Tele neck Warmoth Pro vs Vintage Modern?

[waygorked]

Greetings,

Does anyone have any thoughts on the potential differences in tone between these two types of neck construction, all other factors being equal? I have a Warmoth Pro on a tele project, and while it feels and plays better than any neck I have ever held, the guitar sounds kinda dead. Great plugged in, but it just doesn't ring acoustically like my other guitars. This is despite the top end Earvanna nut, locking neck bolts, and a Callaham bridge. The body sounds pretty dull on a tap test, and is about to be replaced for other reasons. I am pretty sure that is part of the problem, but as I am about to pick up another neck for my next project, I want to make sure this isn't something inherent to the construction. I have read on other forums that the big chunk of double truss rod may affect the neck resonance, which seems to make sense to me. Any thoughts? Has anyone A/B tested the two types of neck construction and found any sonic difference?


Thanks!

 

[spauldingrules]

I have both and I like them both, but the VM weighs like 1/3 as much.  If I were to order another, I'd probably get a VM.  As far as sound, just get some nice pickups

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

If it's great as an electric, but doesn't ring out acoustically, what exactly is the problem?  None of my acoustics fair well as electrics.  I'm trying to be rude or smug, the acoustic ringing out criteria for electrics matters squat.  It's not an indication of anything.  Others disagree.

 

[erogenousjones17]

If it's great as an electric, but doesn't ring out acoustically, what exactly is the problem?  None of my acoustics fair well as electrics.  I'm trying to be rude or smug, the acoustic ringing out criteria for electrics matters squat.  It's not an indication of anything.  Others disagree.

I'm not sure that it's an indication of anything either, but it is an important factor for some people, myself included, who often play their electrics unplugged for whatever reason (noise being a key one). It's part of why I reach for my Strat more often than I do my LPS.

 

[ORCRiST]

If it's great as an electric, but doesn't ring out acoustically, what exactly is the problem?  None of my acoustics fair well as electrics.  I'm not trying to be rude or smug, the acoustic ringing out criteria for electrics matters squat.  It's not an indication of anything.  Others disagree.

Fixed that there for ya, Super. 

Was damn funny in its original form though...  :laughing7:

 

[waygorked]

Here's the thing. I have owned a pile of strats, teles, PRSi, and Gibsons in the past. It is always been my experience that a guitar that sounds dead acoustically can still sound good when plugged in, but it will never sound as good as one that rings acoustically. The guitar that rings tends to have a better dynamic range when played clean, has a more defined tail on the end of the sustain, and overall will feel more alive in your hands, which for my money is the whole point. Crank the distortion, and they'll sound probably pretty much the same. If that was what I was after, I'd just bag whatever is cheapest and throw in EMGs...

So again, has anyone done a serious tone comparison on the neck types?

Thanks!

 

[Superlizard]

You will definitely get a warmer tone (read: more mids) from the VM.

 

[RobR]

Having both on 2 Tele's there are some noticeable differences ..... the Pro neck seems to have better resonance overall and the notes seem to ring more evenly across the whole neck... I attribute this to the beefier truss rod... more mass / more resonance..... this is a great balance to the extra light swamp ash body its on.....  I also have a VM neck on another tele.... the neck seems a bit warmer... which is good for the body it's on (chambered hard ash with a maple top)..... 

What does all this mean? I think its a matter of balance.... warmer body... brighter neck / brighter body... warmer neck.... Oh and both guitars sound incredible and are currently my go to guitars....

 

[waygorked]

That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[simple]

I have both and I like them both, but the VM weighs like 1/3 as much.  If I were to order another, I'd probably get a VM.  As far as sound, just get some nice pickups

Think I'll "weigh" in on the neck weight topic. The Warmoth Pro hardware doesn't weigh very much more then the vintage, so while there's a small net difference, it is not the whole story. Another factor that that can cause a Pro to weigh more than a Vintage modern is the wood. If you're getting an Ebony fingerboard for example, a Pro fingerboard is thicker than on a Vintage Modern or Total Vintage and causes the neck to weigh more too. Also, since exotic woods (almost always heavy) get ordered for shafts and fingerboards on a Pro neck much more often than a Vintage Modern or Total Vintage, the overall perception of weight differences gets skewed over time. Most Vintage Modern or Total Vintage necks are spec'd traditional with Maple shafts and Indian Rosewood fingerboards which are lighter than exotics for the most part. You build a 1 Piece Bubinga Vintage Modern neck and it will weigh more than a Pro with a Maple shaft and Rosewood fingerboard.

As far as sound difference, I would agree that the Pro produces a very consistent, evenly balanced tone. That's good if you want to cover a wide spectrum of music. The Vintage Modern will have less of a flat frequency line and be more characteristically Fender. I use them both for different builds but would not hesitate to intermingle them either. I like experimenting.  :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

A fast, inexpensive experiment you could try would be to put a set of stainless steel strings on the "dead" guitar. I just put my first set on a guitar not too long ago, and they're noticeably more lively and have more presence compared to typical nickel-plated steel strings.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

If it's great as an electric, but doesn't ring out acoustically, what exactly is the problem?  None of my acoustics fair well as electrics.  I'm not trying to be rude or smug, the acoustic ringing out criteria for electrics matters squat.  It's not an indication of anything.  Others disagree.

Fixed that there for ya, Super. 

Was damn funny in its original form though...  :laughing7:

Thank you.  That is indeed what I meant.  Proofreading goes a long way.