Help Me Build A 24 Fret Modern Jazzmaster (AZ24/DK24 HH Style)

[navevan]

Hey all, I am planning on building my dream guitar but I have some reservations/concerns. The plan is as follows:
JM body rear route (no pickguard), HH, 24 fret reposition
Modern neck, 24 fret extension, JM or CBS headstock
Gotoh 510 trem

I want this guitar to esentially be a JM style, Ibanez AZ24 or Charvel DK24

Here are my questions and concerns:
If i get the 24 fret extension, I am concerned it will be fragile without a pickguard and overhanging the body with a gap. I understand I could get a 720 mod, but I fear this will affect the feel. Is there a comparable guitar that I cool look for in a guitar store to see how I like the feel of the fret board being so low? As far as I can tell, the guitars I am basing my build off of both have necks that extend all the way down underneath the 23/24th fret and are not lower than fender standard height. Does anyone have experience with a similar build?

Also, If I go for the 720 mod, will the gotoh 510 still be able to go low enough without a recessed trem cavity?

Finally, I am exploring the idea of creating/carving my own contoured heel with ferrules instead of a neck plate. Has anyone tried this, and is there a way to get a 24 fret neck (non-tiltback) with the truss rod adjustment at the headstock so the side adjustment wouldn't be in the way of the new screw placement?

Thanks all. I hope this wasn't too bad of a read lol.

 

[Rick]

Not exactly what you may want, but links to my build thread.

Jazzmaster: Stratomaster Ovation Deluxe

Finished the build, and have been spending the past three months bonding, and I feel it's now complete: https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30424.0 This post will be the parts list. Next post I'll do some pictures and post them. BODY Jazzmaster Alder chambered body 3.3 Lbs. ...

unofficialwarmoth.com

Jazzmaster Build with a Home Finish

Well, this time I started the build with a bridge based on Logrinn's success. I carefully looked at the specs from the Gotoh website and it looks like the 10.5 spacing will fit into the 10.8 routing offered by big W. If not, we'll do something else. NS510T steel saddles, zinc block (I think)...

unofficialwarmoth.com

 

[J-Bones]

If i get the 24 fret extension, I am concerned it will be fragile without a pickguard and overhanging the body with a gap.

Don't worry, it's not fragile. I own three. You're not going to snap it off by sheer grip strength. But maybe don't pull an Annie Wilkes and hit it with a sledgehammer.

 

[navevan]

Don't worry, it's not fragile. I own three. You're not going to snap it off by sheer grip strength. But maybe don't pull an Annie Wilkes and hit it with a sledgehammer.

does the overhang bother you from a practical or aesthetic standpoint?

 

[stratamania]

is there a way to get a 24 fret neck (non-tiltback) with the truss rod adjustment at the headstock so the side adjustment wouldn't be in the way of the new screw placement?

24 fret overhangs are only available in modern construction, meaning without a tiltback it will have the side adjust.

Number of Frets

Default Description

warmoth.com

It might be possible to contact Warmoth and ask if they could build you one omitting the side adjust, but then if you need to adjust you would only have a heel adjust, accessible by removing the neck.

Also, If I go for the 720 mod, will the gotoh 510 still be able to go low enough without a recessed trem cavity?

I would say it will go low enough for normal usage but you might have less up pull, which dependent on what you want to do with it may not be an issue.

 

[J-Bones]

does the overhang bother you from a practical or aesthetic standpoint?

Nah. If it did, I wouldn't have three

 

[Rick]

Just be aware, when you do the 720 mod everything has to be lowered. (There's less room (for me) for finger picking). Some people must like it, otherwise Warmoth wouldn't offer it. My fat fingers need space. I need that extra 10th of an inch. Thank you.

 

[Hodgo]

No experience with what you asked, but I like the build idea. Kind of like a Charvel Skatecaster!

 

[electric__steve]

Also, If I go for the 720 mod, will the gotoh 510 still be able to go low enough without a recessed trem cavity?

I would say it will go low enough for normal usage but you might have less up pull, which dependent on what you want to do with it may not be an issue.

A shim in the neck pocket should take care of any potential problem here. Tilting the headstock downward would let OP raise the bridge/saddles higher.

Nav, you might also want shorter set screws for the saddles. If the saddles are set really low, the screws could be sticking out the top quite a bit.

Just be aware, when you do the 720 mod everything has to be lowered. (There's less room (for me) for finger picking). Some people must like it, otherwise Warmoth wouldn't offer it. My fat fingers need space. I need that extra 10th of an inch. Thank you.

I'm curious, what's the difference? Take off the pickguard and lower the neck in the pocket, I'd think it wouldn't change much?

 

[Rick]

1/10 of an inch. It might be nothing to you, others find it something. It does look cool. The Aaron did video on this awhile back on YouTube.

 

[stratamania]

A shim in the neck pocket should take care of any potential problem here. Tilting the headstock downward would let OP raise the bridge/saddles higher.

In which case, there would be then no point in having a 720 mod to shim it back close to the place it was before.

 

[electric__steve]

In which case, there would be then no point in having a 720 mod to shim it back close to the place it was before.

A fair observation. So I plotted some lines and crunched some numbers. A 1 degree shim should raise the heel end of the neck by about 0.05". The 720 mod lowers the pocket by about 0.10". And 1 degree is a pretty large shim, it raises string height over the saddles by 0.18", almost 3/16". That's a lot. I'd be surprised if OP needed more than 1/2 degree.

Thus I think one would still come out ahead with the 720 mod and a shim.

However, I've never set up a guitar with the 720 mod, OP should take my comments with a grain of salt, and maybe decide they don't want to deal with the additional questions the 720 mod might add to their build.

 

[stratamania]

@electric__steve so not much practical difference to be worth doing, I think. And we still don't know from the OP what type of tremolo usage he would be going for.

 

[rauchman]

Hey all, I am planning on building my dream guitar but I have some reservations/concerns. The plan is as follows:
JM body rear route (no pickguard), HH, 24 fret reposition
Modern neck, 24 fret extension, JM or CBS headstock
Gotoh 510 trem

...

Finally, I am exploring the idea of creating/carving my own contoured heel with ferrules instead of a neck plate. Has anyone tried this, and is there a way to get a 24 fret neck (non-tiltback) with the truss rod adjustment at the headstock so the side adjustment wouldn't be in the way of the new screw placement?

Thanks all. I hope this wasn't too bad of a read lol.

Regarding the side adjust and making your own contoured heel.

If you want a 24 fret neck, you'd have to get some flavor of tiltback headstock in order to have the truss rod located there. I've asked W repeatedly for a 24 fret headstock truss rod access straight headstock (and also a 7/8's version) and nada. I've made 3 W's, and done my own contoured heel on each in the vein of a Fender Elite/Ultra heel contour. Had to either use their Vintage/Modern or Modern with a tiltback.

I don't understand W's obsession with the side adjust truss rod.