What brand is your guitar (Tele, Strat, Soloist?)

[OzziePete]

1. Call mine Warmoths...
2. No I tend to consider the guitars as Warmoths, with design features I have selected, so it a Warmoth/Aussie Pete variant of whatever Fender they may resemble. The actual licence between Warmoth & Fender is quite limited in what it really refers to, its not all the Fender-ish stuff. Check out Warmoth's website for details.
3. Changes depending upon their bias. If they had been playing guitar for sometime, they have usually picked up a brand loyalty of some sort and either don't know, or when they are told, don't care about Warmoths.....though they like the quality of the woods... Folks who don't play guitar usually love the look of them.
4. Initial 2 Warmoths feature 24.75" conversion necks. I prefer a shorter scale but love Fender guitars...bad combo if you really want that Fender. #1 is a Tele that houses a genuine old 1960s L series bridge pickup from a Tele, and people had been at me to play Teles as they felt that was me all over. But having bought a Fender Strat and noticed that the 25.5" scale was a bit long at times for me, I didn't want that.  Do you know how much a Fender Custom Shop Tele made in 24.75" would cost ?!

I haven't the slightest what a Fender Custom Shop Tele in 24.75 would cost.  :dontknow:

I guess for some reason, I guess I just never associated "Custom Shop" guitars with Fender, for some reason.  When I think of "Custom Shop," first and foremost, I always think of B.C. Rich, Jackson, and ESP, in that order.

Off the subject, but can you actually get a neck-through Strat?  I've never seen one...

Fender were quietly making 'custom orders' for players way before the other makers you list (as far back as the 50s I believe, you could grease their palms and get some mods made if you knew who to ask) & then they decided to make it a separate entity and founded The Custom Shop. I have no idea what a 24.75" scale Tele would cost, but I'd suggest that you & I couldn't afford it. They have also, since I thought of that idea, released a set neck version of the Tele that was 24.75" scale. Not sure if that is still in production. You can still, I believe, go to an Authorised Retailer who deals with Custom Shop Orders for Fender and place a quote order, but when the time came that I had that sort of money and wanted to do a Custom Order, I went for an Acoustic style guitar instead, with an Australian manufacturer's Custom Shop. By then too, I had already completed a 24.75" Tele using Warmoth, so I felt that sound had been covered in my arsenal  - why waste the money on replicating that (my #1 Warmoth)?

While you see more limited editions and high priced signature models coming from the Fender Custom Shop like a production line, they will still do a custom order for you.I have no idea what the waiting time would be, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 6 months or more....Whether they'd do a neck thru styled Strat you'd have to ask them.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

1. They are Warmoths. To call them anything else in false information.
2. My Warmoths are neither. Nothing that Warmoth sells is a legitimate Fender, Gibson, Jackson, etc. The parts are manufactured by Warmoth, not any other company, so they cannot qualify as a product made by any other company. Having a license to use a company's trademarks does not mean your that parts are produced by that company, or that the company in question had any involvement whatsoever in the manufacturing of those parts. Also, as Max pointed out, no original exists of the Warmoths I've built, so they can't be a clone of anything. They are just instruments loosely based on Fender designs.
3. Most people react positively, but some always complain about what they dislike about Warmoths. Usually the resale value, or the thickness of the necks. (Jazz bass necks.)
4. With my two basses, Fender did not make a bass with the features I want, so they were not an option. I'll be ordering a Warmoth Strat neck in the near future, because, to my knowledge, no one else sells replacement necks in exotic woods.

I agree.  I always tell people mine is a Warmoth, and they've either never heard of one, refer to it as a "kit guitar," or comment on their poor resale value.

Basically, what it comes down to is this; the guitar is only as good as the person who builds it.  I had someone build mine who know his stuff inside and out, and some.  Had I built the guitar myself, it wouldn't even have been on the radar screen. 

I've only played one Warmoth aside from my own, and it can lay claim to being one of the biggest piles I've ever had the misfortune of playing.  Had that guitar been the first (and only) Warmoth I'd ever played, there's no way in Hell I would have gone with one.

 

[elfro89]

I think this is a rather strange topic.

1. I refer to guitars by the type such as a Strat or a Les Paul. Owning a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster is not an instant prestige gainer. Could not really care less who it was made by, it does not grant a person some title or make them more of an accomplished musician. James Jamerson used a shitety old bass with shitety old strings and played on pretty much everything put out by motown records, and I would say there are very few bassists who would claim he was crap, or refuse to own his bass of they were offered.

2. Who cares? When it comes to that little sticker on the headstock many people put a fender one there because it looks right, not because they want to trick the general population or make a statement about licensing. I myself am happy to put the warmoth decal there as I believe the company has a right to be credited for the work they do, the same way fender puts its name on it.

3. I've never heard anyone say warmoth are awful or that my neck was shite because it was not made by fender, such a person is probably an ass and would never get in my house to see it anyway.

4. To complete the look, but I would argue many people don't use all fender looking parts on their build and if they did it was to complete the look yet have a custom made guitar. If the goal was to make an exact replica of an existing guitar for cheaper then I would say they are missing the point in having one made for you. You could argue well why not get a fender custom shop? Well, here is why.

