warmoth body / musikraft neck custom

[francixxx]

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!
View attachment 68434

I can see the difference. While the first stock image is certainly similar to the photo I took in sunlight, take a closer look. My backplate is “a bit greener.”

If you think I'm nitpicking about Warmoth,
or if you're convinced I'm lying... try ordering a gold pearl pickguard.
Then, under 90% of lighting conditions—not in direct, blinding sunlight (after all, you wouldn’t take photos in that kind of environment unless you’re trying to sell a guitar by making it look absolutely stunning...)—
they’re just green with a hint of gold.

Maybe because this is a Warmoth fan site, I’m getting a ton of comments just for making a critical remark about Warmoth. I understand that people might want to defend their favorite brand, but honestly, what else can I do?

 

[rockandroller]

Warmoth is VERY upfront about how they will send you FREE PHYSICAL SAMPLES of a few pickguard swatches, if you are really picky. I have a quite recent pickguard of the same 'Gold Pearl' color and mine doesnt have even a HINT of green. Your "green" photo is clearly badly tinted in software (the 'cast' of the white paper looks almost Daphne blue!) so i would suspect you have a local lighting issue more than a plastic issue...

BTW that is a simply spectacular neck in every way - do you mind sharing what it cost?

 

[francixxx]

Warmoth is VERY upfront about how they will send you FREE PHYSICAL SAMPLES of a few pickguard swatches, if you are really picky. I have a quite recent pickguard of the same 'Gold Pearl' color and mine doesnt have even a HINT of green. Your "green" photo is clearly badly tinted in software (the 'cast' of the white paper looks almost Daphne blue!) so i would suspect you have a local lighting issue more than a plastic issue...

I am aware of the free sample program. (I also know that it is only available to customers within the United States.)

It’s strange that your gold pearl pickguard doesn’t have any green on it.
Could you please post a photo of your gold pearl pickguard? It’s possible that I accidentally received a green pearl pickguard instead of a gold pearl one due to an employee’s mistake...

 

[francixxx]

I just took this photo after taking it out again and placing it in the bright sunlight. My nieces and nephews happened to be playing with some colorful building blocks nearby, so I placed them next to it for the shot. It’s currently 9:30 a.m. here in Korea, and the weather is very clear and sunny, with the sun shining brightly.

 

[Fartcaster…Undercover]

I can see the difference. While the first stock image is certainly similar to the photo I took in sunlight, take a closer look. My backplate is “a bit greener.”

If you think I'm nitpicking about Warmoth,
or if you're convinced I'm lying... try ordering a gold pearl pickguard.
Then, under 90% of lighting conditions—not in direct, blinding sunlight (after all, you wouldn’t take photos in that kind of environment unless you’re trying to sell a guitar by making it look absolutely stunning...)—
they’re just green with a hint of gold.

Maybe because this is a Warmoth fan site, I’m getting a ton of comments just for making a critical remark about Warmoth. I understand that people might want to defend their favorite brand, but honestly, what else can I do?

I’m not saying that your eyes are wrong. But I cannot see for myself the difference when comparing these images because of the nuances of lighting and image capture of a metallicy reflectivey thingy.

 

[rockandroller]

I am aware of the free sample program. (I also know that it is only available to customers within the United States.)

It’s strange that your gold pearl pickguard doesn’t have any green on it.
Could you please post a photo of your gold pearl pickguard? It’s possible that I accidentally received a green pearl pickguard instead of a gold pearl one due to an employee’s mistake...

Sure! Here are a number of photos of mine taken in a variety of lighting conditions (starting on Page two of this thread)

 

[francixxx]

Sure! Here are a number of photos of mine taken in a variety of lighting conditions (starting on Page two of this thread)

I took a good look at the photo of your gold pearl pickguard,
so it seems I didn’t receive the wrong one after all. The difference between us is probably
that I see a strong green (or light green, whatever you want to call it), while you don’t see it at all.

After carefully comparing your pickguard, my backplate, and Warmoth’s sample sheet (10“x16” / 25.4cm x 40.64cm),
I realized that our pickguards are the same product, but the one used in Warmoth’s large sheet photo (front view)
might be slightly different.
Even considering the 16" length, the sheet in the photo has very fine, densely packed grains,
and the yellow (or orange) color is really intense.

Even if we were to cut our pickguard or backplate from a 160“ sheet instead of a 16” one,
I don’t think we’d be able to get a gorgeous gold pearl pickguard with such tightly packed grains like the one in that website photo.

*The puppy is very cute. I also have a dog named Hot Dog.
*My neck cost about $1,500 (including taxes and fees). That’s about the almost same price as my Warmoth body, which currently building.

 

[rockandroller]

Even if we were to cut our pickguard or backplate from a 160“ sheet instead of a 16” one,
I don’t think we’d be able to get a gorgeous gold pearl pickguard with such tightly packed grains like the one in that website photo.

Sure, I see exactly what you mean there... but "perloid" is supposed to be simulated "Pearl", so it should have relatively random grain patterns, just like a real pearl shell has it's own "fingerprint".

