warmoth body / musikraft neck custom

[francixxx]

Hello everyone, this is my first thread.
I've just started my second Warmoth custom guitar project after nearly 18 years.

My initial plan was to custom-order both the body and neck from Warmoth,
but the neck options—like the truss rod, construction type, and neck binding—
proved too restrictive, so I had no choice but to order the neck from Musikraft.

It's only been about two weeks since I placed the order and paid, so I don't have any photos to show you yet, haha. Still, I'll share some preview sketches I made in Photoshop while conceptualizing this guitar.



warmoth body :
swamp ash / unique choice Lam top (birdseye maple) telecaster soild
SSS pickup rout with reversed bridge pickup(like hendrix strat)
5way blade switch and 1vol
6 hole vintage bridge
blue burst(top , back) finish with natural masked binding on top side
strat neck pocket , no 720mod
tummy and forearm contour , no contoured heel
etc..

musikraft neck :
1 piece 5~6A grade birdseye maple neck with single truss rod and cream neck binding
24.75" scale
non-angled charvel pointy headstock (reversed)
jescar evo gold fretwire , 22frets
custom material inlay(they called it "emerald dragon") - reversed shark tooth
1.650" nut width - i'll install bone nut later
les paul neckback (.87-.97)
flame maple skunk stripe and plug
semi rolled fretboard edge
10mm tuner hole - i'll install gotoh sg381 gold inline tuner with ivoroid buttons later
blue luminay side dots
aged oil finish
etc..

Here are the approximate main specifications I ordered.


I already have a main guitar I've been using for 14 years,
but as I've gotten older, this main guitar started feeling too heavy.
So I planned to build this new Warmoth/Musikraft guitar to serve as a “somewhat” replacement for my existing main guitar,
and also to enjoy a different kind of fun with a single pickups combination.
That's how I came up with the idea to build what you might call the “little sister” to my main guitar.

By the way, here's what my main guitar looks like :


This is a guitar crafted by a renowned custom shop in my country's region.
It's a set-in-neck Telespaul made from one piece each of old-growth Honduran mahogany. Yes, it has a 6mm AAAA flamed hard maple top.
The fingerboard is Ceylon ebony.

Anyway,
it'll still be 4-5 weeks before the custom neck arrives, and
15-16 weeks before the custom body arrives.

I've been exchanging emails with Joe Neigel from Warmoth before production,
but he seems so busy he only checks his emails every 3-4 days.
If any Warmoth staff are here, I'd like to ask them to kindly remind Mr. Joe
to check the emails I've sent him.

For now, I'll post this update and keep revising it as parts arrive or progress occurs. Have a great day, everyone.
Thank you,

Kim (from south korea)

Here's a sound sample of the main guitar.

https://soundcloud.com/francixx%2Fsoldano

 

[zw470]

Did you order the "Pointy 2 Charvel" headstock shape?

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Tasty!

 

[stratamania]

For now, I'll post this update and keep revising it as parts arrive or progress occurs.

Just make update posts in this thread instead of editing. It makes it easier to follow.

 

[francixxx]

Hi, I have a few updates...

First, the neck has finally arrived. Just as I was pleasantly surprised,
I think you’ll all find it quite a treat for the eyes.

 

[francixxx]

Moving on... I’ll post a few more photos.




I’m speechless. Musikraft is amazing.

 

[francixxx]

Several custom parts have also arrived separately.
I’ll show you a few of them.

 

[francixxx]

Well , now all that’s left is for the Warmoth custom body to arrive in a few weeks.


(I’ll leave a sample recording I made using my main guitar. )

https://soundcloud.com/francixx%2Fsteel-string

 

[Fartcaster…Undercover]

Moving on... I’ll post a few more photos.


View attachment 68295View attachment 68296View attachment 68297

I’m speechless. Musikraft is amazing.

What is that inlay material?

 

[francixxx]

Hi, the miscellaneous parts I ordered from Warmoth have arrived.



I ordered a gold pearl backplate cover upgrade to match the neck inlays.
In my opinion, Warmoth needs to update the correct sample photos on their website. While it has a gold tone, the green hue is very strong.
The actual photos of the pickguard samples on the website don’t show any green at all,
so at first I thought Warmoth had accidentally sent me the wrong material—a green pearl pickguard.

The back of the backplate (black) had a ton of scratches and some sticky residue (yuck) on it. At first, I thought, “Ah! There’s a protective film on the back too!” but that wasn’t the case. They had simply left the back covered in scratches and debris. Since it’s a surface that will be covered with copper tape or conductive paint anyway, it wasn’t a major issue, but my first thought was that I must have ordered this from AliExpress instead of Warmoth in the U.S.

