Looking for replacement neck

[markuser]

My stratocaster needs a replacement neck. Is there something you all could recomend for around $100 or less?

I like glossy lacquered necks with super jumbo frets on a flat 16" deck for speed. Closer to D than C shape. I do not care if it gets sticky on stage.

[thetragichero]

mightymite.com/product-category/guitar-necks/strat-style/?product_category=17&paged=1&sort_by=low-to-high

don't know if they come finished or not, but I have a birdseye maple with jumbo frets on my jazzmaster and had a j neck on my bass
looks like they have a compound radius that should be close to what you're looking for

[thetragichero]

if you've got the cash I've heard good things about usacg

shop.usacustomguitars.com/product-category/ready-to-fly/?orderby=price&filter_scalelength=25-12in

this is unfinished and you'd need to get 3x3 tuners, but it looks like a decent deal
USA Custom Guitars Unfinished Two Piece Guitar Neck 3x3 Roasted Maple reverb.com/item/26887998-usa-custom-guitars-unfinished-two-piece-guitar-neck-3x3-roasted-maple?_aid=pla&utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=share


my #1 strat has a warmoth neck but i paid out the bhole for it... it's fantastic though

[markuser]

This is what I have in my save places.

reverb.com/item/13179079-nite-swan-banana-5150-style-neck-hockey-guitar-neck-maple-lock-nut-shred-neck-steel-frets

[thetragichero]

it's a good price. i always figure I'll need to do some work on an unknown name neck but that's part of the fun to me lol

[markuser]

What is it that people paint the neck with to make it glass like? So that it feels smooth like glass.

I have seen something that flakes off the fingerboard or peels, like a lacquer on old Fenders.

[thetragichero]

i use this: www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-1-qt-Clear-Gloss-Water-Based-Interior-Polyurethane-200041H/100193658
sprayed through a LVLP spray gun (set to <20psi at the gun, fan off) attached to my compressor. I'm a bit heavy-handed so I'll do one side at a time and lay horizontally to dry because i get the least amount of runs that way. each coat i spray until it looks kinda opaque. this stuff dries super fast so if you do lighter coats than i do you could probably spray every 20-30 minutes or so. i do it about every hour/when i remember to. build a few coats, let dry for a few hours and wet sand with 400 grit. if there are any shiny parts then it's not level and I've gotta build more coats. if there aren't, i still diary a few more coats. let dry for 24-48 hours/when i have time to finish sand. wet sand 400-500-600-800-1200-2000, dry off and hit with 0000 steel wool. then it's time to get my buffing mitt out. rubbing compound, polishing compound, and finally swirl remover (all purchased at auto parts section). then i hit it auto wax and it's ready to rock!

not hard it expensive (besides getting the spray setup... you could certainly wipe/brush on this stuff but spraying is so much easier), just time consuming

edit: there are folks that tout a thin tung/danish/whatever oil, but a hard waterproof finish taken down by hand will give you just the fastest surface ever... and look pretty!)
only downside is that it's perfectly clear, so no yellowing like most finishes. I've had to experiment with dyes for maple necks

[markuser]

That is DIY.

I got this spare body , a guard wired up with Super Seven Switching. Binary pickup selection with 7 switches. A couple EMG-HZ 03 and 04 screwed into a black pearl plate on 500k Alpha's. In my junk drawer there was a TBX tone kit rolling around. Threw that in. 5 staunch springs, and a FATT brass block hold the bridge. Suspended on a sexy spaghetti strap and maxi pad sling. Finished with the confidence of Dunlop strap locks.

Prolly go with a diver down Kramer style head stock, keep it black on black. I want Jumbo's , big ones. On at least a 24 fret with as close to a 16" deck as I can. Looks like im going to be using Hipshot locking tuners.

[thetragichero]

after getting my first set of gfs locking tuners (I'm a cheapskate), i even put them on non-trem guitars. just SO MUCH easier for string changes, etc

[rnkirn]

Aug 24, 2019 22:07:16 GMT -5 markuser said:

What is it that people paint the neck with to make it glass like? So that it feels smooth like glass.

I have seen something that flakes off the fingerboard or peels, like a lacquer on old Fenders.

the most commonly used finish is Lacquer.. at least on up-scale guitars.... Followed by PolyUrethanes.. there are some very high quality waterborne lacquers and other finishes used on better guitars, but Lacquer is the number one go to for most...

what makes finishes flake, is the improper application of the finish.. for instance, with Nitro Lacquer the application of multiple coats is usually necessary... with a controlled time interval between coats.. this allows the new coat to melt into the preceding coat, becoming one contiguous coat... 

If one allows a coat to dry too much, and the next coat is a timid very thin coat.. it can dry faster than it can melt adequately into the preceding coat... while it may preform adequately for a while..at some point the different coats can separate and the flaking begins.... Or.. if succeeding coats of poly are applied... or applied incorrectly, the same thing can happen, or in some cases the poly never adhere to the wood.. and the whole mess can peal or flake off..

rk

[markuser]

I picked one out for Reverb's Labor Day 15% off.

Close to this painted black Epi Spec II bolt on replacement. It is gloss painted very slick.

56mm width bed

27mm deep

3'" pocket acceptable

16" supposedly with Med Jumbo Fret

Thing is my neck pocket is only 18mm deep with a stock neck depth around 24mm. Thats gonna need some sanding to bed, or the action will be too high.

images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61vlztBAx1L._SL1200_.jpg

[thetragichero]

is the epiphone 25 1/2" scale length or 24 3/4" like a standard Gibson/epiphone?
that could be a deal breaker right there


if I'm reading correctly you'd need to remove 3cm (30mm) of material from somewhere?!

[markuser]

Ya know, I thought the 24.75" neck would be kinda cool on Strat body. New neck is a 3" pocket length, 56mm width, 27mm depth. My old neck was 3" length bed, 56mm width, 24mm depth.

The bed is 18mm deep 3" long and 56mm wide.

It does not look like a problem to remove 3 mm of heel to sit the action right.

[thetragichero]

ahhh 3mm. not much of an issue. missing 3/4" scale length might prove impossible to intonate properly

[markuser]

Any tips on sanding the neck down to sit in the bed?

[markuser]

Something went wrong.

I bedded the neck. Used levels and strings and yard sticks length straight edges.

G string 9th and B string 9 the fret is weak. Like a dead fret.

Man I spent some time on this and the neck has a dead spot , and I find out after I bed it.

Is this fixable or is there an initial truss adjustment recommendation?

[thetragichero]

are epiphone neck pockets angled? tried a bit of googling but I'm not in a position to thoroughly research (eating lunch on a job lol)

might could be fixed with a shim if it's an angle issue

[markuser]

Yes, it is angled back. However the way it is set. it should be a straight shot from the bridge.

Only g and B on the 9th right next to each other sounds rattling. I tried raising the saddle height , and that improved it only some.

Is there a style of ultra thin shim that would help? Would I need to sand the heel down 1-2mm more for the space the shim needs?

[thetragichero]

I've heard local cabinet makers are a great place to get veneer scraps for free
I've always just used scrap cardboard
you may want to make sure it's not a nut/fret/something else issue before going the shim route

[newey]

My Epiphone LPJ is shimmed with a piece of pickguard, cut to size. It needed a fairly thick shim. For thinner shims, I've seen guitar picks used, but no feedback on how well that worked however.