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Be honest: Was your Warmoth build worth it?

B

BusyFingers

Guest
Nov 26, 2016
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#1
I'm looking into making my dream bass via Warmoth parts, but if I made the ultimate dream bass it would cost over $1,000 and that's not including the fact that it still needs to be put together.

I may be able to get away with a version that isn't my ultimate, but I'm still looking at just under $1,000 bucks.

How much did you spend on your Warmoth build and was it worth it to you? Pics are appreciated, too, because I know there are probably some cool basses conceived out there.
 
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#3
I did not build all warmoth, that just didn't seem all that fun. What I did was buy parts from all over the internet. I got a 1962 stripped Jazz bass body along with a lot of the hardware on ebay, and I used Warmoth for the neck. Lindy Fralin pickups, Hipshot tuners, Ghoti bridge. I used an all ebony fretless unlined neck. The body is natural color and all the hardware is gold. My grandfather helped with the wiring and after that it was done. The bass is absolutely beautiful and sounds brilliant. That bass and my Rickenbacker are my two main instruments and I barely prefer one over the other anymore. Overall experince 10/10 would do again. Here's the bass:





Edit: I guess I didn't say how much I spent. I don't remember specifically but it was somewhere near $1400. I went high end on a lot of stuff though and honestly feel like I definitely got more than what I paid for. I will probably do something like this again in the future.
 
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#5
Yes! I built mine back in 2006, ~$1000. It became my go-to bass, and it still is. I built a Gecko medium 5-string, double humbucker, no electronics. Amazing sound, very comfortable to play, solid as a rock.

9459E40A-4304-421E-A036-823CE3932574.JPG
 

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#6
mr13ump said:
I did not build all warmoth, that just didn't seem all that fun. What I did was buy parts from all over the internet. I got a 1962 stripped Jazz bass body along with a lot of the hardware on ebay, and I used Warmoth for the neck. Lindy Fralin pickups, Hipshot tuners, Ghoti bridge. I used an all ebony fretless unlined neck. The body is natural color and all the hardware is gold. My grandfather helped with the wiring and after that it was done. The bass is absolutely beautiful and sounds brilliant. That bass and my Rickenbacker are my two main instruments and I barely prefer one over the other anymore. Overall experince 10/10 would do again. Here's the bass:





Edit: I guess I didn't say how much I spent. I don't remember specifically but it was somewhere near $1400. I went high end on a lot of stuff though and honestly feel like I definitely got more than what I paid for. I will probably do something like this again in the future.
Click to expand...



Love your neck....
 
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#12
mr13ump said:
I did not build all warmoth, that just didn't seem all that fun. What I did was buy parts from all over the internet. I got a 1962 stripped Jazz bass body along with a lot of the hardware on ebay, and I used Warmoth for the neck. Lindy Fralin pickups, Hipshot tuners, Ghoti bridge. I used an all ebony fretless unlined neck. The body is natural color and all the hardware is gold. My grandfather helped with the wiring and after that it was done. The bass is absolutely beautiful and sounds brilliant. That bass and my Rickenbacker are my two main instruments and I barely prefer one over the other anymore. Overall experince 10/10 would do again. Here's the bass:





Edit: I guess I didn't say how much I spent. I don't remember specifically but it was somewhere near $1400. I went high end on a lot of stuff though and honestly feel like I definitely got more than what I paid for. I will probably do something like this again in the future.
Click to expand...


If Lemmy had played your kind of music, he would've played that bass.
 
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#13
this might be the sexiest jazz ever.

mr13ump said:
I did not build all warmoth, that just didn't seem all that fun. What I did was buy parts from all over the internet. I got a 1962 stripped Jazz bass body along with a lot of the hardware on ebay, and I used Warmoth for the neck. Lindy Fralin pickups, Hipshot tuners, Ghoti bridge. I used an all ebony fretless unlined neck. The body is natural color and all the hardware is gold. My grandfather helped with the wiring and after that it was done. The bass is absolutely beautiful and sounds brilliant. That bass and my Rickenbacker are my two main instruments and I barely prefer one over the other anymore. Overall experince 10/10 would do again. Here's the bass:





Edit: I guess I didn't say how much I spent. I don't remember specifically but it was somewhere near $1400. I went high end on a lot of stuff though and honestly feel like I definitely got more than what I paid for. I will probably do something like this again in the future.
Click to expand...
 
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#14
drumvsbass said:
this might be the sexiest jazz ever.
Click to expand...

I love it so much. Having built it myself makes it a lot more personal, I feel like I have a deep understanding of every facet. I'm glad you like it! I was originally going to buy a jaco clone bass but I just figured why not build my own bass of doom! I am really glad I did because I learned a lot about the instrument doing it.
 
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#16
I have several basses I've built with Warmoth parts. If you really know exactly what you want, And are capable of doing the assembly, finishing, wiring, and setup, it's a good way to get a great bass. If you're missing one or more of the above, you're rolling the dice as to whether the result will suit you.

Warmoth won't let you down - they do what you want very well. If you don't like the result, then you either didn't really know what you wanted, or didn't know how to put it together. At least that's been my experience.
 
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#17
Yes. I love my Warmoth Jazz. It took 7 years, several homes, a wife, and a kid to get it this far.

-Warmoth mahogany body
-Warmoth maple/maple neck, before they offered slim taper
-Fender Super 55 pickups, changing them DiMarzio Ultra Jazz this week
-Custom wiring harness, CTS, swiftcraft, vitamin q
-Hipshot kickass bridge, hipshot ultra lites plus extender
-Fender pick guard, chrome cover, knobs
-Schaller strap locks
-My own business logo, Midtown Guitars

Her name is Lila, she started out purple.

I'm thinking about going active with an Audere preamp.

I got exactly what I wanted. No bass off a shelf could have done that. Plus now with as long as I have had it and as much time (and money) has gone into it, it feels good being proud of what I am playing. Like a proud dad.

As is, guessing I have about $800 or so wrapped up in it. I went with all USA parts and feel I got what I paid for.
 

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