Some help and opinions on a 24.75" conversion neck?

[Myki]

Hi guys! I've been wanting to upgrade the neck on my Strat with a 24.75" scale conversion and wanted to hear your opinions on it. I've only ever played on 25.5" electric and acoustic guitars and for the most part get by with a lot of stretching exercises but I do like the idea of getting something more comfortable for my smaller than average sized hands as I grow older. Ideally I would like to try out some other guitars to have a better gauge on the specs, but due to lockdown that's not an option at the moment and honestly I am suffering from a bit of GAS.

Starting with the same neck profile as my Fender Player Strat, I figured that shortening the nut width and scale slightly would be a good option for me. I saw someone build a 7/8 Strat body with 24" Mustang neck and that caught my attention but I'm not sure whether I need to go that far? Especially considering the shipping costs and taxes as I live in Australia, I would prefer going the cheaper route and just get the neck. I posted some photos of some chords instead to perhaps get some opinions on this and whether you think this would be a good fit for me?

My build so far:
- Roasted Maple and Indian Rosewood
- Standard thin profile
- 12" radius (a bit flatter than 9.5" to accommodate a lower action and bending)
- 1 5/8" nut width
- 6150 stainless steel frets

 

[pwrmac7600]

ever play a Les Paul? Keep in mind that the guitar will feel different with a shorter scale length. My Les Pauls with the same gauge strings as I have on my 25.5" guitars have a much slinkier feel to them. Just something to keep in mind. I personally don't really notice it feeling any different when chording when i go back and forth between the two scale lengths. I find that the radius and neck profile make more of a difference there. I find big chords and bar chords easier in my Les Pauls 59 style neck profile than on a thinner, more modern profile. Just something you may want to consider, looking at profile and radius.

 

[Myki]

ever play a Les Paul? Keep in mind that the guitar will feel different with a shorter scale length. My Les Pauls with the same gauge strings as I have on my 25.5" guitars have a much slinkier feel to them. Just something to keep in mind. I personally don't really notice it feeling any different when chording when i go back and forth between the two scale lengths. I find that the radius and neck profile make more of a difference there. I find big chords and bar chords easier in my Les Pauls 59 style neck profile than on a thinner, more modern profile. Just something you may want to consider, looking at profile and radius.

Unfortunately I've done a bit of a disservice to myself by only ever playing Strat's and Tele's. That's probably the smarter move to wait until lockdown is over to test out different neck specs, but I don't know how long I can wait before accidentally clicking the order button!

 

[Rick]

You never know until you try.  Just go for it and see if you like it.  I'm probably pretty old compared to you, and I'm still looking for that perfect neck.

Last year I was in Western Australia, from Perth to Esperance, lovely place.

 

[WindsurfMaui]

I placed an order for a 24 3/4" neck a month ago but not because of my hand size. I think the shorter neck and lower tension on the strings will give me a warmer tone and make it easier to do large bends. I love Strats but will put a couple of humbuckers in one of my Strats and then put the 24 3/4" neck on it to get my StratoPaul.

Most people would tell you to do finger stretching exercises. But I'm not sure that really helps. And I'm not sure a 3/4" difference in length will feel that much different. So that leaves only two other options. One, use larger frets. Some say with larger frets and a light touch means you don't have to push the strings down to the fret board to get a clear note. The other is top reshape your neck shape.

Since you have a roasted Maple shaft I suggest you get some sandpaper and sand down the shoulder on the thumb side of the neck. You might have read on this website Cagey's thread on burnishing a roasted wood neck. I love the Warmoth Boatneck shape because it feels so good in my hand but before I burnish the roasted maple I use some 220 or 320 grit sandpaper and a sanding block and very very carefully reshape the neck by taking down the shoulders of my necks. (You want to be careful and use full strokes with the same pressure all the way down the neck so you don't put a low spot along the neck.) Since it is roasted Maple and shouldn't have a finish you won't be bothering the finish and then after you have it shaped just right for your hand you can then burnish it so it feels better than any neck has ever felt before.

 

[Ace Flibble]

Pick up one of your 25.5" scale guitars. Tune it down a half-step and put a capo on the first fret. You are now holding a 24" scale guitar. Want to know how 24.75" feels? Play a bit on the 24", then take off the capo and play with it as 25.5" for a bit, then put the capo back on and have another feel of 24". 24.75", unsurprisingly, feels halfway between the two and once you know how 25.5" and 24" feel it's easy to imaging how everything between feels.

That might sound flippant and obvious, but that's the most straight-forward way to get an idea of how different scales feel and whether a shorter one will suit you.

FWIW I play 27", 26.5", 25.5", 24.75", 24.5" and 24" back-to-back all the time, rarely using the same guitar for more than two songs in a row. When I first picked up a 24" it felt very small but after half an hour, going back to 25.5" felt like a gigantic and uncomfortable stretch. These days I don't even notice the change, I can go from one to the other without thinking about it or being conscious of any difference. You may be surprised at how quickly your muscle memory picks up on a different scale length and adapts.

