Assembling a Warmoth bass?

[kful]

I personally wouldn't worry too much if a new neck needed any fret work. Any instrument you assemble will play and sound so much better, if you have a good luthier do a full set-up for you. If you're going to put the time and money into such a nice instrument, it will be well worth the small investment.

 

[bassgod76]

Where did you guys get your Allparts stuff from?

 

[EricF]

Yeah I am pretty much the opposite. My ideal P would be a vintage jazz with a P at the neck.. thus the reason I am considering this project

Are the allparts necks in need of levelling or other work?

I'm super picky about the finish on frets, and spent a fair amount of time - a couple of hours or so - with some 3M sanding sticks (www.stewmac.com) rounding the fret ends and working the frets up to a nice bright polish on my Allparts neck. The neck was totally playable in stock condition, and in no need of any work when I got it. I've done the same treatment to all my basses, including a brand-new PLEK'd G&L. I'm just kind of psycho about fret finish - particularly the ends.

 

[John Wentzien]

The thing I like about Allparts necks is that they don't have the steel reinforcement bars.
(way too heavy) and the price.
The quality is as good or better than the best Fender necks I've seen.

 

[kful]

Hmmmm.... this thread's got me seriously considering trading out my Warmoth Jazz neck for something much lighter.

 

[BassyBill]

I haven't used Warmoth necks but I have two basses for which I bought finished bodies from the Warmoth gallery - the quality of craftsmandship is just perfect, no other word for it. And they're good guys to deal with.

 

[TonyP-]

IMO it will blow the pants off a Fender. I haven't bought a pre-finished Warmoth body or neck but I'm told they do very good work in that department. I had them cut me a nut for my wenge neck and they did an excellent job. Their fret work is very good. They don't level the frets but my necks seem fine without it. My only complaint is that the fret ends on my wenge neck (which is my favourite) could be rounded a bit better, but the other necks are fine.



You should be fine. I'm not particularly handy and my 3 Warmoths all play and sound great. Warmoth necks now have pre-drilled holes and fit nicely in the neck pocket.

+100 to this

No stock Fender ever comes as close to a putting together a Warmoth.

I have built several (about 15 over the years) and they kick Booty over any stock Fender (and most modified ones too) again IMHO.

Forget Fender
Go Warmoth

 

[TonyP-]

The thing I like about Allparts necks is that they don't have the steel reinforcement bars.
(way too heavy) and the price.
The quality is as good or better than the best Fender necks I've seen.

I have one Allparts neck and it plays great and is inexpensive.

However

It moves and requires a setup a lot more then any of my Warmoths.

 

[wyliee]

I have one Allparts neck and it plays great and is inexpensive.

However

It moves and requires a setup a lot more then any of my Warmoths.

Just an observation here folks. The conventional wisdom seems to be that Allparts necks are less expensive, but that is not always the case.

http://www.allparts.com/store/necks-bass-necks,Category.asp

Invalid Link Removed

Compare like necks between the companies. Warmoth necks are generally less expensive and you have your choice of fretwire *and* you can have a nut installed by Warmoth.


** Just to be completely up front, as is shown in my sig., I work for Warmoth. I've included links to both companies above to be as fair as possible. **

 

[TonyP-]

Just an observation here folks. The conventional wisdom seems to be that Allparts necks are less expensive, but that is not always the case.

http://www.allparts.com/store/necks-bass-necks,Category.asp

Invalid Link Removed

Compare like necks between the companies. Warmoth necks are generally less expensive and you have your choice of fretwire *and* you can have a nut installed by Warmoth.


** Just to be completely up front, as is shown in my sig., I work for Warmoth. I've included links to both companies above to be as fair as possible. **

Those prices are high...I have to admit.

The one allparts I picked up was from Ebay and was less than what is listed from Allparts site

If that is the case, and based on those prices then I would not think of even getting an Allparts neck.

The only advantage is that is lighter and to me I rather feel neck that feels more solid.

BTW:

I HAVE NO AFFILIATION WITH WARMOTH...

I just like there stuff a lot more then anything else and find it superior.

