Neck alignment

[erogenousjones17]

I just bought a maple neck on the 'bay to go on a surf green strat body I've had for a little while (I plan on springing for a bird's eye or flame maple Warmoth neck in the future, when my income is more stable :icon_biggrin. What I did not know, however, is that Mighty Mite necks do not have pre-drilled mounting holes. Basically, I'm terrified to mess this up.

Any tips on how to proceed? Should I wait until I have parts such as a bridge and pickups to check alignment before I drill anything?

This is my second build ("assembly"), and I have access to a well-stocked workshop, as well as to my father, who is a skilled woodworker. I'm not generally incompetent, so am I panicking more than I should be?  :tard:

 

[Unwound G]

The key word is "alignment".  If your Surf Green Strat body is pre-drilled for bridge/tremolo, you can align the neck in relation to the center of the 3rd and 4th bridge/tremolo screw holes by using the neck's dot markings as the centerline.  If the pickguard is well made and precisely cut, all the pickup polepieces will line up perfectly once the strings are on.

 

[erogenousjones17]

Alright. What if the holes for the trem aren't predrilled? Should I line everything (i.e. neck and bridge) up at the same time?

 

[Unwound G]

Yup.  Everything should be in a straight line.  It may be an idea to mount the neck first (hopefully the pocket is a snug fit) taking an alignment center in relation to the pickup routs.  Once the neck is on, take the centerline from the dot markings to position the bridge.

 

[erogenousjones17]

The neck pocket is a VERY snug fit, so that's a good thing I guess. :icon_biggrin:

Thanks!