I’m a bit disappointed.





As for the knobs, selector tips, and neck plate pads, the glossy finish, seam lines, and injection molding protrusions were all clearly visible, giving them a cheap, shoddy look rather than the feel of “quality parts.”
I spent about half a day sanding and refining the texture to achieve a smooth, seamless finish that I’m somewhat satisfied with. If you’re planning to buy these plastic parts from Warmoth, I’d recommend looking for a supplier that carries higher-quality parts or considering a modification.


*The parts after removing the unsightly injection marks, sharp seam lines, and cheap-looking gloss





*I checked to see if the creamy-colored parts and the neck binding matched as planned.
I’m also keeping in mind color matching with the “Natural Masked Edge” of the Warmoth body I’m currently building.




*I compared the inlay on the Musikraft neck with the gold color of the Warmoth backplate cover under sunlight.
The greenish tint of the backplate cover still bothers me. Warmoth should post realistic photos of their product samples (so people can make accurate choices).


I’ve gathered almost all the parts now.
Once the pickup set I ordered on eBay arrives, I’ll be all set.
I was a bit disappointed with the color of the backplate upgrade.
On top of that, my Iphone suddenly broke today, so I had to buy a new one. (An unexpected major expense)

I chose the Blue Burst finish for the body Warmoth is building,
and I made that decision based on the Warmoth finish catalog (PDF file). However,
if Warmoth distorts the sample photos like this, I’m starting to worry that the finish color on my guitar body might turn out darker or look strange another colors compared to the catalog photo...

 

[francixxx]

What is that inlay material?

Musikraft's Emerald Dragon (inlay material)

 

[Tretgeraet]

I gotta say I fail to see the greenish tint in your own photo as well... except for the last one, but that is so blue, that even the birdseye maple looks green.

I'm not saying that it isn't green, or that you're lying, I've actually never seen it in person. I'm just pointing out that it can be very difficult to show an accurate representation of colors in photos.

 

[Fartcaster…Undercover]

I gotta say I fail to see the greenish tint in your own photo as well... except for the last one, but that is so blue, that even the birdseye maple looks green.

I'm not saying that it isn't green, or that you're lying, I've actually never seen it in person. I'm just pointing out that it can be very difficult to show an accurate representation of colors in photos.

Great update from op. Also, and I do not mean to be piling on op here - I could see how this type of item would be difficult to capture for a singular inventory image. It reflects so much light, irregularly, at various angles. You’d almost need to record a short video of it being rotated — and even then a processed image of such an object is never the same as what the eye will perceive in real life.

 

[Fartcaster…Undercover]

Hi, the miscellaneous parts I ordered from Warmoth have arrived.

View attachment 68432

I ordered a gold pearl backplate cover upgrade to match the neck inlays.
In my opinion, Warmoth needs to update the correct sample photos on their website. While it has a gold tone, the green hue is very strong.
The actual photos of the pickguard samples on the website don’t show any green at all,
so at first I thought Warmoth had accidentally sent me the wrong material—a green pearl pickguard.

The back of the backplate (black) had a ton of scratches and some sticky residue (yuck) on it. At first, I thought, “Ah! There’s a protective film on the back too!” but that wasn’t the case. They had simply left the back covered in scratches and debris. Since it’s a surface that will be covered with copper tape or conductive paint anyway, it wasn’t a major issue, but my first thought was that I must have ordered this from AliExpress instead of Warmoth in the U.S.

I’m a bit disappointed.


View attachment 68428


As for the knobs, selector tips, and neck plate pads, the glossy finish, seam lines, and injection molding protrusions were all clearly visible, giving them a cheap, shoddy look rather than the feel of “quality parts.”
I spent about half a day sanding and refining the texture to achieve a smooth, seamless finish that I’m somewhat satisfied with. If you’re planning to buy these plastic parts from Warmoth, I’d recommend looking for a supplier that carries higher-quality parts or considering a modification.

View attachment 68429
*The parts after removing the unsightly injection marks, sharp seam lines, and cheap-looking gloss




View attachment 68430
*I checked to see if the creamy-colored parts and the neck binding matched as planned.
I’m also keeping in mind color matching with the “Natural Masked Edge” of the Warmoth body I’m currently building.



View attachment 68431
*I compared the inlay on the Musikraft neck with the gold color of the Warmoth backplate cover under sunlight.
The greenish tint of the backplate cover still bothers me. Warmoth should post realistic photos of their product samples (so people can make accurate choices).


