3/4 full scale query

robdynamite

Hi, a little bit of a random question, but i've just been given an old gear4music stratocaster replica as it was only going to go in the bin, i'm considering having a crack at building my own guitar and binning everything but the body. But it is definitely not full size. 

How do i check to see what size it is? As in where on the body to i measure to/from and what size is full size? As if it's a smaller body, it's pretty much useless to me.

Cheers!

Ravenous

Assuming the guitar still as the neck on it:

Measure the scale length - that is, the length of the freely vibrating part of the string from the nut to the bridge saddle.

Typically for a strat 25.5 inches (just under 650mm).  If a couple of inches shorter, it's a 3/4 scale or so. (Note "3/4" is not an exact fraction, it's never three quarters of the full scale length, it's a bit arbitrary.)

If you're going to replace the neck, you'll also need to consider the width of the neck pocket. That might be a bit more tricky - maybe someone else knows the exact standard widths?

WezV

Measure nut to 12th fret and double it