Strat neck re-radius job

Catthan

hey guys, I m recovering from a bad case of wrist injury (fluid in the joints etc) and noticed that the 12" radius on one of my strats doesn't help. my vintage spec'd 7.5" boards seem quite a bit more comfy at least during this rehab stage. I was wondering if anyone here had the tools and skill to tackle such job and if yes, what would be the cost. I m essentially considering whether there is a possibility to have it done for less than buying a new neck at the £150-200 range.

Please let me know.

Thanks,

stickyfiddle

Without wanting to be the harbinger of doom, I'd say it's unlikely to be cheaper than a new neck. A decent refret alone is usually well above £100, and you can't alter the board without taking the frets off.

If the frets are tall enough you could get just those re-radiused but that might feel a bit weird.

A new neck, and selling the old one is the best value course of action.

Catthan

Thanks mate, and you didn't say anything I was starting to realize myself.
No harm asking though.

Brgrds,
T.

ICBM

Ideally, find someone who wants to swap the other way - there are a lot of people who find the 7.5" radius too constricting. That way should barely cost you anything.

Catthan

ICBM said:

Ideally, find someone who wants to swap the other way - there are a lot of people who find the 7.5" radius too constricting. That way should barely cost you anything.

True,

I'll give it a shot.

Thanks,

streethawk

What about the thickness of the two necks, is there a difference there?

If I had hand/wrist problems I would prioritise the new neck over everything else and make sure I got the absolute best solution available. 

Custom order or used equivalent to exact specifications. 

Catthan

The necks seem quite similar, and both C shape according to Fender. Don't know if there are C variants but I'd guess it would say medium C, slim C etc,,

I 've noticed 7.5" and 9.5" seem fine but the one with the 12" causes some irritation at the lower strings (bass) It's not terrible but I must figure those small details out and eliminate them if I want to make sure the problem doesn't come back again.

Andyjr1515

If you have a decent guitar shop near, see if they have a V neck to try. They are slim for single note playing and thumb wraparound, but have extra depth for chord shapes. I have some hand issues and it's a godsend for me.

Catthan

Andyjr1515 said:

If you have a decent guitar shop near, see if they have a V neck to try. They are slim for single note playing and thumb wraparound, but have extra depth for chord shapes. I have some hand issues and it's a godsend for me.

I've heard about that re V necks. The one I tried was a baseball bat. I think it was from a Clapton strat which should have a soft v but felt like U or D..  

I am re- evaluating things at the moment and it seems I like slim necks with small radii. But this could change as the hand gets better. I never had probs with necks or radii before the injury and favored fast and flat boards,, Although the 7.5'' felt the most natural.

I'll be passing outside the local store tomorrow and might give it another try..

Thanks

Andyjr1515

I agree - the Clapton V feels chunky to me - it needs to be the original V

streethawk

A lot of people say they find a bigger neck puts less strain on their hand after 20/30 mins than a slimmer, seemingly more comfortable neck. 

Counter intuitive, but who knows. 

:-S

Deijavoo

streethawk;46693" said:

A lot of people say they find a bigger neck puts less strain on their hand after 20/30 mins than a slimmer, seemingly more comfortable neck. 

Counter intuitive, but who knows.  :-S

I personally absolutely agree with this. My main guitar is a '59 neck (cricket bat) es339 while i play with thumb over and my hands are about average size. Use a skinny Ibanez and I notice strain between my thumb and forefinger. Anyways, just what I think.

ICBM

streethawk said:

A lot of people say they find a bigger neck puts less strain on their hand after 20/30 mins than a slimmer, seemingly more comfortable neck. 

Counter intuitive, but who knows. 

:-S

I do. I have very small hands but I recently had to sell a really nice guitar because the neck was too shallow front-to-back, and it gave me severe cramp at ever-decreasing intervals.

Although there's still too big - the modern Gibson so-called "50s neck" (which is much bigger than any of the original 50s Gibson necks I've ever owned or played...) is just too much, for me. I don't like big baseball bat Fender necks or anything more than a very, very faint V either - certainly nothing you would call a 'V neck'.

The perfect neck for me is a medium, rounded neck like a PRS 'wide-fat' - which to me is neither particularly wide or fat! - although my very favourite one has the faintest of faint Vs - you can't easily see it or measure it as being not quite round, but you can feel it. I also like narrower and slightly deeper necks like Rickenbackers.