Can't Beat Warmoth

[Piing]

BTW, talking about partcasters and cheap, my other favorite is a Frankeinstrat I made with a $78 scalloped neck and a $49 body from AliExpress. I've owned and sold one Tom Anderson, two Suhrs... but this one is a keeper.

Harmonic Design Z90 P90 pickups. I still don't know what could fit as Mid pickup. I've installed a Dimarzio/IBZ that I had inside a drawer, because the pickguard is HSH, but it doesn't match with these P90s. Maybe I don't even need Mid pickup

 

[Andy Eagle]

Yes of course i m not saying they re the same guitars.. But with a good luthier you could easily raise up the level of a good cheap/medium guitar still for a lot lot less amount of money.

Yes to some extent but you would really need to cherry pick the starting instrument because some things are inherent in the wood and finish no mater what you swap out or do.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Well selected Warmoth parts are like buying a Suhr/Anderson neck and body from about 80% down the production line. Fantastic platform for a top quality build BUT a few minutes on the Warmoth Forum will show how badly this can go wrong too.

 

[Chromatizm]

I wish they had headless constructions. Strandbergs are terribly overprices, chinese stuff are a rigged lottery, most luthiers never built one.

 

[gibsonash]

Warmoth guitars can equal anything but who did the hand work and selected the compatibility is hugely important too.

right , that the point .

 

[Andy Eagle]

I wish they had headless constructions. Strandbergs are terribly overprices, chinese stuff are a rigged lottery, most luthiers never built one.

The Strandberg classic is reasonable but the original is the one to get. Alternatives are the Ibanez and old Steinberger GR4s. The GR4 is really good apart from the R trem that collapses in on it's self. You can however buy a hard tail that fits and works very well.

 

[Chromatizm]

Alternatives are the Ibanez

Not really - they are headless, but just as Kiesel, they body shape is traditional, promoting a traditional posture, which beats this whole point of having "ergonomic" instrument.
Steinbergers are light, but also not something to put on your right leg neck at the sky. The one thing Strandberg got right is the design of the bottom part of the body.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Not really - they are headless, but just as Kiesel, they body shape is traditional, promoting a traditional posture, which beats this whole point of having "ergonomic" instrument.
Steinbergers are light, but also not something to put on your right leg neck at the sky. The one thing Strandberg got right is the design of the bottom part of the body.

Steinbergers are not light but this is not really and advantage. The practical difference advantage between 5 1/2lb and 7 1/2lb?? The jury is out about slant frets on a 6 string as well.

 

[Chromatizm]

Steinbergers are not light

Oh, good to know, I thought their small body promotes low weight. Sad it isn't so!

The practical difference advantage between 5 1/2lb and 7 1/2lb??

INSANE.
Maybe not for someone with a strong back doing powerlifting and playing mostly sitting, but for someone who was waiting without an ability to move for many hours for someone else to come home to call an ambulance a few times in his life, because he couldn't even reach the phone himself due to back issues - trust me, it is an unbelievable practical difference.
And many of those, who have strong back but playing shows for 4-6 hours a day, like cruise musicians, would also agree.

And that's what Strandbergs got right. Could be even better but eh. There is close to no substitute for me, only something custom. If you can recommend something, I'd appreciate that. I know Aristides 060 is same weight as Strandberg sadly.
Unfortunately, Strandbergs body is too short to full rest on your right hand when you sitting fully erect, so it requires having the strap always on, which requires guitar to be light to play it for many hours.

The jury is out about slant frets on a 6 string as well.

I hate this shit. The tuning issues on my Strandberg are worst of all I've seen including EARTs. Seem unfixable and made worse because of slanting.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Oh, good to know, I thought their small body promotes low weight. Sad it isn't so!


INSANE.
Maybe not for someone with a strong back doing powerlifting and playing mostly sitting, but for someone who was waiting without an ability to move for many hours for someone else to come home to call an ambulance a few times in his life, because he couldn't even reach the phone himself due to back issues - trust me, it is an unbelievable practical difference.
And many of those, who have strong back but playing shows for 4-6 hours a day, like cruise musicians, would also agree.

And that's what Strandbergs got right. Could be even better but eh. There is close to no substitute for me, only something custom. If you can recommend something, I'd appreciate that. I know Aristides 060 is same weight as Strandberg sadly.
Unfortunately, Strandbergs body is too short to full rest on your right hand when you sitting fully erect, so it requires having the strap always on, which requires guitar to be light to play it for many hours.

