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Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:16 am
by MattH
I'm looking to get a new neck for a particular guitar.

Still researching. Have read and heard good (and bad) things about Warmoth, Allparts etc. Warmoth seem to have the most options but a bit spendy.

I do see that Kenny Duncan Guitars have a few WDmusic necks, but they look like they are a special order item. Not sure if it's better to buy directly from the manufacturer.

Anything to watch out for? Neck fit? Tuner routing etc?

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:06 am
by codedog
i splurged on a Warmoth recently. Boatneck profile, roasted maple with pau ferro board, compound radius, narrow tall frets. It's a gorgeous thing and very well built. One thing I did not realise was that Warmoth does not do fret leveling. I had a couple of minor questionable spots here and there, according to my el cheapo fret rocker. However, by the time I set it up to my liking, they were not an issue at all. AFAIK I don't have my action overly high either. A bit over 2mm bass side and a bit over 1.5mm treble. Those are fairly average, aren't they?

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:19 am
by MattH
Nice! I bet it's a gorgeous bit of kit!

That all sounds like a custom build. Is that right?

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:23 am
by codedog
MattH wrote:Nice! I bet it's a gorgeous bit of kit!

That all sounds like a custom build. Is that right?
Yes, it was. However, I compared prices between similarly priced material/options, and off-the-shelf vs custom, it was much of a muchness, really. 'Tis a gorgeous piece of kit indeed... https://www.nzguitars.com/forum/viewtop ... =3&t=37221

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 9:53 am
by MattH
Nice!

I have three Telecasters and one of them is an old 1978 one with the nicest sunburst body on it. It wasn't a great year for Fender, but this one has something really mellow about it (not very Telecaster-y). The neck itself is actually really nice - has a gentle flame, 40 years of aging and is really stable, but it's just too small for my fat paws. I've had it since I was about 20 and it has sentimental value. I keep debating selling it, but I was wondering about swapping out the neck for something that does it justice - I might get some life out of it yet!

I've got some ideas about what I want - nothing less than a 9.5" radius, 1-11/16" nut width, a nice fat chunky maple neck - V, boatface - anything like that will do the job. Not too worried about the fingerboard - I like both maple and rosewood.

How do you find the Pau Ferro?

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:22 pm
by codedog
Pau Ferro is a very interesting material. Like the roasted maple, it is also very hard and super smooth. The whole neck is just really smooth and nice in the hand. My one has all the specs you mentioned really... fat neck, 1" all the way!

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:54 pm
by Terexgeek
codedog wrote:Pau Ferro is a very interesting material. Like the roasted maple, it is also very hard and super smooth. The whole neck is just really smooth and nice in the hand. My one has all the specs you mentioned really... fat neck, 1" all the way!
JB, where are you???

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:27 pm
by GrantB
Even Musikraft necks need final fret checking. Just like real Gibson’s do ex factory!

Allparts are nice for the money, Warmoth also. One needs to do full on levelling for those.

I just got a fat Strat neck from Allprts (Strat on a budget) and although the wood is noticeably not as nice as my usual Musikraft, it’s as good as any Fender factory neck.

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:40 pm
by codedog
GrantB wrote:Even Musikraft necks need final fret checking. Just like real Gibson’s do ex factory!

Allparts are nice for the money, Warmoth also. One needs to do full on levelling for those.

I just got a fat Strat neck from Allprts (Strat on a budget) and although the wood is noticeably not as nice as my usual Musikraft, it’s as good as any Fender factory neck.
If I read that right, sounds like all custom necks need fret leveling. Did you imply that you could get away without leveling better with Musikraft vs Warmoth/Allparts? Also, in your opinion, do you think those custom neck manufacturers should include leveled frets too?

I didn't do fret leveling on my Warmoth neck. I think kdawg didn't either.

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:52 pm
by kdawg2a
codedog wrote:
GrantB wrote:Even Musikraft necks need final fret checking. Just like real Gibson’s do ex factory!

Allparts are nice for the money, Warmoth also. One needs to do full on levelling for those.

I just got a fat Strat neck from Allprts (Strat on a budget) and although the wood is noticeably not as nice as my usual Musikraft, it’s as good as any Fender factory neck.
If I read that right, sounds like all custom necks need fret leveling. Did you imply that you could get away without leveling better with Musikraft vs Warmoth/Allparts? Also, in your opinion, do you think those custom neck manufacturers should include leveled frets too?

I didn't do fret leveling on my Warmoth neck. I think kdawg didn't either.
Nope, none on any of the ones i've bought and they've all played smooth all the way up the neck.

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:57 pm
by codedog
kdawg2a wrote:
codedog wrote:
GrantB wrote:Even Musikraft necks need final fret checking. Just like real Gibson’s do ex factory!

Allparts are nice for the money, Warmoth also. One needs to do full on levelling for those.

I just got a fat Strat neck from Allprts (Strat on a budget) and although the wood is noticeably not as nice as my usual Musikraft, it’s as good as any Fender factory neck.
If I read that right, sounds like all custom necks need fret leveling. Did you imply that you could get away without leveling better with Musikraft vs Warmoth/Allparts? Also, in your opinion, do you think those custom neck manufacturers should include leveled frets too?

I didn't do fret leveling on my Warmoth neck. I think kdawg didn't either.
Nope, none on any of the ones i've bought and they've all played smooth all the way up the neck.
I did find a wee bit of buzz quite high up the first string... dusty end for sure. Raised that saddle by about quarter of a turn or so and it disappeared. It doesn't bother me since I hardly go up that corner of the neck.

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 3:31 pm
by AiRdAd
You can check out the necks I've got tomorrow night Matt. I've got Allparts, Warmoth and Musikraft. As well as the neck itself, the level of the finishing off can make a big difference. The way Adrian has finished off the Radian necks I've got, makes a big difference to the end result.

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2020 6:54 pm
by GrantB
As does the lacquer etc - that Jazzmaster Musikraft neck has a hard nitro finish...feels slinky.

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 6:03 am
by GrantB
codedog wrote:
GrantB wrote:Even Musikraft necks need final fret checking. Just like real Gibson’s do ex factory!

Allparts are nice for the money, Warmoth also. One needs to do full on levelling for those.

I just got a fat Strat neck from Allprts (Strat on a budget) and although the wood is noticeably not as nice as my usual Musikraft, it’s as good as any Fender factory neck.
If I read that right, sounds like all custom necks need fret leveling. Did you imply that you could get away without leveling better with Musikraft vs Warmoth/Allparts? Also, in your opinion, do you think those custom neck manufacturers should include leveled frets too?

I didn't do fret leveling on my Warmoth neck. I think kdawg didn't either.
I think any guitar should be checked. My R9’s has some high frets I need to sort out.

But yes, Muskraft is better IME. I still do them all though. I have low levels of trust!

Re: Fender Necks

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 3:20 pm
by MattH
Any issues with customs (border control), considering these are wood products?