I was enjoying my Squier Mustang HH for its light weight and comfy shape, but not digging the short scale and skinny neck.
I was also digging my 72 Deluxe partscaster, but not enjoying the 8.5 pound weight or the too many knobs too far away.
Why not swap necks! I thunk…
The Deluxe had a Gibson scale conversion neck, so the bridge would have to move back a full 0.75” even though the whole scale length is only 0.75” longer. Easy enough, this Mustang body is a hardtail top loader. I bolted the new neck on, which fit perfectly (nice, Squier) and put on the e strings and lined up the bridge 0.75” back. Marked, drilled, and screwed. Bingo. Set action and intonation and it was pretty close already. Since the overall length of the guitar hasn’t changed, it balances perfectly and weighs 6.1 pounds altogether with a single humbucker. I could comfortably wear this for a 3 hour gig. I chiseled out the body and snipped and drilled the pickguard a bit to move the bridge humbucker back to match the new bridge location. Hid my sins with a bit of gaffer tape. Feels really nice and lightweight and slim like an SG, and sounds rather like one with the Gibson scale neck and the vintage wind PAF I have in it. It doesn’t feel delicate like an SG, though.
Sounds great plugged in. I’m keeping it like this for sure!
I get to thinking, it’s already set up for long scale, why not try a tele neck on it? I swap them out, and what do you know? It balances just as well as the conversion neck!
Svelte, lightweight, well balanced, cool mid century design. I don’t know why these aren’t more popular. Just too weird looking for some people? They assume it won’t balance correctly with a long scale neck?
I was also digging my 72 Deluxe partscaster, but not enjoying the 8.5 pound weight or the too many knobs too far away.
Why not swap necks! I thunk…
The Deluxe had a Gibson scale conversion neck, so the bridge would have to move back a full 0.75” even though the whole scale length is only 0.75” longer. Easy enough, this Mustang body is a hardtail top loader. I bolted the new neck on, which fit perfectly (nice, Squier) and put on the e strings and lined up the bridge 0.75” back. Marked, drilled, and screwed. Bingo. Set action and intonation and it was pretty close already. Since the overall length of the guitar hasn’t changed, it balances perfectly and weighs 6.1 pounds altogether with a single humbucker. I could comfortably wear this for a 3 hour gig. I chiseled out the body and snipped and drilled the pickguard a bit to move the bridge humbucker back to match the new bridge location. Hid my sins with a bit of gaffer tape. Feels really nice and lightweight and slim like an SG, and sounds rather like one with the Gibson scale neck and the vintage wind PAF I have in it. It doesn’t feel delicate like an SG, though.
Sounds great plugged in. I’m keeping it like this for sure!
I get to thinking, it’s already set up for long scale, why not try a tele neck on it? I swap them out, and what do you know? It balances just as well as the conversion neck!
Svelte, lightweight, well balanced, cool mid century design. I don’t know why these aren’t more popular. Just too weird looking for some people? They assume it won’t balance correctly with a long scale neck?
