Warmoth bass build.... Yea or nay?

I'm still waiting on my first build with a Warmoth neck to be completed, but 99.9% of the things I hear about them here and elsewhere seem to indicate that they do top notch work at their price point.

 

My experience with Warmath has been stellar. But you pay for quality.

 

Was thinking about it. Not cheap. Really good for somebody who knows exactly what they want and ready to pay for it. For myself I ended buying parts here and there online and MIM Fender neck & body.

 

It depends.

More to follow ...

 

I'm a big fan . I've done several p builds . There is some assembly required and always a slight chance for errors such as breaking off a screw or some such but to answer your question the quality is very top shelf .

 

Top quality. I did a jazz bass build swamp ash / maple neck / rosewood fretboard. It is as good or better than any other bass I have. the neck is stable, neck pocket fit was nice and tight. Frets didn't need any extra work to set up just like I wanted.

 

I've built 3 Warmoth builds..
Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts - Gallery Entry
Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts - Gallery Entry
Warmoth Custom Guitar Parts - Gallery Entry
All three were stelar players, sounded great (maybe more to do with the electronics ..) but had poor resale value compared to my cost.

 

OK, I'm at a keyboard now so I can speak. From about 1990 until 2012 I played Warmoth almost exclusively. That was before TB and GAS. During that time I did wander away a bit to Carvin (LB20), Kubiki, Fender Jazz (MIJ, MIM, MIM) but always came back to Warmoth.

Their product is very good. I dare say top notch. Costs are as high as any other USA builder as one would expect.

Their necks are a good / bad thing all rolled into one. The steel bars do work to greatly reduce dead spots. I sensed and evenness in tone across all the notes on the fretboard. Very nice. The drawback is that the tone is not quite the same as a vintage neck and the necks are heavy. I had to go with hipshot ultralite tuners to avoid neck dive.

Also, the fret ends are not a rounded and smooth as a hand finished neck on most $1000 production bases. A $130 trip to the luthier after you've finished the bass will fix that. Or buy a fret file from Stew Mac and do it yourself (?). In my case I just played them as they were and they were never a problem

Another benefit is that you get to choose what you want for hardware / controls / pickups / tuners - the works. A big draw back is that every Warmoth is unique / custom and is NEVER what the next guy would have picked. This helps to keep used prices very low on them.

 

Extremely good quality parts, particularly the necks, but as others have said, pretty expensive. If you can afford it, I don't think there is anything out there that's better for parts unless you buy Fender original, and it's debatable if that's actually better quality then Warmouth. Have you tried looking for used Warmouth parts on E-Bay or CL? I've seen a few things there, people who build parts basses have a habit of swapping and upgrading parts, so they come up sometimes.

 

Quality is top notch. Spring for the graphite rods if its an option on your neck choice. They have good customer service from my experience and will answer questions etc. if you call them.

Get a fret end file and some good painter's tape or fretboard protector and do the fret ends yourself. I have the file below and it works great. Had our humidifier go out last year and had fret sprout on several of my guitars and this file paid for itself many times over.

Doing a custom diy build is always something you do for yourself and not something you do to hope for resale value no matter what brand the parts are. Hopefully you will like enough that you won't want to sell it.

Hiroshima Files UO Chikyu Fret End Dressing File | eBay

 

Those have been in my ebay watch list for about a month - just trying to decide just the one, or the whole set.

 

I hear you. I went back and forth between the stewmac stuff, the three corner files etc. I think there was a youtube vid out there of someone using a file like this that helped me pull the trigger. I already had the sanding stick for doing spot leveling so I didn't have much need for the other fret files which isn't the greatest but it gets the job done. I also have a 6" fine flat file for cleaning up the edges of the frets first if I get fret sprout. My trick is to put two wraps of painters tape on each end which is what rides on the edge of the neck and I apply pressure in the middle and go easy until I don't hear/feel the metal of the frets anymore. Tried it on maple/maple, maple/rosewood, wenge/wenge, maple/ebony all with good success and no visible marks afterward. Whatever techniques you are developing/learning on your own, always have a beater neck to try things on first.

Just tried someones suggestion of using an old school pink eraser for polishing frets (I usually either do 0000 steel wool or dremel polishing compound on a dampened old tshirt scrap). It did a decent job and I didn't have to tape off the fretboard. Not as good as the other two options but got some oxidation off - decent enough for a string change touchup.

 

I built my Gecko Wide5 and from my experience the fit and finish of Warmoth parts are second to none...but....you will pay for their paint jobs

 

I always practice on SXs first!

 

I've used Warmoth parts for several basses and guitars, and the quality is outstanding. I say, "Yea."

 

Thrilled with my Warmoth builds. Play and sound every bit as good as any Fender I've owned. Plus the added benefit of customizing to your own specs and the satisfaction of a DIY.

 

TVJones thunderblades? I have a pair of those coming, and a pair of mags too, just got the ship notice. Can't wait to hear them!

 

Very good parts, not cheap. You have to have some knowledge to properly wire and assemble, may need fret dressing. You will get a great bass provided you make good wood and electronic choices to achieve the sound you are going after.