I have played many fender guitars from your standard Mexican all the way up to your 3 grand custom shops. I have played several high end Fenders that have really sucked ass; clearly an instrument meant to be locked away for investment sake, and I have played many that were truly amazing pieces of work. I have tried the grand total of 2 Warmoths which doesn't give me a lot to go on, but I do have lots and lots of experience with fender instruments, so when comparing the two, I was blown away with how great warmoth can be IF and only if, they are built properly by someone who knows what they are doing (the same way Fender custom shops are built.) Once they are made they blow Fender away, because A) you have your OWN custom shop that's every bit as good as a fender, except its yours cause you chose every part and built it yourself/ had someone do it for you, and it then becomes more personal cause you've seen every bit of the development. B) you did it for about half the price of a real Fender, is the decal on the headstock really worth the extra $1500, no. Unless your prestige hungry and silly. Just have the decal made and put in your warmoth if you really want it there for image sake. But all names aside, there is only so much you can do to a lump of wood, the person makes the guitar what it is, not the sticker on the headstock.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I think this is a rather strange topic.

1. I refer to guitars by the type such as a Strat or a Les Paul. Owning a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster is not an instant prestige gainer. Could not really care less who it was made by, it does not grant a person some title or make them more of an accomplished musician. James Jamerson used a shiteety old bass with shiteety old strings and played on pretty much everything put out by motown records, and I would say there are very few bassists who would claim he was crap, or refuse to own his bass of they were offered.

2. Who cares? When it comes to that little sticker on the headstock many people put a fender one there because it looks right, not because they want to trick the general population or make a statement about licensing. I myself am happy to put the warmoth decal there as I believe the company has a right to be credited for the work they do, the same way fender puts its name on it.

3. I've never heard anyone say warmoth are awful or that my neck was shitee because it was not made by fender, such a person is probably an ass and would never get in my house to see it anyway.

4. To complete the look, but I would argue many people don't use all fender looking parts on their build and if they did it was to complete the look yet have a custom made guitar. If the goal was to make an exact replica of an existing guitar for cheaper then I would say they are missing the point in having one made for you. You could argue well why not get a fender custom shop? Well, here is why.

I have played many fender guitars from your standard Mexican all the way up to your 3 grand custom shops. I have played several high end Fenders that have really sucked ass; clearly an instrument meant to be locked away for investment sake, and I have played many that were truly amazing pieces of work. I have tried the grand total of 2 Warmoths which doesn't give me a lot to go on, but I do have lots and lots of experience with fender instruments, so when comparing the two, I was blown away with how great warmoth can be IF and only if, they are built properly by someone who knows what they are doing (the same way Fender custom shops are built.) Once they are made they blow Fender away, because A) you have your OWN custom shop that's every bit as good as a fender, except its yours cause you chose every part and built it yourself/ had someone do it for you, and it then becomes more personal cause you've seen every bit of the development. B) you did it for about half the price of a real Fender, is the decal on the headstock really worth the extra $1500, no. Unless your prestige hungry and silly. Just have the decal made and put in your warmoth if you really want it there for image sake. But all names aside, there is only so much you can do to a lump of wood, the person makes the guitar what it is, not the sticker on the headstock.

All good points, but you mention, "to complete the look."  Well, if somebody's just after "the look," why not save the money and just buy the Fender if that's all he/she wants?

As far as cost is concerned, I don't know of anyone who's ever built a Warmoth for cheaper than a Fender could be picked up.  If people are looking for a cheap way into USA-made Fender, he/she has most certainly taken the wrong avenue of approach.  I'd spent nearly $1000 on the body and neck of my guitar alone, not including the electronics or other pieces.  By the time I had mine professionaly assembled and set up, had a custom case made, and paid S&H for everything, I'd spent around $2000-$2200.  Is/was it worth it?  Damned right.  My Warmoth plays absolutely amazing, and it's probably the best playing guitar I've ever played, and I'm not saying that just because I own it.  The only thing I can complain about, aside the less-than-quality finish Warmoth provided me for my $245, is that I wish it had that "720" mod, or whatever it's called.

Does a Warmoth play better than a Fender?  I'm not so sure.  What if that Fender was built by the same person who built the Warmoth?  There are too many variables to offer a definite answer, but, all I can say, is that my Warmoth plays amazing.  I mean, just...WOW!

There are those of us who "know" all about Warmoth, and could probably consider them a "boutique" brand, or something, and then there are those who have either never heard of Warmoth, or just don't "know."  Years ago, I was one of those who fell into the "just don't know" category.  I saw ads in magazines for Warmoth 15 years ago, but there was no way in Hell I was going to put my money towards a "parts bin guitar."  Then, I did some research on what people were saying, and even though they were good things, I was still very reluctant to pull the trigger.  Warmoth was an uncharted territory for me, and to part with $1000 right off the bat to a company I knew pretty much nothing about, was a huge chance.

