Telecaster Koa 1-Piece body arrived

[stratamania]

Disclaimer, I am not employed by Warmoth.

The OP has not provided any photos that allow comparison. He probably will need them to show to Warmoth if he wants to request a return.

I provided the link to the returns process in the thread above.

Can I suggest that there is no point getting into speculation as it does not provide a solution?

If Warmoth has the incorrect Latin names for wood species on the website they should change them.

Over the years ebony has been sourced from various places. Black ebony is not from one particular source but few trees actually produce fully black ebony. Part of the reason it has become so scarce.

Brazilian "Ebony" that has been used fairly recently by Warmoth for necks, is not a true ebony but is called that as it varies in shade from olives to almost black.  It is broadly called that in the wood industry.

 

[Punxsutawney]

brother, your monitor must be wack cuz that body looks brown with some orange tones to my eyeballs, straight #gorgeous. AND LOL abiut complaining about importing fees, that's not any america business's responsibility. Its on you to check with your govt beforehand, mcnuggz.

Now when I say red, I'm meant red tinge.  Whether you want to call it red, or "orange tone" or rouge or even pink, we're just getting into semantics.  If you want to call it "orange tones", there's no problem with that.  What I'm saying is those "orange tones" cannot be seen in the actual product.  They can only be seen, as you said, in the actual picture and yes the picture is "gorgeous".  The product isn't!

As for complaining about import fees, I'm can complain about them if I want; they cost me money and it sucks!  Having said that, I agree with them and I'm glad they're there.  They serve a purpose; they may stop me from buying from dodgy companies that sell wood species that don't exist.  As for it being America's responsibility; I said never it was; so get your facts right.
 

 

[Punxsutawney]

....... Perhaps a little orange highlighted, but definitely brown overall.

Yet more semantics!  That "little orange", that you say you might see "perhaps"?  Well that's not in the actual product!

 

[Punxsutawney]

To add my 2c the Warmoth photos are taken with a consistent studio-like camera/flash setup and look great but it's good to go and find non professional shots with a google image search of guitars made with the same wood as I have done with the intention of buying a goncalo alves neck. I know it will be less colourful/contrasty than with flash lighting.

Also it's a bit late but I wouldn't order a part that came to $1000AUD (including shipping and insurance) to avoid getting stung the extra AU tax/import duties unless I knew exactly what I was getting and must have it. Is it $100usd to get a neck delivered here? Nice to know. I might have to look at my own shipping options to see if I can do better when the time comes.

Lastly you may not have lost much - see what they go for on ebay and maybe you can sell it and get something else. Otherwise you could try your hand at refinishing it with a red tinged transparent finish if it's not too dark.

The guitar body was $US115.55 using UPS worldwide saver.  The neck order, although it's cancelled, was quoted at $US99.88 with USPS Priority Intl.  If you want to find out the costs, just add something to the card and then click the postage options to see the quotes.  I can't remember but I don't think you need an account.  Like you, I didn't intend to go over $AUD1000.00, but that body should have been worth it, or if it looked like the picture it would have been.  If you go over that threshold, you're going to get hit with all sorts of taxes and not just the GST.  There'll be an application tax, a biohazard tax (that one is my favourite!) and an assessment tax for the biohazard tax and more; none of them apply if you stay under the limit.  It's just hilarious!  The courier will hit you up again too for being the broker, but if you want you can avoid that and do it yourself if you're game.  The courier won't tell you that of course.

The red tinged transparent finish sounds a great option, but there's one problem; your use of the word "if".  Unfortunately, it is too dark!  It is very different to the picture!

I have lost and I have lost big; it's not that desirable picture you see.  There's no happy ending.

Another Aussie here & I'm disappointed you didn't like the way the guitar looks and how you felt it was an inferior build. I have built 3 Warmoth guitars & always was mindful of that $AUD1000 limit and the extra $ going over that brought. Once it goes over that you might as well employ a Courier who will also act as Broker, the paperwork is mind boggling. A lot of the charges you mention are Govt charges, the Courier/Broker just usually charges a commission for doing the paperwork to get it out of Customs Bond.

I will use USPS for stuff that will come in under $AUD1000. I think on one occasion I used a Courier/Broker & it was frustrating being on the line to them as they went through the charges, but it would have been mind melting sitting there with a Customs Officer doing the paperwork myself (if they allow you to do that - I'm not sure they do).

The exchange rate is also a bugger because if the exchange rate changes dramatically while the goods are in the air, you could find your 'under $1000' being busted.

