Stew Mac finished necks and bodies

[Neo Fender]

Not to disparage anything from Warmoth but does anyone here have any experience with Stew Mac’s finished necks and bodies?  The reviews there seem favorable as are the prices:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bodies,_necks,_wood/Electric_guitar_necks/Replacement_Neck_for_Strat_Guitar.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bodies,_necks,_wood/Electric_guitar_shaped_bodies/Flametop_Guitar_Body.html

 

[Great Ape]

YAAAWWN........

 

[Neo Fender]

Granted, the options don't compare and what they offer is probably intended to provide the widest marketability.

YAAAWWN........

 

[Cagey]

For the price, how bad can they be? I mean, they're less expensive than the finish alone from Warmoth, and they're already finished. Neck pocket specs are right, and the necks cost less than a fret job. That quilt or flame top is certainly just a veneer, but if you're abusing it severely enough to tear through that, you probably don't care what it looks like anyway. You don't get much choice of woods, but it's not like they're making them out of Basswood, Poplar, plywood or MDF. They're Ash bodies and Maple necks - traditional woods that have been used since Leo was in diapers.

I haven't used any of them, but if I wanted to build up a special-purpose guitar that would only see rare use because of some unusual feature like Nashville stringing or a synth of some sort, or perhaps something to take to the rowdier bars/clubs, then I'd say that's a great way to go.

 

[stubhead]

They're regular old Mighty Mites, the same things are all over the place:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/mighty-mite-mm2700-stratocaster-replacement-body--burst-finish/585063000266000?src=3WWRWXGP&gclid=COuOtfDTibQCFcyf4AoduRwAgg

Except... ummm, they're $50 cheaper everywhere else. It might be telling that Stew Mac doesn't advertise them as "electric guitar bodies", they advertise them as "electric guitar-SHAPED bodies".... I had an old P-bass body given to me that had a single piece of swamp ash you could see from the back, and thick poly and a 1/16" flamed maple veneer. So I used a chisel and dug out a square of wood for the bridge to sit on and dug down to wood in the neck pocket, and it works fine. I have no idea of why a solidbody guitar would want to "breathe" anyway, that's why you fill up all the pores.  :icon_scratch: If I ever noticed a guitar breathing around me I'd lay off the vitamin shots pronto.

 

[Cagey]

I have no idea of why a solidbody guitar would want to "breathe" anyway, that's why you fill up all the pores.  :icon_scratch: If I ever noticed a guitar breathing around me I'd lay off the vitamin shots pronto.

Hehe! Good plan!

 

[DangerousR6]

YAAAWWN........

 

[swarfrat]

Not to disparage Stew Mac, but this is kinda the big W's house. I'm sure they're fine, and there is a lot of discussion of non W stuff here, but it's awkward if not rude to lob grenades that could essentially be interpreted as a plug for a direct competitor. As Stub alludes (ok now I'll disparage them), Stew Mac is a wonderful resource for things you can only get at Stew Mac. For stuff you can get anywhere else, they're a bit high. (That and they sell a bunch of jigs and tools that are clever, but price aside if you need it, you should probably be ashamed of yourself for buying rather than making it yourself in the time it takes the UPS truck to arrive.)

If you're planning to make a bog standard strat, its fine. But if you wanted a bog standard strat/tele, why not buy it assembled for less?

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I've never given Stew-Mac guitar parts much thought but as far as I'm concerned, an Ash body is an Ash body, regardless who the manufacturer is. 

That being said, I guess if I just wanted a generic, "piece-together" guitar, I could've saved a lot of money by purchasing one through them instead of Warmoth but I wanted something special.  Having something special and unique was worth the price I paid for my Warmoth.

I'm sure Stew-Mac guitars are fine, but I'd order one from Carvin before I'd order one from Stew-Mac.

I'm considering another build and it won't be anything but a Warmoth.  I've played some pretty damned nice guitars but my Warmoth feels the best out of any guitar I've EVER played, and I'm not just saying that because it's my guitar, it's the gods' honest truth.

 

[Neo Fender]

After more research on the webernet, I found that as mentioned above, Stew Mac necks and bodies are Mighty Mite parts.  Had I know this a the time of my original post, my perspective would have been better defined.

 

[tylereot]

Not to disparage Stew Mac, but this is kinda the big W's house. I'm sure they're fine, and there is a lot of discussion of non W stuff here, but it's awkward if not rude to lob grenades that could essentially be interpreted as a plug for a direct competitor....

