Strat Neck heel shape different from neck pocket?!

[alex]

Hi all,

I am a first time poster, as well as working on my first project.

I have had my first guitar (a 1996 Lefty Korean Squier Stratocaster) sitting around for years and recently decided to make it playable again.
Due to some artistic stupidity in my youth, the neck needs replacing, in addition to the pickups, wiring, bridge, etc. I've also stripped off the old poly finish and I'm re-painting in nitrocellulose. Basically, I've stripped everything away except the body and pickguard.

In doing this it has obviously become a full assembly project which I am learning about as I go.

I have purchased  a CBS Warmoth Pro neck (Boatneck, 6105ss frets, graphtech xl nut, vintage tint satin nitro finish) which I love, however in comparison to the pre-existing neck, it does not appear to match the body.

The Warmoth site's known fit issues did not include this body type, and the measurements matched when I purchased it.
From what I've seen Necks are not always a perfect fit, however this neck has a different shaped curve at the end. Is this a quirk of CBS necks, and I should've bought a standard?

Has anyone here experienced this issue before? Any options for repair?

I'm worried I'm going to have to give up on this neck at the moment.

Apologies for the photos, I'm midway through grain filling in preparation for painting.

Thanks in advance for the assistance,  and my apologies for raving on so much...

 

[Cagey]

First off, welcome to the board! We have a lotta fun here, and I think you'll enjoy it.

As to your issue...

Oddly enough, Warmoth's part is substantially more likely to be the correct part, specifications-wise. Fender stuff can be all over the place. Country of origin, year of manufacture, corporate ownership/attitude/management/marketing, financial considerations, materials availability, IP issues, production load, whether it's Monday or Friday - you name, it's had an effect on their output. These days, saying you have a Fender [insert model here] doesn't mean much past a general body shape. I don't think anyone there even knows how to spell "standard". Whip out any Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, AMS, et al catalog and look up a Strat. You'll have your choice of 8,729 models, and that's just this year. They've been making them since what, '54 or so?

If it was me, I wouldn't consider giving up on the neck. I'd call that the "good" part, and be prepared to sacrifice the body. Use it for now to learn about anything you feel you need help with, but plan on a good part from Warmoth (or somebody) in the future.

If you're concerned about that fit, I'd suggest installing some threaded inserts in the neck heel. That way, you get a VERY firm connection from the neck to the body. You won't have to worry about tone/sustain/super-intelligent talking mice. Also get a well-made pickguard - that'll hide a multitude of sins for not much money.

 

[alex]

Thanks for the advice and the welcome.
Unfortunately I don't know what you mean by Threaded Inserts. The body is of my first guitar, so I'm pretty keen to keep it, due to sentimental value.

In measuring where the screw holes are aligning on the Warmoth neck, the fit is even worse. is there any recommendation  anyone would have to fill gaps like these in a way that will maintain resonance between the body and neck?
I've got some thin wood (almost veneer thickness) that I could fill gaps with, but has anyone done this before? Will it be an effective solution?

Sorry If I'm unclear here. I'll try and get some better photos of it.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

The screws clamp the neck down into the pocket. That's where the acoustic coupling happens. You don't need to worry about sonic repercussions from the neck not fitting the pocket exactly. You do need to make sure that it will intonate properly, though.

 

[Cagey]

Threaded inserts are metal parts designed to allow you to use machine screws in wood parts rather than wood screws.

They make for tighter joints and increased service life.

 

[stratamania]

Assuming you can screw the neck on and it does intonate correctly, all that is left is a gap.

It won't matter tonally really. But if you want to fill the gap  the simplest way mentioned above is to use a pick guard and it will cover it.

If that isn't enough and you want to fill the gap you could glue in some wood that is bigger than the gap and then shape it to correspond with the neck. You might want to use a pick-guard as a guideline to making a template. How you shape it could be hand tools or a dremel tool, or router and finally sandpaper.

If it's going to be a solid colour you could probably make it invisible.

Of course all of the above will vary results wise dependent on experience with the tools.  Practice on scrap.

 

[alex]

Thank you so much for that. Much appreciated.

In terms of the scale etc, to confirm this, do I just measure from the bridge to the nut and confirm it's still 25.5"?
If this is off, will I need to fill and re-drill the screw holes?

You can see the size of the gap in the below images.
I'm painting it a solid colour, and I am planning on relicing it a bit as well. so it should not look too bad.

Who knew a project like this would be so fraught with peril lol.

I'm nearly finished painting, and will be attaching the neck properly in the next few days, so we'll see how it goes from there.

 

[stratamania]

The simplest way to check is put the bridge back on, screw on the old neck and make some measurements and write them down. Take off the neck and compare, if it's the same you should be good but you could put a set of strings on and tune up and check it intonates at the 12th fret.

If all is well take it apart and do your finishing etc.

Is the old neck salvageable ? If so maybe a new body may lead to two guitars ;-)