As to the appearance....I'm sorry that it isn't a beauty and not like the pic. Some woods do discolour, but judging by your comments about wood species etc. you seem to know what to expect with woods - you seem to have some experience. I have a very nice 'flamed' Koa neck that was finished in Brown Dye and it is a thing of beauty. I bought that off the Showcase as is and it arrived looking just like in the photo....

I can't remember from the previous pages if you mention if this body is finished or not, but if it isn't, maybe get it painted a solid colour to cover up the bland grain appearance? Like others here, I'd love to see a pic of this to compare from the stock pic you posted.

I don't have a camera and I can't take a picture of it.  I give you this information, so you can take it into consideration.  Yes, the information would be more useful to you if I could, but it's not possible and it's not a high priority for me to get a camera.  The information about the ebony though; that should suffice and show you the unscrupulous nature of the company.  You should be wary as a customer, particularly from Australia.

In regard to exchange rates though, you will be relieved to know, the exchange rate for imports by post, is determined by the day you make the payment, not when the package arrives in the country, etc..  You must have had a heart attack each time you imported a guitar; it can take a week for something to arrive.  The Govt website for imports has tables for each day's exchange rates (for various countries) readily accessible.

I have only one experience with Warmoth purchases, but it is not a good one.  I don't know if my experience is a common thing.  It's possible that they might produce good products consistently.  Having said that, I feel strongly that my complaints are caused by deliberate action.

The body is finished, but it's a strange finish; very cheap and nasty.  It makes the guitar look like it's plastic pretending to be wood.  I don't like it!

 

[Punxsutawney]

i have buy some Koa with clear finish from Warmoth , real thing come up very close to their showcase photo.

sorry to hear that you don't like how it look , if you really don't like it , can you sell to me cheaper ? or return it to Warmoth ，so they will put it on Screamin' Deals ?

Very amusing – be careful what you wish for!

 

[Tomatonator]

I have 1 Warmoth neck I got as an added bonus in a guitar I bought for the pickups. It's maple/some type of ebony and it looks good quality. If you're in the same city as me I have a good camera and flash to compare my pro skills to Warmoth My impression is it is a very open company willing to put a big collection of photos online including items that have already sold plus taking the time to make interesting youtube videos occasionally and have staff post here.

 

[Punxsutawney]

I have 1 Warmoth neck I got as an added bonus in a guitar I bought for the pickups. It's maple/some type of ebony and it looks good quality. If you're in the same city as me I have a good camera and flash to compare my pro skills to Warmoth My impression is it is a very open company willing to put a big collection of photos online including items that have already sold plus taking the time to make interesting youtube videos occasionally and have staff post here.

I don't like the chances that you are close to where I am.

I wish I had your experiences and not mine.  Then again, I did say a few posts ago "be careful what you wish for"!  :icon_scratch:

 

[Cagey]

Oddly enough, the finish chemistry Warmoth uses is one of the most expensive available, but results in a lower cost passed to the ultimate consumer due to its dramatic labor savings. If Warmoth were to use nitrocellulose lacquer instead of catalyzed polyurethane it would cost substantially more. I would guess in the $500-$600 range, rather than the $200 range they charge now. It would look and feel pretty much the same, but it wouldn't be as durable.

I used to paint vehicles years ago, and I liked to use a catalyzed finish (Imron) for the same reason. It costs a LOT more than lacquer, but takes so much less effort to get to the end result that it's worth it. I remember being shocked at the price the first time I bought it, but the paint store guy said "well, you can save $100 shooting the lacquer, but by the time you get done finish sanding, buffing and polishing it out, you will have ended up working for less than minimum wage."

Turned out he was right. When I first shot it, it looked like the normal orange-peely finish you get when spraying, but after a couple minutes it had flowed out so it looked like wet glass. I waited for it to flash off, but it never did. After about 15 minutes I started thinking I'd mixed it wrong or something, so I went and touched it inside a wheel well where you wouldn't see my fingerprint, and it was dry! WTF? Waited a while longer and poked a couple other inconspicuous places, and sure enough, it had hardened right up and still looked like wet glass! Most satisfying paint job I ever did.

Anyway, I'm curious to know what you think Warmoth could possibly stand to gain by deliberately deceiving you, and why you suppose they waited 40 years for you to come along to do it?

 

[Punxsutawney]

Well, actually, brown does end up red with calibration errors. A little less green in the RGB mix, and there you are. Something that's normally red (like a Ferarri) would look close to normal as it didn't start off as brown so there's little or no green in it.

