I really enjoyed making mine. But I have so much parts that I only needed body and neck. Warmoth showcase body and Allparts neck (about $650ish for both.) I'm actually getting ready to do another.
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How hard is it to make a good warmoth bass
- Thread starter Moopahtroopa
- Start date
Mine is a 30" scale bass, that looks like it's big brother (this one), minus the headstock decal, the covers, and the thumb rest. Really. Just imagine this one about 4 feet further away...
None taken. I just don't really get what they are selling. are they selling just necks and bodies? Are they pre-drilled? BTW I would appreciate seeing all of your warmth builds and the associated tech specs.
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There is one of mine. alder J body, maple neck, Pau ferro board. Nordstrand NJ4 SV pickups, audere pre. A friend finished the body and neck for me in nitro with a matching Headstock.
some things come drilled. Bridge, neck bolts on neck and body, tuner holes, controls on a rear rout body or pick guard. Mounting holes on pickguard. What you drill- holes for tuner hardware, strap buttons, holes in body for pickguard screws. Those are all pretty easy, though I can't figure out why they don't drill for strap buttons
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my only concern would be the soldering, you kind of need the correct type of gun and wire, i tried to do some with more heavy duty stuff and it was pretty tough getting those little wires squared away
Yeah, the hint there is that you said "Gun" not "Pencil"
thanks for making me laugh buddy
I f you're asking a question like this, you'd be better off hiring a local tech or luthier to assemble it for you. Warmoth stuff ain't cheap.
It's not so much the assembly, but the setup, and knowing what's right and what isn't, and how to make things play well once it's all together. For example, can you file a nut? Or shim a neck? It's not required on a Warmoth, but it is to get the best action.
Maybe a better starting point is to get a Fender bass and replace the neck on it with a Mighty Mite and see how that goes. Or change the pickups in any bass.
Yeah, but where's the fun in that? I bought an unfinished slab P-bass and think I'm now on the fourth color. It's also no longer a slab... ;-) I bought a Dinky P and modified it slightly, and proceeded to play around with creating my first dyed sunburst. I'd never have done that with one of their finishes - they are indeed great.
As for the neck - you could buy an unfinished neck of the proper wood and not finish it at all. I have roasted maple and LOVE the feeling. Nothing like raw wood. I've used Tru-Oil and while it works, I'm not a fan. Just not a fast-feeling finish.
And while expensive, indeed graphite rods are highly recommended.
If you can operate a screwdriver, it's easy. Not even joking. I haven't had the pleasure of building a warmoth yet, but a friend of mine's dad has a warmoth Strat and he said it was simply that easy to assemble.
If you're doing a four string, I'd definitely go for it. I may do one soon. But with four strings, they don't offer 19mm spacing at the bridge unless you're willing to go with B and G strings that are close to the edge of the fretboard. So you have to go with narrower spacing and then have to worry about pickup alignment and such. Four strings are pretty much standardized.
Yes and no. Yes, it's easy to assemble. Yes - it's easy to bung things up. Warmoth builds their necks & bodies to VERY tight tolerances, so fitting can involve some careful muscle work. If you are comfortable with basic woodworking, you should be fine - but this isn't quite so easy as a jig-saw and does not come with a manual!
Here are my three Warmoth bass builds.
They were easy and fun to assemble.
SanDiegoHarry's responses sayes everything you need to know about a Warmoth build.
If you do order standard neck with the steel rods, use light tuners, preferably made with Aluminum. I originally used steel Schaller tuners on the Jazz bass, but realized the tuners caused the bass to nose dive. I replaced them with some Jenz aluminum tuners and have used them on the other two builds. Gotoh, Schaller, and Hipshot have light tuner options too.
If you do order all your parts from Warmoth, order them all at the same time. It saves on shipping costs.
I recommend shopping around for parts on various websites: allparts, eBay, Keisel, etc. you can find deals on tuners, bridges, pickups, etc...
Hope you enjoy assembling your bass.
Be sure to post a pic when finished.
They were easy and fun to assemble.
