neck advice?

[Cooper]

i'm searching for a good neck for my project Tele. it seems like eBay has little to offer. i've been watching for a week, and i occasionally see an MIM neck for about $150. i can't afford to do the USACG or Warmoth thing, and even their web specials/thrift shop options are pretty pricey, because the necks come unfinished.

how hard is it to finish a neck, and do it well? how expensive? warmoth or roxy will do it for $80, and i trust their skills way more than mine, so unless i could do it for around $20 . . . ?

as always, thanks! i don't know what i'd do without this page. probably play drums, i guess.

[Dacious]

I think this seller sells Mighty Mite necks, clear finished including a vintage Tele spec for $100 shipped.

http://www.jcguitars.com/zfenderparts.htm

Seems a nice guy to deal with.

This place is even cheaper - can't comment on profile, quality or anything else.

http://www.16tracks.com/ElectricGuitarParts.html

[Nathan]

I hate to sound as if I think I'm a pro, but you have to expect the cheap necks to be made of cheap wood. If you have ever picked up different pieces of maple, you will see that they come in a variety of densities, stiffnesses and hardnesses. Anyway, the point I want to make is that you may not be happy with a Mighty Mite neck for example, but if you just wait until you can splash out for a USACG, you WILL NOT be disappointed! I feel that the difference in price in this case is probably justified! (can you tell I don't trust companies that mass-produce parts?)

[Knucklehead]

I've looked for somewhat accurate Telecaster reproduction necks for a number of years and aside from buying a Fender aftermarket neck, the offerings are somewhat limited.
Elliot Mechanic used to sell fairly decent reproductions until he was shut down by Fender. There are still a few individuals out there building them on a limited semi-covert basis. There are so many small details: correct measurements, headstock shape, angle, back of headstock, neck contours, dot spacing, truss rod plug shape, material and location,etc that would be very expensive to produce aside from the Fender licensing issues.
Custom necks are now well over $300. unfinished if you want all the above details addressed.
USACG, Allparts and WD all have decent necks for affordable prices. IMO MightyMite necks and bodies have always looked like kit guitar parts to me despite what you do to them finishwise.
Speaking of which, your most economical method to finish a neck is with Bill Lester's Reranch products; under $25. very easy to use with impressive results.

[John E]

Originally Posted by Cooper

i've been watching for a week, and i occasionally see an MIM neck for about $150. i can't afford to do the USACG or Warmoth thing, and even their web specials/thrift shop options are pretty pricey, because the necks come unfinished.

how hard is it to finish a neck, and do it well? how expensive? warmoth or roxy will do it for $80, and i trust their skills way more than mine, so unless i could do it for around $20 . . . ?

I personally think that for the quality, the USACG necks are a bargain.... and you can go ReRanch for finishing supplies which is fantastic... also you can do what I did for my last neck from USACG, and it was ridiculously easy. I didn't do an amber, I actually used a Minwax oil based stain called Puritan pine for a change of pace, just one wipe on coat. I then coated the neck with 2 coats of wipe on Poly and buffed it with a "scrounge" pad. It looks great(to me and I get compliments on it at gigs), and feels great, and it cost me about $10 in finishing supplies. For some good info on poly finishing check out Rob Distefano's site www.rfd.cc/aa

[John R.]

Following stratNtele's (Rob D.) great site, I put on 3 coats of Minwax Wipe On Poly. Lightly buffed in between coats with 0000 steel wool. I didn't use stain, which made it even simpler. Got a small can of it for about $5.00 at Wally World (Wal-Mart).

It is not a thick, sticky finish either. This neck almost feels like bare wood.

[jimmiboots]

The Re-ranch aeresol cans work great. A can of the neck amber and a can of clear gloss will be about $30. If you can spray paint a model car you can finish a neck with the spray cans. Follow the instructions on the web page, and just go easy: spray too little each coat, you can always spray more.

I agree about the "you get what you pay for" axiom as far as wood quality goes. I've never gotten a USCG neck, but their bodies are nice, and from what I've read around here, the necks are, too. So far, every Warmoth neck I've gotten was strong and stiff enough to use as a bludgeon....

So, if you watch the thrift shop, you could come away with a real good neck for under $200.


Good luck....

[Brad]

Go with USACG. I did, and I have not regretted it. I bought a basic rosewood tele neck. I finished it myself with aobut $2.00 worth of birchwood-casey ( gun stock oil ) tru-oil. I've had a mighty mite neck before ( although it was about 20 years ago ) and it was pure junk. They may be better now, but for the $$, USACG gets my vote every time. The tru-oil finish is very, very nice. Looks good and best of all, it feels good. The quality of the USACG necks are among the ( IMO ) best. You can go cheap if you want to, but you may regret it in the not so distant future.

