Warmoth neck......?

[Spirit of Ox]

I just ordered a showcase Warmoth neck yesterday.
It's a roasted maple Jazz bass neck with black Corian nut and 6230 nickel frets.
No finish necessary but I'm going to do a couple coats of gunstock oil.

 

[13bass]

I just ordered a showcase Warmoth neck yesterday.
It's a roasted maple Jazz bass neck with black Corian nut and 6230 nickel frets.
No finish necessary but I'm going to do a couple coats of gunstock oil.

Nice! I sand/burnish mine in increments, 600-800-1000-1200-1500-2000 grit sandpaper, makes its smooth as silk!

 

[Spirit of Ox]

Nice! I sand/burnish mine in increments, 600-800-1000-1200-1500-2000 grit sandpaper, makes its smooth as silk!

Cool, I was wondering what to use. Should I use those grits with gunstock oil? Should I use steel wool as well?

 

[13bass]

Cool, I was wondering what to use. Should I use those grits with gunstock oil? Should I use steel wool as well?

Well I don't use any oils at all, by the time you get to 1500/2000 grit the grain is so smooth and tight I doubt anything would stick or penetrate very much.

Check out this thread on the Unofficial Warmoth Forum....
Burnishing Raw Necks

 

[wheresmyric]

Cool, I was wondering what to use. Should I use those grits with gunstock oil? Should I use steel wool as well?

I get great results with the MicroMesh Sanding/ Polishing Sheets found on eBay and Amazon. My choice of necks these days are SGW/ Best Guitar Parts, if you can deal with the non Fender headstocks. Graphite rods standard & reasonably priced. Here's my latest roasted q-sawn with Duracoat Danish Oil.

 

[Sands]

Cool, I was wondering what to use. Should I use those grits with gunstock oil? Should I use steel wool as well?

I would not finish the roasted maple, but I would sand to 2000.

 

[Sands]

Do the slim profile graphite shaft warmoths weigh the same as a USA Professional neck? I don’t want more weight.

 

[Spirit of Ox]

I would not finish the roasted maple, but I would sand to 2000.

Wouldn't a couple coats of Tru Oil or tung oil give it a little protection from dirt, sweat, and grime?

 

[13bass]

Wouldn't a couple coats of Tru Oil or tung oil give it a little protection from dirt, sweat, and grime?

I thought that too, but if you read through the thread I posted, they talk about how the burnishing tightens the grain, and allows a simple wipe off, no grime build up, etc. On one of my builds I did it to the fretboard as well, before installing frets, but usually I just get the neck with frets installed and do the back of the neck, as the fretboard would be nearly impossible, or at least a pain, to do right with the frets in the way.

 

[Sands]

Wouldn't a couple coats of Tru Oil or tung oil give it a little protection from dirt, sweat, and grime?

Supposedly not necessary. Very smooth. I went without on a strat neck and never had an issue at all over a couple years. Roasted maple is damn good looking with Sherwood green, let me tell you. I miss that guitar more than any other (1982~ xx AVRI strat body with nitro Sherwood green, 69 CS PUs in it. But I digress.)

 

[groooooove]

that's a better quality neck than fender can ever dream of at this point.

get it!

 

[Spirit of Ox]

I thought that too, but if you read through the thread I posted, they talk about how the burnishing tightens the grain, and allows a simple wipe off, no grime build up, etc. On one of my builds I did it to the fretboard as well, before installing frets, but usually I just get the neck with frets installed and do the back of the neck, as the fretboard would be nearly impossible, or at least a pain, to do right with the frets in the way.

After reading more about burnishing, I'm going to give this a try and not bother with Tru Oil. One question, what is good for cleaning the neck? Lemon oil.

 

[Sands]

After reading more about burnishing, I'm going to give this a try and not bother with Tru Oil. One question, what is good for cleaning the neck? Lemon oil.

I just used a cloth or the stuff I used on the body which was Gibson instrument cleaning solution at the time, still have that bottle, deep cleaning...? But I would refer to Warmoth. They have instructions. It really just wipes off easily. I probably had used 0000 steel wool once or twice - not because it was dirty looking, just to smooth it a bit. No fuss at all. None.

