to choose or let Warmoth choose

[Smpl9]

specked a new neck for my strat.

wanted to ask forum members about the "i choose" option for fingerboard vs not. the difference is like $45.

what's the general consensus here, spend the $45 and pick it out or let Warmoth. Warmoth produces some top notch stuff so i was thinking, i can trust these guys to pick out a good piece, yes?

 

[bagman67]

You'll get a good piece of wood if you let Warmoth pick it.  What you're paying for is not quality - it's certainty and advance knowledge of exactly what slice of lumber will be there when you open the box.

 

[AutoBat]

I considered it on my builds. Ultimately I let them grab and was very pleased with their selection. It's a roll of the dice if you're after a particular look.

 

[Smpl9]

thanks all. i'll let them pick it this time. things are pretty tight econ wise.

 

[jackthehack]

I would say that depends entirely on what fretboard wood you were picking; which is it?

 

[Jcurl02]

For me First build I let them pick, turned out fine.  It was a flamed maple with Rosewood Fingerboard.

Second build was once again flamed maple but this time I picked out the Pau Ferro.  I wanted a dit of grain movement so I picked one.  (I was not impressed the the pictures though.  To small and when I increase by screen view it didn't show well). 

The reason for a certain amount of grain movement is because I picked a Brown to Clear Bust on a High Grade Flame Tele boday.  I plan on using all back hardware.  I'm five weeks into the wait.  Spike says I have basically five more weeks to wait.

 

[Smpl9]

I would say that depends entirely on what fretboard wood you were picking; which is it?

bubinga neck/kingwood fret

gotten used to kingwood and i like it. wanted to try a non-treated wood for neck this time since last neck was semi-gloss mahogany and it just seemed a bit "sticky" to my hand. getting off track though.

so, letting them pick kingwood, should be ok?

 

[Smpl9]

For me First build I let them pick, turned out fine.  It was a flamed maple with Rosewood Fingerboard.

Second build was once again flamed maple but this time I picked out the Pau Ferro.  I wanted a dit of grain movement so I picked one.  (I was not impressed the the pictures though.  To small and when I increase by screen view it didn't show well). 

The reason for a certain amount of grain movement is because I picked a Brown to Clear Bust on a High Grade Flame Tele boday.  I plan on using all back hardware.  I'm five weeks into the wait.  Spike says I have basically five more weeks to wait.

that wait is a killer.

this is my second neck. i learned a few things from the first. of course i'll find out if i really learned or not with this new neck. that is this time dimensions will be slightly diff..a bit smaller for my hands & bigger frets.

last time, i picked the fingerboard out trying for some great match up with my 3-color sunburst mim hh strat. tone/feel wise i picked the kingwood.

but i choose to utilize the "user pick" the wood color properties out. it's fairly dark in person and worked out well with the dark copper color on the body.

but, i don't think it really looks "just like" the image i saw in that i think Warmoth luthiers could pick a good choice.

i'll post an image of the guitar here later today and you folks can have a better idea.

can one send an image to Warmoth for them to see when they pick out wood or is that like, "i might as well spend the $45"?

 

[fdesalvo]

Same here.  Feels like forever!

I plan on using all back hardware.  I'm five weeks into the wait.  Spike says I have basically five more weeks to wait.

 

[Smpl9]

here are 3 images of the hh strat with mahogany/kingwood neck. the body is more copperish (i think) than red though i think fender calls it sunburst. i hope the bulbinga/kingwood neck matches decent. like i said, the semi-gloss is just a bit sticky to me so i'll try the raw neck this time.

 

[Smpl9]

here are 3 more images of the hh strat with mahogany/kingwood. they may help others who seek same combo.

 

[Cagey]

You won't be sorry for using the raw Bubinga. That doesn't look like Kingwood on that Strat, though. Are you sure that's what it is? Seems awfully dark.

Doesn't matter. Kingwood is a very nice fretboard wood. Very dense, fine-grained and hard, so it feels great. Plus it's pretty as a picture, which is always good.

 

[Smpl9]

thanks for your input.

i'm no expert on woods by any stretch of the imagination but on my order bill for that neck it lists fingerboard as kingwood, Unique Choice: FB1071. that was a year ago.

it sure feels good to my fingers so i'll stick with it as it *works* for me. cleans/shines well with honey oil too.

it does look a bit dark in person here too though a bit lighter than these images. it matches/contrasts with parts of the body colors to me  & i like that. i will say, during the unique choice of that neck it looked a bit lighter to me.  though in these pictures, the colors, to my eyes, are a bit off from what i see in person.

i'll let Warmoth pick the kingwood out. i can email one of those images to them as a guide if they want. frankly, they know more about that stuff than i do.

appreciate the help

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

Woods, being products of nature, can really vary in color, grain, weight, etc. I have a bubinga fretboard; bubinga is normally a deep reddish-brown, but mine is beige. It looks okay on the guitar I'm using it for, but I was really surprised when I opened it.

 

[Smpl9]

here's to keeping me fingers crossed as i ordered the neck yesterday

 

[DustyCat]

Well, seeing as you already ordered it I don't know how helpful this will be, but it can be fun to offer advice based on personal experiences.

I think having built "10's of thousands of necks" they will be able to recognize the qualities that make a "good" fingerboard vs. a "bad" fingerboard. Probably, even the difference between "good" and "great" after how knows how many years of practice... I don't think they will purposefully choose a "Bad" fingerboard for a customer whose business they might lose in the future as a consequence.

But certain woods do seem to posess certain grain pattern characteristics that may be desireable, maybe even inspirational. In that case...the extra $45 to choose a particular board yourself may or may not be worth the price on a neck that will last who knows how long  :dontknow:

Good Luck!

 

[Smpl9]

well DustyCat, like you mentioned they know more than me about such things. so i'll put a bit of faith in them.

there were only a few choices i would have picked from the list via the images that pop up when clicked anyways. i'm not mr color coodinator anyways.

i did ask them if i could email an image or two of the current body with fingerboard as maybe a guide for them, if they allow such a thing. guess they'll let me know when they can.

the kingwood piece i picked out on first neck, looked a bit different in person to me, than say, what my mind saw in the image.  i.e., it looked much better in person!  for now, i'll put a bit of faith & hope to it.  as long as my fingers work well with it and its close to the first kingwood i'll be ok with it.  and as long as the strat body doesn't complain about it...i want the whole lady to be happy ya know.

appreciate your input

 

[Loomi]

I just recently went through this same decision struggle with the neck I ordered.  In the end it just comes down to your taste.  Have you seen versions of the wood you want that you didn't like?  For my order I looked through all the birdseye fingerboards and decided I'd be happy with any of them so I didn't do Unique Choice. 

I'm a little pickier about quilt tops, however, so I plan to pick the top on my upcoming bass build.

 

[Smpl9]

hey loomi,

yes i did go through the list of choices for the fingerboard. there wasn't any that were standout dislikes and most i couldn't even decide for/against.  back to practicing and jam-tracks & let Warmoth folks do their magic. perfection is good but it can immobilize [me] at times. ;-)

i would be pickier too for the body tops, etc., in your case. but that is in a money park not within my reach currently. maybe some day i hope! a fully personal custom guitar, wow, *dreamin*

 

[MSP]

I notice that the price you pay for picking your own wood varies, which makes me think that you're paying for the quality of the wood, rather than for their time looking for an exact piece.  Or maybe a bit of both.  It also makes me wonder what level of quality you get when they choose, compared with picking your own piece, since the pieces you can choose from can vary in price.