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jefferyfreelance « Build Your Own Dream Guitar »
Published on 04/13/15 at 04:01
Value For Money :
Correct
Audience:
Advanced Users
I have become a guitar snob. I lay the blame at the feet of Warmoth. Before I found their website I was happy to buy guitars off the rack. Now, if a guitar does not have ALL the features I want, then I just walk away.
It took three years to assemble all the parts that make up my Warmoth Telecaster. It was a long time to wait, but worth every second. I learned more about what makes a guitar tick during that time. I also learned what I wanted in a guitar. If I had ordered the guitar I made in their virtual builder that first time on their website, I believe I would have ultimately been disappointed. During the time while I was saving for each piece I learned something new.
Like the time I played my wife’s uncle’s guitar that did not have a heel contour, and realized I needed it. Or, my good friend mentioning that my guitar had all the comfort contours, and that I might want to add that to my Tele. Or, playing my other friend’s Les Paul and falling in love with the neck. Yes, my Tele has the neck dimensions of a Les Paul. It is made from Goncalo Alves wood that requires no finish, and is absolutely stunning to behold. The body is made from Swamp Ash, and is painted a transparent red finish with a black burst edge. It also has natural masked binding a feature I did not know I needed until I saw the example on the website. The finish on the body was perfect (I’ve since christened it with a couple of dings).
My heresy did not end there. I have EMG-T active pickups and Graph Tech Ghost saddles. The addition of the piezo pickups actually came from looking through Fender’s website, and seeing the Acoustasonic model. My Tele has two outputs; one for the EMG’s and the other for the piezo. I have stacked knobs that control the volume and tone of each set of pickups, while from a distance the controls look pretty standard. I have a modern bridge eschewing the barrel saddles of Leo’s original design. All the hardware is black.
Warmoth is not a cheap route to take, but you get what you pay for. My Tele is a great instrument, and many have marveled at its beauty and playability. I will admit it was scary to pay some much to build an instrument that I would not know if it was good until it was complete. The years it took to save up, and buy this instrument was time well spent.
This route is not for everyone. I would recommend it, but totally understand when someone tells me they would never do it. I learned so much about how a guitar works, and how each component works with the others. The many options that are available make it possible to build a guitar for any style and for any taste. Once you build one you cannot help, but to start building other instruments in your mind. I have at least three more builds I would like to make.
If nothing else, check out their virtual builder on-line and see what your imagination can dream up. Their products are excellent, and their customer service is very good as well. I could go over every last little detail of the guitar that I built, but if you decide to build a Warmoth guitar it will be different. The best advice I could give is play as many different instruments as possible. Even a guitar that is nothing like the one that you intend to build. You never know what you will learn.
It took three years to assemble all the parts that make up my Warmoth Telecaster. It was a long time to wait, but worth every second. I learned more about what makes a guitar tick during that time. I also learned what I wanted in a guitar. If I had ordered the guitar I made in their virtual builder that first time on their website, I believe I would have ultimately been disappointed. During the time while I was saving for each piece I learned something new.
Like the time I played my wife’s uncle’s guitar that did not have a heel contour, and realized I needed it. Or, my good friend mentioning that my guitar had all the comfort contours, and that I might want to add that to my Tele. Or, playing my other friend’s Les Paul and falling in love with the neck. Yes, my Tele has the neck dimensions of a Les Paul. It is made from Goncalo Alves wood that requires no finish, and is absolutely stunning to behold. The body is made from Swamp Ash, and is painted a transparent red finish with a black burst edge. It also has natural masked binding a feature I did not know I needed until I saw the example on the website. The finish on the body was perfect (I’ve since christened it with a couple of dings).
My heresy did not end there. I have EMG-T active pickups and Graph Tech Ghost saddles. The addition of the piezo pickups actually came from looking through Fender’s website, and seeing the Acoustasonic model. My Tele has two outputs; one for the EMG’s and the other for the piezo. I have stacked knobs that control the volume and tone of each set of pickups, while from a distance the controls look pretty standard. I have a modern bridge eschewing the barrel saddles of Leo’s original design. All the hardware is black.
Warmoth is not a cheap route to take, but you get what you pay for. My Tele is a great instrument, and many have marveled at its beauty and playability. I will admit it was scary to pay some much to build an instrument that I would not know if it was good until it was complete. The years it took to save up, and buy this instrument was time well spent.
This route is not for everyone. I would recommend it, but totally understand when someone tells me they would never do it. I learned so much about how a guitar works, and how each component works with the others. The many options that are available make it possible to build a guitar for any style and for any taste. Once you build one you cannot help, but to start building other instruments in your mind. I have at least three more builds I would like to make.
If nothing else, check out their virtual builder on-line and see what your imagination can dream up. Their products are excellent, and their customer service is very good as well. I could go over every last little detail of the guitar that I built, but if you decide to build a Warmoth guitar it will be different. The best advice I could give is play as many different instruments as possible. Even a guitar that is nothing like the one that you intend to build. You never know what you will learn.