There are a lot of forums hosted by companies who feel that way.  That mentioning "competition" is some kind of affront. 
I suspect Warmoth isn't coming from that kind of insecurity, certainly not about MightyMite products and their channel marketing strategy.
I suspect Warmoth enjoys the price/ quality level position they play in that market, and are just fine with giving the low end to others, or Warmoth wouldn't price like they do.

I can see putting some MightyMite parts together if you wanted to try some novel/unique finishing ideas (and might have to sand it all off later!).
Clearly, I'm not going to do that with a showcase Warmoth body!

 

[Cagey]

I agree. Warmoth isn't jealous of anybody.

 

[erogenousjones17]

I've got a MM neck on my Strat and it's fine. Not as nice as a Warmoth, but not bad either. In feel it's basically what you'd expect on any ol' Strat you'd grab from the wall at your local music store. But it was real cheap on the 'bay. Not sure why anyone would buy one from StewMac.  :dontknow:

That said, the tuning peg holes are drilled to an odd size that doesn't quite match anything out there, and the plastic nut was pretty crappy and was promptly replaced (my first experience shaping a nut!). But I was putting together a project guitar (fer lernin') on the cheap, so that ended up being alright.

But I've heard of people having a hard time with them, so despite all that I might have gotten lucky.

 

[Wyliee]

Not to disparage Stew Mac, but this is kinda the big W's house. I'm sure they're fine, and there is a lot of discussion of non W stuff here, but it's awkward if not rude to lob grenades that could essentially be interpreted as a plug for a direct competitor....

There are a lot of forums hosted by companies who feel that way.  That mentioning "competition" is some kind of affront. 
I suspect Warmoth isn't coming from that kind of insecurity, certainly not about MightyMite products and their channel marketing strategy.
I suspect Warmoth enjoys the price/ quality level position they play in that market, and are just fine with giving the low end to others, or Warmoth wouldn't price like they do.

I can see putting some MightyMite parts together if you wanted to try some novel/unique finishing ideas (and might have to sand it all off later!).
Clearly, I'm not going to do that with a showcase Warmoth body!

No worries here gang.  I've met a couple of the guys from StewMac and they're a decent bunch.

Frankly, I would encourage first time builders to get a beater or a couple really cheap parts to practice on before dropping big coin with Warmoth.  It saddens me to see simple mistakes made on high end parts.

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

Not to disparage Stew Mac, but this is kinda the big W's house. I'm sure they're fine, and there is a lot of discussion of non W stuff here, but it's awkward if not rude to lob grenades that could essentially be interpreted as a plug for a direct competitor....

There are a lot of forums hosted by companies who feel that way.  That mentioning "competition" is some kind of affront. 
I suspect Warmoth isn't coming from that kind of insecurity, certainly not about MightyMite products and their channel marketing strategy.
I suspect Warmoth enjoys the price/ quality level position they play in that market, and are just fine with giving the low end to others, or Warmoth wouldn't price like they do.

I can see putting some MightyMite parts together if you wanted to try some novel/unique finishing ideas (and might have to sand it all off later!).
Clearly, I'm not going to do that with a showcase Warmoth body!

No worries here gang.  I've met a couple of the guys from StewMac and they're a decent bunch.

Frankly, I would encourage first time builders to get a beater or a couple really cheap parts to practice on before dropping big coin with Warmoth.  It saddens me to see simple mistakes made on high end parts.

One more reason I love Warmoth.

Of course most of us are already sold on the product and wouldn't buy that other stuff for a normal build.  But what great advice to learn on something affordable before buying a prized piece of wood from Warmoth.  I appreciate that this forum allows this kind of discussion.

 

[stubhead]

Whenever noobs ask, I tell them to buy Dan Erlewine's "Guitar Player Repair Guide" FIRST for $25 before they start assembling Warmoths with a hammer, a used toothbrush & a coathanger... some people have odd little assembly skills they didn't realize would transfer, some people should never be allowed within three city blocks of any power tool. The best way to assess that is not through these little wires, but for them to see how much of simple instructions they DON'T understand. There are way too many fixits that spread through the internet that really aren't very solid woodworking or electronic practice, like "stick in a toothpick and screw it back down." Fine for pickguard screws, not fine for necks....

If you're ever feeling too dangerously happy, all you have to do is search "Ebay - guitars - Warmoth - lowest price" for a selection of truly tragic episodes, although some are nearly redeemed with the comedic writing.