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Warmoth takes aback!!!

Margus Alviste

Margus Alviste

May 4, 2005
1,223
167
60
Tallinn, Estonia, Europe
www.myspace.com
#1
Hi there! I guess everybody agrees that MTD USA is one of the best basses ever made. I just got one and guess what - it doesn't sound better than my Warmoth Deluxe5 (Black Korina body with Blue Burst Burl Maple top, Wenge/Macassar Ebony fingerboard, Nordstrand Dual Coils, John East Custom Electronics, ETS Piezo Bridge). I mean Warmoth sounds exactly as good or even better (the lows and low mids are better). And Warmoth gives me more different sounds. Actually, they both sound unbelievably good!
What are your experiences on Warmoth? Any good experiences?
 
#4
Well, of course, it's a matter of taste. There are always vintage and modern gear fans. I have both guitars in my arsenal (MTD, LEJ, AV Custom, '68 Fender Jazz etc.) and my two Warmoths sound good among both of them. If I go to the studio my Warmoth 5-string is definitely the first choice. I have ordered some crap from Warmoth as well but all the basses I've ordered with a special exactingness are really good (I guess they're also just human beings?!) :)
We just compared a Warmoth I put together for my fellow bass player with MIA JB and the difference was huge. I'll never even think about buying a stock Fender.
What about your experience?
M
 
#7
I have 3 Warmoth bodies and 3 Warmoth necks. I change the body/neck combinations around and the best sounding is the korina body and maple neck/fretless ebony board. It sounds great, my only complaint is that it's heavy. I have Seymour Duncan active Basslines pickups on that one.

I also have a Maple neck/ebony fretboard attached to a walnut body. This one is more vintage sounding due to the passive Fender Custom Shop 60s pickups. It's also heavy, the body weighs almost 6 pounds without hardware. This one also sounds good. I'm pondering getting a Sadowsky outboard preamp to run it through.

Warmoth makes high quality parts so it's not surprising your bass sounds so good. One drawback is that you don't know how the finished product will sound until it's screwed/bolted together. I've never played an MTD but would love to. Maybe it's not much better than what I already have?
 
#9
I have 1.5 basses I constructed from Warmoth parts. I have a fretless with a Warmoth lined maple j-style neck and a walnut dinky-p body. I also have a fretted four string constructed from a Warmoth alder/flame maple dinky p carved top and a Moses graphite J bass neck.

Both are great and the Warmoth parts I used were excellent quality as well as excellent to good value. However, what makes Warmoth basses so great is that they are the product of the each of our individual visions. My fretless sounds like no other I've heard, but that's as much due to the combination of pickups and pre-amps I chose to match the body and neck woods I chose.

So I guess my bottom line is that it's really hard to talk about the quality of Warmoth "basses" but very easy to talk about the quality of their parts, selection, service, etc.
 
#10
One drawback is that you don't know how the finished product will sound until it's screwed/bolted together.
Click to expand...

However, what makes Warmoth basses so great is that they are the product of the each of our individual visions.
Click to expand...

The risk, but ahh, the reward. I like my Warmoth a lot. It's a high quality collection of parts. I think everybody should build one Warmoth. It might reduce some of the brand mystique. :D
 
#11
bassman10096 said:
The risk, but ahh, the reward. I like my Warmoth a lot. It's a high quality collection of parts. I think everybody should build one Warmoth. It might reduce some of the brand mystique. :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, my "Bass Viking" 4 strings have tons of "Mojo". I don't know how that Bass Viking does it. :D

Warning: Once you build one Warmoth, you may want to build more.
 
#14
Margus Alviste said:
What are your experiences on Warmoth? Any good experiences?
Click to expand...

I don't have much experience with Warmoth, but I guess I have played the MTD you now have. (You bought it from one young, bald Finn, right?) Considering by reputation (at least in Europe), MTD is one of the best basses around, so for me testing it was a real eye-opener. It has great sound, good playability, but it is not something extra special you could expect with 3000-4000 dollar price tag. So, it didn't make me go "WHOA!" (in Finnish: VAU!). In a way testing this bass ended thoughts about saving money for some "wonder bass" from USA.

So, with great woods, hardware and workmanship, in my opinion the sound & playability don't get much higher after 1500 euros. Rest of the price tag can be caused by for example nice looking top woods & other small design features and also the builder's... let's call it "reputation premium". Of course each player has their own preferences for sound and other features of the bass, so for somebody Alembic is the ultimate thing, for somebody else normal Fender Jazz.

Having said all this, that MTD worked really when I played it with my band, very versatile bass. When I tested it side by side with this, I liked the AV-bass better, it was more suitable for my needs. Both have top woods and top workmanship.

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By the way, I guess you bought the 7-string AV-bass that I had on sale in Kitarapaja?
 
#16
Yeah, I'm the one who buyed this 7-string. And I am very happy with the choice. It has just a superb wood combo although the electronics should be changed - Kent Armstrong pickups sound good with lower strings but they can't catch the two upper ones (Hi C and F-strings). The preamp is mostly unusuable. I contacted with Al and he was extremely kind. He said that he is ready to change the electronics. He seems a nice guy and I believe he will have the most successful future as a master bass builder. I strongly suggest his art to all the bass players! :)
 
#17
tortoise.sg said:
Warmoth puts steroids in their wood..
Not joking.
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And if that's true, then what? Few if any people actually ingest their basses.

I got this off eBay a couple of weeks ago. Sweet.
WarmothJazz.jpg
 
#18
300$ for an unfinished P/J body is completely out of my price range
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$200's more realistic for an alder or ash. Once you add top wood laminates, prices move quickly upward. You can certainly find cheaper, but still high quality, alder and ash bodies. You can also cut your own body from a blank with a more exotic top laminate (quite a few vendors make up the blanks) for a surprisingly low price. But the bottom line is that DIY bass building is not necessarily a cheap proposition. You get none of the economies that builders who can buy in bulk enjoy. :bawl:
 
#19
bassman10096 said:
$200's more realistic for an alder or ash. Once you add top wood laminates, prices move quickly upward. You can certainly find cheaper, but still high quality, alder and ash bodies. You can also cut your own body from a blank with a more exotic top laminate (quite a few vendors make up the blanks) for a surprisingly low price. But the bottom line is that DIY bass building is not necessarily a cheap proposition. You get none of the economies that builders who can buy in bulk enjoy. :bawl:
Click to expand...
Yeah, but you don't get overhead, labor, or 'brand recognition' markup either.
 
#20
Margus Alviste said:
What are your experiences on Warmoth? Any good experiences?
Click to expand...
Margus ,
if you take the time and supply the effort , yes , you can build an exceptional bass from Warmoth .
the electronics and hardware are the real kicker .
just use the best you can afford , in my case it was Bartolini and Schaller .
i built this one in 2003 : :D
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