Making a Telecaster Out of a Strat

[JaySwear]

so i know for an up-charge warmoth will sand down a strat's headstock into a telecaster shape. is it possible to have them sand down a telecaster neck's heel to fit a strat body? i already called them once with one stupid question today :icon_biggrin: so i thought i'd post here before i called them.

and if they can't / won't try it, could i? i can't see why it wouldn't work, but if anybody DOES know why this would be a problem i'd be interested to hear it. thanks!

something like this

 

[Mor Paul]

Well, the nut on the end of the strat's heel might be a problem. As far as I remember, the strat neck is a tele neck with wood removed, not the other way around.

 

[bpmorton777]

Im a little confused: cant you just order a tele neck with the butt end to fit a strat? isnt that what you want, a tele neck on a strat?

Brian

 

[CrackedPepper]

The Guitar Neck & Body FAQ "Will it Fit My Guitar?" says "The heel shape of Strat® necks is rounded at the end, Teles® are squared. Strat® necks will fit Tele® bodies but show a gap at the corners. Tele® necks may not intonate on a Strat® body without neck pocket modification." 

 

[tfarny]

So route the neck pocket on the strat, the pickguard will cover up the mess.

 

[JaySwear]

Im a little confused: cant you just order a tele neck with the butt end to fit a strat? isnt that what you want, a tele neck on a strat?

Brian

yeah, but the showcase is much cheaper, and there are some beautiful telecaster necks in there right now. so i was just curious. i may still go the custom order route, but figured if i already knew it was a beautiful neck and there would be less than a quarter of the wait time then i'd love to buy from the showcase. just curious though!

As far as I remember, the strat neck is a tele neck with wood removed, not the other way around.

yeah, which is why i thought this would work. i would think it would be pretty easy to modify the tele neck heel to fit a strat pocket. i'm sure it would void the warrantee several times over, but still! if i did it myself, that is.

 

[Mor Paul]

Modify the body and get a custom pickguard

 

[Dan025]

Im a little confused: cant you just order a tele neck with the butt end to fit a strat? isnt that what you want, a tele neck on a strat?

Brian

yeah, but the showcase is much cheaper, and there are some beautiful telecaster necks in there right now. so i was just curious. i may still go the custom order route, but figured if i already knew it was a beautiful neck and there would be less than a quarter of the wait time then i'd love to buy from the showcase. just curious though!

As far as I remember, the strat neck is a tele neck with wood removed, not the other way around.

yeah, which is why i thought this would work. i would think it would be pretty easy to modify the tele neck heel to fit a strat pocket. i'm sure it would void the warrantee several times over, but still! if i did it myself, that is.

no i dont think they'll modify it and yes you can either hack the body (hint: MIM strats and many other cheapo guitars have a large clearance routed away in the corners any way), in this case just straiten the back of the neck pocket with a chisel and do a little work to the pickguard. or you can stick the heel in a belt sander for a minute or tw and get somethin that fits. there is some room for error you can make up for it by aligning the neck ant there is enough adjustment in intonation if you sand too much off or dont match the shape exactly

 

[JaySwear]

thanks guys. @Dan025: saying i'd be careful is a ridiculous understatement :icon_biggrin: but the more i think about it the more there is to go wrong. if the neck arrives in perfect condition and i do something to damage it then i'd be really bummed. and if it arrives in anything other than good shape (something i wouldn't notice until it was strung up) i'd be voiding all chances to return it by doing anything to the neck heel. seems like it's just not worth the risk.

i was so set on a musikraft neck for my strat, but the more i think about it the more i want to go warmoth. their bodies and finishes are top of the line, but as good as they are i think they do necks even better. i've never met a warmoth neck i didn't love. so maybe i'll pick out a nice flame or birdseye maple neck from the showcase! still saving, but i added another $100 to my neck fund today, so i'm definitely getting there. and since warmoth is all out of floyds i can focus on what i'd want neck-wise.

 

[Loobs]

That looks bad.

 

[stubhead]

I myself would do it if it would answer some special need, but I've been working with wood for a long time - my father always had a work shop, etc. A belt sander sounds like ridiculous overkill, I'd do it with 50 grit wet/dry paper and a sureform rasp, always working along the grain, i.e. towards the bridge end of the neck. But I like hand tools... :toothy12: It would be a huge help to have another neck with a tight-fitting strat neck heel right there, for comparison. But I like Strat headstocks, too? :icon_scratch:

 

[imminentG]

I think it's quite interesting. Can't you just get a tele pocket on a strat body?

 

[BigBeard]

Why not say screw Warmoth.......  get on ebay and buy an Eden or mighty mite neck for $60 shipped either with a paddle neck, or get yourself a strat neck and sand the headstock down.  I would rather mess with a headstock than a neck pocket.  The neck pocket interface will alter tone if it is all cobbled up.  Personally I don't see the fascination with a plain maple warmoth neck at $200 when you can get the same exact thing for well under $100.  And if you screw up a $60 neck at the headstock, it is still usable.  You start chewing up neck pockets in bodies and heels on necks, you will have two pieces of firewood instead of maybe a mis-shaped headstock.  If you don't feel comfortable with shaping a headstock PM me, I'll do it for you.