Where to get a Fender neck?

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prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
I went into a shop a couple of months back and they had this rather nice looking Stat MIM body, routed for a Floyd Rose and I just had to buy it to make up a partscaster.



I decided gold would be rather nice on it, so I got a Schaller Floyd Rose and straplocks for it; I'll probably get a black pickguard and put in a pair of Seymour Duncan SH2N/SH4 humbuckers I have.

However, I'm having trouble getting a neck to fit!

The neck pocket is slightly narrower than a standard Fender and it has a squared end rather than the normal shallow curve; it's 4-screw with micro-tilt.

I'd like a Fender maple 22-fret one and I've got a set of gold Fender 2-pin machines and also the Schaller locking nut (not sure of width, but I'll get another if needs be).

Can anybody advise what spec of neck I need to get to fit there?

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Comments

  • Jack_Jack_ Frets: 3175
    edited March 2018
    I saw someone selling a locking nut routed Mighty Mite neck on eBay for like £90, thought it was a bit of a bargain.
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mighty-Mite-Ebony-Neck-Floyd-Rose-Cut/263552990585?hash=item3d5cfb7d79:g:eiIAAOSwDqlaq6H~

    Not genuine Fender, but a genuine neck with locking nuts will cost you a fortune.

    It might be advised you take it to a tech, but personally a minimal amount of sanding to increase the pocket size by a mm or taking a tiny amount off the heel of the neck each side - I'd do it, even if it's not great practice.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14322
    I may be able to assist.

    Allparts 22 fret neck, rosewood fingerboard, 12" radius, jumbo frets. Drilled for top-mounted FR clamp shelf and replica Kluson tuners. I have gold plated Klusons, string tension bar and an R3 string clamp.

    I have no other use for the gold parts. Make me an offer for the job lot.
    Be seeing you.
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    Jack_ said:
    I saw someone selling a locking nut routed Mighty Mite neck on eBay for like £90, thought it was a bit of a bargain.
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mighty-Mite-Ebony-Neck-Floyd-Rose-Cut/263552990585?hash=item3d5cfb7d79:g:eiIAAOSwDqlaq6H~

    Not genuine Fender, but a genuine neck with locking nuts will cost you a fortune.

    It might be advised you take it to a tech, but personally a minimal amount of sanding to increase the pocket size by a mm or taking a tiny amount off the heel of the neck each side - I'd do it, even if it's not great practice.
    Yes, I've been thinking about getting the neck pocket widened; I'd be worried about damaging the finish if I did it, but I've got a couple of other things which need doing by a pro too, so I might go for that.

    Ideally I'd like a real Fender neck, a maple one would look good. (I recently bought a Tele one for another project for £125; funnily enough, that's what I went into the shop looking for when I bought this body instead, but that day I ended up with two bodies needing necks!)

    I hadn't spotted that MM neck; I might go for it, or just buy it anyway. I've got an MM fretless neck on a P-bass and it's rather good.
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    I may be able to assist.

    Allparts 22 fret neck, rosewood fingerboard, 12" radius, jumbo frets. Drilled for top-mounted FR clamp shelf and replica Kluson tuners. I have gold plated Klusons, string tension bar and an R3 string clamp.

    I have no other use for the gold parts. Make me an offer for the job lot.
    That sounds interesting; if I can't find a Fender one (or Warmoth), I might come back to you, if that's OK.
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  • gavin_axecastergavin_axecaster Frets: 526
    tFB Trader
    That appears to be a Standard Strat Flame Top model, so the neck pocket should be regular Fender dimensions.
    https://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN1144712
    (Fender started putting "Mickey Mouse ear" corners in the pockets of the Mex standard line Strats a few years back - looks like they've just refined it a bit.)



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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    That appears to be a Standard Strat Flame Top model, so the neck pocket should be regular Fender dimensions.
    https://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN1144712
    (Fender started putting "Mickey Mouse ear" corners in the pockets of the Mex standard line Strats a few years back - looks like they've just refined it a bit.)