And if you look at the pictures on the first page of my build thread, you can see how I used the Warmoth 'pickguard simulator' page to generate my Protoype pickguard - and on THAT , it was showing me larger patterns, almost identical to what I ended up getting.

But in my case I was not expecting any 'particular exact' perloid grain pattern because I have been working with perloid for decades ( I used to be the export manager at TheGuitarCustomShop.com and I personally procured more perloid in my dozen years there than most luthiers handle in their lifetime)

 

[Spud]

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.

I have a Warmoth orange pearl pickguard that I am very happy with

 

[francixxx]

Since so many of you here seem satisfied with your pickguards, maybe I’m just a bit too picky. But when it comes to custom parts, you have to pay attention to these details
to avoid regret and ensure satisfaction, so I plan to give this warning to everyone I know when they buy from Warmoth.

No matter what discussions take place, the gold pearl backplate I received after paying extra doesn’t seem to match the color in their sheet preview photos. (I even took it outside a moment ago—not just looked at it through a window—and examined it at an angle under “real direct sunlight.")

Perhaps if you could find a light similar to the orange-hued studio lighting Warmoth uses (my guess)
and shine it on the guitar very brightly, you might be able to achieve that color. But that’s not a typical lighting situation.

So I hope that in the future, there won’t be any Warmoth beginners who, like me,
feel a disconnect between the preview photos and the actual product after purchasing from Warmoth.

thanks ,
-Kim from south korea

 

[Tretgeraet]

I just took this photo after taking it out again and placing it in the bright sunlight. My nieces and nephews happened to be playing with some colorful building blocks nearby, so I placed them next to it for the shot. It’s currently 9:30 a.m. here in Korea, and the weather is very clear and sunny, with the sun shining brightly.


View attachment 68436

I'm sorry but I still don't see any green on your backplate. Is it maybe a language barrier or cultural thing?

Warmoths sample and your backplate look very different in that picture but like I said: Colors can be very hard to capture.

I for example was a little concerned my Teilecaster might come in a different shade of Spectra Blue than shown on the website, because a lot of examples in the internet show the color more red an closer to a very blue purple. But it turned out exactly like I hoped it would from looking at the "color choices" page.

If anything I think your backplate in your last picture looks closer to a "real gold", although that's a very relative term, too: Gotohs gold finish is very different from Schallers gold finish for example.

 

[Spud]

Really my main concern is are aer you aware that the dragon comes in the night?!!!

 

[Floyd_Argus]

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.

View attachment 67913

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 :
View attachment 67916View attachment 67917

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

You described the neck's scale length as 24.75", not Gibson conversion scale? Is that accurate - did you mean to say that?

The reason I am asking, is I believe (and other forum members with more experience, please correct me if I am wrong), that Warmoth bodies are designed to support 25.5" scale length. I assume this because when I've used the Warmoth neck builder tool, i've never seen a choice of 24.75" for scale length, only 24.75 **conversion** scale. If I am correct about this, your Musikraft 24.75" scale neck will have intonation problems when mated to your Warmoth body.

 

[francixxx]

Really my main concern is are aer you aware that the dragon comes in the night?!!!

I sense a tone of “mockery” in your previous comments and in this one. If that's what you want, go ahead. But the truth is simple.

“No matter how you order a Gold Pearl pickguard from Warmoth, take a photo of it, or hold it up to bright sunlight or in a dark, low-light environment, it will never match the color of Warmoth Gold Pearl pickguard sheet sample.”

That is my dissatisfaction, and that is all I wanted to say.

 

[francixxx]

You described the neck's scale length as 24.75", not Gibson conversion scale? Is that accurate - did you mean to say that?

The reason I am asking, is I believe (and other forum members with more experience, please correct me if I am wrong), that Warmoth bodies are designed to support 25.5" scale length. I assume this because when I've used the Warmoth neck builder tool, i've never seen a choice of 24.75" for scale length, only 24.75 **conversion** scale. If I am correct about this, your Musikraft 24.75" scale neck will have intonation problems when mated to your Warmoth body.

Like the Warmoth , the Musikraft also features a 24.75“ conversion-scale neck that can be mounted on a 25.5” scale body. For more details, please visit the Musikraft website. Their instruments are both amazing and inspiring.

 

[francixxx]

I'm sorry but I still don't see any green on your backplate. Is it maybe a language barrier or cultural thing?

Warmoths sample and your backplate look very different in that picture but like I said: Colors can be very hard to capture.

I for example was a little concerned my Teilecaster might come in a different shade of Spectra Blue than shown on the website, because a lot of examples in the internet show the color more red an closer to a very blue purple. But it turned out exactly like I hoped it would from looking at the "color choices" page.

If anything I think your backplate in your last picture looks closer to a "real gold", although that's a very relative term, too: Gotohs gold finish is very different from Schallers gold finish for example.

Honestly, I think my straightforward assessment—based on what I actually saw—
seems to have rubbed some of you the wrong way.
I don’t care what you think, but I simply ordered the color I wanted, and the product I received wasn’t that color. That’s all there is to it. Whether you look at a photo, look at it with your own eyes, or tilt it—it doesn’t matter.