Bagman67 said:
All that having been said: I don't know what Warmoth's volume looks like. It may be that QC standards in the shop are such that the tearout in the OP's body is just deemed a QC pass. Maybe throughput is such that communicating with each and every special-order customer about comparatively small flaws is seen as more cost than its worth. I reckon Aaron could tell us, but that also might be specifically sensitive info he's not at liberty to disclose. I dunno.
Below is what I posted in the TGP thread that the OP started. That thread has gone berserk, which explains the first paragraph of the post.
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"Hey everybody...for me this thread is a Kobayashi Maru scenario. And I ain't James T. Kirk. It's probably really stupid of me to even venture into this thread. I don't want to talk about axl12's order specifically, because I don't think that would be appropriate or productive on a public forum. What I can tell you is how Warmoth handles things like tear-outs.
Tear-outs like this are going to happen from time to time. When they do, Warmoth evaluates what to do with that part based on these criteria:
Does it effect the structural integrity?
Does it effect the sound?
Does it effect the playability?
Does it effect the appearance when assembled?
If the answer to all those questions is "no", then the part is considered to meet standards. Places like the insides of the input jack hole, pickup cavities, and trem cavity are areas that are meant to be covered and won't be seen once the part is assembled.
Unfortunately for Warmoth, unlike full guitar builders we get judged on the naked parts. A new Warmoth body arrives with all the ugly bits - all the parts that are meant to be covered - in plain view. I know with certainty that there are plenty of guitars out there, from manufacturers of all stripes, with tear-outs that nobody knows/cares about because they arrived hidden behind pickguards, pickup rings, and metal plates. Warmoth doesn't get that luxury.
I know that explanation is not going to make everyone happy, but I thought some of you might appreciate getting our view on things."