For anyone looking for stuff to practice on...

[drewfx]

GFS is having a "Factory Buyout Clearance Sale" of bodies/necks in various degrees of being messed up, from a little to a lot.

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Factory-Buyout-Clearance-Sale_c_410.html

I just picked up a fretted, finished neck for $26 - perfect for practicing fretwork, or repairs, or testing out new tools and techniques on, or whatever. If it's decent enough, I might even try using it as a neck (temporarily until I see something in the showcase or decide exactly what I want for my next build).

 

[alterbridgefan]

wow....................

 

[Cagey]

Some pretty nice deals there. Be a great way to get something you'd keep in an odd tuning or use as an experimental platform for pickups or unusual finishing ideas. Just be aware the neck pocket dimensions on the bodies and necks aren't standard and so are unsuitable as replacement parts in most cases. But, they will match each other if you choose carefully. Still, if you pick up a neck for $25 and a body for $30, you're still under 3 cases of beer for a neck/body combo. Can't beat that with a stick.

 

[AutoBat]

I was getting mildly excited about making a dirt cheap rough looking guitar until I saw the price of their normal parts. Wowzers.

 

[drewfx]

With dirt cheap stuff you sometimes get what you pay for.

But at those prices, I'm thinking more "cannon fodder for experimentation" than "serious build" anyway.

 

[alterbridgefan]

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Satin-Maple-Neck-With-Maple-Fingerboard_p_5249.html
Is this standard?

 

[Cagey]

None of their necks have the standard (Fender) heel width, which is 2 3/16" or 55.5mm. Some of them are close at 56mm, but that's still oversized. Others are 57mm and 58mm, all too wide. The pictures of the necks and bodies have a tag associated that says what the heel or pocket width is. They don't say what the mounting bolt pattern is, or if there even is one, which would be another consideration. Best bet would be to match one of their necks with one of their bodies.

 

[drewfx]

Yeah, it's not something where you can expect plug and play. If mounting holes are drilled, they are unlikely to match up with anything else. And who knows how deep the neck pocket is.

And all of the parts are flawed in some way, from a little to a lot. So if you don't know exactly what you're doing, it's not likely to be a bargain.

You can get slightly more predictable cheapo bodies and necks (which still might take some tweaking or shimming to fit properly) or kits for a bit more money.

 

[AutoBat]

none of the necks i looked at had any mounting holes in them

 

[JaySwear]

Interesting but I talked myself out of it. I've already got a body I'm working on and a neck in mind for when I have the money to throw at it!

 

[Johnny]

Well, I just plunked down my money. I don't expect to get a good guitar out of it but at $52 for a body and neck it should be great to build some skills with. Better to practice on one of these then mess up a nice Warmoth.

 

[AutoBat]

I nearly busted out the credit card for the red HSH rg style body & sharkfin neck.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

I bought some bodies and necks from them a couple a years ago. It was not from the blemish section. But really it should have been.

I never encountered such sloppy work and finish. It's a steep contrast to their very fine assortment of pickups. So don't get your hopes up.

But for practice pieces they should suffice. Maybe more than you bargain for ...

 

[Johnny]

I do not expect much.  Further this is not their usual stuff. This is a warehouse buyout, so literally, you don't know what you're gonna get.  It's a bit like throwing $52 on a craps table and hoping you'll be winner knowing the house is favored.  I'll let you know what I get when it arrives.

 

[Pelagaard]

I'd pull the trigger if there were any bass necks/bodies.

 

[drewfx]

So, what does a $26 neck look like?

A bit of dirt and grime and scraped edges and minor damage on some of the tuner holes:

The heel is a dirty/ugly looking (though it looks quite a bit worse in the pic than in real life):

Fretboard needs cleaning and frets need touching up and polishing:

As noted above, at 57mm the heel is 1-2mm wider than a W neck. It's also ~1mm deeper. But a little too big is better than too small and if I decide to actually use it as a temporary neck I'll sand it down to fit:

I didn't get a picture, but the back of the neck is smooth and nice.

Visually, it also appears straight, with no obvious twists, cracks or other problems.