WARMOTH BAD?

[Jorundr]

My Luthier commented on how good the neck was, it also slotted perfectly into a new Fender Strat body

++
took my P/J with a warmoth jazz neck to the local luthier/service/guitarshop to test some amps and to see if they thought it needed any work (i'm no wiz, but can set up and whatnot myself) and the guys there were stoked. The tech would only take some of the rough edges but said there was no need to do anything else, he was very impressed by the quality.

 

[m4rk0]

I brought my warmoth to a guitar tech once, and he insisted on buying it from me!!

 

[erogenousjones17]

The guys at the shop that did the setup on my W were really impressed with the quality too. Got the neck, bolted it on, and it was good to go.

 

[uOpt]

I've always been impressed with the base quality of the Warmoth parts that I bought new or used, when it comes to the woodworking.

There are a couple of concerns that I have:

I will not buy a Warmoth pro neck again. Although I cannot rule out other factors such as wood, the sound from the Warmoth Pro I got was heavily leaning towards a heavy sound (think of a Norlin LP Custom compared to nice LP Standard).  Vintage modern and total vintage narrow down the options.

I don't like the heavy upcharges for many options that are free with other vendors, namely a straight fretboard radius and neck shapes that should be easy, such as 59 roundback. I understand an asymmetric shape can be worth an upcharge, but the 59 roundback should be the easiest of them all.

Although the fretting I received on a new neck was very smooth on the sides and very even on top, I still didn't quite like it. The problem was that on certain areas of the 10-16 compound neck the radius of the frets didn't match the fretboard radius, the were higher in the middle than on the sides. The surface was at the same height for all of them, the neck played clean, but effectively the fret (not fretboard) radius in the area where it should have been about 12-14" was lower.

All these things combined make me want just plain more vintage style necks: light single-action truss rod, straight radius, normal medium-thickness round neck shapes. And I don't think these should have any upcharges associated to them. Maybe upcharge people who want fluffy truss rods in combination with thin necks (for warranty), but right now you even make "standard thin" the standard neck thickness for many showcase necks.  I really don't think that's a good combination.

I guess what I'm saying is that Warmoth would benefit from a stronger presence in the "tone/vintage" department in addition to the heavily customized "all-options/fast-play" department.

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Body-wise, I currently don't buy Strat bodies from the showcase because they all have been pre-routed with the back (not the front) of the tremolo route. And that "universal" tremolo route that you put in will, when finished for a 6-point vintage trem, have a thin overhang in front of trem route, where it is supposed to have an overhang only at the back. I feel uncomfortable with having wood removed next to the tremolo anchor screws.

Many showcase bodies are also infected with the contoured heel.  Rear-routed bodies are all out because I'm afraid of that supersized electronics compartment.

As with necks, I think Warmoth should make a stronger separation between "flashy/fast-play" and "vintage/tone". Don't route contoured heel and the back of the tremolo before the order comes in.

People on online forums also raise concerns about the basic geometry of the Strat bodies being "off". Myself I'm not enough visually driven to notice, but Warmoth could possibly tame down some bashing by re-evaluating the templates used.

Basically for me I like Tele stuff from Warmoth and go elsewhere for Strat. This is probably not an optimal situation given that I like the quality of the wood and the woodwork just fine.

 

[Soylent]

Many showcase bodies are also infected with the contoured heel. 

Infected.. honestly made me smile.. great terminology!  :toothy10:

That being said I like the contoured heel so.. you know..

 

[Death by Uberschall]

I don't know why anybody wouldn't want the contoured heel unless you are trying to build a spec'd replica of something.

The Strat bodies are Fender licensed replacements, so I would think the bodies are "spec" or very close to it.

 

[m4rk0]

Only the headstock shape (and therefore necks) is licensed.

I don't even think Fender protected the body shapes... at least not in time

 

[uOpt]

Only the headstock shape (and therefore necks) is licensed.

I don't even think Fender protected the body shapes... at least not in time

They just finished a lawsuit last month in which it has been determined that Fender does not and never did have the right to keep people from cloning bodies.

Having said that, Warmoth's overall dimensions are rated "off". Myself I don't care about that, but as I said I really don't like their generic tremolo rear route.

