anyone ever use warmoth.com for custom bass/guitar building?

[joeyjoejoe]

i'm thinking about buying a body and neck through them to just build a bass the way i want.
do they make good stuff?
any other suggestions for the same type of project?
i know stewmac.com sells stuff as well.


i'm thinking a thunderbird body (with the raised middle section) with a tele neck.

 

[M0ses]

Yes. And they make great stuff. Look around (search), you will find some absolutely FANTASTIC all-Wamoth builds.

 

[raymondl3]

I bought a 1-piece ash P-bass body. Very good quality however the upper and lower horns were not contoured like a modern P. Maybe so a builder can contour them himself.

 

[M0ses]

I bought a 1-piece ash P-bass body. Very good quality however the upper and lower horns were not contoured like a modern P. Maybe so a builder can contour them himself.

You have to pay extra for that.

 

[joeyjoejoe]

yeah, contouring is one of the options in the 'build a body' feature.

 

[raymondl3]

yeah, contouring is one of the options in the 'build a body' feature.

I checked the website. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the shape of the horns. They are chunkier and more square than a new standard Fender P.

 

[joeyjoejoe]

gotcha.
i know i wouldn't be getting exact body shapes, and i've never even played a thunderbird so it wouldn't matter that much anyway. i just like the look of them.

i could probably just build my own body, but i like the idea of all the important stuff like neck, bridge and pickup placement being all taken care of for me.
then i just need to worry about finishing and putting everything together.

 

[billoetjen]

The two Warmoth neck/body fabrications that I got from them fit together with the closest imaginable tolerances. I mean, they just make it. Which is great. I never give a second thought to the coupling of the two. Also, just great quality all-around.

 

[Lemoore-on]

Top quality, the're necks are a little heavy and chunky but I like them.

 

[JaySwear]

i've built two guitars and they'll be the ones i get my bass from as well. they're great to work with, extremely helpful, and their work is very detailed. their custom built pieces are reasonably priced and they always have a good amount of items in stock so that you can order and get to playing almost immediately. plus they do some great finishes if you weren't looking to do that yourself! couldn't be happier with my lake placid blue telecaster deluxe.

 

[stratovarius]

The build quality is excellent and the tolerances precise. I usually buy from the showcase so I know exactly what I'm getting.

 

[stratovarius]

...they do some great finishes if you weren't looking to do that yourself!

It's best to let them do the finishing, unless you're a glutton for punishment!

 

[joeyjoejoe]

just trying to save the couple hundred that the neck/body finishing would cost.

i'd probably just do a satin/rub on type finish, which would be pretty easy.

 

[Alexander]

Not to derail the thread too much, but how do they compare with USACG? They seem to be a bit less expensive, but who has the better quality\service?

 

[joeyjoejoe]

dumb questions... do the necks come with truss rods installed? i'm guessing that is part of the construction, not something you put in later.

 

[bassplayer7770]

dumb questions... do the necks come with truss rods installed? i'm guessing that is part of the construction, not something you put in later.

Yes, the necks come with truss rods installed...

 

[ThaLowEndTheory]

Not to derail the thread too much, but how do they compare with USACG? They seem to be a bit less expensive, but who has the better quality\service?

I'd say the bodies are equal. For the necks I wouldn't say one or the other is better, just different. USACG is more vintage styled(no steel rods) so they are lighter. Warmoth is Fender licensed so they can use the fender headstock shape. Ovarall build quality is about equal, but again just different depending on what you are after. BTW USACG is owned and run by former warmoth employees.

 

[billoetjen]

Forgot to mention, I had a problem with one neck that developed a nasty back-bow, even with heavy LaBella flats and no tension on the truss rod. It became unusable, and Warmoth replaced it with an even nicer neck. No problems since then. I think their necks are uber-strong and stable.... they make the whole thing sing. Some object to the one size fits all shape and profile. I got used to it even after using an Ibanez for several years. Great stuff.

 

[JaySwear]

from what i've seen USACG looks to have slightly less detail in their pieces. but i've heard lots of good things from people who have bought from them. i like warmoth's attention to detail, even with their website. just browsing through their in-stock items is great

 

[odin70]

I have several Warmoth instruments and im really pleased with quality, but i think they are a bit expensive these days.