Mustang Neck

[jimmynumber9]

Hi, I've been hearing some rumors that you can replace a tele neck with a mustang neck without any other modifications. I know that you can do this with the 72 telecasters and the 65 mustang necks. But I heard from a friend of mine who builds custom guitars that you can do it with any FENDER tele and mustang neck. Is this actually possible?

[Jack Wells]

All Fender Telecasters have the same scale length ....... 25.5 inches. If the 65 Mustang neck will fit a 72 Telecaster it should fit any other.

To determine analytically whether it will work, more information is needed. Does the fretboard on the Mustang neck overhang the end of the neck or is it flush with the neck heel?

[duncanjames]

If I'm not mistaken, all Mustangs either have a 24" scale with 22 frets, or a 22.5" scale with 21 frets. Unless the bridge somehow had enough range to intonate properly, I don't think it would be possible to do without modifications.

[DMichel123]

Jaguar/Jazz Master = 25.5" scale....

[Mark F]

I think if it fits the neck pocket, the saddles should only need moving neckward at most 1/8th of an inch???

[jimmynumber9]

I have a friend who lives in California who has a 65 mustang neck on his 72 tele. He didn't mod the guitar at all. If all are the same is the 72 neck "different" than others? Or is a 65 stang different than others? Sorry, I'll google and see if I can find anything

[jimmynumber9]

Looks good to me?

[duncanjames]

Jaguars have a 24" scale, Jazzmasters have a 25.5" scale.

I know someone that once tried putting a Jaguar neck on a Jazzmaster. In order for the guitar to intonate correctly, the posts of the bridge would've had to have been moved halfway into the pickup cavity. Luckily, they ended up just ordering another 25.5" scale neck.

[duncanjames]

You may be able to fit a Mustang neck on a Telecaster and get it to intonate, but the saddles will have to be moved quite a bit towards the neck. And from my experience, the saddles would probably be hitting the bridge pickup before they were intonated properly.

[52Tele_lover]

Measure from the nut to the 12th fret and then double that figure, that will be the scale length, if it isnt 25.5' im sorry it wont work if it is itll work, then you can deal with the Neck pocket.

[Mark F]

If im wrong, someone please correct me...

a 24 inch scale neck wouldn't need much saddle movement for intonation (the 12th fret on a 24 inch scale neck is pretty much where the 13th fret is on a 25.5 inch scale neck) Given that the difference between the 2 scales is not much more than putting a capo on the 1st fret of a 25.5 inch scale neck, its almost where you want the 12th fret to be (within a few mm)

[Five-O]

A 24 inch neck would require that the saddles be moved 3/4 of an inch toward the bridge pickup from where they would normally sit when in use on a 25 1/2 inch neck. That quite a bit, ...Good luck.

[68thinline]

Don't confuse the length of the neck with the scale length.

The distance from the nut to the twelfth fret is exactly half the scale length. If the neck has fewer frets than a tele neck, then the distance from the twelfth fret to the bridge saddles might be close enough to intonate properly with only a bit of adjustment.

[Doubletriode]

Measure from the heel of the neck to the saddles of a tele. Let's call this length "A"

Measure the distance from the 12th fret of the mustang neck to the nut. Measure the same distance from the 12th fret towards the heel to find the point where the saddles should be. Then measure the distance from this point to the heel of the mustang neck. Let's call this length "B"

Then if B is not too far from A, it should work!!!

I hope my explanation is clear despite my very bad english...

Cheers

[JosephB]

im pretty positive it wont work...thats why warmoth makes those conversion necks...

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/necks/...rsionneck.aspx

[930vet]

The distance from the nut to the high end of the fretboard and the end of the neck on a 24" Squier Duo Sonic is 17 5/16" by my measurement. Assuming that is standard for all Fender 24" scale necks, adding 17.3125 + 7.125" = 24.4375", meaning that you will need to shorten the scale by almost half an inch using the intonation adjustment, which won't quite work, I don't think, even with longer screws, although it would be close. A clean 24" conversion neck could be made but it would have to be shorter from nut to heel, which could be done by lopping off about one fret or keeping the fret by making it overhang the end of heel which would need to be .4375" closer to the nut.

This assumes that my measurements and calculations are correct. And thanks to Dr. Wells for his post at http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaste...ml#post2190184

Edit: I happened to glance down out at the American Standardish bridge that I took off an SX and noticed that, dang, there probably is enough room there to move the saddles forward 7/16" with longer screws, so it just might work in some cases. I don't think it would work on a vintage bridge.