Only 3 people besides myself have played my Warmoth, one of them who was my guitar instructor, who is a huge Fender fan, a buddy of mine who absolutely despises Fender, and then a guy who came in the other day to fix our HVAC in our home.  All of them said the same thing, "It plays like a Fender."  My guitar instructor just flat-out LOVED it, my buddy flat-out HATED it, and then the HVAC repairman liked it, but was more interested in my 2003 Jackson USA Select KV2 that's up for grabs, but in the end, each person said, "It plays like a Fender."

In the end, while there are only so many things that can be done to a piece of wood, I think a Fender is a Fender, and a Warmoth is a Warmoth.  As an example, I can go spend $12500 on a Factory 5 Racing Cobra kit car and fit it with old-school parts from the past, but just because it looks like a Cobra and has a 427ci under the hood doesn't make it a Shelby.  For me, I'd be okay with that, because under most circumstances, one of those kits can out-do the Cobra, as long as it's built by a qualified individual.  So just as with cars, is the Warmoth guitar better than the Fender?  I'm not sure about that, but one thing is for sure, I haven't played a Fender that's come close to my Warmoth in terms of playability.

 

[Stew]

1. 100% Warmoth  :icon_thumright:
2. Not a clone ... more Fender-ish. It looks like a Fender and I call it my "Strat", but as others have said you'd have a hard time finding one just like it.
3. So far everyone loves it. My buddy wasn't too sure about it ... until he tried it! I think he's gonna build an SG  :icon_biggrin:
4. I played a bunch of Strats at various local music stores before deciding to go with a Warmoth. For the money my guitar sh*ts on anything I could've bought locally.

 

[elfro89]

All good points, but you mention, "to complete the look."  Well, if somebody's just after "the look," why not save the money and just buy the Fender if that's all he/she wants?

They could but it's hardly going to be custom made, some people just don't think a strat feels right unless it looks like a fender, just personal taste.

As far as cost is concerned, I don't know of anyone who's ever built a Warmoth for cheaper than a Fender could be picked up.  If people are looking for a cheap way into USA-made Fender, he/she has most certainly taken the wrong avenue of approach.  I'd spent nearly $1000 on the body and neck of my guitar alone, not including the electronics or other pieces.  By the time I had mine professionaly assembled and set up, had a custom case made, and paid S&H for everything, I'd spent around $2000-$2200.  Is/was it worth it?  Damned right.  My Warmoth plays absolutely amazing, and it's probably the best playing guitar I've ever played, and I'm not saying that just because I own it.  The only thing I can complain about, aside the less-than-quality finish Warmoth provided me for my $245, is that I wish it had that "720" mod, or whatever it's called.

 

Sure, if your talking about your standard models and deluxe's then yes, but I'm comparing a custom made Warmoth to a custom made Fender, If you ordered the exact same thing from warmoth, I grantee it would cost less from warmoth, including having it set-up and getting the case. But, I don't see Fender ever making a body that's as exotic, or as good as this.

Only 3 people besides myself have played my Warmoth, one of them who was my guitar instructor, who is a huge Fender fan, a buddy of mine who absolutely despises Fender, and then a guy who came in the other day to fix our HVAC in our home.  All of them said the same thing, "It plays like a Fender."  My guitar instructor just flat-out LOVED it, my buddy flat-out HATED it, and then the HVAC repairman liked it, but was more interested in my 2003 Jackson USA Select KV2 that's up for grabs, but in the end, each person said, "It plays like a Fender."

Sure, but I'm pretty certain that even if you got a strat body for example, complete with a strat neck, but had the most un-Fendery options it would feel nothing like a fender, that is certainly true with the neck I got, it has the same specs as my parker fly neck with the same fret size, and it feels every similar with the difference being the raw wood of the strat neck. I'm sure anyone who's familiar with the fly would say it feels pretty similar. You certainly couldn't do that with a Fender custom shop XD

In the end, while there are only so many things that can be done to a piece of wood, I think a Fender is a Fender, and a Warmoth is a Warmoth.  As an example, I can go spend $12500 on a Factory 5 Racing Cobra kit car and fit it with old-school parts from the past, but just because it looks like a Cobra and has a 427ci under the hood doesn't make it a Shelby.  For me, I'd be okay with that, because under most circumstances, one of those kits can out-do the Cobra, as long as it's built by a qualified individual.  So just as with cars, is the Warmoth guitar better than the Fender?  I'm not sure about that, but one thing is for sure, I haven't played a Fender that's come close to my Warmoth in terms of playability.

In my circumstance I would say yes, cause when I properly finish my build it will be a strat that could never have been made by Fender, yet look like a strat. From that perspective I would say it's definitely better then a Fender made strat.

 

[Ace Flibble]

I have no idea what a 24.75" scale Tele would cost, but I'd suggest that you & I couldn't afford it.
[...]
While you see more limited editions and high priced signature models coming from the Fender Custom Shop like a production line, they will still do a custom order for you.I have no idea what the waiting time would be, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 6 months or more.

I'm not entirely sure how the prices convert over to other countries, but here in the UK a unique build with the Fender Custom Shop starts at £1700 for anything riffing off a Strat or Tele, last time I checked. That puts it cheaper than the base cost of most UK luthiers and other EU Custom Shops. I expect they would be even more reasonably priced for the US.