I’ve gathered almost all the parts now.
Once the pickup set I ordered on eBay arrives, I’ll be all set.
I was a bit disappointed with the color of the backplate upgrade.
On top of that, my Iphone suddenly broke today, so I had to buy a new one. (An unexpected major expense)

I chose the Blue Burst finish for the body Warmoth is building,
and I made that decision based on the Warmoth finish catalog (PDF file). However,
if Warmoth distorts the sample photos like this, I’m starting to worry that the finish color on my guitar body might turn out darker or look strange another colors compared to the catalog photo...

You should contact Warmoth customer service and see, since you have a body on order, if they can help remedy the issue of the lightly marred plate.

 

[francixxx]

I gotta say I fail to see the greenish tint in your own photo as well... except for the last one, but that is so blue, that even the birdseye maple looks green.

I'm not saying that it isn't green, or that you're lying, I've actually never seen it in person. I'm just pointing out that it can be very difficult to show an accurate representation of colors in photos.

Well, terminology regarding “color names” can vary from person to person.
If we set aside any potential misunderstandings about color names and put it more clearly, I’d summarize it as: “The product you receive is darker in person than it appears in the product photos on the website.” I think everyone—whether they prefer green or gold—would agree 100% with that. (Go ahead and order one today. See if I’m right.)

As for the selector tips and knob parts, I’d say, “You’ll receive products where the seam lines are more prominent and the injection mold sprues stick out more than in the product photos on the website.” That way, there’s no room for misunderstanding regarding the terminology.

 

[francixxx]

Great update from op. Also, and I do not mean to be piling on op here - I could see how this type of item would be difficult to capture for a singular inventory image. It reflects so much light, irregularly, at various angles. You’d almost need to record a short video of it being rotated — and even then a processed image of such an object is never the same as what the eye will perceive in real life.

To be honest, the color of the backplate looked so different that I even tried turning it this way and that in bright sunlight to check it out. No matter how strangely I angled the light, I just couldn’t get that bright, yellow, and vibrant “gold” look shown in the website photos. So I just gave up, removed the plastic wrap, and focused more on sanding the plastic parts. A day later, I put this post together and uploaded it. Thank you for your continued interest in these updates.

*Actually, a few months ago, I saw a Reels video on Warmoth’s Instagram showing these pearl pickguards stacked one on top of another. I remembered that even in that video, the gold pearl pickguard didn’t look like the color in the website photos under normal lighting—it looked just like the unedited photo I took and uploaded.

 

[Spud]

To me the neck inlays are greener by far than the gold pearl material.

 

[Spud]

You got you some GREEN inlays!

 

[Fartcaster…Undercover]

To be honest, the color of the backplate looked so different that I even tried turning it this way and that in bright sunlight to check it out. No matter how strangely I angled the light, I just couldn’t get that bright, yellow, and vibrant “gold” look shown in the website photos. So I just gave up, removed the plastic wrap, and focused more on sanding the plastic parts. A day later, I put this post together and uploaded it. Thank you for your continued interest in these updates.

*Actually, a few months ago, I saw a Reels video on Warmoth’s Instagram showing these pearl pickguards stacked one on top of another. I remembered that even in that video, the gold pearl pickguard didn’t look like the color in the website photos under normal lighting—it looked just like the unedited photo I took and uploaded.

I certainly hear ya, but honestly can’t really glean the difference you see in person from the images you shared + the stock image. Your first image under warm indoor lighting looks like a good match to the stock image in terms of color- albeit slightly different exposures (and distances from the subject) And of course the daylight through the window is a way different color light source lending a blue-green tint to everything in the frame but it looks like it’s reflecting light more dramatically - like the stock image (and then to complicate things further there’s whatever your camera’s sensor does and the programming of the auto-white balance that the manufacturer hath bestowed upon thee.)

Don’t fret, it’s probably going to look awesome anyway!

 

[francixxx]

To me the neck inlays are greener by far than the gold pearl material.

The Emerald Dragon inlay does include green,
and I understand that based solely on the photos I’ve posted here, you might say, “The neck inlay is green, the back cover is green—isn’t that fine?”

(When viewed head-on, that neck inlay emits a dazzling “gold” color that’s almost blinding. And the more you tilt it to the side, the more it shifts three-dimensionally—taking on a turquoise (?) hue reminiscent of a tropical sea in low light. It’s truly unique.)

I didn’t write this post to criticize Warmos.
I wrote it because, after seeing it with my own eyes and examining it from various angles, I realized that you can never achieve the same vibrancy as in the photos on their website.

If you don’t believe me or think I’m lying, try ordering a Gold Pearl pickguard... or even something simple like a CRL switch. You’ll immediately notice that Warmoth takes and posts photos of almost all their parts that are brighter and more vibrant than they actually are.