Partscaster MiM vs USA neck

Lesgrandepotato

I’ve got a birthday coming up and I fancy a nice strat in nitro.

I’m thinking an SC relics body, then a fender neck. But the MiM to USA costs seem to jump from £300 to £600.

Is the USA neck significantly better? it’s going to add a serious chunk to the build. 

rossi

I have used several  fender replacement MIM necks and love em .My keeper is a 22 fret Strat roast maple,12 inch radius that ended up on my partscaster Tele but thats just my choice of spec.I think the USA necks will have rolled edges which is not so easy on a poly laquered maple MIM neck  as the poly chips off often .If you can afford it and you like the spec then go for it .My first MIM replacement neck was a  rosewood  tele so easy to roll but I think they all Pau Ferro now

GoldenEraGuitars

@Lesgrandepotato i appreciate that, thank you. I can talk to you about necks, shoot me a PM when you’re free and I’ll sort something out with you.

thegummy

I find the USA necks to be much much better - as much better as the price difference suggests.

The last guitar I got, I bought a Player (MIM) Strat and bought a separate American neck to go on it because I prefer them that much.

I went in to the shop and asked for both to sit and go between to compare. It was funny when the girl who worked there tried to tell me how crazy a comparison it was because they're such different guitars. Don't know if she herself was brainwashed by the marketing or was deliberately furthering it knowingly.

p90fool

I gigged an almost new MIM Classic 60s neck on a partscaster for three months and fret wear was already visible. 

I'm not heavy handed either, I have a couple of US Fenders with the original frets, one of which I bought new in 1981.

Just something else to consider, which could cost you the extra 300 quid anyway fairly soon.

horsehead

Just as a reminder, don't forget @GSPBASSES does handmade necks...just mine that he sold to me for my partscaster and it's as good as my No1 strat

Lesgrandepotato

GoldenEraGuitars said:

@Lesgrandepotato i appreciate that, thank you. I can talk to you about necks, shoot me a PM when you’re free and I’ll sort something out with you.

Cheers mister Relic man, still at the dreaming stage but the wife seems on-board with the idea... let me dream a bit more and i’ll drop you a line. 

soma1975

I'm using a MIM Classic Player 60s neck with my SC Relics body. 

gusman2x

soma1975 said:

I'm using a MIM Classic Player 60s neck with my SC Relics body. 

This is what I’m doing. How’s it worked out for you?

PonchoGreg

Classic series 60s strat neck with an screlics body here too. Neck has had a refret (with compound radius added) and extra attention by Feline later though, so it's not a 100% fair comparison... But there's never been a point where I thought a US neck would make a significant improvement. Lovely super dark rosewood, just the right profile for me - that's the kind of stuff that's more important than where it was made in the first place.

dazzajl

How you react to a neck is such a personal thing that I’m not sure you can say a place of origin, or even a specification will be better for you. It’s more than the sum of the parts. I preferred the neck on my Squier Bullet Tele to several bespoke and custom shop ones I’ve played. It was very bare bones but even without all the quality and refinement, it just felt great in the hand. 

No short cuts here, you’ve got to go hand to wood to find out.