Whenever I've inquired before, wait times have been set at 10 months from the moment you submit the first draft of your order (Fender like to do a little back-and-forth with you to make sure you and they both know exactly what you want) until the time it is in your hands. Again, that's for the UK though, I imagine for the US it may be a month or so quicker.

Of all the Custom Shops around, Fender and Jackson's is probably the most reasonably priced and fastest of the big brands. Schecter are a little cheaper but also slower and if you ever needed to sell it on you'd have a hard time selling on a custom Schecter for much whereas any CS Fender will sell for a fair amount.

 

[Jusatele]

I wrote. "WoodShed" on the headstock
but I tell guys it is a Warmoth and if they do not know what that is I tell them Warmoth makes custom necks and bodies and you assemble the guitar sourcing what ever hardware and electronics you want. Therefore you can get the axe you want of your own design and get hardware and electronics you want.

Anyone who knows a guitar can tell right off the quality of the hardware, let them play it and they can tell the quality of the electronics and neck.
Biggest compliment I have gotten on BARN DOOR is "that thing has the mojo going."

Now I did not build the guitar to impress anyone but myself, and I did do that, It would be correct to say I was so apprehensive that I would end up with a pile of crap that I almost did not build it. I know my abilities. However I took everything slow and practiced a lot, I practiced stain and finish on other wood, I practiced soldiering, I practiced predrilling holes to make sure I had the right size drill bit. I agonized over placement of stuff.

I gave it to a very good tech to do a Uber Nice Professional neck fret job and set up and set in a bone nut set tothe action height.

So what did I end up with ?  BARN DOOR Tele. A Warmoth guitar. Does it have a special high value ? No would have to part it out to get 1/2 what I have in it.

But then what is in a name? we all agree a lot of poopoo is put out under all the big names. I wanted a boutique quality guitar, and I got that. I could have ordered a Baker of such, but I chose this way, and I now have a instrument that guys who play it are amazed by, and that I can proudly look at them and say I assembled it.

If you are worried about no one will respect you with a no name guitar, go back to the closet, close the door and come out in 2 years after you have played for 3 hours a day practicing.  Forget what anyone thinks of your axe, it is your ability that means everything, You could own a 15,000 dollar D Angelico and still sound like shit. I would say the better guitar you own and the worse you sound makes you look more of a fool than a guy who can tear the face off a guitar shredding it to pieces on a 3 octave run on a squire strat.

 

[Cagey]

If you are worried about no one will respect you with a no name guitar, go back to the closet, close the door and come out in 2 years after you have played for 3 hours a day practicing.  Forget what anyone thinks of your axe, it is your ability that means everything, You could own a 15,000 dollar D Angelico and still sound like shitee. I would say the better guitar you own and the worse you sound makes you look more of a fool than a guy who can tear the face off a guitar shredding it to pieces on a 3 octave run on a squire strat.

This is absolutely true. I'm constantly amazed at how often that fundamental fact is discounted if it's even brought up at all.

I remember back when I was a grasshopper, I was never satisfied with the way my guitar played or how my various gear sounded. But, the local living legend could come over and just wail on that stuff and it sounded like a million bucks. It was embarrassing.

But, he was one of those guys who always had a guitar in his hands. It was nothing for him to play for hours on end on a daily basis as if it were a religious calling. Makes a huge difference, and no amount of money or gear can take its place.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

All good points, but you mention, "to complete the look."  Well, if somebody's just after "the look," why not save the money and just buy the Fender if that's all he/she wants?

They could but it's hardly going to be custom made, some people just don't think a strat feels right unless it looks like a fender, just personal taste.

As far as cost is concerned, I don't know of anyone who's ever built a Warmoth for cheaper than a Fender could be picked up.  If people are looking for a cheap way into USA-made Fender, he/she has most certainly taken the wrong avenue of approach.  I'd spent nearly $1000 on the body and neck of my guitar alone, not including the electronics or other pieces.  By the time I had mine professionaly assembled and set up, had a custom case made, and paid S&H for everything, I'd spent around $2000-$2200.  Is/was it worth it?  Damned right.  My Warmoth plays absolutely amazing, and it's probably the best playing guitar I've ever played, and I'm not saying that just because I own it.  The only thing I can complain about, aside the less-than-quality finish Warmoth provided me for my $245, is that I wish it had that "720" mod, or whatever it's called.

 

Sure, if your talking about your standard models and deluxe's then yes, but I'm comparing a custom made Warmoth to a custom made Fender, If you ordered the exact same thing from warmoth, I grantee it would cost less from warmoth, including having it set-up and getting the case. But, I don't see Fender ever making a body that's as exotic, or as good as this.

Only 3 people besides myself have played my Warmoth, one of them who was my guitar instructor, who is a huge Fender fan, a buddy of mine who absolutely despises Fender, and then a guy who came in the other day to fix our HVAC in our home.  All of them said the same thing, "It plays like a Fender."  My guitar instructor just flat-out LOVED it, my buddy flat-out HATED it, and then the HVAC repairman liked it, but was more interested in my 2003 Jackson USA Select KV2 that's up for grabs, but in the end, each person said, "It plays like a Fender."

