Warmoth Questions

[CliftonBonney]

I'm thinking of putting a Warmoth bass together. Anyone know answers to the following:

1) When you order a body does it come with the holes already drilled for the pickguard?

2) When you order a neck does it come with the hole already drilled for the string tree?

Thanks.

 

[AaronHuff]

No and no. Those are pretty easy to do, though, even for a novice like me. I've had really great experiences with Warmoth.

 

[CliftonBonney]

Thanks for the info. I'm completely clueless on this stuff. Any suggestions on how to do it? Do you just put the pickguard down on the body, mark the spots and drill your holes?

For the string tree, how do you know where to put the hole? Does it need to be in a perfect spot? Thanks.

 

[bassingeorge]

You can order a pickguard from them for the body you want....and I guess they'll drill it for ya....you can always call them.

 

[CliftonBonney]

You can order a pickguard from them for the body you want....and I guess they'll drill it for ya....you can always call them.

Good point. It doesn't hurt to ask. I'm pretty sure I'd screw the whole thing up if I did it myself. I'm still interested to know how though.

 

[Antny]

For the string tree, thread the strings onto the bass, then place the button over the strings and mark the screw hole. Easy stuff. Don't be intimidated by any of this. Building a bass is not that difficult.

 

[CliftonBonney]

Thanks.

 

[AaronHuff]

I'm not sure if they do that, but it's worth a shot. I've found that having the neck attached helps a little, and - if you're building a P-bass, for instance - having the pots and jack attached to the pickguard helps when you're figuring out the correct placement and marking the screw holes.

 

[CliftonBonney]

Thanks.

 

[Engine207]

One word (or three) of advice...

If you drill your own holes, use a drill press. Nothing will piss you off more than driving a screw in at an angle. It looks crappy, and even worse, the head will stick out. Also, be sure to put a small piece of tape around the drill bit at the depth you want the hole drilled. It'll keep you from going too deep. Finally, the diameter of the bit should be the same as the diameter inside the threads (not including the threads). Not pre-drilling can lead to the wood splitting.

Good luck!

 

[CliftonBonney]

One word (or three) of advice...

If you drill your own holes, use a drill press. Nothing will piss you off more than driving a screw in at an angle. It looks crappy, and even worse, the head will stick out. Also, be sure to put a small piece of tape around the drill bit at the depth you want the hole drilled. It'll keep you from going too deep. Finally, the diameter of the bit should be the same as the diameter inside the threads (not including the threads). Not pre-drilling can lead to the wood splitting.

Good luck!

Excellent. Thanks. Any recommendations on a good drill press to use?

 

[knucklehead G]

I don't know if I was just making extra work for myself or not, but on my first bass I put some blue painters tape down under the pickguard around the edges, and marked the holes on that. It was easy to write on, and in theory it helped me avoid chipping the paint.

On a later bass I did it with this small metal spike thing I found, like a nail with a plastic handle.. no idea what it was. I just poked the wood inside each pickguard screw hole to make myself a starting point.


Taping the depth on the bit is great advice. Also, I found myself to be a poor judge of what size bit to use, so after making the hole in the headstock too big and having to find a bigger screw for the string tree, I started using a bit of scrap wood to test my holes on for each screw size.

 

[CliftonBonney]

I don't know if I was just making extra work for myself or not, but on my first bass I put some blue painters tape down under the pickguard around the edges, and marked the holes on that. It was easy to write on, and in theory it helped me avoid chipping the paint.

On a later bass I did it with this small metal spike thing I found, like a nail with a plastic handle.. no idea what it was. I just poked the wood inside each pickguard screw hole to make myself a starting point.


Taping the depth on the bit is great advice. Also, I found myself to be a poor judge of what size bit to use, so after making the hole in the headstock too big and having to find a bigger screw for the string tree, I started using a bit of scrap wood to test my holes on for each screw size.

Excellent points. I'm feeling more and more confident I can do this thing. As for the drill press, I have a standard hand held drill. Will that work or do I need one of the more professional ones?

 

[joeyl]

Excellent points. I'm feeling more and more confident I can do this thing. As for the drill press, I have a standard hand held drill. Will that work or do I need one of the more professional ones?

hand held drill is not the same as a drill press.

that's a drill press, it is used here to make sure that the holes will be perpendicular into the body. If you have a very steady hand and a good eye you can do it with a hand held.

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Assembling a bass from parts is easy but your questions point to the fact that you are very new to using tools and hand tools. I would suggest getting a friend who is handy to read the suggestions and guide you along. that's the best way to learn.

 

[CliftonBonney]

I have a friend who has put guitars together. He may have a drill press. Thanks for the advice.

You hit the nail on the head (something I have trouble with) about my handy work. It's good in a way. My wife won't even let me hang pictures in the house.

 

[joeyl]

Well I hope you did not take offense. I used to take my old car to the mechanic all the time until my next door neighbor came over and helped me changed out the speedometer cable that went bad. After I saw that it was fairly easy, I was hooked on fixing things myself.

 

[CliftonBonney]

Well I hope you did not take offense. I used to take my old car to the mechanic all the time until my next door neighbor came over and helped me changed out the speedometer cable that went bad. After I saw that it was fairly easy, I was hooked on fixing things myself.

No offense at all. I've come to accept my deficiencies in this area.

Warmoth got back to me. They do not do the holes for you, so I will have to come up with a plan.

I appreciate everyone's help.

 

[CliftonBonney]

So, I purchased a neck. I got the tele neck maple, with maple fingerboard. I'm having them put a vintage tint satin finish on it.

I'm now looking for a body. I plan on getting the 54 P Bass body with a single coil P pickup. I really like the look of the Black Korina wood.

Any thoughts on how the Black Korina body will sound with the single coil pickups on maple/maple neck. Just reading the Warmoth site, it seems like it would be a good fit. Anyone?

Also, I'm thinking about how to finish the body. I really like the transparent red or the transparent amber. Would this be a no-no to put a finish on the Black Korina? Should I just stick with ther clear satin finish (I'm not into the gloss finish)?

Thoughts by anyone would be appreciated. Thanks