Doug Parent
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I wish I could do what this guy is doing and walk away with $1000 every time I sold one. Also wish that he’d post the weights of the completed basses....but like my dear ol’ Dad used to say, “Son, you can wish in one hand and $>*t in the other, and see which one fills up faster.”
So, I went to the Warmoth site and spec'ed out a 5-string J body and neck (both finished, neck was bound, maple/pau ferro, body was brown burst), went to Amazon and spec'ed out a Duncan Apollo P/U set, Hipshop A bridge and Ultra-lites and an Emerson pre-wired control set-up...I think that would be (almost) everything (oh! forgot the neckplate and screws) total parts...$1214.00...excluding the neck plate.
If this guy is getting $2500 to assemble already-finished parts, and hardware and do a set-up ( I have purchased two Warmoth necks recently, and they don't need any fret work), and is selling these on a regular basis, I am definitely in the wrong business..I can assemble and set up at least a couple of these a day...for a net of $12-1300? Yeah, I should become his competition..I'm curious who his customers are..maybe he has a Plek machine as well? Bassmods Plek's their bases, uses premium electronics (Chinese bridges, Hipshot tuners), and offers the 5 strings at an average price of around $1200..
So I emailed Stinnett and asked if he does custom orders. I received the terse reply “It depends on what you are looking for.” I wrote back asking what he offers for the up charge, for example fretwork. He hasn’t replied, I guess he was put off by my obnoxious questions.
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
I noticed one pattern, in his gallery I did not see a five string bass. It's possible that he's hobby horsing certain types of builds for various reasons-I am speculating out my ass here- so it's hard to conclude. I did notice one thing odd though, the fella on the first video with that beautiful "black beauty" four string Jazz bass, the control plate does not line up nicely with the pickguard. Thats a classic scenario whereby the pickguard is from Warmoth but the control plate is either Fender or otherwise.
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I agree, he’s probably just an assembler with limited skills. With so many Fender style instruments on the market to choose from why on earth would you go with an amateur who overcharges?
How could you possibly know this? I'm not defending the guy, but jeez, let's have some fact-based responses.
I`m speculating of course but I`m not giving him the benefit of the doubt. We know he assembles his instruments from parts and he's not forthcoming on what makes his basses special.
From what I read of the Warmoth legal agreement with Fender, it's only Warmoth that is enjoined from selling assembled instruments, or necks with the logo/decal in the traditional place on the headstock. Warmoth's customers are not enjoined in any way from doing this *or* reselling the same. (IANAL)
And moreover, he is advertising them as what they are. It seems fine to me.
Also, it is my understanding that many of the parts manufacturers such as Warmoth, USACG and Musikraft make parts specifically for smaller builders. You might be getting a Warmoth et al neck in a custom build and not know it.
One other thing: there's a lot more to putting together a parts bass that simply assembling it. The guy might be doing fret work and such that requires skill. I know on my builds they all require some level of nut, fret, shimming or other work that many people don't know about nor want to bothered with.
I asked him if he does fretwork and he never replied. Make of that what you will. My feeling is that if he was doing complicated setup work, shielding of electronics, finishing, etc. he would be more than happy to share that info.
Don’t get me wrong, his basses may well be great judging by the quality parts he uses. I still think they’re overpriced.
Yeah, we don't know, and probably never will.
I think, though, that it speaks to the quality and worth of what parts basses have become. The basses I've built, I'd rather lose my far more expensive basses such as Modulus, etc, than my parts basses. They are total hot rods that perform as such.