Sure, but I'm pretty certain that even if you got a strat body for example, complete with a strat neck, but had the most un-Fendery options it would feel nothing like a fender, that is certainly true with the neck I got, it has the same specs as my parker fly neck with the same fret size, and it feels every similar with the difference being the raw wood of the strat neck. I'm sure anyone who's familiar with the fly would say it feels pretty similar. You certainly couldn't do that with a Fender custom shop XD

In the end, while there are only so many things that can be done to a piece of wood, I think a Fender is a Fender, and a Warmoth is a Warmoth.  As an example, I can go spend $12500 on a Factory 5 Racing Cobra kit car and fit it with old-school parts from the past, but just because it looks like a Cobra and has a 427ci under the hood doesn't make it a Shelby.  For me, I'd be okay with that, because under most circumstances, one of those kits can out-do the Cobra, as long as it's built by a qualified individual.  So just as with cars, is the Warmoth guitar better than the Fender?  I'm not sure about that, but one thing is for sure, I haven't played a Fender that's come close to my Warmoth in terms of playability.

In my circumstance I would say yes, cause when I properly finish my build it will be a strat that could never have been made by Fender, yet look like a strat. From that perspective I would say it's definitely better then a Fender made strat.

I'd agree that a Tele or a Strat just doesn't look right with anything but the "Fender" head stock.

Can a Warmoth be built for cheaper than a store-bought Fender?  If it can be, it's going to be by seriously skimping on features from Warmoth, and would probably have to be assembled/set up by whomever bought the parts, or unless someone was willing to do a favor for a case of beer...but the entire point of building a custom guitar is to have a "hot rod," or something unique.  I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and play a Custom Shop Fender one of these days, but I'm sure that's not going to happen unless I fork them $5000 to build me my own.

I'm not so sure that had I gone with a Strat or Tele, it wouldn't feel like a Fender.  The one thing I notice about my Warmoth is despite looking like a "wild child" (Star design), it feels much like a Fender.  It feels like a Fender, sounds like a B.C. Rich, and plays like an Ibanez.  That's probably the best way to describe it.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I wrote. "WoodShed" on the headstock
but I tell guys it is a Warmoth and if they do not know what that is I tell them Warmoth makes custom necks and bodies and you assemble the guitar sourcing what ever hardware and electronics you want. Therefore you can get the axe you want of your own design and get hardware and electronics you want.

Anyone who knows a guitar can tell right off the quality of the hardware, let them play it and they can tell the quality of the electronics and neck.
Biggest compliment I have gotten on BARN DOOR is "that thing has the mojo going."

Now I did not build the guitar to impress anyone but myself, and I did do that, It would be correct to say I was so apprehensive that I would end up with a pile of crap that I almost did not build it. I know my abilities. However I took everything slow and practiced a lot, I practiced stain and finish on other wood, I practiced soldiering, I practiced predrilling holes to make sure I had the right size drill bit. I agonized over placement of stuff.

I gave it to a very good tech to do a Uber Nice Professional neck fret job and set up and set in a bone nut set tothe action height.

So what did I end up with ?  BARN DOOR Tele. A Warmoth guitar. Does it have a special high value ? No would have to part it out to get 1/2 what I have in it.

But then what is in a name? we all agree a lot of poopoo is put out under all the big names. I wanted a boutique quality guitar, and I got that. I could have ordered a Baker of such, but I chose this way, and I now have a instrument that guys who play it are amazed by, and that I can proudly look at them and say I assembled it.

If you are worried about no one will respect you with a no name guitar, go back to the closet, close the door and come out in 2 years after you have played for 3 hours a day practicing.  Forget what anyone thinks of your axe, it is your ability that means everything, You could own a 15,000 dollar D Angelico and still sound like shite. I would say the better guitar you own and the worse you sound makes you look more of a fool than a guy who can tear the face off a guitar shredding it to pieces on a 3 octave run on a squire strat.

I had Neal Moser (of B.C. Rich Custom Shop fame) assemble and set up my guitar.  Someone on another site suggested contacting him, so I figured I would.  I figured it was a serious long-shot, but contacted him.  Surprisingly, he took on the job, even though he's in the business of making custom guitars. 

As for the quality, it speaks for itself.  My Warmoth neck should be in a museum.  I've always sort of scratech my head whe  when I've heard or read, "The neck is gorgeous;" that is, until I ordered a neck, and when it showed up and I opened it, it shined like the Ark of the Covenant.  It is honestly an absolutely gorgeous neck.  I could take a million pictures, but they just simply won't do it any justice.  I have NEVER seen nicer necks than Warmoth necks.

Since it was a custom guitar, I chose to finish it with my signature on the head stock, using a gold-paint pen.  I was pretty nervous, but it turned out nicely.  The last thing I wanted to do was screw up this gorgeous neck by writing on it!

