NovasScootYa
Senior Member
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Update photos for July 25 & 26 2025 down below...
The Start Strat Build...
Alder body arrived today Thursday June 12, 2025, 4 lbs 11.5 oz per requested heavier weight, has the contour heel option...couldn't be more pleased...waiting G conversion neck shipment.
June 26, 2025 update below...
The body has the Warmoth Contour Heel option plus it now has the Fender Original Contour Heel design which lowers the now doweled W pocket corner an additional 3/16". I would have went with a variation of the newer Fender Ultra Contour design if it were not for the corner mounting bore in the W neck heel showing and the $15 option to eliminate the neck mounting bores. And speaking about the F Ultra Contour Heel design someone wanting a W neck for an Ultra body may have a bit of the W brand showing on the heel.
Body also had the single coil rout filled in with shaped epoxy bonded spruce plugs left over from my violin making days, I prefer the body is dedicated to the number and type of pickups used. Neck inserts and screw lengths cut and fitted, recess rout for a ProAttach II Rail completed. A snap on loop attached to the strap helps with the conversion neck playing position, view video below.
Reamed F strap buttons to use #8 x 1" screws. Oversize stainless mounting screws for the USA Fender vintage spaced bridge were lapped with fine valve grinding compound. Body appears tan because it spends sunny days on a shaded deck.
Ordered all paint supplies except the color which will probably be Banana Pudding as seen way down below, color won't be needed until all the playing bugs are squashed.
Below Update for July 11, 2025...
Neck arrived safely today...Quartersawn Maple faint flame, CBS headstock, Gibson scale, narrow 6105 wire, Very nice Indian Rosewood board, 1 11/16" nut, Vintage tuner bores, Fatback. Already roughly fitted the nut, next installing tuners, neck inserts and stringing it mainly to verify the low e saddle doesn't bottom the spring to intonate and saves me work to correct. If the low E saddle spring coil binds for intonation the spring does not need cutting the bridge needs moving.
Below Update for Friday July 25, 2025...
Guitar assembled and as anticipated I had to plug bores and move the bridge .120" rearward to correct low E saddle spring coil bind, saddle positions and intonation are now spot on. Good news was moving the bridge and pickguard back accordingly allowed for undercutting the horn area a little to improve fret access, playing the last 4 frets without the excessive bumping and rubbing is mucho better.
Nonetheless not wanting to make contact with the pocket corner means using the W Contoured heel option along with doing the Fender Ultra Contour heel cut or similiar. Using the Ultra Contour also means purchasing the W Gibson scale neck without mounting bores otherwise the corner 4 bolt bore will show. And when doing a full Fender Ultra Contour mod there is a chance a bit of the black W heel branding will show. And you will not attach the W Modern neck without using a ProAttach II Kit and those are currently not being produced. For those not familiar with the ProAttach II workings, a recess is cut in the body for the Proattach Rail to occupy when the neck and body join. The attached to the neck heel rail straddles the side adjustment and is secured by two #8 screws. The rail forward attachment point moves the load closer to the original 4 bolt configuration...ProAttach Kits are bullet proof. Installation requires a drill press, calipers and some skill to avoid hurting yourself.
I'll do some measuring when the neck is off and see how Ultra F the below contoured heel can be made without a F up.
Guitar plays well, sounds good, still lots of work ahead.
Update July 26, 2025...
I burned the midnight oil and modified the above Contoured Contour Heel to fall more in line with the Fender Ultra Contour Heel Design. Compared to the above photo the below results look better with the pocket corner tapered off and blended, access to the 22nd low E fret side was dramatically improved. Note how much of the corner dowel was shaved. Of course if the neck corner was not drilled the body dowel would be completely gone. Nonetheless the way it is gets the job done.
IMO Fender got it right with their Ultra Contour Heel Design, they understood the entire corner had to go to better accomodate 22 fret necks...Will I be running to convert my 74, 75 and 76 Strats with Warmoth necks to the Ultra Contour Heel? No and Heck No but yes for the next build.
And until next update...Below are a couple of many builds from days gone by...
This build has a Warmoth Canary 59 Roundback Modern Construction Neck, 6105 SS wire, vintage tuners, fancy dots. The Hardtail Body is Alder; cannot remember who made it. Pickups are Van Zandt Blues neck, middle, Rock bridge. Fender engine turned pickguard, etc.
A ProAttach Kit was used to attach the Warmoth Pro/Modern construction side adjust neck.
Below is another build from days gone by. This one was acquired off eBay and underwent a makeover. It has a Warmoth modern side adjust neck with Gibson size wire, Clapton profile, USA Fender vintage spaced trem, Fralin Blues pickups, etc. When received the overhang was somewhat pressurized against the thick pickguard however the previous owner did a nice job stripping the Fender SSS 4 bolt body and installing the decal, tuners and string tree.
Before makeover...
After makeover.
Fender style Contour heel mod was added, ProAttach II Kit used to install the W Modern Construction neck, back cover holes were filled, bore for the trem arm was filled and 5 springs installed, one way or another it was going to be a hardtail.
