Stratocaster Neck Dilemma

SRD81

Hi all,

I have a lovely Fender Road Worn 60’s Stratocaster (Made in Mexico). It’s one of the early ones (circa 2009) with the 3 colour sunburst relic finish and a rosewood (rather than the later Pau Ferro) fretboard with the clay dots. I own a few other Strats, but despite being relatively cheap, unbelievably, this one stood up really favourably against vintage and custom shop guitars and I really bonded with it.

Anyway, a few years ago like a complete twat I left it too close to an airing cupboard (lesson learned) and the neck warped making it pretty much unplayable - cue much sadness. So, I sought out a replacement neck and found a Fender Road Worn Strat 50’s Maple neck for a very good price and pulled the trigger. A local luthier did a great of job installing it and setting it up and all was seemingly well.

However, after the neck swap I’ve just never bonded with the guitar in the same way. The neck shape is OK-ish, but not quite to my taste, the relicing on the maple fretboard is a bit crap and the geek in me can’t make my peace with a maple board on a 3-tone sunburst Strat.

I still love the feel and weight of the body and the sound of the pickups and therefore, I’m hankering after a quality relic’d rosewood ‘board replacement neck to get me back in love with the guitar again.

So to my question. Baring in mind the value of the guitar do I…

A.) Try to find a (rosewood, not Pau Ferro) original early Road Worn 60’s neck - Think this would be a long shot

B.) Find a replacement neck from one of the standard ‘parts suppliers’ and get a luthier to relic it for me - quality might not be all that brilliant?

C.) Commission a luthier to build me a new relic’d neck - expensive, but I’d get exactly what I wanted and could specify neck profile, woods, dots, reliving etc.

D.) Try to find a relic’d Fender Custom Shop neck - these seem to almost never come up for sale and Fender don’t seem to offer Custom Shop replacement necks

A tough call for a ‘cheapish’ guitar.

Any advice much appreciated

SRich

I'm sure there will be MUCH more intelligent replies following, but have you had a luthier look at the warped neck?........some folks around here have very convincing miracle skills. 

prowla

The bodies on the MIM Strats can be quite good; you could always get a replacement neck (either Fender or Warmoth) and put it on it.

If you ever did decide to sell it you could take it off and sell it separately.

TINMAN82

You can buy Fender replacement necks- mabye not for the roadworn 60s but they do the classic 60s laquer or upgrade to an American original 60s.

The relic’d thing isnt so important for rosewood fretboard necks, for obvious reasons. But both of the above will age like the body as they are nitro.

dazzajl

Sell it and start over. It’ll never be the same and the chances are you’ll forever be chasing the old feeling. 

There’s no short cut, you just have to play a lot of strats until one fits the glass slipper 

SRD81

SRich said:

I'm sure there will be MUCH more intelligent replies following, but have you had a luthier look at the warped neck?........some folks around here have very convincing miracle skills. 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I did have a luthier take a look and the neck was beyond help unfortunately

SRD81

TINMAN82 said:

You can buy Fender replacement necks- mabye not for the roadworn 60s but they do the classic 60s laquer or upgrade to an American original 60s.

The relic’d thing isnt so important for rosewood fretboard necks, for obvious reasons. But both of the above will age like the body as they are nitro.

I'm thinking it might look a bit weird though as the body is pretty beaten up, so I'm thinking I'd have to have it relic'd to match

SRD81

dazzajl said:

Sell it and start over. It’ll never be the same and the chances are you’ll forever be chasing the old feeling. 

There’s no short cut, you just have to play a lot of strats until one fits the glass slipper 

This is what I feared (and have been reluctant to admit to myself!) Do you really think there's no chance of getting the old magic back with a luthier built neck? What if it cost a ludicrous amount of money with a Brazilian Rosewood board?

poopot

How much has the neck warped? Sounds a bit extreme to say it can’t be fixed!.

Philly_Q

Options C and D seem very expensive for a modestly priced guitar.  I have bought Custom Shop necks on eBay but I'm an idiot, they cost crazy money.

I'd get a replacement neck from Allparts, Warmoth, one of the UK suppliers, wherever - unfinished ones are pretty cheap and the quality is fine.  Then you can get it finished/reliced and the frets dressed without the whole thing costing a ridiculous amount.  Maybe you could even try an oil finish?  Wouldn't look like a relic but it would feel worn-in.

Oh, and you could try @GoldenEraGuitars.

SRD81

poopot said:

How much has the neck warped? Sounds a bit extreme to say it can’t be fixed!.

Sadly the original neck has long gone, my luthier spent a decent amount of time and effort trying to resurrect it, but said it was beyond help in the end. The action was ludicrous to be fair.

SRD81

Philly_Q said:

Options C and D seem very expensive for a modestly priced guitar.  I have bought Custom Shop necks on eBay but I'm an idiot, they cost crazy money.

I'd get a replacement neck from Allparts, Warmoth, one of the UK suppliers, wherever - unfinished ones are pretty cheap and the quality is fine.  Then you can get it finished/reliced and the frets dressed without the whole thing costing a ridiculous amount.  Maybe you could even try an oil finish?  Wouldn't look like a relic but it would feel worn-in.

Oh, and you could try @GoldenEraGuitars.

I’m also a complete idiot, hence also being tempted by the CS neck option from eBay. The SC relics route could well be the way forward, some very cool stuff there.

lovestrat74

Look out for another Stratocaster 60s roadworn from the same era chances are the neck will be similar to your old one. Sell the old one

TINMAN82

lovestrat74 said:

Look out for another Stratocaster 60s roadworn from the same era chances are the neck will be similar to your old one. Sell the old one

Who’s going to buy the old one?!

edit- oh you mean the whole guitar, sorry!

SRD81

lovestrat74 said:

Look out for another Stratocaster 60s roadworn from the same era chances are the neck will be similar to your old one. Sell the old one

Not a bad shout, but I think I got lucky with the Road Worn strat I have. I played quite a few others at the time and not all we're great (as with all models of all guitars in my experience). I think if I take the buy new route I’m going to go all out and go Custom Shop so that I can still get a relic and ensure good resale value if I have to move it on in future - will need to play a few until I find the right one as dazzajl suggests.

CountryDave

Those early roadworn 60s guitars and necks are sometimes very special.
I have a white one and It’s seen off many a more expensive strat.
You could look at getting a replacement Fender Classic 60’s neck and taking the gloss off the back, or as mentioned above Allparts, etc and a spray can of nitro from Northwest Guitars or Manchester Guitar Tech and have a bit of a go at a project.