Whenever I have the guitar out at a store, or at my lesson, I always get comments on it; all positive.  When I tell them it's a Warmoth, they scratch their heads, and I usually have to explain to them what they are.  The strangest (or coolest, depending on how you look at it...) comment I've ever had is, "Is it a Paul Reed Smith?"  :icon_scratch:  I guess it's because my sig is kinda "loopy" like the sig on a PRS.

I never did my Warmoth for any type of notoriety.  I wanted a USA-made, CUSTOM guitar, and after getting a price on a B.C. Rich Custom Shop Warlock, I looked into Warmoth.  I thought about it, in the end, I made the right decision.  I was more involved with my "project" than just checking boxes and waiting 12 months for a guitar to show up, courtesy of Fed-Ex.  I personally chose all the hardware, electronics, etc.

 

[swarfrat]

I didn't need a custom guitar, I just wanted a guitar that I can' find to my exact specifications.  If I could've found this guitar made by ibanez or a MIM fender I would've.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I didn't need a custom guitar, I just wanted a guitar that I can' find to my exact specifications.  If I could've found this guitar made by ibanez or a MIM fender I would've.

I'd totally agree, but at the same time, I wanted a custom guitar.  The only guitar I'd ever played that I'd really connected with was this Ibanez Prestige 770, or something like that.  Unfortunately, I didn't have $1200 at the time to purchase it.  Given that I have short, stubby fingers, I wanted a guitar with a thin neck, and it was very tough for me to find a guitar with a neck I liked.  When I ordered my neck, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was basically the same neck on the Ibanez; a "Wizard" profile.

 

[elfro89]

I'd agree that a Tele or a Strat just doesn't look right with anything but the "Fender" head stock.

Can a Warmoth be built for cheaper than a store-bought Fender?  If it can be, it's going to be by seriously skimping on features from Warmoth, and would probably have to be assembled/set up by whomever bought the parts, or unless someone was willing to do a favor for a case of beer...but the entire point of building a custom guitar is to have a "hot rod," or something unique.  I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and play a Custom Shop Fender one of these days, but I'm sure that's not going to happen unless I fork them $5000 to build me my own.

I'm not so sure that had I gone with a Strat or Tele, it wouldn't feel like a Fender.  The one thing I notice about my Warmoth is despite looking like a "wild child" (Star design), it feels much like a Fender.  It feels like a Fender, sounds like a B.C. Rich, and plays like an Ibanez.  That's probably the best way to describe it.

If you want a Fender guitar, and you want that Fender guitar made with certain parts or certain woods or anything that would make you have to use the Fender Custom Shop, then you would have to pay through your nose to get one made. To have Warmoth make the exact same thing for you - not including the set-up, then it would cost you less, for instance, lets say you want to have a ash strat painted in surf green, with gold hardware, all fender parts with a 3A flame maple neck, to have Fender build this for you it would cost: (and this is taken from their quote sheet that you can find here: http://support.fendercs.com/downloads/FCS%20Consumer%20Quote%20Sheet042011.pdf )
Fender Strat Deluxe Body: $3950 Ash: +$300
3A Flame Maple wood: $500
Masterbuild Fee: $2400

There is a whole other list of stuff but here it is going to cost you about $7100
with warmoth it will cost you around $1500-2000, and having experience with a few custom shop fenders I can tell you that a Warmoth can potentially be every bit as good as the fenders can.
now that is for a bog standard surf green strat with a 3A flame neck. I'm sure you've surfed the showcase and can see that there is a whole heap of options that fender doesn't make and in my opinion looks outstanding, such as here is my project when it will be finish. To have fender do this would cost me my manhood providing they were willing to go outside of their options.

This build will cost me the grand total of $1200 which is INSANE value for money.

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

I'd agree that a Tele or a Strat just doesn't look right with anything but the "Fender" head stock.

Can a Warmoth be built for cheaper than a store-bought Fender?  If it can be, it's going to be by seriously skimping on features from Warmoth, and would probably have to be assembled/set up by whomever bought the parts, or unless someone was willing to do a favor for a case of beer...but the entire point of building a custom guitar is to have a "hot rod," or something unique.  I'd love to have the opportunity to sit down and play a Custom Shop Fender one of these days, but I'm sure that's not going to happen unless I fork them $5000 to build me my own.

I'm not so sure that had I gone with a Strat or Tele, it wouldn't feel like a Fender.  The one thing I notice about my Warmoth is despite looking like a "wild child" (Star design), it feels much like a Fender.  It feels like a Fender, sounds like a B.C. Rich, and plays like an Ibanez.  That's probably the best way to describe it.

