slh2536
Strat-Talk Member
Wondering if I can replace a 21 fret neck to a 22 fret neck on my Strat? Has anyone tried that before? And would it be a problem.
Bolt on Neck
- Thread starter slh2536
- Start date
Butcher of Strats
Most Honored Senior Member
Sure can!
The extra fret is on an extended board that hangs over the body.
Tele necks here but Strat necks are the same overhang.
The extra fret is on an extended board that hangs over the body.
Tele necks here but Strat necks are the same overhang.
slh2536
Strat-Talk Member
Nice thanks for the picture that sure answered my question
Wrighty
Dr. Stratster
Just beware, I have a no name 22 fret neck on a guitar I built where the ‘extra’ fret doesn’t hang over the body. Not seen any others so if I wanted to replace it a regular 21 or 22 would sit too far into the pocket and would, probably, never intonate.
Fenderbaum
Senior Stratmaster
As long as it is a overhang it will still be a 25.5 scale neck. It is just an extension fret.
I had a 22 fret neck that did not have the diving board. I roomed the heel of the neck of too create one so it would properly intonate. Worked beautifully too.
Nadnitram
Most Honored Senior Member
You might need a new pickguard, though. I tried to put a loaded PG from a 21-fret Strat onto a guitar with the overhanging 22nd fret as shown by @Butcher of Strats, but the PG wasn't cut right. Ultimately, I had to reload the guts into the original PG for that guitar.
Ronkirn
Strat-Talker
If you get a 22 fret neck with a 25.5 scale made by one of the quality suppliers, it'll drop in like a champ... with no issues... It's when ya try one of those $75.00 Chinese POS that problems arise...
No problem what so ever, though I have heard people say they can't stand the look of a 22 fret neck on a Strat, and others say it makes it too hard to get the pick guard off.
I use my 22nd fret way more often than I take my PG off.
Good luck.
I use my 22nd fret way more often than I take my PG off.
Good luck.
Wrighty
Dr. Stratster
Certain skills needed which i don't possess! If I ever needed to replace the neck, which is unlikely, I think I'd just screw it a bit East in the pocket! The gap under the end of the board would add resonance!
Butcher of Strats
Most Honored Senior Member
Yeah Leo made his necks 22 fret as soon as he started over, with full heel since he was no longer making Fender guitars.
So G&L 22 fret necks do not fit Fender.
FMIC also chose to put a Fender decal on I think a MIK Fender style guitar which they spec'd with a G&L sort of full heel 22 fret neck, which I suspect was to prevent use of the expensive looking cheap neck on normal Fender spec aftermarket and Squier bodies.
I bet though that we will seldom encounter Fender style necks that fail to fit. I have had a few chances to buy one of those MIK Fender necks and also owned a few G&L guitars.
Funny how much less often we see a G&L partscaster!
Leave than damn thing alone it works fine!
Butcher of Strats
Most Honored Senior Member
Well yeah I think from 1954 to 2004 we could pretty much expect a Strat guard to fit a Strat.
Could be the change started sooner but in the 21st Century all the aftermarket crap bought on Amazon GFS and Ali Baba changed the game and half the "Strat parts" no longer fit Strats!
I often have to line up a new guard with the neck off and run a laminate trimmer around the pocket to flush out rhe edges.
May leave a bit of a gap on the opposite side but that seems to be the cost of CHEAP!
I understand, TBH, when I did it I was a bit nervous. Just remember that the end of the heel of the neck is about where the 22nd fret slot should line up. So I traced a line with a pencil from the fret slot to the bottom of the neck and then across it. Using another strat neck, I traced the heel in order to make the guide line. The rest is patience and tools. I chose to use router because I am comfortable with it. otherwise, I could have done it with a rasp, file and a zero kerf saw
If you're interested, you can see the work here.
Finally finished my latest partscaster build
I've had this thing for a few years now and it's been through a few changes. I originally got it in a trade here with another member and it was definitely a budget build but it was at least a fun one. It was also damaged, courtesy of the USPS dropping it and smashing a strap button into the...
www.strat-talk.com
Mine was an "inspired by" build and I came across a neck that I really liked for it. I have always been a fan of Ed's Frankenstrat but I also loved it when he had his hockey stick headstock Kramers. I build one that was a combination of both. See the link in my previous post to see how it worked out.
Toppalini
Strat-O-Master
I’ve seen some where the overhang doesn’t sit flush with the guard. It’s really ugly. Music store in my dads town had some like that and even his custom built strat/tele thing had that overhang. Imo it’s ugly. Looks terrible… rather 21
So yeah you can but it will likely not sit flush with guard
So yeah you can but it will likely not sit flush with guard
Wrighty
Dr. Stratster
More a case of manufacturing inaccuracies than specs changing I think. Whenever I’ve bought genuine Fender parts, bridges, guards etc., they’ve fitted the model they were bought for exactly.
I have a feeling one of the lawsuit era Japanese factories was building 22fret necks this way.
Wrighty
Dr. Stratster
Mine was bought when I needed a neck for the guitar I was building from scratch. It was in 2000 and necks weren’t easily available, well, to me anyway. I visited Denmark Street and spent a couple of hours trying every cheap Strat and Tele-like guitar I saw until I found what I considered to be a decent neck. Did the job. Years later I noticed some wear. It was black when I bought it but was beginning to show lighter down at the cowboy end. Found out it was painted. Went for broke and put paint stripper on it. Revealed a not too bad colour.
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slh2536
Strat-Talk Member
I still have another question... I'm looking at replacing a neck and I'm reading jumbo frets. Is there a different size in frets?
PonyB
Most Honored Senior Member
A 22nd fret is functional for many.
Who cares what it looks like?