    Hmmm - I have a standard Strat neck and it doesn't fit; the pocket is definitely narrower and squared at the end (like on a Tele).

    The one in your link is curved, like the neck(s) I have.
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  • gavin_axecastergavin_axecaster Frets: 526
    edited March 2018 tFB Trader
    Check out standard strat bodies for sale on Stratosphere or similar - the straight neck pocket has been used on standard line strats for years. The heel is still curved but the gaps for the corners are hidden by the pickguard, which is cut around the heel.
    https://stratosphereparts.com/2017-fender-standard-stratocaster-strat-body-guitar-parts-alder-candy-apple-red/
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  • LebarqueLebarque Frets: 3755
    edited March 2018
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    Check out standard strat bodies for sale on Stratosphere or similar - the straight neck pocket has been used on standard line strats for years. The heel is still curved but the gaps for the corners are hidden by the pickguard, which is cut around the heel.
    https://stratosphereparts.com/2017-fender-standard-stratocaster-strat-body-guitar-parts-alder-candy-apple-red/
    Ah, that's interesting, so just the end of the point touches?
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    Lebarque said:
    Do they sell Fender ones?
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    I've got this neck, so I might just expand the pocket to fit that and then get a scratchplate to fit.



    Apparently the neck was on a guitar in The Blues Brothers movie - not sure if it's true or not, but that's what the bloke who sold it to me said (after I'd paid him).
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14322
    Consider, if you will, the nut and truss rod adjustment insert area of the Fender MIM neck in the photograph above.

    The edge of the nut nearer the bridge will become the leading edge of the platform on which the FR string clamp will sit. On the Fender MIM neck, the area available for the string clamp to sit on appears to be the width of the fingerboard x approximately 7mm. The undersurface of the FR clamp is 15mm. Approximately half of the clamp will not be properly supported.

    Fender locking machineheads would remove the need for a clamp but the nut slots still need to be well cut. Even with this done, extreme divebombing vibrato stunts are likely to send the guitar out of tune.
    Be seeing you.
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  • LebarqueLebarque Frets: 3755
    prowla said:
    Lebarque said:
    Do they sell Fender ones?
    Nah, better. Why limit yourself to a Fender neck when you're assembling a Partscaster?
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    Lebarque said:
    prowla said:
    Lebarque said:
    Do they sell Fender ones?
    Nah, better. Why limit yourself to a Fender neck when you're assembling a Partscaster?
    I'd like to stick with Fender if possible for this one.

    I've got a couple of other partscasters:

    One with a MIM body and a Warmoth neck (really good!).


    One with a Levinson Blade neck and a cheap Warman body (work in progress).


    I've just about finished a Tele too, which has a MIM body and MIM neck; again I saw the body and bought it, and then went for a matching Fender neck.

    I'm also working on a Tokai; I'll see where that takes me!


    For this thread's Strat, I'd like to put a blonde 22-fret Fender neck on it (and I have a set of 2-pin machines to fit).
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  • prowlaprowla Frets: 4896
    edited March 2018
    Consider, if you will, the nut and truss rod adjustment insert area of the Fender MIM neck in the photograph above.

    The edge of the nut nearer the bridge will become the leading edge of the platform on which the FR string clamp will sit. On the Fender MIM neck, the area available for the string clamp to sit on appears to be the width of the fingerboard x approximately 7mm. The undersurface of the FR clamp is 15mm. Approximately half of the clamp will not be properly supported.

    Fender locking machineheads would remove the need for a clamp but the nut slots still need to be well cut. Even with this done, extreme divebombing vibrato stunts are likely to send the guitar out of tune.
    Yes - that's good advice.

    Ideally, I guess, I'd like a Floyd-ready neck.

    As I mentioned, I bought the body without thinking about the details of the neck, so now I'm having to!

    I found this picture of a Mighty Mite one cut for a Floyd nut.

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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    I think @John_A has a Floyd cut Strat neck somewhere
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