The Start Strat Build...
Alder body arrived today Thursday June 12, 2025, 4 lbs 11.5 oz per requested heavier weight, has the contour heel option...couldn't be more pleased...waiting G conversion neck shipment.
June 26, 2025 update below...
The body has the Warmoth Contour Heel option plus it now has the Fender Original Contour Heel design which lowers the now doweled W pocket corner an additional 3/16". I would have went with a variation of the newer Fender Ultra Contour design if it were not for the corner mounting bore in the W neck heel showing and the $15 option to eliminate the neck mounting bores. And speaking about the F Ultra Contour Heel design someone wanting a W neck for an Ultra body may have a bit of the W brand showing on the heel.
Body also had the single coil rout filled in with shaped epoxy bonded spruce plugs left over from my violin making days, I prefer the body is dedicated to the number and type of pickups used. Neck inserts and screw lengths cut and fitted, recess rout for a ProAttach II Rail completed. A snap on loop attached to the strap helps with the conversion neck playing position, view video below.
Reamed F strap buttons to use #8 x 1" screws. Oversize stainless mounting screws for the USA Fender vintage spaced bridge were lapped with fine valve grinding compound. Body appears tan because it spends sunny days on a shaded deck.
Ordered all paint supplies except the color which will probably be Banana Pudding as seen way down below, color won't be needed until all the playing bugs are squashed.
Below Update for July 11, 2025...
Neck arrived safely today...Quartersawn Maple faint flame, CBS headstock, Gibson scale, narrow 6105 wire, Very nice Indian Rosewood board, 1 11/16" nut, Vintage tuner bores, Fatback. Already roughly fitted the nut, next installing tuners, neck inserts and stringing it mainly to verify the low e saddle doesn't bottom the spring to intonate and saves me work to correct. If the low E saddle spring coil binds for intonation the spring does not need cutting the bridge needs moving.
Below Update for Friday July 25, 2025...
Guitar assembled and as anticipated I had to plug bores and move the bridge .120" rearward to correct low E saddle spring coil bind, saddle positions and intonation are now spot on. Good news was moving the bridge and pickguard back accordingly allowed for undercutting the horn area a little to improve fret access, playing the last 4 frets without the excessive bumping and rubbing is mucho better.
Nonetheless not wanting to make contact with the pocket corner means using the W Contoured heel option along with doing the Fender Ultra Contour heel cut or similiar. Using the Ultra Contour also means purchasing the W Gibson scale neck without mounting bores otherwise the corner 4 bolt bore will show. And when doing a full Fender Ultra Contour mod there is a chance a bit of the black W heel branding will show. And you will not attach the W Modern neck without using a ProAttach II Kit and those are currently not being produced. For those not familiar with the ProAttach II workings, a recess is cut in the body for the Proattach Rail to occupy when the neck and body join. The attached to the neck heel rail straddles the side adjustment and is secured by two #8 screws. The rail forward attachment point moves the load closer to the original 4 bolt configuration...ProAttach Kits are bullet proof. Installation requires a drill press, calipers and some skill to avoid hurting yourself.
I'll do some measuring when the neck is off and see how Ultra F the below contoured heel can be made without a F up.
Guitar plays well, sounds good, still lots of work ahead.
Update July 26, 2025...
I burned the midnight oil and modified the above Contoured Contour Heel to fall more in line with the Fender Ultra Contour Heel Design. Compared to the above photo the below results look better with the pocket corner tapered off and blended, access to the 22nd low E fret side was dramatically improved. Note how much of the corner dowel was shaved. Of course if the neck corner was not drilled the body dowel would be completely gone. Nonetheless the way it is gets the job done.
IMO Fender got it right with their Ultra Contour Heel Design, they understood the entire corner had to go to better accomodate 22 fret necks...Will I be running to convert my 74, 75 and 76 Strats with Warmoth necks to the Ultra Contour Heel? No and Heck No but yes for the next build.
And until next update...Below are a couple of many builds from days gone by...
This build has a Warmoth Canary 59 Roundback Modern Construction Neck, 6105 SS wire, vintage tuners, fancy dots. The Hardtail Body is Alder; cannot remember who made it. Pickups are Van Zandt Blues neck, middle, Rock bridge. Fender engine turned pickguard, etc.
A ProAttach Kit was used to attach the Warmoth Pro/Modern construction side adjust neck.
Below is another build from days gone by. This one was acquired off eBay and underwent a makeover. It has a Warmoth modern side adjust neck with Gibson size wire, Clapton profile, USA Fender vintage spaced trem, Fralin Blues pickups, etc. When received the overhang was somewhat pressurized against the thick pickguard however the previous owner did a nice job stripping the Fender SSS 4 bolt body and installing the decal, tuners and string tree.
Before makeover...
After makeover.
Fender style Contour heel mod was added, ProAttach II Kit used to install the W Modern Construction neck, back cover holes were filled, bore for the trem arm was filled and 5 springs installed, one way or another it was going to be a hardtail.
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