neck pocket dimension question

[mike_mccue]

Hi,
I am working on a home built guitar body and considering using a Warmoth Tele neck.
I am about to route my neck pocket and was thinking about the dimensions.
It occured to me that there are 2 measurements that I've never considered in detail.
Can you take a look at this sketch I prepared and offer any info?

I am trying to learn the original design specs for dimension "A" ( edit note A = 5/8" ) and "B" ( edit note B = 3/8" )?
I can measure this on other bodies that I have but really wanted to know the "ideal" dimension.

As for a Strat neck... other than the rounded heel... are there any other differences?

thanks very much,
mike

 

[SkuttleFunk]

I can't determine from your image, but it appears that you have drawn the pocket sides parallel to each other. if so, this is incorrect - there is a slight taper to the pocket sides that match the taper of the neck

all the best,

R

 

[mike_mccue]

on a Tele?

regardless, do you know what the "A" and "B" dimensions might be?

best regards,
mike

 

[SkuttleFunk]

no idea on the A/B dimensions - I don't do thin strings

yes - there is taper, even on a Tele. it is really easy to see if you look at this neck

see how the neck is wider at the heel end than it is at the nut end? tis same taper must be reproduced in the neck pocket. sure, the butt of the pocket is perpendicular to the centerline ... but the edges definitely do taper.


if you don't get the taper right ... who really cares about the hole locations ... they are a very minor detail compared to a botched neck pocket


all the best,

R

 

[mike_mccue]

I think the fact that the Warmoth necks come pre-drilled makes it somewhat relevant to know the "A" and "B" dimensions.

I've got a Stewart Macdonald acrylic neck pocket template for Strats and Bass as well as a self made Telecaster Template. I've also got a never built up Warmoth Strat body sitting here which I have measured. I'm not seeking info about neck taper.

I'm simply asking if Fender or Warmoth ever specifically located the neck bolt holes in relation to the pocket dimensions... and if so what the dimensions might be.

best regards,
mike

 

[dbw]

Why not just wait to drill the holes in the body until you have the neck?  Sorry we're not being helpful, but I have to agree with SeattleFunk that you should make sure you get the neck pocket right!

 

[mike_mccue]

I appreciate your concerns...

and I'm new here.

But why assume I'm going to route the neck pocket wrong?

I got a reply with the dimensions from a similar inquiry posted elsewhere.

So I modified my illustration to address the all the opinions and info suggested.

best regards,
mike

 

[dbw]

Welcome  ccasion14:

I'm not assuming you'll get it wrong but I'd be terrified of getting it wrong if I were in your shoes.    Can we see the rest of the plan?  What sort of neck is it going to be?

Thanks for updating, I'm sure that info will be useful to another brave builder in the future

 

[mike_mccue]

Here's a a quick sketch I made up tonight to quanitfy the dimensions and get it all clear in my mind:

The taper on the 3" long Fender style guitar neck pocket is apprx. 0.0456".

I'm sorry the picture is so large... but it is to scale:

I'll try to post some photo's of my body templates soon.

best regards,
mike

 

[jackthehack]

Are you old enough for me to have slept through your geometry class?

 

[dbw]

Hooray for math!  :icon_thumright:  Though you misspelled hypotenuse. 

Beautiful drawings by the way.  My CAD drawings always look really sterile and industrial.  What program did you use?

 

[DiMitriR33]

hey, welcome.

i hate math and love geometry and trig, even as it aplies to sin waves. go figure. the answer is yes! a strat and tele neck pocket are the same, other than the strat's radius, a strat neck fits directly onto a telecaster. the back of the radius lines up to the flat on the tele and from there all 4 holes line up perfectly and the nut is the corect distence from the bridge. now obviously it wont go the other way around. the corners on a tele neck won't go into a strat pocket.

so if you have a strat body just measure from the front edge to the center of the front holes, the from there you can figure the back ones. i'm sure you'll get it close enough. and if your neck doesn't line up quite right you can drill the body holes bigger, the neck plate will cover it.

 

[mike_mccue]

Thanks for the spell check... I corrected the spelling as suggested.


"Beautiful drawings by the way....  What program did you use?"

Thank you for the kind words... I'm actually old enough to have learned and worked with hand drawn pen and ink plans. I hand letter comfortably and used to be really proficient with a Leroy lettering scribe... CAD was just getting available when I started doing other things so I never learned a CAD program. I currently do a bit of 3d modeling and animation for work and that's as close to CAD as I've gotten.

To answer your question; the drawings shown were done in Adobe Illustrator in a style similar to my old pen and ink style.

It's nice to know someone enjoyed the linework... I don't draw much anymore but still enjoy it.

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions,
mike

 

[rogerzilla]

Some builders (not Warmoth) actually do make bodies with parallel neck pockets.  This doesn't really affect the sound, but it can look bad (gaps round the joint) and means you have to be very careful when bolting the neck on to ensure it's straight.