Fender MIJ & CIJ compatibility with Warmoth -Advice Please

[Phyllis Frankenstein]

Hi,
I'm new here. I only just discovered Warmoth a couple of months ago.
Hoping to pick the brains of people who have experience building parts geetars.  ???

Most of the discussions I'm reading seem to be people fitting new Warmoth necks to their old guitars.

I want to do the opposite. My plan is to keep my old Fender necks and fit them to Warmoth bodies.
I'll try just one for a start and see how it goes. I'll be engaging the help of a local luthier to fit pickups etc and set it up. 

I have an 80's MIJ Tele & and early 00's CIJ Strat. I love the necks more than most new Fenders I try so I want to keep them but have them on different bodies more suitable to my personal tastes.

I'm just a bit concerned about the fit because I see Warmoth specifies that they make their bodies compatible with American Fenders. I don't know if there is a size difference in the necks between American and CIJ/MIJ Fenders. I can't physically check because the only Am Fender I have is an old 70's model with a three bolt neck.

I've taken the neck & pocket measurements from the Warmoth website and they seem to match with the guitars I have.
Maybe that should be enough to be reasonably confident of a decent fit and I'm just being paranoid?

I've never actually swapped necks before so I'm apprehensive.
Is there anyone here who has used an old Fender CIJ or MIJ neck on a Warmoth body with success?

 

[bagman67]

As a rule the Japanese Fender stuff is more reliably on-spec than you can expect elsewhere.  I would be extremely surprised if you had any trouble fitting CIJ/MIJ necks to Warmoth bodies.


Also -  Welcome aboard!

 

[rgand]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

 

[Rick]

I’ve swapped mimexico necks with warmoth necks with no problems.  Parathetically, the warmoth necks are better made. Never swapped a Japanese neck, but I don’t see why not.  Go to the warmoth spec page and see how they measure up to your neck, or just call them , they’re nice people.

 

[Phyllis Frankenstein]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

I don't know anyone with a Warmoth body no. I'm in The UK, they're practically unheard of here. I came across them quite by accident myself while I was searching for new pickups.

 

[Rick]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

I don't know anyone with a Warmoth body no. I'm in The UK, they're practically unheard of here. I came across them quite by accident myself while I was searching for new pickups.

That's a happy accident!

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

I don't know anyone with a Warmoth body no. I'm in The UK, they're practically unheard of here. I came across them quite by accident myself while I was searching for new pickups.

I am in the UK quite often. A few other forum members are so that is not really the case.

 

[Rick]

Once upon a time I hadn't heard about Warmoth.  I learned about them thru a guitar magazine many moons ago.  I'm assuming the OP is like Columbus, discovering another world, however, this world is the wonderful world of replacement guitar necks.  If one doesn't search it out, the first time you find something, you think it's new. Of course, there are very few things new under the sun.

 

[rgand]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

I don't know anyone with a Warmoth body no. I'm in The UK, they're practically unheard of here. I came across them quite by accident myself while I was searching for new pickups.

That's a happy accident!

I also found them by accident. Glad I did, too. Their quality is second to none. Then that led me to this forum, which for me was the most interesting and valued find yet.

 

[Fat Pete]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

I don't know anyone with a Warmoth body no. I'm in The UK, they're practically unheard of here. I came across them quite by accident myself while I was searching for new pickups.

I am in the UK quite often. A few other forum members are so that is not really the case.

Yep, I'm in the UK. You're obviously in with a bad crowd; all the cool kids know Warmoth.

 

[Phyllis Frankenstein]

Welcome to the forum. I haven't fitted one of the MIJ/CIJ ncks to a Warmoth body. I have put a Warmoth neck on a Chinese made Squier but that isn't useful information for you.

Warmoth specs are pretty accurate so if the measurements say they should work then they probably will. Do you know anyone who has one you could try yours on?

I'm looking forward to what projects you undertake.

I don't know anyone with a Warmoth body no. I'm in The UK, they're practically unheard of here. I came across them quite by accident myself while I was searching for new pickups.

I am in the UK quite often. A few other forum members are so that is not really the case.

Yep, I'm in the UK. You're obviously in with a bad crowd; all the cool kids know Warmoth.

I'm a bit too old to be in the "cool" category or to care.
An Ebay.co.uk search for 'Warmoth Guitar Body"  turns up a grand total of ONE result in the UK.
That must be because they are so widely known here!!  (12 showing from ebay international sellers in USA)

 

[Fat Pete]

...
Yep, I'm in the UK. You're obviously in with a bad crowd; all the cool kids know Warmoth.

I'm a bit too old to be in the "cool" category or to care.
An Ebay.co.uk search for 'Warmoth Guitar Body"  turns up a grand total of ONE result in the UK.
That must be because they are so widely known here!!  (12 showing from ebay international sellers in USA)

I'll rephrase: Welcome to the forum! There are a few of us here outside the US - regardless of location, most of us try to be friendly and helpful, though sometimes humour isn't always conveyed well in plain text. (I'm a 53 year-old guitar geek; the cool kids and I don't mix.)

Anyway, as others have said, you should be fine using a Japanese Fender neck with Warmoth body. It'd be good to see how your project progresses.

 

[Phyllis Frankenstein]

I'll rephrase: Welcome to the forum! There are a few of us here outside the US - regardless of location, most of us try to be friendly and helpful, though sometimes humour isn't always conveyed well in plain text. (I'm a 53 year-old guitar geek; the cool kids and I don't mix.)

Anyway, as others have said, you should be fine using a Japanese Fender neck with Warmoth body. It'd be good to see how your project progresses.

I'm sure my projects will be boring middle of the road stuff.

 

[Phyllis Frankenstein]

This chap here.......fitting a neck. Is this normal? Because my Fender necks aren't anything like that tight a fit. I can literally just place them in the neck cavities easily but with no gap between the neck/body. No pushing or pulling required, without the screws the necks just come away.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=hZdLB22eKt4[/youtube]

 

[bagman67]

It's not unusual at all for the fit to be quite snug, particularly when you're mating a Warmoth neck and a Warmoth body.  But there will be variation - sometimes the sanding crew is just a little more enthusiastic and so the neck drops in easier; or wood takes on just enough moisture to make it uncomfortably tight.  But speaking in terms of general tendencies, the video depicts pretty ordinary experience.

 

[Phyllis Frankenstein]

Well thanks for saying because I would have thought there was something wrong.

I've never seen a Fender guitar offer any resistance to the necks they come with. I've never dealt with any other make of bolt-on necks. Perhaps years of being together make old guitar parts a perfect fit.  :glasses10:

 

[Rick]

Nope nothing wrong  ... in fact that's the way  :bananaguitar:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd--tIkrVoA[/youtube]

Music from 1970's USA.