warmoth strat: neck removal for pickups switch?

[barber76]

Warmoth standard strat body, modern construction neck.
Either I'm really stupid, or... I have to unscrew the neck for pickups change. :help: Because no way I can (un)slide pickguard with mounted pickups underneath the installed neck.
Could anyone, please, either confirm it, or point me to my mistake? I hope for the latter, that it is just misunderstanding on my part.
Thanks in advance.

 

[rolloman]

Make sure that there is enough of a space between the pickguard and neck that it can actually slide. Turn the neck pickup screws to raise the pickup as high as possible. Raise the tremolo end of the pickguard up while trying to slide the pickguard away from the neck. If your lucky the raised neck pickup along with the raised up tremolo end of the pickguard will allow you just enough clearance for the pickups to clear the body cavity and to clear the neck end for complete removal. It has worked for me many times. If not you can sometimes just loosen the neck screws and tilt the back end of it to gain some more space.

 

[Verne Bunsen]

I pull all of my 22 fret necks to remove the pickguard. Pain in the butt for sure. Not a Warmoth thing, just a neck-with-a-fret-board-overhang thing.

 

[Cagey]

That's typical. I'm sure if Leo & Co. had considered periodic pickup changes a normal activity, some design considerations would have been made. But, since they're not consumable, almost never fail, and generally wouldn't be changed for any other reason, why bother to make allowances for it? Actually, it wasn't until later years that aftermarket replacements were even available. Besides, how much trouble is it to pull a neck? It's 4 screws. If it looks like that would be a handy feature, you can always install threaded inserts in the heel and use machine screws to attach the neck. Makes it real easy to pull the neck on a whim or repeatedly without concern for stripping out mounting holes, etc.

There was a guitar from Dan Armstrong where he designed in "modular" pickpups. They sorta "slid" into a cavity with some quick-connects so you could get different sounds out of the same instrument. Never really caught on with anyone.

 

[Rick]

One solution is get a 21 fret neck.  No overhang.  When I realized I never go past the 21st fret, the decision on necks is easy, unless there's something really beautiful, then I just take the neck off.  In each guitar's life, after the inital set up, it probably only happens four times.  Twice for upgrades then tweaking the action for perfection. At least to mine.

 

[barber76]

Thanks everyone! At least, it was really the case, not me seeing things. I managed by slightly loosening the neck, without complete removal.

 

[rolloman]

good deal. Now when you get the strings back on and tuned you need to check that the e and the E strings at the heel end of the neck have approximately the same distance to the sides of the neck. If not slightly loosen the neck mounting screws and pull the neck one way or the other at the tuner end of it to change. Then tighten the neck screws and rock and roll. :guitarplayer2: