What Telecaster necks feel most like a 2011 American Standard Stratocaster?

[Sgt Pepper]

I would have to look it up again but I’m nearly certain that the Fender ID website indicates my strat has a modern C neck with a 9 1/2 radius Problem is that the website also tells me that my 2017 MIM Standard Telecaster has a modern C neck with 9 1/2 radius but it’s not as fat as the strat, which for me is about right. Not too fat but fat enough.

What Telecasters should i try? A 2011 American Telecaster would probably be a good start but do you have other suggestions? Obviously I need to find some I can put my hands on, not order them with a hope they are close because besides the 2017 MIM I also have a 2020 American Showcase Telecaster that is a nice guitar but kind of a thin neck.

Edit to add that I bought the 2011 strat a few months ago and until then i was perfectly ok with the necks on the 2 telecasters and a 2020 American Pro II stratocaster i have and most of the other guitars i have ever owned. After playing this American Standard though it’s like this just works for me better than the others. The neck is kind of between the MIM telecaster and a 2013 Les Paul Traditional that I own that has a really fat 50’s neck. Would have been easier if I’d never bought the American Standard strat. I like the fat 50’s pickups too. Overall I like this guitar more than the 2020 American Professional. I do like a Telecaster though. I will probably eventually find one with a similar neck. Maybe it will even be a thinline with the other features I like. Then I will be set and won't have to buy any more guitars ever again! Woohooo

 

[John C]

There is always some variability in Fender necks - they might have the same spec on paper but there is enough hand sanding in the production process.

That being said the current American Performer models have a fairly similar neck shape/profile to the 2008-2016 American Standards - the size will be pretty comparable but it will feel different due to the American Performer's larger fret size.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

the current American Performer models have a fairly similar neck shape/profile to the 2008-2016 American Standards - the size will be pretty comparable but it will feel different due to the American Performer's larger fret size.

I think they have jumbo frets , which i am not wild about but i will check that out. Thanks

 

[AndrewG]

I think they have jumbo frets , which i am not wild about but i will check that out. Thanks

You're correct; jumbo frets and a neck that feels skinnier than 'standard'. I wasn't a fan. I don't mind a big neck and big frets, but the Performer felt weird.

 

[John C]

I think they have jumbo frets , which i am not wild about but i will check that out. Thanks

You're correct; jumbo frets and a neck that feels skinnier than 'standard'. I wasn't a fan. I don't mind a big neck and big frets, but the Performer felt weird.

Yes; they do have jumbo frets. But I had the opposite experience to @AndrewG in terms of neck shape - my American Performer neck is the closest thing I found to the 2013 American Standard Tele that I used to own. Unfortunately for me I sold off all my gear when I was having some serious left hand issues in 2015 and didn't get my hand rehabbed enough to start playing again until 2018. Being unable to find a used American Standard and not caring for the American Professional/Pro II neck I wound up with the American Performer.

Was it an adjustment to get used to the jumbo frets? Yes - but one of my other guitars at the time (a Schecter Nick Johnston Traditions strat-style guitar) had them so I was somewhat used to them already. Do I wish I had just stored my 2013 American Standard Tele? Yes; as much as I do like my American Performer I also wish I had kept the 2013 American Standard - it was a really nice example of the 2012-2016 American Standard Tele tone-wise (but it was a pretty generic looking guitar - 3-color burst/maple board).

Fender necks can vary due to hand shaping; I imagine that in my case I just lucked into an American Performer that was pretty similar in depth and shape to that American Standard that I sold off.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

. Do I wish I had just stored my 2013 American Standard Tele? Yes; as much as I do like my American Performer I also wish I had kept the 2013 American Standard - it was a really nice example of the 2012-2016 American Standard Tele tone-wise (but it was a pretty generic looking guitar - 3-color burst/maple board).

As I have explained before, I'm actually just a singer that plays some guitar since I was a kid, and play guitar on a few tunes each gig (that word kind of irritates me for some crazy reason). And as I edited in on my original post, of all the guitars I have owned and played in all that time, I was ok with the different neck profiles, and was not very particular about it, since I'm no lead player anyway. Only when I bought this 2011 American Standard did I even realize it could make that much difference. Up until a few years ago I never played Stratocasters at all, primarily because so many others played them, so I would play a different guitar. I have played Gretsch, a Korean PRS I still own, Les Paul, an old pre CBS Duo Sonic I still own, but has very weak pickups so I don't play it much, a 1979 Peavey T-60 I bought new that makes a solid body Les Paul feel light, a few different Telecasters; just anything other than a Stratocaster. Also as edited in the op, if I'd never bought this American Standard Strat, I'd not be in this predicament, but I do now understand why the American Standard is so popular. Mine is an ugly gray color that is in very good condition that I bought a few months ago for $800 including the G&G tweed case, but it sure do play good. As noted, now I just want to find a Telecaster with a similar neck.

