Think it's new neck time...any suggestions?

jazztele · May 14th, 2008, 06:50 PM

Well, my '97 am. std. tele is overdue for a refret, and she's sporting a stripped truss rod nut from a friend's hack job some years back, and I'm not really in love with the skinny neck and big frets anymore...so i think it might be time for a new neck...

But I'm not really sure where to go. I'd like to go vintage-y specs, and i like warmoth's prices and policies...but i'm not sure on some stuff...

I'd essentially like to pirate the tuners off the old neck--they always worked great...but what size is the tuner hole for a mid-late 90's american standard?

For those of you who have re-necked a tele, what's your advice? and thanks in advance.

boris bubbanov · May 14th, 2008, 07:20 PM

If you're ready for a refret, those tuners are probably close to retirement as well.

My only experience with USACG and Warmoth has been using Gotoh "kluson" tuners. I think you should try some Fender models with maybe the next size smaller fret, perhaps a 6105. Tommy will build you a neck of basically any girth or taper you like; if you can stay within the ordering strictures of Warmoth, that product can come at you real fast and presently is a bit less money.

While a maple cap SSV from Tommy might be my favorite, I don't have a one of the 10 or so Warmoths finished and installed on guitars I am anything but pleased with. Boatnecks and Fatbacks, 1 + 11/16ths and 1 + 5/8ths at the nut, maple boards and rosewood, all Vintage Modern of those so far finished. USACG lets you drill the neck mount holes, Warmoth prefers to do it for you. Neither has any sealer on it, both will redrill the tuner bores should you not want the Gotoh "kluson".

I got to fool with an Allparts TMO-FAT the other day with poly. You gotta drill your own neck holes, the frets are covered in amber finish, and the bores must be reamed out even for Gotoh "klusons" as best I can tell. And it isn't as massive as I'd expected, unfortunately. Very well made, tho.

tlsmack · May 14th, 2008, 07:44 PM

I would put Warmoth at the top of my list, and I would also look at Musikraft's "express necks" to save a little time and money. I would also consider Fender necks from STRATosphere on ebay.

You may also want to sell the whole guitar. If you can get a decent price for it,
then you could get a vintage body/ bridge to go with your "vintage-y neck."
Nothing against AmStnd's. I love my '89, I just think vintage necks go best with vintage bridges.

The tuners are more than likely 10mm, too big for most vintage necks, but if you buy a custom neck, most shops will drill them to your specs.

Scott S · May 14th, 2008, 10:43 PM

THICK, soft-V, 7.25-9.5" compound radius, small frets. Yum!

- Scott

Rose Jackets67 · May 14th, 2008, 10:58 PM

Replacing the neck itself is easy. I use the method that Ron Kirn recommends for drilling the mounting holes. If you are set on reusing your modern tuners, it's not difficult at all to drill small Kluson-sized holes, or as said here just ask the manufacturer to do it for you.

In my opinion, the only real difficulty in replacing a neck is finding examples of different profiles, radii, and fret wire sizes to fondle before purchase.

Only you know what you like, so I'm not going to offer advice on particulars, but Allparts are very high quality for the money, especially if you can tweak them some yourself. All of the custom manufacturers I'm sure offer great products and service, but you usually have a fairly substantial wait period between order and delivery.

boris bubbanov · May 14th, 2008, 11:30 PM

Read Bill Callaham's website front to back to front.

I seem to recall him mentioning a potential for a mismatch using a modern bridge with a 7.25 radius neck. If you are at 7.25 at the nut, and 7.25 at the heel, then you better be 7.25 at the saddles as well, right? The modern saddles work better at a flatter radius; I think that's the gist of the problem. Might only matter to some guys, sticklers with low action, but be wary of this. His discussion pertains to Strats, but the physical laws and dimensions are the same on the modern Tele.

Because what happens with a 7.25 neck is the 21st fret in the middle is real high, and the Es are coming down off the 21st fret more in the middle of the board at the heel than they would on a 2 + 7/32nds bridge, something like that.

My necks fitted thus far are all at least 9.5 at the 21st fret.

jazztele · May 15th, 2008, 07:07 AM

good reading all...lots to think about. which is good, because i have time...wanna do it right. thanks.

my tele is retrofit with a three saddle bridge, so i'm not too worried about radius. bb, you got me thinking about the tuners...they do work superbly now, but if they wear out in a few years having my neck drilled for them will leave me fewer options in the future...where do you cats get your klusons? stewmac?

aunchaki · May 15th, 2008, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazztele

where do you cats get your klusons? stewmac?

I've gotten two sets from the

STRATosphere on eBay (dealer name is reliablefender). They're pulled off of Fender RI Strats and Teles. They work for me! They can usually be won for $24-26. Don't bid much more than that, 'cause you could buy them new for $27-28.

Here's their

Tuner Page.

woodman · May 15th, 2008, 01:09 PM

the USACG 7.25-9.5" compound radius is the most comfortable fretboard i've ever played -- vintage feel down low, flattens out a bit for the high notes. i was a Warmoth loyalist for years, but Tommy and the good folks at USA have turned my head.

