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Problem with my new Warmoth

M

morgancurrie

Jan 22, 2005
12
0
44
cape breton, ns, canada
www.iwasaspy.com
#1
I recently recv'd my Warmoth body, neck, and (Gotoh) hardware and after going through the checklist of things to inspect before assembly (with a certified tech), I assembled my new bass guitar. Turns out the pre-drilled (by Warmoth) holes for the Gotoh 206 bridge were slightly too far up. The G & D strings intonate fine, but the placement of the bridge does not allow for the saddles to go back far enough to intonate the A & E strings, causing the E string to be approx. 14 cents off (sharp) at the 12th fret even with the bridge-saddle maxed out (ie. back as far as possible). My local tech said it could easily be compensated by moving the bridge a quarter inch closer to the edge of the body, but that it would also be slightly tricky as the holes drilled for the string-through-body would have to be angled wider so that the strings could still go through them, without drilling another four holes in the back of my body. I'm weary about having to send my body to Washington to have this done (about an hour of work), as my last order (the unfinished body & neck) was ETA'd at four weeks, and ended up taking nine weeks to be completed. So does anybody have any experience with this sort of thing? Do you think I'll be able to have a local certified tech document and fix the problem and have him compensated, or do I have to return the body to have this work done? I'm not going to pay for it myself since it's Warmoth's fault, but Warmoth will make me pay the shipping, which (from Cape Breton, NS, Canada) might end up being what I would pay the tech for the re-drilling anyway.

I got this bass with insurance money from my old Fender Jazz which was stolen just before going on tour this summer, so after not having played bass in months (early August to mid-January), I'm super bummed about having to lose it again for a while.

P.S. Here's a pic of the new beast:
bass.png
 
#4
I would send it back to warmoth and make them know you are really angry about this... any mistake is a bad one, but drilling the bridge in the wrong place really leaves little room for you do something about it. I don't know how there customer service is on return items, I've only ordered from them once, but if they have any semblance of service they'll take care of you quickly and just do the right thing.
 
#5
I agree with all three of the above posts...send that sucker back and DEMAND they foot the bill. I personally can't believe that Warmoth would make you eat the shipping. I've done business with Warmoth and those guys bend over backwards to help me out.

And yes....that is a gorgeous looking instrument you've got going on there! :hyper:

Let us know what happens.
 
#8
Hi!

Sorry to have not jumped in yet - I have been home with my son who has chicken pox ( :( ) and haven't checked the forum.

It's true that the 206 sits a bit farther forward towards the neck than our other bass bridges. Because this bridge has a fairly large footprint, it had to be moved foreward enough to clear the edge of the body that comes closest to it, which happens to be the Jbass. Because of the way we standardize our options, it sits in this same relative position on all bodies, including the Custom Tele Bass. We have been putting the bridge in this location for over a decade without complaints.

I am, however, aware of two other cases where people have had trouble intonating the low E string on this bridge. In both of these cases, the problem was able to be corrected by pre-stressing the string at the saddle contact point. This involves setting up and intonating the bass as well as possible (making sure your action is at a reasonable height, not too high), and then detuning the string slightly and bending it over the saddle right in front of the bridge. After doing so, you should find that the string intonates a fit flatter. This also has the side effect of making harmonics ring truer, and I've done it on all my bass setups for years.

Should this not fix your problem, give our office a call and you can send the body back in and have the bridge moved slightly. You will need to pay shipping up front (we do not have a process to issue call tags), but just provide a reciept and we'll reimburse your shipping cost.

- Brian Goode
Warmoth Guitar Products, Inc.
 
#9
Sorry to hear about your son, Brian, but thanks for taking time to write the lengthy response. I have two questions now: What will you guys do to keep the string-through-body holes lined up? Angle them out somehow? And two, could you please explain the pre-stressing deal a bit more, or point me to a guide on it somewhere? The A & E's are about 10-14 cents sharp, so it would have to be a pretty serious trick. Normally I'd just shut up and send the bass in the mail, but where I've been without an instrument since the summer, and my band has shows coming up, I'd like to be able to go the quick-fix route for now -- plus I can take one for the team and play below the 12th fret for a bit.
 
#10
And two, could you please explain the pre-stressing deal a bit more, or point me to a guide on it somewhere?
Click to expand...
I searched this forum and couldn't find anything on it specifically, but I found this from the Bass Player archives:
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8. With the string tuned about halfway to pitch, press down at the bridge to bend the string over the saddle and establish a good "witness point."
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9. Tune the E string up to pitch from below; don't try to tune it down from a higher pitch if you go too far. Stretch it, as shown in these photos. "Snapping" the string by pulling it up slightly at the 12th fret and then releasing it may help the string to stay in tune.

All material © 2003 by United Entertainment Media Inc. All rights reserved. A Music Player Network Publication. Reproduction of material appearing in BASS PLAYER Online is strictly prohibited without written permission. BASS PLAYER and Music Player Network are registered trademarks of United Entertainment Media, Inc.
Click to expand...
In answer to question 1, if we were to move the bridge, we'd probably just enlarge the top diameter of the through-holes a bit.
 

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