[Dacious]

Don't think there's any problem with Mighty Mite. MIJ and been making stuff since the 70's. Lotsa people bought and buy their stuff - along with Schecter back then it was 'cool' to have a Mighty Mite 'Fender' with Gibson hummers and an alloy pickguard or some such. Also people hated what was coming out of the big F and G then.

That was also the era of brass everything, so I think they just went out of fashion together. If economy is a prime consideration, then it's what I'd choose.

[Cooper]

well, first off, thank you so much for your input!

i think i'm going to go with a warmoth neck. they have one in the thrift shop that is very close to what i want.

what do the oil finishes look like? my ideal neck is a 50's classic neck. can they come close to that? if i go the reranch route (which sounds like a good option) can i come close to that, or will it look like it was finished in my drive way (which it will be)?

y'all have convinced me. i'm just trying to decide which finishing method to use.

it's insane how much i love this page. :) :) :)

[Brick]

Warmouth or USACG is the way to go. You can use oil, but it won't protect your neck, and Warmouth won't honor their warranty without a hard finish. You can do a great job in your backyard or garage with ReRanch products. If you want a little color on your neck get a can of either neck amber or butterscotch burst ( if you like a darker orangy look) and a can of either clear gloss or satin. You could do about six necks with one can of clear. I sand just a bit with 400 grit sandpaper to clean any oils off the neck. If it is all maple, I don't bother to mask the frets. I shoot the color in multiple light coats to taste. I like a very thin finish on a neck, just enough to seal the wood. I usually go three or four light coats, but for an ultra gloss deep finish, you could do up to nine or so. The main thing is to spray very light passes to avoid orangepeel or runs. Since I spray very light gloss coats, I usually bypass sandpaper and go right to a polishing compound and a lot of elbow grease. You can do this and be proud of your job. I like to use tusq nuts at first to see if I like the neck, and if it's a keeper, cut a bone nut. Nitro is VERY NASTY STUFF . Do your lungs a favor and get a respirator. A paper mask won't cut it. You can mask the fretboard and buff the frets with 0000 steel wool.

[Michael Murphy]

Another option on the finish if you can't warm up to the idea of a 'bare wood' feel that an oil finish will provide is a MinWax PolyU wipe-on finish.

It is available in both satin and glossy versions, inexpensive (about $10), and easy and quick to apply.

Check the link to fellow TDPRIer Rob DiStefano's webpage for directions and how-to's. Scroll down a little ways to the 'Guitar Finishes' part.

Rob's page...


-Michael
Charter Member S. Texas He-Man Emoticon Haters Local #316

[PeterUK]

This first one by n.aalox looks fine. He's got them up there on a weekly basis and these necks are great. I presume that they are factory seconds or something (?), but for $140 you've got a genuine Tele neck, satin finish with nice frets and a Fender logo.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=38083

The next one is a seller I haven't seen about, but similar story. On a budget, you can't get better than this? $130?!:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=38082

I personally LOVE the 52-RI genuine replacement neck and for under $300 Musicians Friend will ship free within the US. These feel fantastic, sport the official logo and hold their value. They sell on eBay for £280 - $300!!

Finally, I agree with the guys regarding USACG. Excellent quality and service.

Tough call. Spend wisely.

Peter

[jimmiboots]

Like Brick said, you can make your neck as pretty as you please, just take your time.

There are about 5,000 different ways to achieve different looks, but I've found that the neck amber works just fine for a '50s look. The more you spray on the more orange it becomes, and the clear coat WILL bring out the amber, so spray a thin coat of clear right before you think it's dark enough (you can spray more amber over the clear, the amber dye melts right through the clear coat).....

Again, as Brick said, the oils won't seal the neck, and Warmoth won't warranty a neck without a "hard" finish (laquer or poly I reckon). Personally, I like the feel of just a thin coat of nitro. After about a month of playing (and curing: laquer takes a long time to totaly dry) it really smoothes out. I've never needed steel wool or anything, and I hate sticky necks. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I think the reason most newer necks feel sticky is that thick poly finish. It seems so "gummy" to me, like it never really hardens up...


Good luck again, and don't be afraid to "do it yourself". With as many good people with as much good advice as there are on this page alone, with patience you should be able to pull off just about anythng....

[Cooper]

well, i did it! i ordered a warmoth neck from the custom shop today. it's purty (to my eyes).

<img src=http://www.warmoth.com/thrift/necks/images/vt65A.jpg>

it's a total vintage construction neck, with a 7.25 radius and a "standard thin" back. i'm having it fretted with vintage fender-style frets. i wanted a V, but for the price and what i think is the cool looking grain, i compromised. that cool looking grain is probably the reason it was in the thrift shop to begin with.

thanks for all your help and support! i'll definitely post some pics and some more questions when it gets here!