May 14th, 2008, 06:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
jazztele Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: chicago Age: 29 Posts: 1,696	Think it's new neck time...any suggestions? Well, my '97 am. std. tele is overdue for a refret, and she's sporting a stripped truss rod nut from a friend's hack job some years back, and I'm not really in love with the skinny neck and big frets anymore...so i think it might be time for a new neck... But I'm not really sure where to go. I'd like to go vintage-y specs, and i like warmoth's prices and policies...but i'm not sure on some stuff... I'd essentially like to pirate the tuners off the old neck--they always worked great...but what size is the tuner hole for a mid-late 90's american standard? For those of you who have re-necked a tele, what's your advice? and thanks in advance. __________________ “For the guitar is the most unpredictable and least reliable musical instrument in existence...and also the sweetest, the warmest, the most delicate, whose melancholic voice awakes in our soul exquisite reveries.” Andres Segovia

May 14th, 2008, 07:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
boris bubbanov Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA + in the past Posts: 7,144	If you're ready for a refret, those tuners are probably close to retirement as well. My only experience with USACG and Warmoth has been using Gotoh "kluson" tuners. I think you should try some Fender models with maybe the next size smaller fret, perhaps a 6105. Tommy will build you a neck of basically any girth or taper you like; if you can stay within the ordering strictures of Warmoth, that product can come at you real fast and presently is a bit less money. While a maple cap SSV from Tommy might be my favorite, I don't have a one of the 10 or so Warmoths finished and installed on guitars I am anything but pleased with. Boatnecks and Fatbacks, 1 + 11/16ths and 1 + 5/8ths at the nut, maple boards and rosewood, all Vintage Modern of those so far finished. USACG lets you drill the neck mount holes, Warmoth prefers to do it for you. Neither has any sealer on it, both will redrill the tuner bores should you not want the Gotoh "kluson". I got to fool with an Allparts TMO-FAT the other day with poly. You gotta drill your own neck holes, the frets are covered in amber finish, and the bores must be reamed out even for Gotoh "klusons" as best I can tell. And it isn't as massive as I'd expected, unfortunately. Very well made, tho. __________________ Bubban0v

May 14th, 2008, 10:58 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rose Jackets67 TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Georgia Posts: 28	Replacing the neck itself is easy. I use the method that Ron Kirn recommends for drilling the mounting holes. If you are set on reusing your modern tuners, it's not difficult at all to drill small Kluson-sized holes, or as said here just ask the manufacturer to do it for you. In my opinion, the only real difficulty in replacing a neck is finding examples of different profiles, radii, and fret wire sizes to fondle before purchase. Only you know what you like, so I'm not going to offer advice on particulars, but Allparts are very high quality for the money, especially if you can tweak them some yourself. All of the custom manufacturers I'm sure offer great products and service, but you usually have a fairly substantial wait period between order and delivery. __________________ A blonde Telecaster, 1955. A Dynacomp pedal and a beer bottle for a slide. A blackface Twin with JBLs. Some things here under Heaven are just cooler than Hell. - Ray Wylie Hubbard

May 14th, 2008, 11:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
boris bubbanov Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: New Orleans, LA + in the past Posts: 7,144	Read Bill Callaham's website front to back to front. I seem to recall him mentioning a potential for a mismatch using a modern bridge with a 7.25 radius neck. If you are at 7.25 at the nut, and 7.25 at the heel, then you better be 7.25 at the saddles as well, right? The modern saddles work better at a flatter radius; I think that's the gist of the problem. Might only matter to some guys, sticklers with low action, but be wary of this. His discussion pertains to Strats, but the physical laws and dimensions are the same on the modern Tele. Because what happens with a 7.25 neck is the 21st fret in the middle is real high, and the Es are coming down off the 21st fret more in the middle of the board at the heel than they would on a 2 + 7/32nds bridge, something like that. My necks fitted thus far are all at least 9.5 at the 21st fret. __________________ Bubban0v

May 15th, 2008, 07:07 AM	#7 (permalink)
jazztele Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: chicago Age: 29 Posts: 1,696	good reading all...lots to think about. which is good, because i have time...wanna do it right. thanks. my tele is retrofit with a three saddle bridge, so i'm not too worried about radius. bb, you got me thinking about the tuners...they do work superbly now, but if they wear out in a few years having my neck drilled for them will leave me fewer options in the future...where do you cats get your klusons? stewmac? __________________ “For the guitar is the most unpredictable and least reliable musical instrument in existence...and also the sweetest, the warmest, the most delicate, whose melancholic voice awakes in our soul exquisite reveries.” Andres Segovia

May 14th, 2008, 07:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
tlsmack Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lonk I-lant, New York Posts: 359 42 Photos	I would put Warmoth at the top of my list, and I would also look at Musikraft's "express necks" to save a little time and money. I would also consider Fender necks from STRATosphere on ebay. You may also want to sell the whole guitar. If you can get a decent price for it, then you could get a vintage body/ bridge to go with your "vintage-y neck." Nothing against AmStnd's. I love my '89, I just think vintage necks go best with vintage bridges. The tuners are more than likely 10mm, too big for most vintage necks, but if you buy a custom neck, most shops will drill them to your specs.

May 14th, 2008, 10:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
Scott S Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SW CR IA US NA PE Age: 28 Posts: 1,417	THICK, soft-V, 7.25-9.5" compound radius, small frets. Yum! - Scott

May 15th, 2008, 01:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 62 Posts: 5,670	the USACG 7.25-9.5" compound radius is the most comfortable fretboard i've ever played -- vintage feel down low, flattens out a bit for the high notes. i was a Warmoth loyalist for years, but Tommy and the good folks at USA have turned my head. __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/woodymitchellmusic BAND PAGES: www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Stragglers - Western Swing) www.myspace.com/loafersgloryband (Loafers Glory - '70s country-rock)