Is a Warmoth Telecaster a Good Option?

Warmouth Custom Guitars offers a reasonably priced solution for anyone who wants to do a custom build. You can get an instrument created that looks and sounds like a Telecaster while enjoying the customization you want.

Before you order something from Warmoth, you’ll want to review the current notices and time expectations for delivery. In late 2021, the company was still following protocols from 18 months before, which meant significant order delays.

Warmoth is running four weeks or longer beyond the published lead time. If you have a customer service issue or questions for the business, a response could take up to five days.

There are no split or combined shipments. Everything ships out in its entirety when everything is complete, with multiple orders shipping individually.

Is a Warmoth Telecaster a Good Option?

Warmoth is the only guitar parts manufacturer available right now that lets you choose unique wood pieces. The brand sells fantastic bodies and necks with an above-average finish and reasonable binding work. If you use these options to build a Telecaster, you’ll get something that sounds as good as the original.

The issue to consider with a Warmoth Telecaster is its resale value. Since it isn’t a genuine Tele, you won’t get anything for the instrument if you decide to move on.

That means you’d need to part out everything, and the time it takes to do that makes it an unreasonable task.

That means a musician who wants straightforward specs should look at getting the real thing instead of buying a Warmoth build. You could even work with other kits to get something similar without paying as much or waiting as long.

When you want to have a 100% custom experience, you’ll find that the parts and quality of the Warmoth brand meet or exceed expectations.

The fit and finish are excellent, and you can select from several tone woods for the fingerboards, necks, and bodies.

The scalloped fretboard is particularly attractive. You’ll find the wood is gorgeous, the build quality is excellent, and it’s an easy way to get a highly playable left-handed guitar made for gigs, recording, or general play.

■ Warmoth’s Top 5 Custom Guitar Options

The problem you’ll find when working with Warmoth is that the cost of some parts is more expensive than purchasing the genuine article.

Let’s use an example for a Warmoth Telecaster from the pricing profile offered by the company in late 2022. Here are the parts you’d need for a complete build.

• The VIP Guitar Body with bridge installation and a Tele® middle pickup route retails for $685.
• An in-stock Tele neck for the instrument ranges from $292 to $649, depending on the type and wood you want for the product.
• The hardware, bridge, and tuners will set you back at least $150.
• Tele pickups for the neck range from $65 to $110.

Once you add the wiring components into the mix, you could be spending about $2,000 to get a custom Warmoth Telecaster built from scratch.

All the top five custom guitar options fall into that category, including the Mooncaster, Jazzcaster, Nomad, Diamondback, and Telecaster.

In comparison, you can order the beautiful Jimmy Page Telecaster from Fender for about 25% less.

With this guitar, you’ll get the custom single-coil pickups that the artist loved using while performing and a vintage-style hardshell case that you’d need to pay extra for with the Warmouth Tele.

Fender includes vintage-style tuners and a three-saddle bridge with the design, along with some fantastic artwork on the body. The pickguard delivers an opalescent presence that makes it the perfect instrument for gigs.

The Jimmy Page Telecaster from Fender comes with a 25.5-inch scale maple neck and a 21-fret rosewood fingerboard for the classic playing experience.

This combination delivers an excellent sustain and the classic tone you’d expect from this instrument, although the guitar is a bit heavy and the neck is a little fat.

It is important to note that this Fender guitar is a re-issue of the 1959 classic Tele that was based on Jimmy Page’s original instrument.

Why Is the Telecaster Such a Great Instrument to Play?

The Fender Telecaster is one of the most replicated guitars of all time. Despite all the knockoffs that you can find online, Fender continues to experience high sales figures for this instrument. It’s the elder statesman of the original lineup for many reasons.

It starts with the playing experience. The Tele is well-balanced, using a single-cut slab body with enough weight to make its presence known without being overbearing.

The pickups are mismatched on purpose with their pole pieces, creating some trademark twang accompanied by a massive sustain.

Even if you eliminate the celebrity factor from the Telecaster experience, Leo Fender and George Fullerton produced a groundbreaking design that still makes waves today.

