What can Warmoth do?

[trock]

Hi everyone

First post here. Had a friend recommend Warmoth to me. I am a guitar player and have several nice guitars, Les Pauls, tele, strat, SG, PRS, Gretsch etc

That being said i have always wanted to sort of build my own. not to the degree where i am routing wood and shaping it from scratch so my friend recommend Warmoth to me after he had one made and it came out beautifully

i was VERY impressed

also, i am not a hardware guro so i am going to ask these in a general sense and i hopw what i am trying to make comes thru. ok here goes

1) i woudl like a les paul type body, so i think the regal is for me
2) i would like a quilt, deep rich blue top
3) chambered is fine
6) i woudl like push pull pots like a les paul standard if i can
7) i would like very high end tuners, bridge, knobs, pots, pickups, electronics and nut etc

- my les pauls always have issues with the nut and i file with pencil etc, but i want a bone nut or something like my high end PRS has so it doesnt stick etc

i will try and post a pick of what i am talking about

8) on the neck i would like custom mother of pearl inlay of lightning bolts
9) 60's style neck
10) ebony fretboard


thats off the top of my head and i hope it at least makes some sense

thanks for any help

 

[dmraco]

If you like the regal...they can do it all.  Get a chambered Regal body with a quilt top.  The offer many nut choices.  If you like the 60s style neck the standard thin from warmth is VERY close. 

Wiring it up to you and possibilities are endless.  Lots of folks set up the PAGE harness to emulate Jimmy.

Warmoth also carries lots of high end hardware.  If they do not, lots of other places to go like StewMAc and all parts.

Really the possibilities are endless.  work your way thru the builder and you will see

 

[aarontunes]

From your list, the only thing I see that Warmoth does not currently do is the lighting bolt inlays.

 

[tomasino]

Welcome TRock  ccasion14:  (seems familiar.. you roll with that alias on another board somewhere?),

Oh man, build a Warmoth to YOUR specs n' it'll quickly become your #1.

 

[trock]

Hi

and thanks ALL for the replies so quickly!!

and yes,i use this elsewhere! all my music and gear sites lol

cool, i emailed warmoth as well and WOW got a response already! i am truly impressed here

i have gone thru the wizard build a couple of times but some of the things on bridges, wiring, and stuff like that i dont fully understand. can you actually work with a warmoth person thru the build who would know the differences in these things?

my friends warmoth is really really nice, its the equal of my high end stuff, right up ther with the PRS custom 24 and custom les paul i have

ok so the THIN neck is 60's type. i see they have fralin as well! wow

so all the hardware, and electronics are high end to? i have no idea about that stuff, i just knwo i want it to sound great, play great, stay in tune, look great and last

not to much to ask right lol

thanks much all

i am having fun with the wizard on all types of builds! but i have to stick to a regal, chambered, thin neck quilt blue and get it done!

anything else you can think of just let me know

thanks

 

[rgand]

Welcome to the forum, Trock.

I tried to wear out the builder when I first found out about Warmoth. Couldn't do it but learned a lot. When I finally wanted to order something, I copied my specs from the builder then got on the phone to them. Yes, the order line people know their stuff and will explain options and what you will get. They also keep you from missing something important.

For pickups I spent a lot of time on Youtube listening to ones I thought may give me the sound I wanted. In the end, I called DiMarzio and talked to a tech there who gave me recommendations based on the sound I said I wanted and the body type/wood, neck wood, etc.. I bought what he recommended and he was right.

You can also get good information from the helpful and more savvy people on this forum. You're in the right place and it pays to ask them.

 

[trock]

Thanks much

i finally got thru a spec of a Regal Quilt blue body that was beautiful

i got to the bridge and had no idea what to choose

i dont know where the POTS and electronics come in?

anyway i have a body, pickups and knobs

how do you add a neck, nut, tuners? and the electronics?

i have the body in the cart

is it piece by piece? if so how do you know it will all work? and will Warmoth send a completed, tested guitar?

 

[Pelagaard]

Thanks much

i finally got thru a spec of a Regal Quilt blue body that was beautiful

i got to the bridge and had no idea what to choose

i dont know where the POTS and electronics come in?

anyway i have a body, pickups and knobs

how do you add a neck, nut, tuners? and the electronics?

i have the body in the cart

is it piece by piece? if so how do you know it will all work? and will Warmoth send a completed, tested guitar?

All assembly is done either by you, or a tech/luthier/experienced friend of your choice.  Warmoth is just a parts company. 

