Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: CaffeineJunkie on August 01, 2006, 12:24:32 PM
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so, exactly how hard is it to build a warmoth guitar??
the only problems i can foresee are the electronics, as i have no idea what i'm doing there, but with the diagrams which Tim sends with the pickups i could probably figure it out...
does anybody have any experience building from warmoth parts???
cheers
CJ
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I have built a lot of Warmoth guitars (and a few other parts guitars too). There are 2 main problems you will have. The first is easier ti fix though, that is spraying it. It is better to buy a finished body unless you are really good a spraying (and also patient :P). The second is tools. You will need some tools to put the guitar together and to set it up. I have a reasonably full set of tools, but if you only have a screwdriver, then you will need more. You might be able to get by with a set of needle files, soldering iron, philips screwdrivers and sandpaper, but that would be a minimum and you will have to be carefull using soem of them as they are not the right tools.
If you order the body and neck together and have them routed for the bridge, pickups, machines (tuners) and nut that you will use, then it will help a lot.
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i was planning on getting as much as possible done by warmoth ie finishing, routing etc. but as i the limit of my technical knowledge is restringing a guitar, i'm a bit dubious about doing the electronics myself, even though it seems fairly simple
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Am I right in saying that Warmoth install frets but don't level or dress them so you'll need that doing as well?
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if thas true then i'll just get the shop to do that when i have it set up at the end of building
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Am I right in saying that Warmoth install frets but don't level or dress them so you'll need that doing as well?
I ordered a neck for my Strat a few weeks ago. I emailed them asking the same question. He said that there is no need to level the frets, as there machines are set-up that everything is level.
I do have to dress the ends of the frets though. I am still trying to convince myself to do it. :roll:
I'm also have some set-up problems, but I need to take care of the frets first.
Hope that helps.
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i think they will also install the nut for you these days, which is nice of them :P
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Am I right in saying that Warmoth install frets but don't level or dress them so you'll need that doing as well?
My Warmoth neck was perfectly dressed.
As for doing the electronics yourself, well the difficulty depends a little on what sort of setup you're going for. If you can use a soldering iron and own a decent one, then you can't go too far wrong, since there are diagrams everywhere online these days. However, if you want something that switches between a lot of sounds rather than just a simple 3- or 5-way, then you might be in for some angst.
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i was planning on getting a 4-way tele switch
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Go to Feline and buy British!
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Go to Feline and buy British!
i would, but it would most probs cost a lot more
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Go to Feline and buy British!
i would, but it would most probs cost a lot more
Well unless you can do all the work yourself then it probably won't! Then there's import duty ect ect
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Go to Feline and buy British!
i would, but it would most probs cost a lot more
Well unless you can do all the work yourself then it probably won't! Then there's import duty ect ect
We're always happy to mix and match - so if someone has bought a great Warmoth body but wants a custom neck to go with it, we can really help here
Often it is better to go full on custom, but the mix and match approach is cool
We are also happy to assemble and set up complete kits from Warmoth.
You can also order the BKPs direct from us and get it all done right.
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how much would you charge (approx) to put the guitar together????
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Putting together guitar parts aint that hard, as long as you match everything up right (eg make sure the neck is right for the body, the right scale and fit that is)
Personally I wouldnt order from the US, but thats just me.
As a hobby its great, but if you're going to assemble a guitar only once why not consider saving up for a proper custom made guitar? You get tons of other benefits like not having wiring hassles, you get the exact paint finish you want, the exact style you want. :D Even if you've got to put in some overtime to get it 8)
A good book to read is Hisc--ks book on making electric guitars. It covers some of the issues of wiring, loads of schematics. It also shows a number of useful tools and techniques - like routing - which can be a nightmare if you've never done it before. :D
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Putting together guitar parts aint that hard, as long as you match everything up right (eg make sure the neck is right for the body, the right scale and fit that is)
matching up isn't too hard, there are loads of tips all over warmoth
Personally I wouldnt order from the US, but thats just me.
i don't like ordering from the US either, but sometimes it ends up cheaper
As a hobby its great, but if you're going to assemble a guitar only once why not consider saving up for a proper custom made guitar? You get tons of other benefits like not having wiring hassles, you get the exact paint finish you want, the exact style you want. :D Even if you've got to put in some overtime to get it 8)
the wiring hassles i couldn't agree with more, and is what is mainly bothering me about this, but the paint finish and style are pretty basic on this guitar, as it's gonna be a satin clear finish over mouldy wood, so shouldn't be too hard to get right
and as for working overtime, i don't ACTUALLY have a proper job, am just a contractor, so thas not really an option...which might be the downside to all this :?
A good book to read is Hisc--ks book on making electric guitars. It covers some of the issues of wiring, loads of schematics. It also shows a number of useful tools and techniques - like routing - which can be a nightmare if you've never done it before. :D
i would get warmoth to route it all out for me, but thanks for the info on the book
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No problem! :D
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should look something like this tho, whichever way i do it :D
...
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Wow! That would be cool! I love Teles 8)
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I like that Tele'!
I've thought about a few Warmouth projects over the last year Caffeine, it is a great idea. I contacted a few of the guys who's guitars are in the Warmouth gallery and nearly all said if it's your first time don't do what I did and...
Things like get some cheap parts and have a prototype run using them first!
Or soldering nightmares but I can't remember details to be specific!
:) Not tying to put you off though dude, just do lots of research and be carefull! Pound for pound a custom made guitar by a luthier will be better imho after having played a few! :)
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I make guitars and have to order most of my parts from america. Companies like www.stew-mac.com offer excellent customer service, super fast delivery (i have had parcels turn up in less than 2 days!!) and as long as you are aware you will have to pay some customs it usually works out cheaper than getting stuff in the UK, they have less custom options but a good selection of parts.
I havnt tried warmouth coz i usually do stuff from scratch but i hear lots of good things about them!!
Check out these as well: http://usacustomguitars.com
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I make guitars and have to order most of my parts from america. Companies like www.stew-mac.com offer excellent customer service, super fast delivery (i have had parcels turn up in less than 2 days!!) and as long as you are aware you will have to pay some customs it usually works out cheaper than getting stuff in the UK, they have less custom options but a good selection of parts.
I havnt tried warmouth coz i usually do stuff from scratch but i hear lots of good things about them!!
Check out these as well: http://usacustomguitars.com
Thanks
but i think i'm gonna stick with warmoth, as it looks like a lot more work with those two sites
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Putting together a guitar from Warmoth parts doesn't need to be any harder than an assembly job if you buy completed parts with routing, finishing, fretwire etc already done. If you set your own guitars up (action height, intonation etc) & know one end of a screwdriver from another then you probably have the skills to do it.
I could write dozens of "I wish I had/hadn't done ..." or "If I did it again I would/wouldn't ..." about my first one, but I learned from it & put my second one together in an afternoon.
If I had to give one piece of advice it would be "look before you leap" :) - in other words, plan every step & make sure you have all the tools you need before you start. I put some detail on exactly what I did for my second one in this thread (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4308) from a few months ago.
As for the end result, I won't pretend they're the best guitars ever made, but I can play them next to my custom shop Jackson, my PRS, my Les Paul, my Taylor & they don't feel like the "poor relations".
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Feline, I just noticed that you are a shop (well not you personally) but you know what I mean. Nice stuff on there. I am going to get saving !
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and I gotta get me a t-shirt!!!!
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Ok it's time for me to let the cat out of the bag!
I've ordered a Feline Custom Made Les Paul!
The ball has started to roll...
Right i'm off to a thread of me own!!