If I'm not going Modulus (for graphite) then I'm going Warmoth.

 

[tranceFusion]

when people are calling the Warmoth necks heavy, are they heavy to the point of causing neck dive? Or simply heavy for those who nitpick about weight?

I am a bit confused about the showcase bodies. It seems alot of them are unfinished - Can I get them to add a finish to these? Also, I see many of the already finished bodies allow you to add additional pickup routing. Isn't this going to splinter/screw up the finish around the routed area?

 

[5StringBlues]

when people are calling the Warmoth necks heavy, are they heavy to the point of causing neck dive? Or simply heavy for those who nitpick about weight?

I am a bit confused about the showcase bodies. It seems alot of them are unfinished - Can I get them to add a finish to these? Also, I see many of the already finished bodies allow you to add additional pickup routing. Isn't this going to splinter/screw up the finish around the routed area?

Neck dive-probably not,unless your basses body is really light.

Yes,they will finish any of the showcase bodies for regular finishing charge.

They should be able to route a finished body without messing up the finish.

 

[bassgod76]

Just an observation here folks. The conventional wisdom seems to be that Allparts necks are less expensive, but that is not always the case.

http://www.allparts.com/store/necks-bass-necks,Category.asp

Invalid Link Removed

Compare like necks between the companies. Warmoth necks are generally less expensive and you have your choice of fretwire *and* you can have a nut installed by Warmoth.


** Just to be completely up front, as is shown in my sig., I work for Warmoth. I've included links to both companies above to be as fair as possible. **

I know that Allparts is pricey, but I know of atleast two distributors that sell Allparst bodies and necks at a fraction of the prices listed on Allparts website. The Allparts website is a starting point, really. You can get an Allparts neck AND body for just under or a little over $500!

 

[EricF]

when people are calling the Warmoth necks heavy, are they heavy to the point of causing neck dive? Or simply heavy for those who nitpick about weight?

I am a bit confused about the showcase bodies. It seems alot of them are unfinished - Can I get them to add a finish to these? Also, I see many of the already finished bodies allow you to add additional pickup routing. Isn't this going to splinter/screw up the finish around the routed area?

Warmoth necks are heavy when compared with other necks because they have steel stiffening bars (current MIA Fender necks use graphite stiffeners). While the stiffeners make for a neck less prone to warping and supposedly less prone to dead spots, some argue that the stiffeners aren't really necessary. Fender made - and still makes - necks without additional stiffeners all the time. If you're picky about weight, it might be an issue. If you're not, then don't worry about it.

Warmoth makes great quality products. They've been doing it for quite a while and have things figured out pretty well. You can bet that if they offer something, they're not going to screw it up.

 

[tranceFusion]

My current parts bass is a Warmoth body and Allparts neck, and I had to do some trimming of the neck pocket (very slowly and carefully with a proper file) to get the fit right. It wasn't a big deal for me, but just one more task to accomplish during the build-up.

I am a bit concerned about the neck fit. I'd prefer a vintage style neck (7.25" and high gloss) but I don't think it is offered by Warmoth.

If I order an Allparts neck, are the screws going to line up? Or I will need to re-drill the holes? If I file the neck pocket, is it going to be much risk to chipping the finish? Do I just leave the filed bare wood raw?

If I order a Warmoth neck, is there going to be a better chance of them fitting together?

 

[bassgod76]

I am a bit concerned about the neck fit. I'd prefer a vintage style neck (7.25" and high gloss) but I don't think it is offered by Warmoth.

If I order an Allparts neck, are the screws going to line up? Or I will need to re-drill the holes? If I file the neck pocket, is it going to be much risk to chipping the finish? Do I just leave the filed bare wood raw?

If I order a Warmoth neck, is there going to be a better chance of them fitting together?

Don't quote me on this, but I don't think the Allparts necks come drilled, thus to prevent any fit issues. This way, you make the holes that exactly match the pattern of the body you have.

 

[tranceFusion]

Don't quote me on this, but I don't think the Allparts necks come drilled, thus to prevent any fit issues. This way, you make the holes that exactly match the pattern of the body you have.

This is another thing I am curious about. When I look at, say, a Fender, the holes drilled in the body have very clean and strong threads. I can screw into and out of them multiple times with no issues. I can change the pickguard 10 times and the screw holes are still holding up. Can I do this reasonably myself?

 

[bassgod76]

This is another thing I am curious about. When I look at, say, a Fender, the holes drilled in the body have very clean and strong threads. I can screw into and out of them multiple times with no issues. I can change the pickguard 10 times and the screw holes are still holding up. Can I do this reasonably myself?

I've seen some people install brass threaded inserts in their neck joint and pickguard holes. Since I don't dissassemble my bass that much, the desire to getinto that sort of work doesn't appeal to me.

 

[ashtray]

I'm looking to put together a Warmoth bass. Just finished putting together 1 Warmoth guitar for my friend, and he's already ordered another that I'll be assembling for him. I will warn you on price - you can get a used USA Fender for less, and that Fender will have the same value a year later.

There's a couple "problems" with Warmoth:
1 - The price of a standard body is around $200. The cost for them to add paint is another $200. That's $400 for a regular body, no options, nothing fancy.
2 - Their "menu" is almost endless, so it's easy to bump yourself up with an upgrade here and there and it quickly gets carried away.

There's a nice "solution" though, and that's their showcase! They have premade (and sometimes prefinished) bodies and necks for a reduced price. As long as it is what you want, you'll save a decent amount by buying from the showcase. Plus, you won't have to wait a couple months for them to build your custom body.

Even using their showcase, you'll probably spend $600+ on a body and neck. Then you have to add all your hardware, pickups and electronics. Figure another $200+ even if you go the ebay/used route. So you can see how you'll spend $800 on the bass. And yes, resale is usually poor - figure $400-500 on a regular no frills model.

That said, after my experience with Warmoth, I am definitely going forward with my bass build project through them. It will just take a bit of time to save up to buy the pieces here and there. Since this won't be a bass I intend on selling (if it comes together right), I won't worry about resale.

 

[bassgod76]

I'm looking to put together a Warmoth bass. Just finished putting together 1 Warmoth guitar for my friend, and he's already ordered another that I'll be assembling for him. I will warn you on price - you can get a used USA Fender for less, and that Fender will have the same value a year later.

There's a couple "problems" with Warmoth:
1 - The price of a standard body is around $200. The cost for them to add paint is another $200. That's $400 for a regular body, no options, nothing fancy.
2 - Their "menu" is almost endless, so it's easy to bump yourself up with an upgrade here and there and it quickly gets carried away.

There's a nice "solution" though, and that's their showcase! They have premade (and sometimes prefinished) bodies and necks for a reduced price. As long as it is what you want, you'll save a decent amount by buying from the showcase. Plus, you won't have to wait a couple months for them to build your custom body.

Even using their showcase, you'll probably spend $600+ on a body and neck. Then you have to add all your hardware, pickups and electronics. Figure another $200+ even if you go the ebay/used route. So you can see how you'll spend $800 on the bass. And yes, resale is usually poor - figure $400-500 on a regular no frills model.

That said, after my experience with Warmoth, I am definitely going forward with my bass build project through them. It will just take a bit of time to save up to buy the pieces here and there. Since this won't be a bass I intend on selling (if it comes together right), I won't worry about resale.

Ashtray is totally right. I would say a $200 budget for pickups and hardware is on the light side. Maybe if it's only a P Bass and you select lower-end hardware. Hell, a decent set of tuners alone average $50.00. Once again, this is a low estimation. Consider the bridge and pickups, and that $200 goes quickly.

In my case, I have three import bases that needed some parts love. After all the parts and setup labor, I'm dropping an easy $1k. Some may say, "Why would you dump parts into an old MIM P Bass?" I guess being that it was my first bass, it has some sort of sentimental value.

Secondly, Ashtray is also right regarding resale. Sadly, there are some great basses out there, but non-Fender barnds never have the resale of the original Leo Fender product.