SanDiegoHarry's responses sayes everything you need to know about a Warmoth build.
If you do order standard neck with the steel rods, use light tuners, preferably made with Aluminum. I originally used steel Schaller tuners on the Jazz bass, but realized the tuners caused the bass to nose dive. I replaced them with some Jenz aluminum tuners and have used them on the other two builds. Gotoh, Schaller, and Hipshot have light tuner options too.
If you do order all your parts from Warmoth, order them all at the same time. It saves on shipping costs.
I recommend shopping around for parts on various websites: allparts, eBay, Keisel, etc. you can find deals on tuners, bridges, pickups, etc...
Hope you enjoy assembling your bass.
Be sure to post a pic when finished.
I have Danish oil on mine (also maple) and it's perfect, feels exactly like bare wood but has decent protection against humidity.
I got an notion, so I'll do a build-exercise to see just how cheaply I could build a Warmoth bass.
On their site, under the "Screaming Deals" section, here's a nice light black J body for $235
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For $160, here is a neck that, while not having the Fender headstock, is a factory second so is A) cheap and B) still well made (warmoth don't sell junk)
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$20 for a control plate cover:
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$40 for a nice Gohto bridge
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$46 for tuners:
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$25 for a white pick-guard
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$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder bridge pickup:
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$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder neck pickup:
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$4.50 for three knobs:
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Throw in $25 for the Pots and $10 for strap pins and string retainer and you're good to go for... let's see...
Right about $725. So yeah - it can be done pretty cheap.
On their site, under the "Screaming Deals" section, here's a nice light black J body for $235
Invalid Link Removed
For $160, here is a neck that, while not having the Fender headstock, is a factory second so is A) cheap and B) still well made (warmoth don't sell junk)
Invalid Link Removed
$20 for a control plate cover:
Invalid Link Removed
$40 for a nice Gohto bridge
Invalid Link Removed
$46 for tuners:
Invalid Link Removed
$25 for a white pick-guard
Invalid Link Removed
$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder bridge pickup:
Invalid Link Removed
$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder neck pickup:
Invalid Link Removed
$4.50 for three knobs:
Invalid Link Removed
Throw in $25 for the Pots and $10 for strap pins and string retainer and you're good to go for... let's see...
Right about $725. So yeah - it can be done pretty cheap.
I got an notion, so I'll do a build-exercise to see just how cheaply I could build a Warmoth bass.
On their site, under the "Screaming Deals" section, here's a nice light black J body for $235
Invalid Link Removed
For $160, here is a neck that, while not having the Fender headstock, is a factory second so is A) cheap and B) still well made (warmoth don't sell junk)
Invalid Link Removed
$20 for a control plate cover:
Invalid Link Removed
$40 for a nice Gohto bridge
Invalid Link Removed
$46 for tuners:
Invalid Link Removed
$25 for a white pick-guard
Invalid Link Removed
$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder bridge pickup:
Invalid Link Removed
$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder neck pickup:
Invalid Link Removed
$4.50 for three knobs:
Invalid Link Removed
Throw in $25 for the Pots and $10 for strap pins and string retainer and you're good to go for... let's see...
Right about $725. So yeah - it can be done pretty cheap.
On their site, under the "Screaming Deals" section, here's a nice light black J body for $235
Invalid Link Removed
For $160, here is a neck that, while not having the Fender headstock, is a factory second so is A) cheap and B) still well made (warmoth don't sell junk)
Invalid Link Removed
$20 for a control plate cover:
Invalid Link Removed
$40 for a nice Gohto bridge
Invalid Link Removed
$46 for tuners:
Invalid Link Removed
$25 for a white pick-guard
Invalid Link Removed
$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder bridge pickup:
Invalid Link Removed
$65 for a nice Duncan Quarter Pounder neck pickup:
Invalid Link Removed
$4.50 for three knobs:
Invalid Link Removed
Throw in $25 for the Pots and $10 for strap pins and string retainer and you're good to go for... let's see...
Right about $725. So yeah - it can be done pretty cheap.