 

[stubhead]

Interesting comments, uOpt. And, I'm glad the moderators see fit to let this go on... if you were on the Ernie Ball Forum, they woulda already sent out Icepick Vinnie to straighten you out!  ccasion14:

If Warmoth would offer more neck shape options for their baritones & 24" scale necks, and U-shaped bass necks, they would have more of my money. They seem to think they're doing fine, business-wise, so it keeps USA Custom going too. There's a huge size range in between the 1" boatneck and the .835" Clapton & Wolfgang necks, that Warmoth only fits with the .860" roundback - ummm, .900"? .870" rounding to a 1.00".... neck shapes are important, to those of us with aging hands and an uncontrollable practice jones.:redflag:

 

[Orpheo]

Interesting comments, uOpt. And, I'm glad the moderators see fit to let this go on... if you were on the Ernie Ball Forum, they woulda already sent out Icepick Vinnie to straighten you out!  ccasion14:

If Warmoth would offer more neck shape options for their baritones & 24" scale necks, and U-shaped bass necks, they would have more of my money. They seem to think they're doing fine, business-wise, so it keeps USA Custom going too. There's a huge size range in between the 1" boatneck and the .835" Clapton & Wolfgang necks, that Warmoth only fits with the .860" roundback - ummm, .900"? .870" rounding to a 1.00".... neck shapes are important, to those of us with aging hands and an uncontrollable practice jones.:redflag:

I'm thanking (a non-existing) god on my bare knees that I just love their 1'' fatback, and wouldn't play something else, since for me, everything else is a bad compromis (with the boat neck being okay too)

 

[dbw]

(Yes, yes, I know there are luthiers who don't work with acoustics... Paul Reed Smith comes to mind.)

errrrrr.......

http://namm09.musicradar.com/news/1694/

:icon_thumright:

Yeah, right, like Smith himself is building their new products in 2009

 

[T.L.]

I thank an actual existing God for Warmoth...
:guitaristgif:

 

[AprioriMark]

I thank an actual existing God for Warmoth...
:guitaristgif:

Thanks for the praise, but I'm really ok without worship in bold text.  The last guy who did that did something funny to the kool-aide.

-Mark

 

[whitebison66]

The subjective nature of language, as well as issues of attribution are two very common phenomena among guitar players/builders. Then again, without loaded and empirically unsupportable adjectives, where would music critics be?

But enough of that...

I guess I qualify as a luthier since I've hand-carved necks. Otherwise, I'd consider myself a tech/repairman.

One of the people I tech for (when I can) is also a W endorsee - Warner Hodges, a man producer Tom Werman thanked for 'general orneriness' as well as his guitar playing.

To say Warner has strong opinions is like saying the Pope is religious. I've seen him go on a diatribe and recommend Fender over Gibson onstage in front of several thousand people; the Les Paul he had was not cooperating (I hated that guitar and thanked him profusely when he got rid of it).

If Warner thought Warmoth was crap, he'd tell them. And me. And you, and anyone and everyone else.

If anyone tells him W is crap, he'll say things I can't write here. And tell them to do something to themselves that's physically impossible.

Although he has mellowed (a little), he is very rough on guitars. The fact that Warmoths can stand up to his abuse is a convincing argument. I thank God (as I understand him) for Warmoth, because it makes my job (a little) easier.

Warner will be in Europe (and I think the UK) for most of the summer with (former Georgia Satellites frontman) Dan Baird and Homemade Sin. I strongly encourage anyone who can to go see them. You will not be disappointed!

 

[simple]

Hey WhiteBison66,

I got to correspond with Warner and found him to be a helluva nice guy. It's cool that you tech for him.

 

[Orpheo]

I thank an actual existing God for Warmoth...
:guitaristgif:

Thanks for the praise, but I'm really ok without worship in bold text.  The last guy who did that did something funny to the kool-aide.

-Mark

for some reason, he always writes in bold

anyway, for me, warmoth for the win.

 

[buckallred]

I thank the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" for Warmoth.

 

[Ted]

i'm in the process of having a neck made for me.  strat replacement w/clapton profile, 6105 SS frets, satin finish with an earvana nut.  initially i was psyched, but then drifted into some online forums where it was easier to find negative, than positive about warmoth.  now i'm worried/concerned.  seemed everyone was saying warmoth was sh%t, and that one would be better off with USA Custom Guitar for necks.  guess i'm just looking to have my mind put at ease.   figured if i was going to hear some positives about warmoth, that this would be the place.  anyone?  anyone?

You have to be a picky fncker not to like W. necks. 

 

[dmraco]

I have to comment again...as I was playing one of my 4 warmoths this morning...I was admiring how GREAT the neck was....

 

[dbw]

I thank the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" for Warmoth.

Me too!  I often sacrifice goats / throw orgies / drink the blood of Christian babies in honor of Warmoth.  ccasion14: