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Kniferide wrote: Thu May 29, 2025 9:49 am I've loaded a warmoth cart like 20 times and never pulled the trigger. always ends up being as much as some other guitar I like and can just go buy and like a Squier that has been modded to be $1500, will never resale for what you put into it. add to that that I would absolutely fuck up the build in some annoying way. Still, If I could get one of their Baritone necks to fit on a Starcaster body and the scale be right and it all stay in tune... maybe...

They can definitely do that. Their necks are drop in replacements, even the baritones.

The key to doing it affordably is being patient enough to buy heavily discounted or used parts and to do some of the finishing yourself. Stains/oils are forgiving, and if you don't mind the wood grain showing and have a big field or alley to work in, DIY spray jobs aren't too hard either.

I don't think I could ever put more than $500-600 into a parts guitar, as cool as the idea might be.

Kniferide wrote: Thu May 29, 2025 9:49 am I would absolutely fuck up the build in some annoying way.

No you wouldn't, you're not building the thing from scratch, it's all just drilling holes and screwing stuff together. A little soldering. As I said earlier, none of it is hard, you just have to be patient and pay attention. Even if you do fuck something up, it's unlikely to be catastrophic. It's fun, satisfying work, nice way to spend an afternoon.

None of mine were more than maybe $1300 tops and that's with Fralin pickups, locking Hipshot tuners, Gotoh trem, stainless steel frets, cts pots, orange drop caps, blablabla. I don't think you're gonna find a stock Fender with those specs anywhere near that price.

Yeah the resale value sucks, but I buy them intending to keep them forever, so no problem. And as said, you can part them out and not take too much of a bath.

c jury wrote: Then there are parts and color choices.

There was a guy on the Warmoth board who had this incredibly beautiful black korina body, I forget what shape, but it was gorgeous, nicer than the JM I posted earlier. And he put lime green humbuckers in it. Why bro why.

I built a parts guitar and ultimately it felt like a fool's errand. It was a Jazzmaster made with parts from USA Custom Guitars, and the parts didn't match Fender designs exactly, which was a pain in the ass when you use Fender parts like bridges, pickguards, etc. I ended up having to expand the pickup cavities, and maybe even the bridge posts holes. Other than making the body and neck (it came with frets) I did everything else myself - sprayed lacquer finish, making the nut, fret work, etc. It was fun and I learned a lot, but I ended up not liking that guitar that much (it was also kinda heavy), so I sold it.

The moral of the story is that I think it's better to find a guitar you like playing and modifying it to suit your needs. Guitar necks are some weird shit. They all feel different, even the ones that are supposed to be the same profile and made of the same materials. So yeah, this is my off-topic feedback to this thread where people are supposed to show their custom builds!

eliya wrote: Thu May 29, 2025 11:03 am Guitar necks are some weird shit. They all feel different, even the ones that are supposed to be the same profile and made of the same materials.

This is unfortunately true. They can build 1/2 mile long bridges with tolerances in the millimeters, but I've owned like 5 Tele variants with differences in feel and sometimes weight. I guess wood is only so predictable!

eliya wrote: Thu May 29, 2025 11:03 am Guitar necks are some weird shit. They all feel different, even the ones that are supposed to be the same profile and made of the same materials.

I don't disagree BUT all of my warmoth necks are the same specs: profile, nut width, radius, and honestly I don't think I could tell the difference blindfolded. Warmoth's QC is really really tight, and their standard thin, 10-16 radius neck feels perfect to me. Which is how I ended up with a dozen of 'em.

Also, FM cakes: If you're wanting to do more of a Les Paul thing, they just released this body shape, which you may or may not like. I don't mind it. Looks better than their Regal, which is more of a trad LP but looks funny because Gibson lawyers.

https://warmoth.com/guitar-bodies/meadowhawk-bodies

I should clarify that my experience with necks is like that of Brian. I never compared 15 of the same Warmoth neck or something.

Just remembered I had this handy, here's a Warmoth in action, for your amusement/ridicule:

eliya wrote: Thu May 29, 2025 11:03 am I built a parts guitar and ultimately it felt like a fool's errand. It was a Jazzmaster made with parts from USA Custom Guitars, and the parts didn't match Fender designs exactly, which was a pain in the ass when you use Fender parts like bridges, pickguards, etc. I ended up having to expand the pickup cavities, and maybe even the bridge posts holes. Other than making the body and neck (it came with frets) I did everything else myself - sprayed lacquer finish, making the nut, fret work, etc. It was fun and I learned a lot, but I ended up not liking that guitar that much (it was also kinda heavy), so I sold it.

The moral of the story is that I think it's better to find a guitar you like playing and modifying it to suit your needs. Guitar necks are some weird shit. They all feel different, even the ones that are supposed to be the same profile and made of the same materials. So yeah, this is my off-topic feedback to this thread where people are supposed to show their custom builds!

Yeah, you need to really know what you want or stay on a script. For example, if you want a vintage-style body, but buy parts that fit modern holes, you are in for a world of hurt. So, you need to really pay attention to the details. Warmoth can do some special modifications, but not all. Some are just not able to do. For example, I had asked about a 2 post trem on a certain body that only had options for six-hole, and they answered by saying a 2 post wouldn't be stable on the vintage-style body due to the body depth and so they don't recommend it.

So, before you put something together, you need to do some homework. Some bodies are very flexible with what you can do, while others (generally the vintage styles), have less options because they are trying to adhere to a specific function/aesthetic/limitations. Generally speaking, the Warmoth bodies and the general Fender replacement bodies are all highly flexible to suite your needs.

Now, there's a ton of options, with different woods, and if you're willing to experiment, you can go crazy. I once did an Ebony fretboard for a bass and I hated it, and it made having it as a second bass to another one with a maple neck difficult to use together, so I sold the neck and got a maple neck, it fixed my problem.

But, you do have a point: if this all feels overwhelming, by all means, stick with a brand and a model you know and like. If you know what you want and have done your research/know what it needs, y ou can build a guitar that's a fraction of the price and just as good as something else, like an Ultra Fender or a PRS, or whatever it is your chasing, with the added benefit of it being very special and tailored to you.

Warmoth builds do sell well, you might lose a little money (same goes for brand-name guitars), or you can sell the parts individually, as people have said. So the investment is just as good.

My current challenge: sourcing all nickel hardware that fits what I'm after. It's doable, but isn't as easy as chrome.

They released a new body, neck and inlay pattern today:



That inlay pattern, so nice. I would love to see a front route and pick guard option. I assume that might come later, they did it with the soloist.