Another Warmoth question - Necks this time

[Philly Q]

I could've tacked this onto the end of my Warmoth bodies thread, but I think it's played out now.  So.... NECKS.

I had a Warmoth maple neck many years ago, which was beautifully made but came with quite sharp fingerboard edges and very square/vertical fret ends.  This was obviously so the buyer could finish off the neck the way they wanted, but as it was it couldn't be used without some work.

I very much like the Fender/PRS approach of "rolled" fingerboard edges and rounded fret ends.  I'd be prepared to have a stab at doing that myself but I'd prefer not to do too much work (and potentially mess it up  :? ) unless I really have to.

So, can anyone who's bought a Warmoth neck recently tell me just how "ready-to-use" they are nowadays?   :)

[Antag]

I think that they are perfectly useable.

Of my 3 Warmoths, 2 of them I'm still playing >2 years one without having done anything & they've "settled in" to be very nice guitars.  The 3rd is with Feline at the moment getting a full setup/fret dress - not because it particularly needed a fret dress but more because I just couldn't get the action now I wanted with the LSR roller nut.

FWIW, my necks had 6105 on one, 6150 on another & 6100 on the one that Feline is working on...

[jordan]

Spooky timing....

I've had my Warmoth neck for 2 years now, and in that time have used it every day and on hundreds of gigs. It came with jumbo stainless frets and a vintage tint satin finish. In all this time, I've never done anything to the frets. I literally took it out the box and screwed it onto the body. Until yesterday......

Now, I have to be honest, the fret work by Warmoth is non-existent. Yesterday I took the guitar to my tech and  finally agreed to have something done about the 'out-of-the-box' fret work. The frets are exactly how you describe: very 'straight-up' at the edges. The other thing Warmoth do is to apply the neck finish after the frets, so when you receive a finished neck it will have the finish covering them.

However, take into account that it can't have been THAT bad, or I'd never have made it through the past 2 years with what is, by all accounts, an incredibly good neck (that's the important bit here). So yes, they're clearly useable straight out of the box, but if you want the best you'll have to get some work done on it. It was only after spending last weekend playing some Suhr guitars that I realised quite how badly my strat needed some fret work!!

Hope that helps. Don't be put off, the necks are brilliant (as are the bodies), but don't be as lazy as me....get some fret work done asap :-)

Cheers
Jordan.

[Philly Q]

Thanks guys, this is useful.  It sounds like some work would be required, just a case of whether I do it myself or perhaps put the guitar together then take it to Mr Feline for some final fret work.

I'm still considering Fender necks if I can find a nice one - I really prefer the Fender 9.5" radius to the Warmoth compound radius.

 

[Sifu Ben]

Warmoth will do you any radius from 9-16, just ask.

[Philly Q]

Yeah, but I'm too impatient to wait for a custom order - and I'd rather pick something from the Showcase so I know what the maple and that particular fingerboard actually look like.   

[horsehead]

I'm thinking of trying these guys
B Hefner

[PhilKing]

I've had about a dozen Warmoth necks through my hands in the last few years.  The amount of 'stright up' fret end finish seems to vary with the size of the frets a bit, the larger the frets, the more they feel blocky.  Having said that, it isn't a major job to fix them, though having the proper tools makes it a lot faster.  If you were going to get more than one neck, I would suggest that you could buy the tools from Stew Mac's, but if it is just the one and you don't think you will get any more, then it might be better to go to someone like Jonathan or Charlie Chandler with the Peck machine.

However the woods and the workmanship on the necks are great.

[WezV]

the one i used recently was pretty square on the fretboard edge and the fret ends were filed down to a neat angle but not rounded over any.

I do the edges the fender way - using a sharp razor or stanley blade and pulling the blade back and forth on the edge a few times whilst rolling it from the fretboard face to the edge.

[Philly Q]

I do the edges the fender way - using a sharp razor or stanley blade and pulling the blade back and forth on the edge a few times whilst rolling it from the fretboard face to the edge.

Yeah, that's what I want!  :)  I'm very wary of attempting it on a £200 Warmoth neck though.  I do have an old Squier neck I could practice on, but there's still a risk element.

So it looks like the bottom line is:  If I get a Warmoth neck I'm going to need to factor in some extra costs like fret files or (more likely) a pro fret dress.

Hmmm, decisions decisions...

[TwilightOdyssey]

Warmoth necks arrive 99% perfect. But 99% is still not 100%. Short of getting a custom-made neck, however, any neck will need some degree of fret dress.

I personally love the Standard Thin, compound radius necks from Warmoth.

b

[Simon D]

I personally love the Standard Thin, compound radius necks from Warmoth.

b

I have one of these on my Soloist, and I also love it. It's just about the nicest neck I've ever played! My local tech sorted out the frets for me when he put it together, and it's fantastic now.

[Orpheo]

I've got several necks, several shapes, and yeah, they're playable out of the box, but if you dress them, they're even better, but I dont mind having a bit of a 'rough' time playing; the rest of the guitar is so good, it plays by itself.