If you’re looking for reasons to buy or build one using Warmoth components, here are the benefits that could come your way.

1. It Delivers the Features That Guitarists Need.

Before 1948, electric guitars were crafted in the same way as every other handmade instrument.

Fender changed the dynamic by putting the Tele into mass production. It wouldn’t have been successful if there weren’t the following qualities associated with the build.

Durability:	• Most guitars before the Tele succumbed to weather problems. • That made them hard to tune and intonate. • Most musicians needed a luthier available because the instruments would break. • Fender changed that with a bolt-on neck and a solid slab body. • Add in the two-way adjustable saddles, and the recipe was guaranteed to attract attention.
Affordability:	• Leo Fender was a practical guy. • It didn’t take long to figure out that a high-quality, affordable guitar would be more profitable than something that cost the price of an automobile. • This effort to keep costs down meant that music could reach new audiences and players.
Amplification:	• It was tough for guitarists in the 1950s to have their sounds rise above the brassy noise of the trumpets and trombones. • Fender mounted a magnetic pickup from a steel guitar onto pinewood to amplify sounds without feedback or bleeding. • Players could balance the bass and treble to create custom sounds, leading to the benefits that the Tele still offers today.

2. Musicians Can Cover Any Musical Style.

Guitarists from every musical genre play Telecasters. The names associated with this instrument are like a who’s who list of the best in the business for the last 60 years. Everyone from Joe Strummer to Brad Paisley has picked one up.

Whether you prefer the U-neck or something more modern with a compound-radius fingerboard, the humbuckers equipped with a Tele are something that almost everyone finds to be memorable.

Fender almost always looked at function over form. Aesthetics cannot take the place of utility.

3. The Instrument Is 100% Customizable.

Leo Fender wanted people to have an affordable guitar that was easy to service, ship, and play. The Tele is arguably the most modified instrument of its type in the world for the past 70 years.

From that stance, a Warmoth Telecaster is always a great option to consider – if you don’t mind spending a little cash.

You can find Teles out there with piezo saddles, trem bridges, and hand-carved necks. The number of aftermarket mods found on some guitars is enormous!

If you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty by creating something that reflects your style, you’ll have lots of luck with a Telecaster.

4. It Communicates Authority.

When you spot a guitarist playing a Tele, you know that something special is about to come. Telecasters are known for their technical capabilities.

Although you might come across someone having a terrible night, the quick response and tight attack can take the edges off of even sloppy technique without any problems.

That’s why a Telecaster is in high demand across all music genres. This instrument responds to the emotions that the musician puts into it.

5. The Price Is Reasonable for Most Musicians.

You can spend thousands on a custom guitar from Fender. Squier offers a high-value Bullet Tele that almost everyone can afford.

Warmoth delivers several fantastic builds that let you take charge of every element of the playing experience, including the work to put everything together.

Although there are many imitators, only one original stands tall. That’s when a Telecaster from any build is a reasonable choice to consider.

A Final Consideration to Ponder on Warmoth Teles

I bought my first guitar for $20. It was a second-hand thing that had seen better days. My friend had carved “TAZ” deep into the body, destroying the finish.

After I brought it home, my family gave me the look of “what were you thinking” when I showed off my purchase. I’m the only musician out of us, so nobody knew what I’d managed to land.

That’s right. I picked up a Fender 50’s Telecaster for $20.

I spent the entire year refinishing the guitar in my free time. My stepfather is an electronics engineer, so I paid him another $20 to solder the electronics and get everything installed correctly.

When you added in the paint, finish, lacquer, and other supplies, I refinished that guitar for less than $100.

After I went to college and needed some cash, I managed to sell it for close to $600. It was a decent profit, but the experience taught me the joy that comes when you can make something with your own hands.

That’s why I’d recommend a Warmoth Telecaster. It might cost more to build it than some entry-level models out there, but the price isn’t your only consideration.

This project can mean more time with your family, working on something you love, or putting together an instrument that meets your specific demands.

If a custom build isn’t right for you, the Jimmy Page Telecaster from Fender is a high-quality secondary option to think about playing.