I play with clean hands though. I haven’t ever played while eating or after changing the oil etc.

 

[13bass]

What Sands says ^ and I use just a clean cloth 99% of the time, and the 0000 steel wool is a good idea as well.

You can also use naphtha followed by fretboard "oil" of choice (they're all mostly mineral oil with fragrance and thinners... just sayin)
Naphtha cuts finger oil/crud really well, can loosen crud in pores and at edges of frets, dries very rapidly. But not sure it is even needed? Maybe when you change your flats out after 10 years or something?

 

[Yellow Bang66]

So the showcase has a sweet Jazz Bass neck I’m thinking about. Qtr sawn, flame maple, ebony fretboard, graphite rods, ss frets, vintage tint, bound and blocked. I have a black 74 AVRI currently with a 2019 USA PRO Jazz neck.

Even if I sold the neck I have currently, between shipping, tax, and tuners, it would cost me probably about $500+ out of pocket. And it would weigh more with the vintage style tuners. Hmm. I’d have to save my pennies. Or I could wait for Fender to release the RW bound and blocked 70s someday or spend a few hundred bucks more for a vintage neck. I’ve been watching for a 74 AVRI neck but haven’t seen one in quite awhile. I think the vintage and 74 AVRI would probably weigh more, and would not have SS, graphite shafts, flames, or dark ebony.

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Dont worry, Warmoth necks are impressive, worth the exra $$, they're rock solid,& great quality. I know they seem pricey for whatelse is out there, Ive ordered 2 custom made necks, for rebuilds, I love the all options, choice of woods,profiles,inlays,& fret wire, and if you have any questions call their customer service.I Love, Love my warmoth necks. gonna order another as soon as things get back to "normal". the only caveat I have is the necks with the steel reinforce men rods are pretty heavy. I wanted to replace with the lighter graphite rods but was trying to save a little $$, upon reciept of the custom neck I noticed how heavy it was. after installing I feared the weight it added(neck dive). yes it threw my bass off balance, however it added a beautiful girth to my tone! I cured the "Dive" by replacing the Stock tuners with Gotoh resolites. they totally solved that problem. Hipshot ultralite tuners worked too, but the Resolites really did the trick!

 

[stuntbass77]

Keep in mind that Warmoth necks are not plug and play. Sure, you can use them out of the box, but they are not ideal that way and aren't intended to be by Warmoth. I was shocked to learn that, and even more shocked at the number of people who accept this without question.

A Warmoth neck will require fret leveling and crowning as well as filing down the sharp fret edges. They advertise that this is how they are meant to be, since they require the player to do a fret job to the individual player's preference.

And, I was even more shocked to learn that the fretboard edges are not addressed. At all. They are sharp enough to nearly cut you. Warmoth's response was that it is up to the individual player to roll the edges to their liking-even though the neck may already have a finish on it. Warmoth states that rolled edges, once removed, cannot be put back. They don't address the fact that in order to roll the edges, the neck will have to be refinished.

Again, they are not plug and play.

Years ago I bought an all PauFerro jazz neck. It had a beautiful "sanding sealer" finish (all necks, whether technically advertised as not having a "finish" are all actually shipped with at least a sanding sealer finish). However, the fretboard edges were terribly uninvitingly sharp, the fret nubs were sticking out a tiny bit like little thumb-tack tips, the neck was heavy as a boat anchor (not their fault), and frets weren't the least bit level. When I inquired about all the above, that's when I got the response-from Warmoth-that this is normal for a new Warmoth neck. They are not intended to be a "finished" product at the time of purchase. That's up to you (or a luthier) to do a fretjob, leveling, rolling the edges, and refinishing the neck.

From Warmoth's website: "Please note, Warmoth does not perform fret leveling. Most Warmoth necks are playable as they are received and do not require fret leveling. However, because wood moves with changes in temperature, humidity and string tension fret leveling may be required. This is best done after the neck has been strung up to pitch for several days and allowed to adjust in the assembled state. For this reason, Warmoth leaves this fine tuning to the end user. On necks with Maple fretboards, where the finish covers the fretboard, the finish is sprayed directly over the frets. This finish will wear off quickly with use, or it can be scraped off quite easily. A fret leveling operation will also take it off."