 

[KC]

Yeah, the American Performer is the sequel to the American Special: hot pickups, big frets, generally smaller necks. The American Standard was superseded by the American Professional (now II). They are alleged to have a deep C neck but I have not yet gone deep C diving. Had an American Standard (2012ish) for a while & wish I had never sold it but I don't remember the neck being especially big. A long way of saying that you'll probably have to play them all to know what fits your hand.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

Yeah, the American Performer is the sequel to the American Special: hot pickups, big frets, generally smaller necks. The American Standard was superseded by the American Professional (now II). They are alleged to have a deep C neck but I have not yet gone deep C diving. Had an American Standard (2012ish) for a while & wish I had never sold it but I don't remember the neck being especially big. A long way of saying that you'll probably have to play them all to know what fits your hand.

As previously noted, my American Standard Strat is a 2011 model and the neck isn't especially big at all. It's fatter than any other Fender I own, but not as fat as a Les Paul Traditional I own. It's right about in the middle, and it feels great to me, which is why I'm trying to find a Telecaster with a similar neck, because I generally prefer a Telecaster if for no other reason than so many lead players I play with use Stratocasters, plus I just like a Telecaster.

And yeah, I am going to have to just go play a lot of them until I find one instead of ordering one and hope it works. Maybe I'll get lucky and the first one I go check out works. I guess a reasonable place to start is American Standard Telecasters with the supposedly same neck profile around the same year. My profile reads that my residence is the Gulf Coast and I do own a place there but am renting it right now and I am living near Atlanta, and there are a lot of stores I can check out.

 

[John C]

As previously noted, my American Standard Strat is a 2011 model and the neck isn't especially big at all. It's fatter than any other Fender I own, but not as fat as a Les Paul Traditional I own. It's right about in the middle, and it feels great to me, which is why I'm trying to find a Telecaster with a similar neck, because I generally prefer a Telecaster if for no other reason than so many lead players I play with use Stratocasters, plus I just like a Telecaster.

And yeah, I am going to have to just go play a lot of them until I find one instead of ordering one and hope it works. Maybe I'll get lucky and the first one I go check out works. I guess a reasonable place to start is American Standard Telecasters with the supposedly same neck profile around the same year. My profile reads that my residence is the Gulf Coast and I do own a place there but am renting it right now and I am living near Atlanta, and there are a lot of stores I can check out.

It kind of sounds like you came across an American Standard Strat with a slightly thicker than typical neck - as I mentioned there is a bit of variance from neck to neck. They are out there, but iyou'll probably have to search for one. Another option might be looking at G&L - their "Modern Classic" neck is pretty similar to the Modern C as found on the 2008-2016 American Standards. But again there is variance from neck to neck; not sure about how they are at the moment but G&L used to have a bit more variance than Fender.

If your American Standard Strat has a bit more of a flattened back then the American Ultra might be worth a look - they do have a "D" shaped back. Or the older American Elite series (2016-circa October 2019) has a back shape that starts out as a "C" but morphs to a "D" shape and slightly deeper than the American Ultra's D shape.

Yeah, the American Performer is the sequel to the American Special: hot pickups, big frets, generally smaller necks. The American Standard was superseded by the American Professional (now II). They are alleged to have a deep C neck but I have not yet gone deep C diving. Had an American Standard (2012ish) for a while & wish I had never sold it but I don't remember the neck being especially big. A long way of saying that you'll probably have to play them all to know what fits your hand.

Fender's "Deep C" neck is kind of a misnomer; the spec on paper is .820" at the first fret and .920" at the 12th fret - hich isn't too far off the spec on paper of the Modern C that was found on American Standards, American Performers, MIM Player and MIM Player Plus is .820" at the first fret and .870" at the 12th fret. Where they are "deeper" is that the "Deep C" has more shoulder than the "Modern C" - it's not a "D" or "U" shape, but some of them can get pretty close to the "D" shape.