Fender neck question

SPECTRUM001

This is going to sound stoopid, however is new territory for me.

Given the concept that you can interchange Fender necks - should a Player Mustang neck fit ok onto a Vintera Mustang body (and vice-verca) ?

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks in advance - Jem

SPECTRUM001

Ha ha - I guess that is a ‘yes’ !!

drofluf

There was a thread recently about swapping strat necks that warned there were different sizes so one neck wouldn't swap into a different body

SPECTRUM001

Oh really ? Ok, thanks - appreciated.

I will ask Fender to confirm if the ratios are compatible.

ICBM

There’s no guaranteed answer. Yes, they should fit - especially if they’re from the same factory - but manufactured parts have tolerances and it’s not a certainty both will fit on the other body, although one definitely will.

If you have a measuring calliper of some sort you should be able to check the dimensions accurately enough to tell. If not, there’s no harm in just trying it, as long as you make sure everything fits properly before you tighten them down.

Have you ever taken a neck off and refitted it before?

What do you want to achieve?

WezV

In terms of scale, they should match.  Both are 24" scale with 22 frets, no fretboard overhang.  Everything should intonate fine.

The differences are sometimes in pocket width and depth.  So a neck may fit, but be a little loose, or a little high...  not really an issue.  If the pocket is too tight then it's gonna need more work to fit.

You would expect screw holes to be in the right place on 2 fender models... but still something to look out for 

SPECTRUM001

ICBM said:

There’s no guaranteed answer. Yes, they should fit - especially if they’re from the same factory - but manufactured parts have tolerances and it’s not a certainty both will fit on the other body, although one definitely will.

If you have a measuring calliper of some sort you should be able to check the dimensions accurately enough to tell. If not, there’s no harm in just trying it, as long as you make sure everything fits properly before you tighten them down.

Have you ever taken a neck off and refitted it before?

What do you want to achieve?

Ah - thankyou for this.

1. Whilst I have loosened necks to realign them, nope, I haven’t as of yet removed or replaced one - that is my next lesson.

2. I am scoping out viability of being able to move the Player neck (which I really like) onto the Vintera body, as the Vintera neck is not a spec I particularly get on with. I do not have the Vintera in my possession - hence at present this is a recce.

Was hoping it to be a fete acomplis, though appreciate there are no guarantees. This is an exploration into an area that is daily stuff for many on here - however still a starting point for me !!

SPECTRUM001

WezV said:

In terms of scale, they should match.  Both are 24" scale with 22 frets, no fretboard overhang.  Everything should intonate fine.

The differences are sometimes in pocket width and depth.  So a neck may fit, but be a little loose, or a little high...  not really an issue.  If the pocket is too tight then it's gonna need more work to fit.

You would expect screw holes to be in the right place on 2 fender models... but still something to look out for 

Yes - I was hoping the basic idea should work, though understood the fine details may be more intricate.

ICBM

SPECTRUM001 said:

Whilst I have loosened necks to realign them, nope, I haven’t as of yet removed or replaced one - that is my next lesson.

In that case there is definitely one important thing you need to know - when you refit a neck, you need to make absolutely certain the screws go into the existing threads in the neck and don't cut new ones - which is the quickest way to strip the holes. You do this by turning the screw backwards until it clicks into the thread - you'll feel it.

The problem is that for this to be possible, the screw must not be threaded through the body - it should be able to turn freely in the hole. Fender seem to under-drill the body holes slightly so this isn't always possible, and if you're using a different neck, the threads in the body and the neck won't line up as they will with the original pair. So you may have to drill out the body holes by a small amount to make this possible.

SPECTRUM001

Yes - I have experienced this before whereby the neck would not fully bind to the pocket (sitting proud) as the screws were threaded through the body.

Thanks - this will be the next stage if the necks are compatible. The pre drilled holes lining up correctly is probably my biggest concern - and I guess I will not know until I try to fit.

thegummy

I had always window shopped with the assumption that the necks and bodies of any 2 of the same Fender models are interchangeable; e.g. considering a specific colour combo with the idea of swapping the neck with an instrument I already have.

But after reading the last thread and this, maybe it's safer to try and stick to fully assembled guitars just in case there's a mismatch.

Thank God I was lucky with my last Strat and the neck fit perfectly. If I had heard before buying it that there was a chance it wouldn't fit I'd have been very hesitant to do it that way.

SPECTRUM001

Thanks for the advice above. Fender confirmed a Player Mustang neck should be a normal fit onto a Vintera Mustang body - caveated by the possibility of fine tuning requirements on the heel or pocket.

As one would expect, they recommend this being done by an experienced tech.

Decision time...

euan

Obviously not the case here, but vintage Fender bodies were meant to accept the necks being inserted top down instead of from he side. And some vintage repo necks and bodies also feature the required taper for this to happen.