Wormoth build experiences, Good, OK, NG?

Elwood

Blues
I am considering a Wormoth kit build. Curious about experienced impressions.

I consider a short scale, wide nut, chambered body tele. I really don't need to improve on my tele elite, except the weight is tough for me. I really can't bring myself to replace the body on mine, so I may build a light tele with mostly the same hardware. I might try the short scale since my mini is just so much fun to play, or I might chicken out and just go with a compound radius full scale neck.

Curious about, fit, finish. Neck playability (which neck did you get?). Kit assy. looks pretty much like righty tighty..any surprises? How do you feel about it a year or more later?

Appreciate and info, photo would be awesome!
 

Danno

Blues Newbie
I've built a couple of tele styles with warmoth parts (body and neck) and I love them. Do they have actual kits? Hadn't seen those before. Anyway, the hardest bit for me was getting the ferrules in place. I had to insert them with a soldering iron to soften the paint and finish enough to get them in the holes and that process does leave a bit of a distortion in the finish right around the ferrule. Oh and the nut will definitely take some work, in fact it's probably better, unless you have the tools and some experience, to let a tech do the nut.

The neck is a modern vintage I think they call it. Compound radius fretboard, vintage tint satin finish, dual adjusting truss rod. The neck is a little slim, certainly slimmer than the new Fender Professional necks but it feels great and I have no complaints about it. Bodies were a solid swamp ash and a thinline and again, no complaints. Finish looks great and the neck and neck pocket are nice and tight.

I've used the same neck in both bodies so as you'd expect they're pretty much plug and play. You probably won't have to do anything for them to line up correctly.
 

Elwood

Blues
I used the term "kit" carelessly.

Great feedback, thanks. It is sounding better and better. This is sure starting to look like one way to get my light tele. The obvious other path would be a thinline. It looks like I could have a crazy Warmoth build for the price of a fairly pedestrian thinline.
 

Danno

Blues Newbie
I used the term "kit" carelessly.

Great feedback, thanks. It is sounding better and better. This is sure starting to look like one way to get my light tele. The obvious other path would be a thinline. It looks like I could have a crazy Warmoth build for the price of a fairly pedestrian thinline.
With good quality parts mine came in around $800 or so but you can complete one for a good bit less.
 

ervjohns

Blues Junior
I have had mixed results. My first neck form them was a roasted maple w/ss frets and compound radius, and its the best neck I have ever played. Bought for a tele build, then built a thin line and moved it to that guitar. I have been through 2 necks to replace for the Tele but the first one was too fat (classic D or something), and I ended up selling it. The next one was better shape but the nut was mis-cut and the frets were scratchy. I had to cut the nut and polish the frets, and now it plays pretty well. You also have to be careful because the modern neck has the truss rod in the guitar end of the neck, the classic has the traditional truss rod adjustment at the neck which I prefer, but only learned this after ordering neck #3. In short very happy with 1 out of 3. Good luck
 

Elwood

Blues
beautiful Mark! So was your neck OK as shipped?

Nice teles Danno. I do like my compound radius neck in my elite, lots, and will most likely go with that as you did on one. My MIM tele plays great but the neck on the elite is just a dream for me. I hope to get close or better with the W neck. I'm actually leaning toward rosewood or ebony for fingerboard, no fret clean up and my other two teles are maple anyway.
 

MikeR

Guitar Challenged
Staff member
I did my Barncaster with a Warmoth roasted maple neck. One of the best things about Warmoth is the ability to get stainless steel frets as a low cost addition. Thought the frets could have been dressed better, but overall it's a great neck.

Barncaster2.jpg
 

DesmoDog

Desmo was my dog. RIP big guy
I put together a Strat with Warmoth parts a few years ago and love it. It's my favorite guitar. I would very much like to make a hardtail Strat with their parts but just can't justify it right now. I have about $1200 into this one IIRC, including set up by a pro. He liked the guitar too BTW.

Warmoth_2272.jpg


Warmoth_2236.jpg


The pickguard (not from Warmoth) has turned brown over the years, which wasn't expected but IMHO it looks fine like that so I have no plans to change it.
IMG_4809.jpg


The Warmoth parts were all top notch. I've put together a lot of other guitars since with cheap parts and they just don't have the same feel when I'm done. Or don't work nearly as well (I'm looking at you "Premium XGP" Guitar Fetish junk). I haven't tried any of the higher quality companies to compare them to.

Anyway, yeah, I like Warmoth stuff a lot.
 

Elwood

Blues
Thanks! And I'm trying to rationalize that saving 1.5 - 2 lbs really is not worth the effort. But, it might be, and some of the results are amazing. What a fine one you have there! The (is it black burst?) finish really goes nice on it.

The light, short, tele in my mind will have to be built if I want it. And then I have to question, if it is such a good idea why are there not tons of them out there?
 

DesmoDog

Desmo was my dog. RIP big guy
That is a transparent black finish with fake binding or whatever they call it. It's also a chambered body so it's not a heavy guitar.

If you are looking for a light Telecaster, there are other options. I bought a Modern Player Thinline and it's one of the lightest guitars I have. The drawback is, the neck isn't the standard Fender size so it can't be replaced with a Warmoth or other aftermarket part. I think all the Modern Player line is like that. Anyway, I bought it to have something relatively inexpensive to take to lessons and things, but it never gets played anymore so I keep saying I'm going to sell it.

And now that I looked for a picture of said Telecaster I've discovered it isn't available anymore, so... never mind. ;-)
 

Zzzen Dog

Blues Junior
My main guitar is a Warmoth parts guitar. The parts are very, very nice. While I didn't personally build this one, I would have no qualms building another with their stuff.
 

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
OK, now yer jest showin' off! :p
Still one of the prettiest guitars I've met (online). :Beer:

Yeah, I confess: I do jump at chances to show it off. I was lucky beyond my station when I scored that body.

I'm bringing it to BGU NE in case anyone wants to meet it personal-like. :Beer:
 
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