Round Neck Heel Corners

[rgand]

How about Warmoth rounding off the heel corners of neck fretboard extensions? At least offer it as an option. Next string change, I'll take the neck off mine and block sand these round so they look a lot better. In the process, I'll also sand off the warranty. Surely this isn't a hard thing to do when the neck is made.

 

[aarontunes]

For clarity, the fingerboard extensions are rounded on some necks, and square on others:


Here's a handy guide:

• 25-1/2" scale, flat headstock necks (all Fender® replacement necks - Strat®, Tele®, Jazzmaster®, etc.), plus Warhead, Slapshot, Mooncaster, 12-strings, Arrow, etc: round
• Gibson®-scale conversion necks: square (always)
• Baritone-scale conversions necks: round
• All Tiltback necks (Warmoth, Vortex, Nomad, Hombre, etc.): square
• except for>>>Tiltback Strat®: round
• 7/8 Warhead: Square

 

[rgand]

Thanks for the information, Aaron. My next purchase will probably be a baritone conversion so it's nice to hear I'll get to keep the warranty on that.

Just out of curiosity, why are some square and others round?

 

[Fat Pete]

Just out of curiosity, why are some square and others round?

Look at the pic you posted; there isn't room for Strat-style fingerboard end as the 22nd fret is closer to the bridge than on a 25 1/2" scale neck. They could have done a (smaller) Tele-style - straight with round corners - but may have decided that didn't work as well aesthetically - or that it just wasn't one of the shapes people are familiar with.

 

[rgand]

Just out of curiosity, why are some square and others round?

Look at the pic you posted; there isn't room for Strat-style fingerboard end as the 22nd fret is closer to the bridge than on a 25 1/2" scale neck. They could have done a (smaller) Tele-style - straight with round corners - but may have decided that didn't work as well aesthetically - or that it just wasn't one of the shapes people are familiar with.

I'm not talking about a Strat-style end, just the corners rounded off slightly. See the mock-up photo below.

 

[Cagey]

...or that it just wasn't one of the shapes people are familiar with.

That's probably more to the point. These are replacement parts, mostly for Fender guitars. Even if the license agreement doesn't specify it, I gotta think the market would be looking for a replacement part to be configured much the same as the original.

 

[Cagey]

I'm not talking about a Strat-style end, just the corners rounded off slightly. See the mock-up photo below.

I can't imagine Warmoth being so vindictive that they'd disqualify a warranty claim for a modification like that. Basically what they're warranting as that the thing won't warp/twist, the fretboard delaminate, have a truss rod let go or the finish flake off (if there is one). What else could go wrong? And how could any of those things happen as a result of sanding the corners like that?

 

[rgand]

I'm not talking about a Strat-style end, just the corners rounded off slightly. See the mock-up photo below.

I can't imagine Warmoth being so vindictive that they'd disqualify a warranty claim for a modification like that. Basically what they're warranting as that the thing won't warp/twist, the fretboard delaminate, have a truss rod let go or the finish flake off (if there is one). What else could go wrong? And how could any of those things happen as a result of sanding the corners like that?

I called to specifically ask about this and was told I can burnish it all I want because that's considered finish sanding. Even though rounding off the corners won't affect playability or anything, it is considered a modification and voids the warranty. It's roasted maple so there isn't a finish to compromise. These necks are top quality and chances of a problem are very slim but it's nice to have the warranty just the same.

 

[aarontunes]

Just out of curiosity, why are some square and others round?

These are replacement parts, mostly for Fender guitars. Even if the license agreement doesn't specify it, I gotta think the market would be looking for a replacement part to be configured much the same as the original.

I can't tell you why some are square and others are round. I can tell you that from a Warmoth employee's perspective, the round vs square corners come in very handy for ID'ing neck constructions. Once you know all the "rules", it becomes much easier to tell a customer what kind of neck they have just by looking at their cell-phone pictures. I suspect this could be part of the reason we continue to use them.

By and large, our replacement necks are configured the same as the original. The Gibson®-scale conversion necks are the only exception, and while they are designed to replace a 25-1/2" scale neck, the conversion idea is an original Warmoth concept, so....we get a pass on those, I guess....maybe. As to why the Bari Conversion was done round, but the Gibson®-Conversion is square: again, my guess would be that Bari Conv necks are easily visually distinguishable from 25-1/2" scale necks (over 3" longer, 24 frets, etc.), while Gib Conv are not. On a Gib Conv, the square corners are the "tell".

 

[rgand]

Thanks, Aaron. That's interesting.