197* RI Strat Help

O.K., I have the body already and until I can afford thee proper neck for it I would like to get some goodies for it and maybe even a Warmoth neck. I have scowered the web for photos and there aren't many out there for some reason.

So down to the tacks here, The pic's I have found of it in natural are set up with a white face. Pick guard, pup's , knobs, whammy bar tip etc.

I have seen it with a rosewood, fret and in maple as well.....................
So,,,, lend your ear and expertize kiddies, I need some help. Like I said I /it will end up back as correct as I can get her.

If you have one please post some close up pic's of the hardware, inside neck pocket area, neck etc.. it would/will be most helpful.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Nice. I don't have any pics for you, but I'm gonna go with rosewood neck to contrast the light finish and to add some warmth to the guitar's sound...because it's swamp ash. I think.

http://www.strat-central.com/70sstrats/index.htm

Well I ordered up everything,, But a Loaded Pick Guard. Still trying to figure out if I want to go that out route....

The pic's I have found of it in natural are set up with a white face. Pick guard, pup's , knobs, whammy bar tip etc.


Late 70s was mostly all black pickguard etc. My 77 was natural with black pickguard, pickups, knobs and trem tip. I think it looks good, but many shudder when they see anything 70s that has the Fender name on it.

See Google:
http://www.google.com/search?num=10&hl=en&safe=active&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=629&q=1977+stratocaster&oq=1977+stra&gs_l=img.3.0.0i24l4.1106.3953.0.4960.9.9.0.0.0.0.7 9.677.9.9.0...0.0...1ac.aCePPYCzhRo

The 77 had a 3-way selector switch. Soon after came the 5 way, but I don't know what year.

An authentic bridge would have a one piece trem plate and block, but I recommend against it (arm threads stripped out if you stare at it). The bridge saddles appear to be bent from the distance, but they are molded in that shape; maybe you can see here (at the bottom of the page):
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=66035

Be careful about choosing a neck, if your not going to get a proper 3 bolt neck. The third (centered) screw can hit the truss rod (a 4 bolt neck sometimes has a longer truss rod).

I believe the fingerboard radius is still 7.25 by 1977 and the pickups had no stagger (I believe that's true of post 74 strats).

Your body seems to have yellowed significantly. Most 70s natural strats I've seen don't seem to have yellowed so much (poly rather than nitro). That said, I'm not particularly a slave-to-vintage-specs kinda guy, but if that's your goal for this project, cool.

Good info, thanks. Yeah most of the pic's i found were natural and black. But there are some out there white on natural. I like both looks and just may switch it out from time to time since this is a keeper.

The neck yeah,,, the neck $770-800 on flea-bay. That will be on the next go round so,,,,, in the mean time
I am going with a aftermarket neck four hole, which I am going to convert to a three hole. I will just pick up a screw that is shorter as not to damage the rod in the temp neck.
Everything else thou I have been able to get as NOS Fender items from a few locations I have sourced over time.

Still looking for a neck...

Are you still looking for a temporary neck until you can find and authentic Fender 70s neck? Have you checked Warmoth and Allparts.

Warmoth - Starting at $172 for a Vintage Modern construction, with CBS headstock, routed for 3 screw tilt neck mount:

"3-Bolt Micro Tilt Neck, 3 Mounting Holes, Vintage Modern Construction Only. We can now offer necks to function with the old Fender 3-bolt scenario. Only our Vintage Modern Construction necks with top adjusting truss rod are compatible with this set-up. Peghead shapes include Strat, CBS and Tele type necks. We rout for the mounting plate and drill for the screw holes but we do not supply any of this hardware. It seems that there are some reissue models that use slightly different hardware…we don’t know the specifics and all we can tell you is that our work is perfectly matched to the early 70’s Fender specs. The cost for this custom work is $15 over usual neck pricing. Yes, we also offer Strat and Tele bodies routed for the three bolt hardware."

The Allparts neck appears to be able to accomodate 3 screw mount (truss rod access at the headstock, truss rod ends before the last neck screw) but I haven't seen any Allparts claim, nor consumer testimonials that confirm that. Also, it is not routed for the micro tilt hardware. I have seen it for as little as $135.

Neither neck comes finished.

Finally, consider a new Fender 70s reissue neck from ebay. Seen them for as little as $279 (mexi). Fender name, bullet truss rod adjuster, micro tilt hardware, 3 bolt compatible, comes finished. Warmoth implies the RI harware might not be compatible with a real 70s strat, so you might want to check into that.

I am really wanting a proper neck for it..