Guitar build - string clearance at the heel

ewal

Hi all - I'm after a bit of advice for a guitar build I've got in progress. I've fitted a Strat neck I picked up on eBay to a Toronado body. The problem is that the strings are not clearing the neck at the 22nd fret - it's as if the neck is too deep. Adjusting saddle height isn't solving things and I don't think that adjusting the neck relief is going to work.

Any advice? Maybe I should try putting a shim a the top end of the neck pocket which would raise the head stock and hopefully give better clearance at the heel?

ICBM

It will, but that's a bit of a bodge - it will make the guitar feel odd. The only real solutions are either to rout the neck pocket deeper or to reduce the thickness of the neck heel - both are fairly major jobs, and if you thin the heel you'll need to refinish the back of it where it shows beyond the body.

But before you start - isn't the Toronado a 24-3/4" scale? If so a Strat neck will not fit correctly at all, you'll never get the intonation right - assuming you mean an actual Toronado body with the original bridge position.

If you're not sure, shim the neck at the outer end until it's at least playable, and then check whether you can intonate it.

ewal

It's a custom Toronado body with bridge placement measured for a Strat neck so intonation shouldn't be a problem. I'll have a play around and see if I can get the neck to fit. It was pretty cheap so I'm not too bothered about making alterations to it.

dean2371

what a coincidence - I've come across exactly the same issue with a Tele I'm putting together this weekend. I've shimmed the neck so it is playable (and it sounds great), but it does look a bit odd. Next step will be to reprofile the neck to avoid the need for a shim. Will also mean I can reduce the string height over the body. I think its better to adjust the neck rather than the body in case I want to put a better/different neck on in the future.

ICBM

Definitely better to modify whichever component is non-standard in case you ever want to change again, yes.

Worth checking about the intonation . I've had quite a few people ask me to do things like putting Strat necks on Mustangs... and sometimes not understanding why it doesn't fit even if they use a "22 fret" USA Standard-type neck.

ewal

I've taken the neck of my Strat and compared the depth of it with the one I'm trying to fit to the Toronado. There's about 3mm of a difference, so it's no surprise that I'm struggling to get it to fit!

Think I might write this neck off as a cheap gamble which didn't work out...

dean2371

Sorted mine with careful use of some sandpaper. No shim needed, strings lower and plays well.

ewal

I sorted mine this evening too. I went a slightly more expensive route having bought a brand new neck with a thinner heel. I'm dead chuffed - it fits the pocket perfectly, there's sufficient clearance and because it's new, I could drill the holes with the neck in perfect alignment.

I figured the guitar deserved it!

dean2371

excellent, glad its worked out well