Or: How anxious do I have to be about routing?
So, I built a Warmoth bass this summer, great instrument, super fun experience, wanna do it again the thing is though: I dont really wanna use Warmoth again. Like I really dig the wide range of option they have for woods and construction but alot of thing about them really bugs me. The first thing is obviously I don't wanna pay duties and shipping from America to Europe, also the CITES deal really worries me (I feel lucky getting in a 3kg lump of mahogany lol). I am also really pissed about the degree of customization they offer. Great example is the 70s jazz bass bridge pickup option: they charge like 50 bucks shifting the pickup like a centimetre closer to the bridge. Does it really take that much labor to use another CNC-programme? They don't really let you play with positioning much either except for stingray pickups, luckily, but dont you dare wanting a neck pickup then. I know I could route this myself but I dont wanna mess up the finish and it is not like they charge less for unrouted bodies anyways!
I know there is stuff like allparts and ebay stuff. Great stuff, don't get me wrong, I used a korean made ebay neck for my bass and it is awesome. You don't get near as much options for bodies and such. This is a big issue cause i like instruments that are rear-routed and most parts stuff is routed for a pickguard and mostly the pickups are already routed for. You neither get the nice finish and wood options! Wood is not as big an issue but I like mahogany bodies alot.
Am I fucked and just supposed to pay up? Do I buy a CNC-rig and start making lawsuit bodies in my mum's basement? I am mostly upset about the pickup routing as I am not confident with a handheld router, especially on a finished instrument.