I hate this shit. The tuning issues on my Strandberg are worst of all I've seen including EARTs. Seem unfixable and made worse because of slanting.

Aristides is not the same weight as Strandberg it is the same as a regular guitar. A 7 1/2Ib guitar is no issue for anyone standing for hours unless you have a serious back problem.

 

[Dimi Guitar]

Bought a Warmoth Strat off eBay. $400. Like new. Birdseye maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, roller nut, locking tuners, alder body, quilt maple top. Had some cheap single coils in it.

Put a couple Duncan single coils in it and a JB Trembucker in the bridge and it rips. Plays like butter. Easily competes with my $5K+ Suhrs and Tom Andersons.

Total investment about $600 and a couple hours of time.

Did it need fret levelling or maybe had that done already?

 

[Dimi Guitar]

Well selected Warmoth parts are like buying a Suhr/Anderson neck and body from about 80% down the production line. Fantastic platform for a top quality build BUT a few minutes on the Warmoth Forum will show how badly this can go wrong too.

Have you had to to fret level new warmoth necks often? I wonder how level the frets are from the get-go. From what it appears, they do not level frets. But it seems the frets are pressed in considerably better than some other brands -- and tend to stay in place. That plus carful board levelling (I mean, before the frets go in) seems to go a long way.

 

[Chromatizm]

A 7 1/2Ib guitar is no issue for anyone standing for hours unless you have a serious back problem.

Oh yeah, it definitely is, and a "normal" back would be affected on a long run.
First, most of us sit with on hip higher than the other, one shoulder higher than the other, with the body turned to the right most of the time, etc. Nothing of this adds to the back health.
Than you go for standing practice or performance, putting the weight on our back, just standing there for hours with a little to no movement.
And this goes for days for months for years.
Yeah, guitar weight is a big factor for everyone except for strongest of us.

 

[Tonedeaf]

You're singing to the choir here. Me and Warmoth go way back.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Oh yeah, it definitely is, and a "normal" back would be affected on a long run.
First, most of us sit with on hip higher than the other, one shoulder higher than the other, with the body turned to the right most of the time, etc. Nothing of this adds to the back health.
Than you go for standing practice or performance, putting the weight on our back, just standing there for hours with a little to no movement.
And this goes for days for months for years.
Yeah, guitar weight is a big factor for everyone except for strongest of us.

Utter rubbish.

 

[Andy Eagle]

Have you had to to fret level new warmoth necks often? I wonder how level the frets are from the get-go. From what it appears, they do not level frets. But it seems the frets are pressed in considerably better than some other brands -- and tend to stay in place. That plus carful board levelling (I mean, before the frets go in) seems to go a long way.

The frets are pressed in and beveled off and that is it. They do however make there necks to a very high standard and press the frets in very evenly so often people use them without a fret dress but I always dress them.

 

[GitGuy513]

Con

Bought a Warmoth Strat off eBay. $400. Like new. Birdseye maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, roller nut, locking tuners, alder body, quilt maple top. Had some cheap single coils in it.

Put a couple Duncan single coils in it and a JB Trembucker in the bridge and it rips. Plays like butter. Easily competes with my $5K+ Suhrs and Tom Andersons.

Total investment about $600 and a couple hours of time.

Congrats!! Nice pickup choices.

 

[ProfEmerald]

Happy when I found this Warmoth Soloist build (reminds me of an Ibanez Ghostrider) on Reverb with no pickups, now I can finally use something from the pile of uninstalled aftermarket pickups I have had for a decade or so.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

Did it need fret levelling or maybe had that done already?

My Warmoth neck needed fretwork. They’d pressed them in but didn’t superglue them, hadn’t leveled or dressed them or the ends. After the shop I use got done the neck was great.

 

[simeon]

i built three and one of them has been my main gigging guitar for years.



chambered 7/8 alder body with ash top. roasted maple neck with ebony board. 24.75" scale length. stainless steel frets. gotoh trem. dimarzio pickups. graphtech saddles with acoustiphonic preamp. locking tuners. i honestly don't think i could buy something with those specs for less than a grand, but it cost me less than a grand and it plays fantastically well and is very stable.