Nut tweaks & weird intonation on Strat Tiltback Gibson Scale Conversion neck

[Rick]

Or you could get frets 1-5 perfect and live with it.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

I live in Lancaster, PA and there are currently String Saver Saddles on there (an attempt to get things within normal range/tuning). If the intonation is incorrect the neck is useless to me.

 

[Rick]

Sorry ... don't know a luthier in lancaster pa, but it's a big enough city to have a pro luthier who can give you a proper assessment. Just use that high tech information detection gathering device called google and / or ask a pro musicians in your area who they use. They can end the shillyshallying and provide a definitive answer.

 

[stratamania]

At this point, I don't think there is much that further discussion in this thread can achieve over and above the suggestions already given. If it is out of spec, it perhaps should have been sent back to Warmoth. Perhaps try contacting customer services, but at this point this thread alone is more than a year old so it may be a bit late.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

Sorry ... don't know a luthier in lancaster pa, but it's a big enough city to have a pro who can give you a proper assessment. Just use that high tech information detection device called google and / or ask a couple of pro musicians in your area who they use.

Already had a luthier here look at it. Daniel Morales. https://www.moralesguitars.com/
I will certainly contact customer service. Their neck, if improper, is going back to them. One way or the other.

 

[Rick]

So morales said it's out of spec? If it's out of spec, why'd he give you a new nut. Something doesn't make sense.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

So morales said it's out of spec? If it's out of spec, why'd he give you a new nut. Something doesn't make sense.

I am not sure that he checked the scale length - probably just assumed it was as ordered, like me and the tech before him. I will find out for sure when I go back later this week.

 

[teleme01]

what body do you have it on, is it a warmoth body?

 

[Bruce Campbell]

what body do you have it on, is it a warmoth body?

1997 Fender American Standard Strat.

 

[stratamania]

By the way, when measuring fret to fret for spacing, you measure from the centre of the fret or fret slot to the next fret centre. For the nut, you measure from the leading edge of the nut to the centre of the first fret. And you need accurate calipers.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

Unfortunately, my tech didn't seem to understand/like/respect what I wanted, and I'm not happy with how that request was received, so it might be time to acquire calipers (suggestions welcome). After consulting other threads including this it seems like bridge intonation & adjustment range can definitely get weird with the Gibson conversion necks.

Has anyone had this issue (conversion neck on Fender body) and then found the neck intonated properly on a Warmoth (or other) body?

 

[stratamania]

It is not unusual to sometimes have to shorten a spring for the low E, the last one I did was on a 25.5" scale.

Also, it is not unusual on shorter scale lengths such as on Gibson Les Paul's to have to sweeten the tuning differently to a 25.5". I don't know how much experience you have with different scale lengths but you may be running into a difference of expectation. It sounds like you also need to find someone locally who can provide the help you need.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

I've had experience with different scale lengths. I have flipped saddles on TOMs to deal with this, and am about to shorten or remove the low E spring. I expect a neck that I paid over $300 for to intonate correctly on my Fender body, as Warmoth advertises it should. So, more like a difference of what goods/services are actually provided to me vs. what I was led to believe I was paying for.

Might be hard to believe but there's not much good help to be had around here. Unless you like hanging with techs who won't address your concerns, or are OK with them insulting you to your face the whole time. Usually you get both at once.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

After taking out the springs behind the G and low E saddles and taking them as far back as possible within the bridge, they will still not intonate. At this point I am going to put the original 25.5" scale neck on and go from there. It would be good to get to use this on another body, but it would be even dumber to order another one and have it not work. So I am going to ask Warmoth if I can send it in to at least get verified it could work. If it won't, this is a tough lesson in sunk costs. Thanks to those who have offered help and suggestions.

 

[stratamania]

@Bruce Campbell can you post some pics of the original neck at the heel end both front and rear and the neck pocket of the body etc. I am wondering now if your original body and neck are to a different spec than something complying to vintage spec.

How many frets does the original neck have, and does it have a fretboard overhang?

 

[Bruce Campbell]

@Bruce Campbell can you post some pics of the original neck at the heel end both front and rear and the neck pocket of the body etc. I am wondering now if your original body and neck are to a different spec than something complying to vintage spec.

How many frets does the original neck have, and does it have a fretboard overhang?

Thanks for staying with this, stratamania. I'll post some pics tomorrow when I take the neck off. I'll also measure the pocket for the relevant dimensions - it does seem like something could be different from vintage spec on my American Standard.

The original has 22 frets, and a slight overhang.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

Upon measuring the neck pocket, the length is 2 15/16", width is 2 3/32", depth is 19/32". So maybe that 1/16" is enough to throw off the intonation?

 

[TBurst Std]

I’m on my phone, so looking at a small pic, but the guard seems to be extending over the neck pocket.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

I’m on my phone, so looking at a small pic, but the guard seems to be extending over the neck pocket.

I just put the original neck back on - would it even fit if the guard ran over? Both necks fit OK in the pocket.

 

[TBurst Std]

could be tolerances. We have have a number of people here over the years that thought the neck completely set, but it didn’t. Easy check, remove the guard screws and shift it back, then reset the neck and check intonation.