If you want a Fender guitar, and you want that Fender guitar made with certain parts or certain woods or anything that would make you have to use the Fender Custom Shop, then you would have to pay through your nose to get one made. To have Warmoth make the exact same thing for you - not including the set-up, then it would cost you less, for instance, lets say you want to have a ash strat painted in surf green, with gold hardware, all fender parts with a 3A flame maple neck, to have Fender build this for you it would cost: (and this is taken from their quote sheet that you can find here: http://support.fendercs.com/downloads/FCS%20Consumer%20Quote%20Sheet042011.pdf )
Fender Strat Deluxe Body: $3950 Ash: +$300
3A Flame Maple wood: $500
Masterbuild Fee: $2400

There is a whole other list of stuff but here it is going to cost you about $7100
with warmoth it will cost you around $1500-2000, and having experience with a few custom shop fenders I can tell you that a Warmoth can potentially be every bit as good as the fenders can.
now that is for a bog standard surf green strat with a 3A flame neck. I'm sure you've surfed the showcase and can see that there is a whole heap of options that fender doesn't make and in my opinion looks outstanding, such as here is my project when it will be finish. To have fender do this would cost me my manhood providing they were willing to go outside of their options.

This build will cost me the grand total of $1200 which is INSANE value for money.

Those are insane prices, so sure, it's going to be cheaper to have a Warmoth built...significantly cheaper!  Under these circumstances, the prices are ridiculous.  It's clearly a case of paying for the name.

As for the $2400 "master build," what are these people doing that warrants them $2400 paychecks?  It can be argued that I had a "master builder" build my guitar, yet I only paid him $300, plus S&H costs.  :icon_scratch:

The B.C. Rich Warlock I'd priced out wasn't anything special, just a neck-through with alder body, maple neck, and mahogany fretboard, I believe.  It run up to around $5000!  :help:

 

[Ace Flibble]

Fender's master builders are people with extensive experience and qualifications. More than that though, when you pay for a Master Built guitar you get to specify exactly who will make your guitar and they will make that guitar for you by hand. Each master builder only works on one guitar at a time. So you're getting a guitar not only hand made by a great luthier but you're getting the guitar hand made by a great luthier with all the backing that a gigantic company like Fender can offer.

For those interested, when you order a "standard" Fender/Jackson Custom Shop guitar, it's built as a team project, most of the body shaping and so forth is done by machine and none of the master builders work on those guitars. So what you're basically getting is a MIA Fender that simply uses the very best parts Fender can get their hands on (which is to say, the best parts in the world) and a very highly level of build quality and of course the quality control is flawless, but you're not getting that hand made, highly experienced touch.

I've played a couple of Fender Custom Shop guitars plus one Master Built one. It's no insult to Warmoth to say that the Fender CSs were better than Warmoth parts and the Master Built Thinline Tele in particular was perhaps the best guitar I've ever laid my hands on (the closest competitor being my old Gibson CS LP - though I don't like comparing such drastically different instruments so it's hard to tell which exactly was better).

All credit to Warmoth, they pump out nice parts that can easily compete with MIA Fender parts and the fact they offer so many options does put them someway ahead. However, if you think they can compete with an actual Custom Shop Fender - or if you doubt the worth of a Master Built Fender - then either you've been picking up the wrong Fenders, ones that simply aren't suitable for your hands or had been given a dodgy set up, or you've never touched one at all.

I've got one of my Warmoths in my lap right now and I'm happily in the middle of writing out my next neck order with them, I don't think there's anything wrong with Warmoth at all. But I won't delude myself into thinking that £800 worth of parts slapped together can compete, on any level, with a £4000 piece of woody perfection. There's a reason why the custom shops of Fender, Gibson, ESP and the PRS Private Stock guitars command the prices they do and contrary to popular weekend warrior belief, it's not because you're paying for the decal on the headstock.

 

[Jusatele]

on another forum, a guy is talking about getting a 6 thousand dollar les paul
to break that down, if you had 100 dollars in wood, wholesale bought in bulk, lets give them 300 dollars for electronics and hardware, top of the line wholesale, and another 100 dollars in top of the line binding and marker material, wholesale bought in bulk, and 10 dollars for finish supplies, give them 50 dollars per unit for factory cost and say the entire time it took to build it in labor was 30 hours, at a average of 20 dollars an hour, 30 dollars for a case, again wholesale bought in mega bulk, and 3 dollars for cardboard. we have production cost of what 1193 dollars,and that is with huge hours in to it. So we take that from 6000,devide the 4 into the..... Pie time 16... the circumference of a lolly pop, carry the billion dollar dept,.... average out the decimals to get..........4807.
Just who in the hell is getting that, what share is gibsons and what share is GCs (or whomever)

that is what I am saying here, 400 for wood, 300 for electronics, 200 for hardware 50 for finishing material misc cost of 35 dollars (my plug for Dangerous RS) and we come out to 985, we give 2 bills to a luthier to set it up and buy a 100 dollar case and our cost is 1285 and we got to design it exactly how we wanted it top of the line paying retail.

does it make sense to buy the other?  I can see only 2 reasons to, put it under the bead and pull it out in 40 years to sell it, in which case it is a real stupid low dollar to time investment, or Look good playing it. I simply do not have the income to buy an axe like that and justify it.

and oh yes, I live about 20 miles from the fender custom shop, I have had my hands on a few, even master built. Nice stuff, real nice, but the asking price is just ......

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Fender's master builders are people with extensive experience and qualifications. More than that though, when you pay for a Master Built guitar you get to specify exactly who will make your guitar and they will make that guitar for you by hand. Each master builder only works on one guitar at a time. So you're getting a guitar not only hand made by a great luthier but you're getting the guitar hand made by a great luthier with all the backing that a gigantic company like Fender can offer.