There's a neck builder that lets you build you neck of choice just like the body builder, although it isn't a virtual builder.  You see specs, not the actual neck.

 

[line6man]

Right, Warmoth is a parts company. YOU are the one building the guitar, and the quality of the build will depend on your skills.

 

[Ace Flibble]

Not wanting to sound like a killjoy here, but if you're this unsure about simply choosing and ordering the parts, I would suggest you do not try to put the guitar together yourself. Putting together a parts guitar incorrectly can end up being more expensive than buying a completed guitar from somewhere else.

If your friend who made a Warmoth guitar before lives nearby, ask them to help order and put together the guitar. If they're too far away, see if there's a local luthier or guitar/bass technician who can put everything together for you; at least they will be used to dismantling and reassembling guitars.

Some people do manage to order and put together a great guitar on their first attempt, but most people here will tell you that the first Warmoth instrument they made is not as good as their second or third.

Warmoth does none of the assembly for you. The nuts they supply are cut high and will need further reshaping. Their fretboard sides are unrolled, and the frets, though installed into the fretboard, are presented without crowning and the ends are unshaped. The neck pockets and neck heels often need a little bit of sanding to fit together, since they're made slightly over-tight, the idea being it's better to have a join that is too tight than one that is too loose. Absolutely none of the electronics or hardware are installed, other than the bridge studs and a ground wire, if you choose that option. (It's an extra $10, but worth it since you can easily damage the paint if you try doing it yourself incorrectly.) All of the assembly has to be done yourself.

This is the same with all parts companies. Warmoth, Musikraft, USACG, and so on. They're not actually allowed to put the guitars together, or they lose their licenses with Fender. Precision Kits will assemble the guitar for you, but at a large fee, and buying a Les Paul kit from them + having them put it together usually ends up costing more than simply buying a Gibson Les Paul, PRS Singlecut or ESP Eclipse.
If you really want those lightning bolt inlays and you are expecting things to be assembled for you, you're probably best off simply finding a local luthier or smaller custom shop who can build you a custom guitar from the ground up. Buying a bunch of Warmoth parts and piecing it all together yourself can be exciting and rewarding, but if you're missing out on a feature you really want and if you're not sure what you're doing, simply ordering a full custom instrument from elsewhere is going to make you happier.

 

[Gemcutter]

Good points, Ace. Warmoth guitars are certainly not economy guitars, and it's often less expensive to buy a brand name guitar from a shop. What Warmoth is about is providing us with a quality project guitar that we can put blood, sweat and tears into; some because we're masochists, some because we're aspiring luthiers, but mostly so we can end up with a piece of art that we created ourselves.

So trock, if you're up for some work, a lot of reading and learning, and maybe making some mistakes along the way, you'll enjoy the ride. If you just want a great finished guitar, Ace provides some sound advice (pun intended :laughing7.

 

[trock]

ah

this makes sense now. when i talked to him all he said was it was a warmoth guitar and when i played it he never brought up HE didnt put it together but had a local luthier we both knwo do all of that

so that being said, i will call that luthier and see what they can or will do to help

i will say this, when i was playing the guitar he had done, it was stellar, and i knwo the luthier he used and he is the best around where we live and has a great rep and builds his own stuff

so all that being said, i will touch base with him first and go from there

i am still interested in this and i imagine its going to still get me a better quality guitar then the new Les Paul Customs that i dont think are that great and are 5k roughly

the les paul custom i have from 2001 is alot better than the newer ones i have played and i was hoping to save some money but also get that quality back

 

[swarfrat]

What can Warmoth do? They can make you broke, that's what they can do.

 

[ChristopherG]

What can Warmoth do? They can make you broke, that's what they can do.

Troof.

 

[Orpheo]

What can Warmoth do? They can make you broke, that's what they can do.

Or they suggest you start your own guitar company... I haven't been buying warmoth for years since now I (can) build my own guitars.


@trock: I can build you a les paul (not the regal, a 'real' les paul!) with exactly those specs if you so desire. If you want pictures of my work or proof of recommendation, please contact me via PM That makes you not having to do all the hard work of setting up the fret work, nuts, electrics etcetera.

 

[Glimmer]

What can Warmoth do? They can make you broke, that's what they can do.

As I contemplate my second (and possibly third) build(s), I fear you may be right...  :laughing7:

 

[Ace Flibble]

I've lost count of my parts builds.

Turn back now, lest ye join the damned.