Neck sources for first-time Partscaster build?

I'm ready to slap together my first Partscaster in the hopes of finally getting a Tele with a neck I can live with. I'm not really at the point where I'm willing to build or finish the neck. I just want a ready-to-bolt-on option.

I've been staring at USACG's neck pricing and options for six months now. I know I can get what I want from them, but it's gonna cost me something like $450-550 *before* nut installation. Ouch, ouch ouch ouch.

What I need is:

- Maple fretboard
- High gloss finish on fretboard
- U / D neck profile
- Rather flat radius (12") or compound radius (to 15-16")
- As thin a neck as practical (less than 0.8", preferably more like 0.75")
- As wide a string spacing as practical (1 7/8" nut width ideally, but can back that down a little if it means not having to get a custom neck pocket cut)

I'm not super picky about fret type, but I do want it wide, thin, flat, and D / U-shaped-- darn near a good classical guitar neck (albeit with a gloss-maple fretboard) on a Tele body. Basically, I want virtually the polar opposite of the average Tele neck. :)

I know USACG will do great work but I balk at having to throw down that much for a neck alone. I'm a bargain-gear hunter and I have few *guitars* that are worth that much in total.

Are there any other options out there for getting me close to what I want for a bit less change?

I'd even consider off-the-shelf options if the price is right and said prefab neck is much less of a baseball bat in the hand than the traditional Tele neck shape. It'd be better than nothing and would encourage me to go ahead and make the jump into Partscasterville.

Warmoth produces spec'ed necks of extremely high quality. Don't know how much you'd save, though.

there are none finer than USACG's, and you can often find a deal on their web specials at or around what an Allparts will cost….

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/neckspecials.asp

as a second, Try Allparts, their necks are made by the same guys making the Fender Japan Necks, and while they will take a bit more sanding to get em ready for paint, they are also excellent.

Ron Kirn

I love my Musikraft neck, which was a fair bit cheaper - a standard neck is $195, and then you can add on to that to customise. I was very impressed with the quality, though have never tried USAGC or Allparts, so have no frame of reference.

Yeah, I've also looked into most of these at one point or another; Musikraft *was* turning up a bit cheaper vs. USACG (although there was something that was a dealbreaker with them last I priced them out, but I can't remember exactly what it was right now)... Warmoth not so much... and [edit:] Allparts isn't carrying anything that comes remotely close to my specs ATM.

Either way, I've mostly checked all these dudes out, along with Mighty Mite (yeah, no way).

Aside from the usual suspects I'm also kind of wondering if there are folks operating on TDPRI who are doing good neck-makin' work, and/or others who are maybe a bit more below the radar for folks like me who only know about the "mainstream" sources.

OK I got this neck today from CB Gitty. And it cost 48 bux.

https://www.cbgitty.com/cubecart/guitar-necks.html

some pics if I can manage:

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad301/Shamangoof/Telecaster/CB%20Gitty%20neck/285f2142.jpg
http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad301/Shamangoof/Telecaster/CB%20Gitty%20neck/38693889.jpg
http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad301/Shamangoof/Telecaster/CB%20Gitty%20neck/5d2a7d16.jpg
http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad301/Shamangoof/Telecaster/CB%20Gitty%20neck/f7933591.jpg

Anyway, I compare it to a neck that I got from Warmoth - Warmoth is probably a bit better but costs nearly 4X as much hey.

Scout around that site a bit. Terrific guy to do business with.

Cheers - Ed

Thanks Ed, I'll check this out!

Hey Ed, no specs whatsoever on that neck on the Gitty website, I'm guessing that this is your standard "baseball bat" Tele profile...? Any comments on thickness / contour / radius distinctions between this and the more common Fender neck profiles?

It's not one piece - there is a separate fingerboard. The radius is about 15" using the Stewmac gauges. it is 1 11/16" wide at nut. Seems to be about 3/4" thick at nut but havent taken the calipers to it yet. I would have preferred it a