What's the hardest part about building a Warmoth?

[Jeremiah]

Hi... I'm new here, and to guitar building in general, but I'm getting to like the idea of building a guitar from parts.

It won't be for a while yet due to money and time issues, but in the meantime, I'm doing research into parts suppliers, wiring options etc.

I'd just like to know what experienced builders think is the most difficult bit about building a parts guitar - assuming all the routing is already done.

I have some experience in soldering from working on my existing guitars, and will have got more practice by the time I get round to starting a build, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I'm going to try to finish the body myself, but I'll probably leave the neck finishing to a pro, or get one that is already finished.

For my first project I might use cheaper parts than Warmoth, so that if I wreck something I won't have wasted too much money. (I'm in the UK, so the price of shipping + taxes etc would make Warmoth quite expensive.)

 

[m4rk0]

Waiting until it gets delivered would be the hardest part...

seriously, it is not that hard at all.. you have to be patient with the finish, and make sure to measure twice before you drill (especially the tuner holes)

 

[riverbluff]

Waiting until it gets delivered would be the hardest part...

+1

For me the hardest part (but not overly so) is doing the electronics.

However, for me the most nerve racking part is actually picking out everything, body wood, finish, neck wood, type of electronics, etc....  There is no way to know what it's really going to sound like until you spend all the $$, time, etc... building it.  Having said that, I have not been disappointed in any of the 4 I have built.

V/R
Bill

 

[dbw]

Drilling into a new neck for the first time.  Scary...

 

[tfarny]

It's not as hard as it seems to get it together. Getting an excellent setup with perfect frets takes time, skill, and some expertise. Lots of so-called "techs" can't do this either.

I think it's a good idea to hit craigslist for a cheap used squier (because the parts are compatible with major suppliers) and then hit ebay for upgraded pickups, bridge, and tuners. Figure it all out, have fun, etc. Maybe make something that wouldn't be your first choice, but is good to have around like a bass, or if you're a metal guy, a tele. Get Dan Erlewine's book for sure of course.

 

[tfarny]

Oh, yeah - finishing at a pro level is really, really hard. It's not too hard to get something usable like a tru-oil natural finish, but a top-notch finish takes a ton of time, skill, and tools.

 

[jackthehack]

Hardest part is making up your mind what to build.....

 

[mayfly]

Hardest part:  Finishing.  I'll always get someone else to do this

Second hardest part:  a good setup.  Actually, if you've been around guitars for awhile you should already know how to do this.  And it's not really that hard.  :icon_thumright:

Third hardest part:  Deciding what the hell you want to build ccasion14:

 

[Nando Vallart]

Welcome to the board!

 

[hannaugh]

The hardest parts for me

1- Waiting for the neck and body.  8-10 weeks is a long time.

2- Waiting for the tuners I ordered from a different company.  They took forever.

3- Saving up for the thing.  

Seriously, putting it together was no sweat.  As long as you have a pro tech that you can call in case you mess something up (or you know, just ask the forum), you should be fine.
I think the most challenging thing for me working on it was the Jimmy Page wiring because I had a hard time finding a diagram that worked.  That part I did eventually take to my luthier because it got really frustrating.  Other than that though, I had a lot of fun and I did most of it with no problems.

 

[AprioriMark]

The hardest part is building only one guitar... at a time.  I have three builds happening right now, lol.

Other than that, finishing is crazy difficult for amateurs, and final setup is tricky if you haven't done it a bit.  Don't underestimate the value of a good fret job.  Warmoth's necks come *almost* ready to bolt on and play, but your comfort will vary and it makes a great neck amazing to have the ends rolled how you like them.

-Mark

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Grain filling.  Never ending battle for me it seems.

Honestly the hardest part for me is not going to fast.  You get impatient and something goes wrong.  I guess this is a learning process, but a little patience goes an awful long ways.
Patrick

 

[Mapleg4]

Mounting the straplocks and getting the paint out of the tuner holes before fitting the tuners. Warmoth should start masking the tuner holes.

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

I have createdd a website where I go through every step of building a warmoth. I'm not concidering myself as a "pro" but I think it'll help people who havent buit a warmoth before.
The adress is, www.andreas-fm.com and it's recently updated. It's not a complete "how to do"-site, but It'll help you getting started

 

[Mor Paul]

Convincing the wife.

 

[AprioriMark]

Convincing the wife.

That's never an issue when you can make the "cute face" like I can.  Oh, and other stuff I won't mention in mixed company.  Just sayin.

-Mark

 

[Wyliee]

Convincing the wife.

Max, since when did you have a wife?

 

[Mor Paul]

Secondhand experience, Wyliee.

 

[AprioriMark]

Secondhand experience, Wyliee.

I'm pretty sure that's not cool if you're having secondhand experience with someone's wife.  Who's gonna call Max's mom to tattle?

-Mark

 

[dbw]

Secondhand experience, Wyliee.

I'm pretty sure that's not cool if you're having secondhand experience with someone's wife.  Who's gonna call Max's mom to tattle?

-Mark

I will.  I was gonna call Max's mom later on tonight anyway.  :icon_biggrin: