first make sure the neck pocket accomodates the neck but you probably already know that
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Do what they say cant' be done...A Warmoth Build
- Thread starter chadhargis
- Start date
Well, sort of. I once build a bass using a Warmoth gtr neck. 24.5" scale, with blank headstock. I cut it to shape, drilled 4 tuner holes, built a nut and attached it to a home made body though obviously a Strat body would work great as well. Strung it with heavy gauge strings using the heaviest strings from a 5 string set.
I wonder if Warmoth would route a Strat body for a P pickup? I doubt it. But I know they'll sell you one with no pickup routing so you can do your own.
So, no it wasn't a kit, but I was able to get there.
Initial Impressions
Ooooooh weeee! That's all I can say to describe the neck. The body is beautiful and the finish is flawless. But that neck! The roasted flame maple is perhaps the most beautiful piece of wood I've ever seen. When I put the first coat of Tru-Oil on it the "flames" appeared 3D. I'm chomping at the bit to start working on the body, but since I have several days of waiting between oil coats and the poly I'm putting over the waterslide, I am going to wait until this weekend to start assembling and wiring the body. I'm off from the 21st until the 2nd, so I have plenty of time to work on it.
Much to my surprise, the fretwork and fingerboard edges were REALLY nice. No sharp frets, fret sprout, or sharp edges on the board. I really have no work to do with the frets or fretboard at this point.
Here's some pics of the freshly unboxed parts and the neck after the first hand rubbed oil coat.
Ooooooh weeee! That's all I can say to describe the neck. The body is beautiful and the finish is flawless. But that neck! The roasted flame maple is perhaps the most beautiful piece of wood I've ever seen. When I put the first coat of Tru-Oil on it the "flames" appeared 3D. I'm chomping at the bit to start working on the body, but since I have several days of waiting between oil coats and the poly I'm putting over the waterslide, I am going to wait until this weekend to start assembling and wiring the body. I'm off from the 21st until the 2nd, so I have plenty of time to work on it.
Much to my surprise, the fretwork and fingerboard edges were REALLY nice. No sharp frets, fret sprout, or sharp edges on the board. I really have no work to do with the frets or fretboard at this point.
Here's some pics of the freshly unboxed parts and the neck after the first hand rubbed oil coat.
So I got too excited and started on the body. I've hit a few little things that will take some adjusting. The pickguard is a little tight against the pickup covers and causes them to bind. I'll hit it with a Dremel wheel and knock it back a bit. The pickguard also doesn't have the slot cut to allow the truss rod to be adjusted. I'll cut that out tomorrow.
I installed the pots and jack. Installed the bridge. Drilled all the holes for the pickguard. Shielded the control cavity. and grounded the bridge and pickup cavity.
The knobs I got from Warmoth were too small for the Emerson pots so I had to drill them out. Luckily they were very soft brass.
It's a P bass...so there isn't much to do to the body.
I installed the pots and jack. Installed the bridge. Drilled all the holes for the pickguard. Shielded the control cavity. and grounded the bridge and pickup cavity.
The knobs I got from Warmoth were too small for the Emerson pots so I had to drill them out. Luckily they were very soft brass.
It's a P bass...so there isn't much to do to the body.
I'd probably use files for the pup opening. A Dremel or router might get too aggressive, given how little likely needs removed.. For the truss access, I'd go with a router. It's a bit of an odd size, but there are bottom bearing bits that fit the slot in the body. I think Stew-Mac sells one. Here, be mindful of the neck. If it has an overhang fingerboard, rout the entire slot. If it doesn't, you'll want to stop short.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,120
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- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
Looks like you're getting exactly what you want, and it's beautiful!
Naysayers be damned!
Naysayers be damned!
The board does have an overhang. I used a dremel cutting bit to cut it out and sanded it smooth by hand. I didn't have the right router bit. I used some 80 grit sandpaper on the pickup cutouts and that did the trick. Didn't have to remove much.
So...the body is finished. Pickups attached and tested. For some strange reason a pack of pickguard screws from Warmoth contains 12 screws....and wouldn't you know it....a P bass uses 13. So I have to find a matching screw.
Tomorrow I'll lay on the waterslide decal and get ready to seal it with poly. That's the only poly going on the neck. Just want the decal to look nice.
So that's gonna be the next several days. Oil, dry, scuff, oil, dry, scuff. I'm not interested in a glossy finish, so I won't put more than 4 or 5 coats of Tru-Oil and I'll probably scuff the back of the neck to give it a satin feel.
More coming today as soon as the 24hr dry time for the first coat of oil passes. I was still pretty sticky when I went to bed last night.
Yeah...the neck is really good. I've had Warmoth necks in the past, and their quality was always good. But it appears they have really stepped up their game. It's fantastic. Fretwork is good, fingerboard edges are nicely rolled.
I'll get some pics of the loaded body up tonight. The tort pickguard looks nice. I am planning on making a cover for the truss rod adjuster slot, so I need to find some scrap tort plastic to make the cover out of.
Write to them and ask. I asked them if they could do some additional routing on a custom Jazz body to accommodate a Stratocaster output jack. Here's what they said…
We may be able to accommodate your request for a Strat top jack on a rear routed J Bass body. I will have to run it by the shop to see if we can make that happen. Additional cost may incur.
…and in less than three hours, they wrote me back again...
I have received confirmation form the shop foreman that we can accommodate a Strat Top Jack rout on a rear routed J Bass body at an additional cost of $65.
You can place your order online Invalid Link Removed using our custom body builder pages. Select from the available options, add the body and any other items that you wish to purchase to your online shopping cart and proceed to checkout. Just prior to entering your credit card information you will have an opportunity to make some order notes and agree to any associated costs. Simply state, “**STRAT TOP JACK** I agree to the additional cost of $65”.
You can place your order online Invalid Link Removed using our custom body builder pages. Select from the available options, add the body and any other items that you wish to purchase to your online shopping cart and proceed to checkout. Just prior to entering your credit card information you will have an opportunity to make some order notes and agree to any associated costs. Simply state, “**STRAT TOP JACK** I agree to the additional cost of $65”.
…and now I have my own, custom-made, totally-not-off-the-rack Warmoth Jazz-Ray with a pinch of Aerodyne in the mix.