Again, Warmoth never addressed the need for a refinish after you roll the edges a bit to get rid of the super sharp fretboard edges. My neck was shipped with a beautiful sanding sealer finish (that I did not want to ruin), and it would not look the same once I took sandpaper to roll the edges. That concern was not addressed by Warmoth. It's part of the experience.

Needless to say that was my first and last Warmoth neck.

Sorry you had A bad experience! I have had good luck with Warmoth over the last 25 years and almost all the necks I received were at least as playable as any US fender you can find ( unless it has been leveled or set up well ). Yes, some fender necks come from the factory with outstanding playability and fret ends but this is the exceptions and not the rule. One thing about Warmoth neck is they rarely move once you set them up. Yes, the steel rods are heavy but using hipshop tuners eliminates any risk of head dive. They are more consistent compared to Fender, at least this has been my experience. You can always ( if that one sells ) see about having one made to nearly the same specs and it will probably be the same price. You could also spring for the “slim” profile and even the CF rods if you want a really light neck. Even with all the bells and whistles you would end up with a better built neck as far as I’m concerned. Fender necks can be so awesome but I would have to play before I buy or at least be able to return it. Best of luck !

 

[HearNoStevil]

Sorry you had A bad experience! I have had good luck with Warmoth over the last 25 years and almost all the necks I received were at least as playable as any US fender you can find ( unless it has been leveled or set up well ). Yes, some fender necks come from the factory with outstanding playability and fret ends but this is the exceptions and not the rule. One thing about Warmoth neck is they rarely move once you set them up. Yes, the steel rods are heavy but using hipshop tuners eliminates any risk of head dive. They are more consistent compared to Fender, at least this has been my experience. You can always ( if that one sells ) see about having one made to nearly the same specs and it will probably be the same price. You could also spring for the “slim” profile and even the CF rods if you want a really light neck. Even with all the bells and whistles you would end up with a better built neck as far as I’m concerned. Fender necks can be so awesome but I would have to play before I buy or at least be able to return it. Best of luck !

It's not a bad neck. It's built incredibly well. It is heavy, but that's ok with me. It is the slim profile (it is still comparatively big) but I like that aspect. It's just not a "finished" product. The edges of the fretboard are the sharpest of any of my 100+ basses. And if the factory oil finish wasn't so nice I would have rounded them years ago. The fretboard edges should have been somewhat rounded before they dipped it in finishing sealer. I did file the sharp edges which helped. But that sharp edge-prunella!

 

[Engle]

This one has graphite rods.

Sweet!

 

[stuntbass77]

I’d have to count but I think I have 6 Warmoth necks. (5 bass guitar, 1 treble guitar)

I didn’t have to do anything to the two fretted necks, but I may have blacked out from blood loss due to the sharp fret edges, and cannot recall correctly.

the steel rods are fine, but I should have sprung for the graphite ones on my wenge and rosewood fretless neck as it went on a thunderbird body.

best bolt on necks I have experienced. (Best is a set neck Gibson)

View attachment 3927397 View attachment 3927398

That’s is exactly what I am having made for me by Warmoth right now, reverse tele to go onto my 08’ MIA Fender jazz bass. I will at some point in my life have to ski jump fixed and a re fret done and probably put back on the bass. I want to pass this bass down to my kid so that plays a big part in having the original neck restored. It has graphite rods and still developed a ski jump/12th fret kink. I still feel rods are probably better insurance then no rods. Only thing is I’m going against my “play before you buy” rule but I have the utmost trust in Warmoth as I have had so much good experience with them. I do expect a tone change but at this point if I can get the neck more playable I’m willing to give up a little in tone if that’s the case. The original neck will be stored and at some point put back on after being fixed. Either way I want a neck on this bass while it’s being worked on and I trust Warmoth!

 

[stuntbass77]

Definitely go with light weight tuners her is the weight of hipshots vs the newer style Fender ones. This is from another TBer’s post. Makes a BIG difference if you do the math. I can tell just from experience the weight difference.