 

[Myki]

Pick up one of your 25.5" scale guitars. Tune it down a half-step and put a capo on the first fret. You are now holding a 24" scale guitar. Want to know how 24.75" feels? Play a bit on the 24", then take off the capo and play with it as 25.5" for a bit, then put the capo back on and have another feel of 24". 24.75", unsurprisingly, feels halfway between the two and once you know how 25.5" and 24" feel it's easy to imaging how everything between feels.

That might sound flippant and obvious, but that's the most straight-forward way to get an idea of how different scales feel and whether a shorter one will suit you.

FWIW I play 27", 26.5", 25.5", 24.75", 24.5" and 24" back-to-back all the time, rarely using the same guitar for more than two songs in a row. When I first picked up a 24" it felt very small but after half an hour, going back to 25.5" felt like a gigantic and uncomfortable stretch. These days I don't even notice the change, I can go from one to the other without thinking about it or being conscious of any difference. You may be surprised at how quickly your muscle memory picks up on a different scale length and adapts.

Thanks for the tip! Playing on a simulated 24" scale length was actually pretty fun and considering to add something like this to my collection, but it didn't feel like a must have right. I think with my current guitar the slightly shortened 24.75" scale in combination with the thinner 1-5/8" nut width should be a good balance for me right now.

As with earlier advice I should consider the neck profile and radius more closely when it comes to comfort with chords. I know for sure that I do not want to go slimmer than the current standard thin that I am used to because I think anything slimmer will just cause my hands to cramp from pinching the neck. I am hoping that the 1-5/8" nut width will help with chords that involve wrapping my thumb around the neck. I was really interested in getting a 12" radius for a lower action and easier bending but I think it may negate some of the benefits I am hoping to get with the shorter nut width?

Scale length: 25.5" -> 24.75"
Nut width: 1-11/16" -> 1-5/8"
Neck profile: same
Radius: 9.5" -> ???

 

[WindsurfMaui]

It sounds like you want a compound radius neck. The 10 - 16 will give you both worlds.

I have the same problem that skinny necks make my hand cramp. So I went in the other direction and got the boatneck which feels good in my hands and has very little shoulder so it actually feels small in my hands. The Clapton V might be good for you and just take the shoulders down a little on the thumb side.

 

[jay4321]

If you order those specs don't like the neck let me know, I actually have a very similar roasted maple, short scale, 12" radius neck. Your frets/contour/nut width are different but definitely within my range. Find something to trade or whatever

 

[Myki]

I know it's difficult to guide someone through these sorts of things because a lot of it is personal preference, but I do appreciate the input from everyone so far. It has helped a lot.

I now know what 24" and 24.75" scale length will roughly feel like and reshaping the neck to taste later on is also an option as well. I actually have an old beaten up Squire that I use to practice my fret leveling and crowning on which I will use to practice reshaping the the neck if need be. Thanks!

 

[WindsurfMaui]

let me mention a couple of things about sanding a neck. If that old Squier neck has a finish on it, that is it's not roasted maple, then if you sand it down and take off the Finish that neck may eventually warp as the raw maple isn't protected from the weather, heat, humidity, etc. So only sand off the finish if you really don't care what happens to that neck. Only a roasted maple or other wood that does not need a finish can be sanded and burnished and the weather will not affect it. One other thing about sanding a roasted maple neck. My roasted maple neck had a kind of an orangish patina to it that kind of covered the grain of the wood. When I re-shaped the neck it took the orange patina off and the wood underneath was still a dark tan color but showed the grain beautifully. So I took a very mild Grit sandpaper, 1200 Grit, and very mildly sanded the whole neck including the headstock which basically just took the patina off of the whole neck so the color matched everywhere. So now the wood is still a dark color, it's not the raw white maple color, but the wood grain shows beautifully on the neck. So just in case when you start to shape the neck you see the change in color you won't be shocked by it.

 

[stratamania]

  If that old Squier neck has a finish on it, that is it's not roasted maple

It is unlikely an old Squier neck will be roasted maple.

However not all roasted maple necks that are used on production guitars are unfinished. Its probably more likely that most production guitars with roasted maple necks do have a finish.

If someone is going to sand down an old neck to practice a technique whether it has a finish or not would be missing the point of practicing a technique for reshaping a neck not intended for actual use.

 

[Myki]

let me mention a couple of things about sanding a neck. If that old Squier neck has a finish on it, that is it's not roasted maple, then if you sand it down and take off the Finish that neck may eventually warp as the raw maple isn't protected from the weather, heat, humidity, etc. So only sand off the finish if you really don't care what happens to that neck.

It's a beaten up body and neck that I found as spare parts and I used it to practice fretwork on and it turned out great. It's definitely not a roasted maple neck. I'm contemplating on stripping it down completely and learning some refinishing techniques and eventually giving it to my nephew (if it turns out ok).

 

[WindsurfMaui]

That is great. Then it is the perfect neck to practice sanding and shaping. Just be careful you may make it feel so great you won't want to give it away. I so love the feel of the roasted maple/Ebony neck with stainless frets that I shaped it seems to call me to pick it up. Finished necks feel so terrible that I have put Warmoth necks on my regular Fender Strats. But eventually I will buy a couple of Warmoth Strat bodies make two "perfect" guitars that I have customized with all the perfect features and will sell all the factory made guitars I own. I have been spoiled . I can't even go into a guitar store any longer because all those guitars with the finished necks hold no allure for me.