Be honest: Was your Warmoth build worth it?

[eastcoasteddie]

Mine was worth it....

Being "worth it" implies you are asking about the monetary or financial implications of a Warmoth build. And they sucks. Resale sucks.

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That is a mighty fine Jazz you have there.
The reason these suck and resale sucks, is really because People actually suck... and they want everything for at least half-off, especially when there isn't a brand name attached to it even though it is 10x better than said brand...

 

[BusyFingers]

I built a very simple Warmoth Alder body fretless Precision bass. I did use high end hardware however. In the end I realized it was far too costly and not being an expert Luther or having the right tools I made a few errors, which bugged me. Much better off buying a second hand bass IMO. But the project was enjoyable.

You wont save money building your own bass with Warmoth parts but I would definitely recommend them for replacement parts. The quality is top notch (better than Fender IMO)

Thanks. My concern about assembly is a cock-eyed tuner or a redo of a bridge placement. If I'm going to put that much money into parts, the last thing I want to do is futz assembly even a little bit.

 

[fretno]

forgot one

 

[BusyFingers]

forgot one

nice

 

[BusyFingers]

Not only yes, but hell yes! Not sure of the total cost of these (silver semi hollow body was custom made by a friend) Warmoth builds cause it doesn't matter at this point. Both of these have been prominent players in the rotation.

These are very cool.

 

[BusyFingers]

One other note. You aren't assembling Leggos here. It takes patience and is a little harder than it looks. I recently put together a parts bass. The only thing Warmoth is the guard, and it was used when I bought it. But I put it all together, wired it up, and took the finish off the back of the neck. Light as a feather. Plays like a dream. Has "that" sound. I have about $250 sunk into it including sandpaper and other incidentals. But getting the neck to line up correctly, sit in the pocket correctly, and "settle in" took a lot of small tweeks and patience. Assembling the guard/electronics and wiring it up presented its own set of minor challenges. It wasn't just slap it together and start jamming. I learned a ton from this bass. And I earned even more respect for those who do this kind of thing from a hunk of wood. By the way, it looks white but it's actually a light sonic blue.
Mighty Mite body
Warmoth guard
PAF era DiMarzio
Wiring harness from bestbassgearonline.com
Neck from an 80s MIJ P bass copy (Profile Silhouette is a house brand from a chain of Australian stores from what my research turned up.)

Was it worth the time, effort and money? YES! I had a blast and this bass is very personal to me now. But it took more than I thought to get it all together and get the parts to talk to each other well.
View attachment 1009530

That's a looker. I agree about patience. This is why I wouldn't assemble one myself unless all the screw holes were already done by Warmoth, and it appears the rep I talked to says they don't do all the screw holes pre drilled.

 

[mojomike001]

I built this Jazz bass relic starting from a used Warmoth body purchased from a fellow TB'er plus a few new parts and some parts I already had. Cost me about $300.

 

[BusyFingers]

I love my Warmoth basses, but to feel like you got a good value I think you have to:

• Keep it a long time and ignore the fact that resale value will not be very good, especially if the styling is not well thought out and attractive to almost everybody
• Have a strong desire and personally value certain custom aspects not available on purchased instruments
• Enjoy the process of designing and assembling
• Work patiently so you don't screw it up
• Not expect to save any money vs buying something like a G&L Tribute

You can save some money by doing your own finishing and buying from the showcase. I have mostly ordered custom bodies but usually can find a suitable neck in the showcase.

If you are a person who would do a ton of mods to a factory bass, then it starts to make more sense financially. If you plan to replace bridge, tuners, preamp, pickups, etc then a scratch build can make a lot of sense.

If you want custom, there are other options besides building it yourself. Carvin is one, the Fender American Design Experience is another. Also, if you order G&L USA I think a lot of custom options are available.

Just a few random thoughts.

That warmoth in your sig a beauty.

 

[Keyser Soze]

forgot one

Oh baby!!!

 

[two fingers]

I built this Jazz bass relic starting from a used Warmoth body purchased from a fellow TB'er plus a few new parts and some parts I already had. Cost me about $300.

View attachment 1009576 View attachment 1009577 View attachment 1009579 View attachment 1009581

One of the better relics I have ever seen. That thing looks like it was playing blues clubs in Harlem for a few decades....in the best way possible.

 

[fretno]

The Gold P is Sugar Pine custom order

oh forgot one . This is currently waiting for a Lowe conversion neck as I stole that neck and put it on a Lowe body i have
here

 

[micguy]

Warmoth bodies are fairly heavy as it is easier to go under radar with heavy parts rather than complete bass. My first ever warmoth strat was the coolest guitar I've had which made me warmoth fan. Since then I've had few more warmoth builds which were mediocre. Personally, I would go with US custom or MJT (if you go for fender-ish build) as they are weight consious and you can't beat nitro.

While it is very possible to make a boat anchor with Warmoth parts, I have 5 basses that have Warmoth necks and bodies. The heaviest is 7.82 pounds. The lightest (OK, it's a medium scale) is 6.14 pounds. The rest are between 7.1 and 7.4 pounds. I have another bass with a Warmoth body (mighty mite neck) . It's 7.4 poounds

Warmoth makes their stuff out of wood; the density varies. If you ware concerned about weight (I am, after back surgery), and you pay attention to the weight of every last part, you can make a very nice bass that's under 8 pounds with Warmoth parts (I've done it multiple times, with no exceptions. But you have to think about every part, and hunt down things based on weight. Graphite reinforcement weighs less than steel. Roasted maple weighs less than standard maple. The bodies in their "showcase" are all listed with their weights - you know what you're getting when you order one. Ordering a custom body from them or a body from any of the other supliers, you don't know what it will weigh. Warmoth has very light bodies in the showcase at times, but you may have to wait for one to show up in the shape you want. The also charge $20 or so for an exceptionally light body (which I will gladly pay).

OK, you got me started, and I'll leave off most of the rant about hardware, other than to say aluminum is 1/3rd the weight of brass - that makes a huge difference in getting the last pound off an instrument.

Sorry if I sound like a Warmoth apologist. I have no connection to the company, except as a very satisfied (if a bit anal about weight) customer. They make good stuff; all my basses are built with their parts (save one neck I bought from someone else to get an ebonol fingerboard).

 

[Quilbert]

Thanks. My concern about assembly is a cock-eyed tuner or a redo of a bridge placement. If I'm going to put that much money into parts, the last thing I want to do is futz assembly even a little bit.

Totally agree, they're not difficult to assemble but if you make one mistake you'll be looking at it with a grimace forever . My advice would be to source a good second hand bass and maybe replace parts etc.

 

[wraub]

It's a Kahler bridge, one of the few options for geckos back then. I have read many negative reviews of this design, but it has worked well for me.

View attachment 1009534

I have the same bridge- install is a bit of a PITA, but in daily use I quite like it.

 

[Doug Parent]

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.

The going price for a Warmoth 5 string depending on pickup selection can easily go over a thousand bucks. Have I had at least 5-6 Fenders that had neck issues or poor tonal qualities? Yes. Were they Fender American or Deluxes? Yes. And the all cost $1000 or higher. I have had a few Warmoth bodies that were especially light weight and the tone suffered. If you read up on wood choices and are determined to work slowly and patiently you can get a result that may end up being a long term acquisition. I ended up selling all of my more high end basses in favor of a Fender/Warmoth clone with top shelf parts. If you don't have the skills or patience, I'd look for a used Warmoth. The quality will still be there (if the assembly was done correctly) and the price point will yield you a better instrument compared to say, Fender/Mexican.

 

[bolophonic]

You can build a great custom parts bass for half of that amount out of the TB classifieds.

 

[BobKos]

I have a few Warmoth builds. I didn't assemble them although I suppose I could. Bolting, soldering, adjusting screws. Pretty straight forward. The difference would be in the details. A real luthier can do a perfect assembly / setup and address any fret work needed. Not that Warmoth necks need crazy fretwork, but ALL basses need fretwork. That's what the devil is in the details. That is what helped put Sadowsky on the map AFAIK. That's what made Joe Naylor's Rumblefish (Reverend) so special. All the little details are important. That is the difference between a mediocre bass and a spectacular bass. It's not special woods, special hardware, or anything like that. It's attention to detail during every step of the build.

My Warmoths are my favorite basses of everything I have. I have some pretty cool $2000 & under production basses. I bought all of my Warmoths built already. I bought all of mine used. They will probably be with me for a while.

My favorite is an ash / quilt top chambered body. Canary neck. Big Nordies and East Pre. Luthier built for sure. Light, sounds incredible. Plays incredible. Bought it from the TB classifieds. Thanks again NYCBass for the most amazing Jazz Bass on the planet!

Yes - chambered bodies are the cat's ass. IMO well worth the premium.

Warmoth builds are something you do for yourself. You can't usually build one and resell it hoping to recover your investment. You won't. You build it because you know exactly what you want and you don't want to spend 3 years trying to find a great instrument in the market place with the features you want. Resale is not good for them. I have lucked into the ones that I own. I have also missed a few INCREDIBLE Warmoths for sale here on TB as well as eBay. There is a guy on eBay named 'gutone_123' that has been popping one or two a week up there for a while. He must have dozens of them. They are selling for $550 on average. Loaded with great parts and quality appointments. I get the impression he's on a major herd thinning mission. Probably worth a look for you.

You won't regret a Warmoth build if you are focused on what you want and have the skills to hash out the nit-picky details. If you can't do a great job building it yourself, maybe get a luthier involved and see how much it would cost to get a great bass done for you. I have talked to a couple and they welcome the idea of a bolt together project for a change. YMMV.

Another consideration - Nino Valenti can assemble a bass to your liking and as stated above will work out all the details that make his instruments famously great. All for a cost not that far distant from buying the parts and building it yourself.

 

[fretno]

just an FYI , as much as I love Warmoth , Brad Lowe offers some killer stuff Warmoth doesn't , he's also a member here . Want to do a Bird build ?
Shop notes

And his 32" conversion necks are amazing !

 

[AltGrendel]

Yes, yes it was.

Will never sell it.

View attachment 1009327

Mine it is not typical. The body is ash. It has dual output jacks which was a custom feature so I can send each signal to a dedicated rig. I got the guard custom from them too. Everything was spot on.

The neck are USA Fender, not Warmoth with decals.

Wonder if they'd be willing to flip that and put the guitar neck on top Rutherford style.

 

[ogiebb]

Good because I really got every single thing I wanted from screws to neck to PUPS... Bad because when I wanted to sell to fund another bass resale value is really low.... I decided to keep it instead.