less of risk of us damaging the finish if we do not have to rout much on it. Damaging the finish in the slightest usually kills the order.

 

[bwbass]

If you're using a tele humbucker bridge and a humbucker mounting ring in the neck, couldn't you have it over-routed for two humbuckers?  Am I missing something?

On this body, for example, the estore gives no-cost humbucker routing options: http://www.warmoth.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_23_30&products_id=31794