And as curmudgeonly as I am, I  generally try to temper myself with new members who aren't familiar with my writing style so I don't inadvertently offend. I didn't call you out on the red perception because - and I know this is gonna make everybody laugh - I didn't want to be too adversarial. My father was color blind, and he was permanently pissed about it, so color perception was on the very long list of subjects you avoided with him  :laughing7:

But, as I'm sure you've been reading along here, it appears that if we took a vote on the color of that body, we'd have 1 vote for red and the balance for brown. So, there's a bunch of monitors and eyes saying one thing, and one monitor saying something else. You do the math. Plus, it's Koa. It's supposed to be brown, so no flags raised. A few months back when Warmoth first started offering roasted Swamp Ash, everybody piped up in response to the color change a clear finish made to it because it was not only dramatic, it was a whole new hue.

Finally, who knew how critical the shade was to you? We see a picture that looks normal, you say it's beautiful enough to spend some long dollars on, everybody agrees, and we all sit back waiting on build pictures. Now the color's out in the tiddlywads?

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying this isn't important. Lord knows if I ordered a candy apple red finish and I got candy cola instead, I'd be pissed. I'm just taken a bit off guard because I didn't see what you saw on the going-in side.

I found your comments annoying and belittling.  You have taken what I've said, completely out of context.  I am referring to the red tinge in the picture.  I have not discussed what other mix of colours are there as well, which I have no problem calling brown if you wish.  I'm referring to the clear red tinge in the picture and the complete absence of that redness in the actual product.  It's dark, it's brown and it's lifeless in reality!  The redness has utterly gone, or whatever you want to call it.

 

[Cagey]

I'm sorry you feel that way. I'll leave you to whatever remedies as you may obtain, and wish you all the best in your guitar building endeavors.

 

[Punxsutawney]

I have 1 Warmoth neck I got as an added bonus in a guitar I bought for the pickups. It's maple/some type of ebony and it looks good quality. If you're in the same city as me I have a good camera and flash to compare my pro skills to Warmoth My impression is it is a very open company willing to put a big collection of photos online including items that have already sold plus taking the time to make interesting youtube videos occasionally and have staff post here.

I don't like the chances that you are close to where I am.

I wish I had your experiences and not mine.  Then again, I did say a few posts ago "be careful what you wish for"!  :icon_scratch:

Bae, how can you not have anybody nearby with a modern phone or digital camera willing to help you out for like 10 minutes max? You pay taxes or are you straight off the grid? respek

I'm sure you would like pictures of it, but I don't have a camera.  What part of that did you not understand?

Ironically, didn't you refer to the taxes I paid for the Warmoth purchase already?

 

[Punxsutawney]

Oddly enough, the finish chemistry Warmoth uses is one of the most expensive available, but results in a lower cost passed to the ultimate consumer due to its dramatic labor savings.......

Anyway, I'm curious to know what you think Warmoth could possibly stand to gain by deliberately deceiving you, and why you suppose they waited 40 years for you to come along to do it?

I find that question flawed and belittling once again.  In any event I'll answer it: I can think of 920 reasons why they deliberately deceived me, actually.  I don't think I'm that important though, that they would wait 40 years for just me; I think it's a ridiculous comment and a disgraceful statement for an admin.

Your first sentence comes across to me as advertising spiel.

 

[BigSteve22]

I can think of 920 reasons why they deliberately deceived me, actually.

920 #blaze-it,
Investigate 311

Ranch, I may not understand everyrhing you say, but damn, I like the way you say it. Fo' shizzle my nizzle! Rock on......  :icon_jokercolor:

 

[amigarobbo]

We reach.

 

[BigSteve22]

Hey were all just trying to land a sprite sponsorship while gettin vert with some guitars out on the quad. You know what I'm sayin', bilbo swaggins?

word.......

 

[timezon3]

Hey were all just trying to land a sprite sponsorship while gettin vert with some guitars out on the quad. You know what I'm sayin', bilbo swaggins?

This guy is channeling some serious Pauly Shore...
... or... he IS Pauly Shore!    :icon_jokercolor:

On topic, sorry to hear that Punx's experience hasn't been a happy one.  Especially sucks to have limited recourse on the other side of the world.  It ain't particularly fair, but that's the way the bones fall sometimes.  Best of luck in making the most of an unhappy situation.

TZ

 

[DangerousR6]

:headbang: :kewlpics:

You're not funny!  Lol!

I don't see the problem, koa is a beautiful wood, and to me that piece is no exception. It looks like wood to me, the feel is all a matter of perspective. If it's got a hard finish on it, it's not going to feel like wood, if you want it to feel like wood, then an oil finish is your best bet. Also not sure where you got the idea that koa is suppose to be red, but I've never seen koa that is red.

 

[aarontunes]

Looks like this one has run it's course. Everybody has had a chance to give their opinion....nowhere productive to go from here. Locking it down.