Strat options

[dfunk]

I play an Epiphone Les Paul but I really miss the sound of a stratocaster. Are there any other options besides Fender that sell around $1000?

[Prages]

You could put together a hell of a nice Warmoth for $1000. I think the quality of the parts you get from Warmoth rivals that of Anderson and Suhr. Obviously, how good the final product is depends on how well you choose your parts and how well you assemble and set it up, but the parts you get from them are top notch.

I own two Warmoths and haven't played a Fender yet that even comes close, IMO.

I've got about $1000 in the one on the left, and about $1200 in the one on the right.

http://www.thewindtunnel.com/GuitarPics/NewGuitarPics/BothWarmoths1.jpg

Warmoth did the finish on both.

[Phil513]

I love those guitars.

fat strats are about as perfect as a guitar can get IMHO, and those are just lovely, both of them.

[Prages]

Denverdave has had nothing but great things to say about his Benford guitars, and they come in under $1000 for the standards, and right around $1000 for their 'custom's I think.

[Prages]

Oh, and thanks, Phil.

The orange one has been my go to guitar since I finished it in '03. It's starting to get quite a few battle scars lately...but it's been gigged quite a bit, and I have no intention of letting some bumps and bruises stop me from gigging it.

[Mark Wein]

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l230/markwein/IMG_0992.jpg

This one is all Warmoth. I'll never buy another Fender again. I have the two Suhrs ( I don't agree with Prages on the Warmoth being "as good as the Suhr" but I biased) but if I wanted anymore strats or Teles I would probably go this route....

[Phil513]

Is there some reason for the general disgruntledness at Fender? Do you not get what you pay for?

[Mark Wein]

Is there some reason for the general disgruntledness at Fender? Do you not get what you pay for?


I haven't found anything special about any new Fender in years. And I think you can make a better guitar from Warmoth parts and whatever electronics and hardware you desire for as much or less money....

[dfunk]

I've been thinking of going the Warmoth route for years but to be honest, I have never made a single adjustment to any of my guitars. All I've done was take it somewhere for a setup and that's it. How hard is it to assemble? I guess my main concern is making adjustments to the neck. Would it be easily corrected if I do something wrong? And how about the wiring?

I also just looked in to the Benford's. Prices seem very reasonable. Has anyone else played these?

[dfunk]

Oh yeah- Prages, those are beautiful guitars! I'm diggin' the orange!

[Mark Wein]

I've been thinking of going the Warmoth route for years but to be honest, I have never made a single adjustment to any of my guitars. All I've done was take it somewhere for a setup and that's it. How hard is it to assemble? I guess my main concern is making adjustments to the neck. Would it be easily corrected if I do something wrong? And how about the wiring?

I also just looked in to the Benford's. Prices seem very reasonable. Has anyone else played these?


The Benfords look like a good deal although I haven't tried one in person...ask denverdave...he's had 3 of them.

My warmoth guitar I pretty much put some of it together and then took it to my local guitar tech to finish and set up the parts i didn't feel comfortable doing...

[Prages]

I have the two Suhrs ( I don't agree with Prages on the Warmoth being "as good as the Suhr" but I biased) but if I wanted anymore strats or Teles I would probably go this route....


Oh, I misspoke.

I meant better than Suhr. :D

Really though, IMO, once you get into Anderson/Suhr territory, it's all about personal preference, since the quality of both is damn near perfect.

IMO, Warmoth parts are right up there with the boo-teek guys.

[Mark Wein]

I have the two Suhrs ( I don't agree with Prages on the Warmoth being "as good as the Suhr" but I biased) but if I wanted anymore strats or Teles I would probably go this route....


Oh, I misspoke.

I meant better than Suhr. :D

cop0




Really though, IMO, once you get into Anderson/Suhr territory, it's all about personal preference, since the quality of both is damn near perfect.

IMO, Warmoth parts are right up there with the boo-teek guys.


Very true.

[Prages]

I've been thinking of going the Warmoth route for years but to be honest, I have never made a single adjustment to any of my guitars. All I've done was take it somewhere for a setup and that's it. How hard is it to assemble? I guess my main concern is making adjustments to the neck. Would it be easily corrected if I do something wrong? And how about the wiring?

I also just looked in to the Benford's. Prices seem very reasonable. Has anyone else played these?


Sorry I overlooked this post earlier.

With Warmoth, the parts are pretty much ready to screw together. However, they don't really do any final fretwork. The frets are installed well and are pretty much level off the bat, but to get them to really play their best, you may need to do a little bit of levelling, which isn't something for the squeemish. Of my two, both played pretty well with no further fret levelling, but I did go back and do some spot levelling on the orange one so I could get it set up with action as low as the other.

So, if you're not comfortable doing a fret level, then you would probably want to budget another $100 or so to have a good tech finish it up for you.

Wiring is pretty pretty easy. You can get wiring diagrams from www.guitarelectronics.com that are pretty easy to read. Just practice your soldering on some scraps before working on your good parts.

Some soldering tips...

Heat the part, not the solder. You want to hold the iron to the part your are soldering so the part is hot enough to melt the solder. If you just melt the solder with the iron, it won't stick to the part. Heat the part, not the solder.

The hardest part about soldering is getting the ground wires to stick to the back of the pots. You can use some sand paper to rough up the pots, then heat up the back of the pot with a 40 watt + solding gun. This works pretty well. That's definitely the hardest part about soldering though.

[Mark Wein]

I just want to thank Prages for all of the practical advice he's given in the gear threads...I know how to use my gear and I know in theory how to fix it but more often than not I send things out for repair instead of getting my hands dirty so I'm not the best person to ask some of this stuff...his "hands on" experience and depth of detail in posts is a great resource to the forum!

thx0

[dfunk]

Yes...thank you Prages! I'll do more reading before diving into the assembly process. Looks like a lot of fun though!

[Prages]

I just want to thank Prages for all of the practical advice he's given in the gear threads...I know how to use my gear and I know in theory how to fix it but more often than not I send things out for repair instead of getting my hands dirty so I'm not the best person to ask some of this stuff...his "hands on" experience and depth of detail in posts is a great resource to the forum!

thx0


No problem at all.

Most of the 'tips' I've given are things that you'd figure out pretty quickly with trial and error...I've just already made the errors so there's no need for you guys to repeat them. cop0

[Mark Wein]

I've always been afraid of the "error" part on instruments I use to gig with....its just in recent years that I have any confidence with tools...

[Denverdave]

I also just looked in to the Benford's. Prices seem very reasonable. Has anyone else played these?


Me...of course.

I have three Benfords right now, with one for sale to pay for the third (only reason I'm selling it). They look, sound, and play like guitars that cost twice what you will pay. You can get one hell of a Strat from Steve for a great price. Steve knows what he is doing and the necks come perfectly finished (good fret work), tight neck pocket, great finish work. A couple of other players on the HC electric guitar forum have gotten Benfords (at least two after seeing and hearing mine....) and they all seem very happy with theirs as well. Email Steve and tell him what you are looking for in a Strat and get a quote....