Want to buy a replacement neck, but...

[reluctant-builder]

So, I want to buy a replacement neck for my MiM Strat due to a divot in the fingerboard at the 4th fret under the D-string and a spot of finish wear above that. Let alone that it's a stock MiM neck and, also, some of the frets down the neck are well worn...

I'm craving a birdseye maple/maple CBS neck with a compound radius. However, I just read (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-870262.html) that the compound radius is problematic if one has staggered pole pieces, which I do.

I'm a lefty, so the pole pieces in my Texas Specials are already staggered in the direction opposite the intended. I haven't notice any huge issue with this, but it's not like I was ever able to compare it to the alternative (and the pup routes don't let me flip around the pups).

Being that I haven't found any huge quandary the result of oppositely staggered pole pieces on my 9.5" radius neck ... do you think I could run afoul of problems with a 10" - 16" neck?

I need to get a compound radius guitar in my hands so I have some tactile measure of the difference. I like the way the 9.5" neck feels and plays, but I don't yet know if I'd better like a compound fingerboard.

 

[TroubledTreble]

I wouldn't believe everything you read. There are many people here who play with staggered poles and compound radius necks. As far as I know there haven't been a huge or even a small amount of complaints. I do think a flat pole set up is preferable in most situations with today's string technology, but that may be just me. I don't think you would have any real issues one way or the other.

As for playing on a compound radius board I think it's a great innovation for guitars. It's very comfortable and facilitates guitar playing. There are some guitars in the stores now that have started offering compound radius necks. ( they are catching on! ) You can find one of those, or find someone here near your location and maybe they will let you play theirs.

 

[tfarny]

Exactly.

 

[Cagey]

What they said.

I have compound radius necks on all my guitars, and all the playable ones have pickups with staggered poles. It's not a problem in real life. If it were, you'd also have it with a 7.5" neck. That's a pretty tight circle, relatively speaking, so while bending or doing vibrato with your fretting hand, your strings are also moving up and down while moving back and forth. So, string distance from the poles changes all the time - sometimes pretty dramatically. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[tfarny]

I'd guess that a lot of guys who obsess over pole piece height, F-spacing, radius, etc. have got high frets they don't even bother to get leveled. You've got to distinguish between real problems and theoretical problems with a lot of this advice.

 

[reluctant-builder]

Thanks, guys. My inference from my own experience was that the pole pieces shouldn't be a problem, for the reasons I cited on my "flat" fingerboard, but it is always nice to asked the experienced to weigh in.

 

[Strat Avenger]

The compound radius is a non-issue as far as pickups are concerned.

I wouldn't believe everything you believe on TGP. While there are some knowledgeable people on there, there are also geeks, and fools...

 

[reluctant-builder]

Well, to be my own advocate, if I believed any of it ... I wouldn't ask you guys to tell me it's bullshit.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Corey P.]

As a temporary fix you could consider filling the divot with superglue & just carefully sanding down the excess, but yeah, if you're getting close to a refret you're better off cost-wise going with a new neck, and you can e-bay the old one as-is to recoup a good chunk of the cost.

 

[reluctant-builder]

I suppose I could try to eBay it, but I've got serious doubts as to the demand for a lefty neck from a Mexican Strat with both fret and fingerboard wear.

I did fill the divot with a little bit of wood paste, which more or less did the trick. To be honest, the divot hasn't been an issue for playability, but the fret wear is definitely starting to be an annoyance.

Besides, whether I junk the neck or someone actually wants it, the birdseye CBS would just be a million-times cosmetic (and maybe tonal?) improvement.

 

[Corey P.]

They say tone comes mainly from your hands, so...consider new hands?  :icon_tongue:

 

[line6man]

Aside from what others have said about not worrying about the staggers, it's not good practice to pick necks to match pickups. You do it the other way around. The radius of the neck effects it's playability. Why sacrifice the playability of an instrument for a set of pickups, when you can simply change the pickups?

 

[tfarny]

You could also just order a 9.5 fixed radius neck if you prefer it - nothing wrong with that. And - you'd be amazed at the shit you can sell on ebay.

 

[reluctant-builder]

They say tone comes mainly from your hands, so...consider new hands?  :icon_tongue:

Touché. Like "good love," "new hands" are hard to find.

 

[reluctant-builder]

I did research beforehand, because when I went into Guitar Center in Manhattan and asked someone if I could play a guitar with a compound radius fretboard, they looked at me like I had two heads. Near nobody knew what it was and the one guy who did, only knew of it, but had no clue as to its purpose.

So, I found out that the American Stratocaster Deluxe has a compound radius and went to the GC in Brooklyn and I asked them if they had that specific model. Nope. So I explained why I was looking for it, citing the compound radius again, and got looked at like I was a hydra. The girl working the terminal did some research and found a few additional models that boast a compound radius but said they didn't have any of them in the store.

I wound up chatting with the guy at the door, on my way out, who makes everyone check their bags. Turns out he's a lefty, too, so we commiserated on the dearth of stock guitars for a moment, but I cited how Warmoth has basically cured my disappointment by offering better than stock, and totally customizable, guitars to lefties in a plethora of body styles. He basically told me that the lack of high-end selection at the store was a mandate from on high so, if I want to find a compound radius fretboard, I'd have better luck at a Mom and Pop shop.

Looking for one of these things, just to see how it feels, is like looking for the Holy Grail.

"What ... is your favorite color?"

 

[Strat Avenger]

That's funny about GC, and the reason why I buy only strings, cables, & accessories from them.
I'd never buy a guitar there, and I'd never let any of them touch any of my guitars...

 

[Alfang]

I think Ken more credibly state the advantage or disadvantage of stagered pole pieces, but heres my two cents, it doesnt matter, theres a magnetic field arround the top and bottom of all the magnets that blends together, which the strings pass through, its a farely large magnetic field, one pole up or down is the result of old school theory, and actually doesnt help or hinder the pickups detection of one string over another. but still people in the know build pups this way, cuz it looks cool i guess

 

[jackthehack]

I have staggered Strat pickups on several builds with Warmoth Pro compound radius necks - ZERO issues. What you read was obviously written by some moron that never put a guitar with that configuration together and has no clue of what they're talking about.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I have staggered Strat pickups on several builds with Warmoth Pro compound radius necks - ZERO issues. What you read was obviously written by some moron that never put a guitar with that configuration together and has no clue of what they're talking about.

+1

 

[thewrathchilde]

if you want to try a compound radius neck at GC play an of the Jacksons they have. All the new Jackson guitars, even the intro level ones come with a compound radius neck.