For those interested, when you order a "standard" Fender/Jackson Custom Shop guitar, it's built as a team project, most of the body shaping and so forth is done by machine and none of the master builders work on those guitars. So what you're basically getting is a MIA Fender that simply uses the very best parts Fender can get their hands on (which is to say, the best parts in the world) and a very highly level of build quality and of course the quality control is flawless, but you're not getting that hand made, highly experienced touch.

I've played a couple of Fender Custom Shop guitars plus one Master Built one. It's no insult to Warmoth to say that the Fender CSs were better than Warmoth parts and the Master Built Thinline Tele in particular was perhaps the best guitar I've ever laid my hands on (the closest competitor being my old Gibson CS LP - though I don't like comparing such drastically different instruments so it's hard to tell which exactly was better).

All credit to Warmoth, they pump out nice parts that can easily compete with MIA Fender parts and the fact they offer so many options does put them someway ahead. However, if you think they can compete with an actual Custom Shop Fender - or if you doubt the worth of a Master Built Fender - then either you've been picking up the wrong Fenders, ones that simply aren't suitable for your hands or had been given a dodgy set up, or you've never touched one at all.

I've got one of my Warmoths in my lap right now and I'm happily in the middle of writing out my next neck order with them, I don't think there's anything wrong with Warmoth at all. But I won't delude myself into thinking that £800 worth of parts slapped together can compete, on any level, with a £4000 piece of woody perfection. There's a reason why the custom shops of Fender, Gibson, ESP and the PRS Private Stock guitars command the prices they do and contrary to popular weekend warrior belief, it's not because you're paying for the decal on the headstock.

I can appreciate what you're saying, and I don't doubt that Fender CS guitars are of the highest standard, but what makes their beautiful woods any better than someone else's?

 

[elfro89]

Fender's master builders are people with extensive experience and qualifications. More than that though, when you pay for a Master Built guitar you get to specify exactly who will make your guitar and they will make that guitar for you by hand. Each master builder only works on one guitar at a time. So you're getting a guitar not only hand made by a great luthier but you're getting the guitar hand made by a great luthier with all the backing that a gigantic company like Fender can offer.

For those interested, when you order a "standard" Fender/Jackson Custom Shop guitar, it's built as a team project, most of the body shaping and so forth is done by machine and none of the master builders work on those guitars. So what you're basically getting is a MIA Fender that simply uses the very best parts Fender can get their hands on (which is to say, the best parts in the world) and a very highly level of build quality and of course the quality control is flawless, but you're not getting that hand made, highly experienced touch.

I've played a couple of Fender Custom Shop guitars plus one Master Built one. It's no insult to Warmoth to say that the Fender CSs were better than Warmoth parts and the Master Built Thinline Tele in particular was perhaps the best guitar I've ever laid my hands on (the closest competitor being my old Gibson CS LP - though I don't like comparing such drastically different instruments so it's hard to tell which exactly was better).

All credit to Warmoth, they pump out nice parts that can easily compete with MIA Fender parts and the fact they offer so many options does put them someway ahead. However, if you think they can compete with an actual Custom Shop Fender - or if you doubt the worth of a Master Built Fender - then either you've been picking up the wrong Fenders, ones that simply aren't suitable for your hands or had been given a dodgy set up, or you've never touched one at all.

I've got one of my Warmoths in my lap right now and I'm happily in the middle of writing out my next neck order with them, I don't think there's anything wrong with Warmoth at all. But I won't delude myself into thinking that £800 worth of parts slapped together can compete, on any level, with a £4000 piece of woody perfection. There's a reason why the custom shops of Fender, Gibson, ESP and the PRS Private Stock guitars command the prices they do and contrary to popular weekend warrior belief, it's not because you're paying for the decal on the headstock.

Hence why I said potentially as good, and they certainly don't make everything by hand, they use the same CNC routers, tools and machinery as anyone else would, the difference is they take what comes out and modify it with their skills and experience (you could hire someone to do the same when your parts arrive from warmoth)

The reason for such high costs is not because they are magicians who slave over your guitar to give you crafted perfection, the reasons why they are so expensive is to do with the time it takes to create it, On a production line you have tons of guitars being made of the same type being painted the same colour and you can make batches of guitars, with a custom shop its not that simple, you have to set a lot of things up for one specific order which takes time, they have to use/find/make specific parts to your spec and then build it for you. It takes a silly amount of time to do this so they are really forced to charge silly prices for it, otherwise those hours could have been spent doing something else.

£800 worth of parts is probably exactly what they are dealing with, the reason £800 worth of wood becomes expensive is for the exact same reasons as above. It's not as if the wood fender use in their custom shop is somehow superior to the wood Warmoth uses. Which is why Warmoth can potentially be just as good as a Fender custom shop if it has been set up properly.

 

[JaySwear]

I just tell people I have a "telecaster." If I think they're in the know enough to know what Warmoth is then I'll say "a Warmoth telecaster." But normally just "telecaster."