Re-profiling a neck

[john_p_wi]

Hi Guys,

First post, been lurking around here for a while. 

Question, built my first Warmoth strat back in the mid-90's with a Warmoth pro standard thin neck, 1 3/4 @ nut.  Great guitar, just not quite the same as my USA made '83 Charvel that I bought new.  The Charvel has a slightly thinner profile, but not as thin as a Wizard.  What is so special about the Charvel is the rolled fretboard - not the edges, but the fretboard and neck shoulders.  The neck has a great elliptical shape that is very comfortable to play.  It is more like 0 shape instead of a D.

In a moment of weakness I just bought a birdseye showcase neck and will have SS6100 frets installed.  What precautions should I heed before attempting to roll the neck and thin the neck thickness and taper very slightly?  I was thinking of making a series of templates of both necks and shaping the new neck to be a blend half way between the two.

Ulimately it will be burnished and lightly oiled like the Charvel neck, which is in great shape except for the frets after 30 years.  Oooff, I'm getting old. 

Any kind words of wisdom?  I am hoping not to make a chunk of firewood...

Thanks!

John

 

[greywolf]

I've mildly reshaped many necks , you will likely void the warranty ,as long as you don't get radical you should be fine.
Knocking the hard edge off is easy , and best done progressively .  Go slow  , with 220 till you get the feel you want.

 

[john_p_wi]

Thank you Greywolf.  It is amazing what a difference in feeling rolling the fretboard starting about where it meets the neck / shaft wood gives.  I put a profile gauge on the back of the two necks and traced them on paper.  The backs were nearly identical, just the fronts were "different".  A luthier, in Illinois once told me some 35 years ago, hey, it's only wood....

I'll give it a go and see what happens...

Thanks!

 

[-CB-]

For one thing...the ss frets are going to be in the way

 

[john_p_wi]

You are correct sir, I'm thinking that I will have to run a file lengthwise of the neck, similarly to beveling the fret ends.  In a sense, "beveling" the fret board and fret ends simultaneously.  Think of numerous angles / bevels blended together to form a radius.  The nut width is 1.75 in and I'm only planning on taking off 0.025 per side, ending with an effective fret board width of 1.70 in.

Thanks.

 

[-CB-]

If you're a good craftsman, its doable.

Let me add some caution about getting the fret edge straight... any waviness will stick out badly.  You'll have to re-bevel the fret ends too.

And... keep in mind (for everyone else) that when you re-profile a neck, you also re-stress the neck, and it may deviate from being true.  Taken another way, if you buy a boatneck and think you're going to self carve and/or sand it into some other shape - forget it.  There are too many stresses in wood, and you're going to throw it totally out of alignment with itself.

 

[john_p_wi]

Thank you for the words of wisdom, I wouldn't say I am a good craftsman, just an old dog with a lot of varied  experience.  I think I will build it up first and give it a go for a while before I make too many changes.

Thanks.