Need help comparing specs of fender neck to warmoths

[bluewaterjon]

Hi, I have been using a Warmoth all palisander roserwood strat neck on a Warmoth body. I am getting a new neck, and I want it to match the specs of the neck that came with my stock maple neck from made in Japan HSS Fender strat that I bought in around 1990, serial # L035465. This stock strat has a Floyd Rose and I guess it may have been set up for shredeers but I loved it. I called up Warmoth, but they have no record of the purchase because it was pre-2007 and thus can't figure out exactly what I bought. I do know the neck width is 1 5/8 and the neck of the maple stock strat neck is 1 11/16 so that's a big help, but I am stuck on several other important specs, the major one being the fret size.

I love the size of the frets on the fender (above). They seem to be fatter and a bit lower than the Warmoth ones ( or at least their tops have been filed down, if they do that at the factory, cuz I have never had either neck's frets dressed, crowed, etc)  I sent a pic of the Warmoth fretboard to Warmoth and they guestimated the frets are 6150. So I figure. well maybe the frets of that stock strat of mine ( which have never been messed with in any way) are 6130's, which Warmoth says are found on many Gibsons. I like the ones on that maple strat neck because they don't feel so bumpy when I am running across them. But I am concerned that if I get Warmoth 6130's, they will be too low, like the "fretless wonders".

Before I go ahead and order the 6130's, I thought I 'd share the pics with you and get your input. I notice that the Warmoth frets seem to be almost like a perfect half circle, while the frets I like better, the ones on the stock maple strat, seem to be lower, or if maybe they were simply ( not sure what the tech word is here) filed down at the factory to be flatter on top. I'd hate to order the Warmoth 6130's on my new neck and then realize they are not the same frets as the ones on my fender.I'd send the fender neck to Warmoth but they said they don't do that.

Also I need help on the neck dimensions as far as the depth of the neck. On my Warmoth neck, the nut width is 1 5/8 and at the 12th fret it’s exactly 2”. The depth of the neck ( as measured from back  to front) is almost 13/16 at fret one and exactly 13/16” at fret 12.
In contract the stock strat neck is1 and 11/16"   and 2 1/16" or a hair more at fret 12, and of even greater difference is that, compared to the almost uniform depth of the Warmoth neck depth, the neck depth is 12/16 at fret 1 and  13.5 /16" at fret 12.

So, I am wondering, with the dimensions I have for my older strat neck, which back of the neck profile would I pick, and which frets would I pick? The best data I have on the frets comes from looking at the pics. Keep in mind the maple neck is the one I am trying to duplicate.
Thanks for any and all input!!!
Jon

 

[Jusatele]

get a caliper and take measurements or else you are just guessing

 

[back2thefutre]

whay???

 

[jay4321]

I've got a Japanese '62 RI Strat body, and the neck pocket wasn't a fit for a U.S. neck. I took it to a pro and he wound up adjusting a Mighty Mite neck to fit.

Do your research for sure. 

 

[tfarny]

I would take measurements if its a critical deal. From your pics, I'd guess 6130 is what you want to get. They are my faves too.

 

[AutoBat]

Stainless Steel frets and a good fret job should get them exactly where you want them to be.  A competent luthier should be able to level them how you like, albeit it's an extra cost.  Some say that a neck is never finished until this is done (i'm not one of them) but this sounds like what you are asking for, to me.

 

[bluewaterjon]

Guys, thanks for all the input.
I did all the measuring I could with a digital set of calipers and found these measurements:
The width of the Fender  at nut  1.6685'  (or 1 43/64  or 42.38 mm)
At 12th  53.02mm  or  2.08 in or 2 3/32  in
The frets were 2.91 mm or .1145' or 7/64' in on the fender, and on the warmoth, Fret .1155" or 7/64" in or 2.9 mm
Basically it's a 1 and 11/16- the maple Fender that I like.
I went to a serious guitar store today, as Buffalo Brothers Guitars is 5 min away from me here in San Diego- and a guy told me that my Fender neck that I love so much is really almost a metal neck. He said it's a modified "C" with thin shoulders, and he emphasized the latter.  It has very little radius, with large frets that are not tall. He said that I could get a lutheir to take down the frest on my Warmoth but that still wouldn't give me that lovely back sjape on my Fender. I noticed that in all the Warmoth shapes, the shoulders all are not "thin"- in other words, they do not start sloping immediately. If you compare the drawings of all the different warmoth shapes, they seem to differ in the very back of the profile, but they all start out at the shoulders much the same way. Not sure if this makes sense, but it's obvious; you can tell by looking at how the differenjt drawings are when they superimpose them.
So it looks like I have narrowed down 2 things: I want a 1 11/16 at the nut, and I want maybe 6150's that are brought down a little bit, as I don't like that perfect round feel to them. I am asking the guys at Warmoth to send me some 6130 wire so I can check it out, too. The question is how do I get that thin shoulder profile. Even the wizard II neck from Warmoth seems to have that thick shoulder.
Thanks for your input guys
Jon

 

[Rickgrxbass]

Guys, thanks for all the input.
I did all the measuring I could with a digital set of calipers and found these measurements:
The width of the Fender  at nut  1.6685'  (or 1 43/64   or 42.38 mm)
At 12th  53.02mm  or  2.08 in or 2 3/32  in
The frets were 2.91 mm or .1145' or 7/64' in on the fender, and on the warmoth, Fret .1155" or 7/64" in or 2.9 mm
Basically it's a 1 and 11/16- the maple Fender that I like.
I went to a serious guitar store today, as Buffalo Brothers Guitars is 5 min away from me here in San Diego- and a guy told me that my Fender neck that I love so much is really almost a metal neck. He said it's a modified "C" with thin shoulders, and he emphasized the latter.  It has very little radius, with large frets that are not tall. He said that I could get a lutheir to take down the frest on my Warmoth but that still wouldn't give me that lovely back sjape on my Fender. I noticed that in all the Warmoth shapes, the shoulders all are not "thin"- in other words, they do not start sloping immediately. If you compare the drawings of all the different warmoth shapes, they seem to differ in the very back of the profile, but they all start out at the shoulders much the same way. Not sure if this makes sense, but it's obvious; you can tell by looking at how the differenjt drawings are when they superimpose them.
So it looks like I have narrowed down 2 things: I want a 1 11/16 at the nut, and I want maybe 6150's that are brought down a little bit, as I don't like that perfect round feel to them. I am asking the guys at Warmoth to send me some 6130 wire so I can check it out, too. The question is how do I get that thin shoulder profile. Even the wizard II neck from Warmoth seems to have that thick shoulder.
Thanks for your input guys
Jon

Not sure as I haven't seen Warmoth's rendition of the wizard in person, but most of the Ibanez necks (and ESP/LTD, come to think of it) I've seen/tried have what seems to be a flatter back and steeper shoulders, so I'm not sure what that guy means exactly.  But I think the square part of the neck profiles represents the fretboard, which is a stout 1/4" on Warmoth's (quite a bit thicker than most guitars), which on my neck at least are blended in a bit with the "shoulder" of the neck back; the drawings are just that, not precise cross-sections of the necks.  Fender has played around with neck profiles over the years, not to mention different profiles for different models, ie stagemasters, which based on your description may be what your particular strat is.

In any case, It sounds like the Wizard profile should get you close, if it comes down to it you can have the luthier who'll be doing your frets blend the contour in to the fretboard a little more.  Otherwise there's always ordering the standard thin and going at it with a belt sander, but that's pretty scary  :tard: