Warmoth neck w 24 fret extension

[Jack_TriPpEr]

I'm considering replacing the 25.5 scale, 21 fret neck on my Squier Strat with a 25.5 scale Warmoth neck that has the extension /overhang piece for up to 24 frets.

Has anyone played one of these Warmoth necks with the 24 fret extension? My main question is, will the spacing on other frets lower on the fretboard, e.g. spacing at 1st fret, 2nd fret, etc. be any different than my current 21 fret neck? I'm suspecting that frets # 1-21 on the new neck will be a little narrower than on the Warmoth 24 fret neck -is that correct? And if so, how dramatic is that difference? I actually prefer the smaller spacing on a 24.75 scale neck to a 25.5 scale neck, so a little narrower wouldn't be a bad thing.

BTW, yes I'm aware I would have to relocate the neck pickup back towards the bridge by an inch or so to accomodate that fretboard extension/overhang piece, and that change in location impacts the tone of the neck pickup.

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[ErikH]

Frets 1-21 spacing will remain the same as your current neck. Same scale. If anything, you'll need to stretch a bit to get to 23 and 24 with the shallower lower horn vs. say, an Ibanez RG.

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Frets 1-21 spacing will remain the same as your current neck. Same scale. If anything, you'll need to stretch a bit to get to 23 and 24 with the shallower lower horn vs. say, an Ibanez RG.

Erik,

Huge thanks for pointing out about the lower horn shape as a factor. I just did a feel check on my strat and its totally cramped already at only 21 frets because of the lower horn cut. Now this guitar has changed in my mind to be a non-candidate for this 24 fret extension idea.

Big thanks again!

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[GuitarStv]

Erik,

Huge thanks for pointing out about the lower horn shape as a factor. I just did a feel check on my strat and its totally cramped already at only 21 frets because of the lower horn cut. Now this guitar has changed in my mind to be a non-candidate for this 24 fret extension idea.

Big thanks again!

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Yeah, I wouldn't get a 24 fret neck on a Warmoth body for exactly that reason. Just because you have the upper frets it doesn't mean they're playable.

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Yeah, I wouldn't get a 24 fret neck on a Warmoth body for exactly that reason. Just because you have the upper frets it doesn't mean they're playable.

Steve: Yes, i see now. Thanks!

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[Benjy_26]

Some tosser a few years ago told me I should just bend strings to hit the higher notes. Check out an Ibanez RG or JEM style guitar with the All-Access Neck Joint (AANJ) or a neck-through Jackson or ESP for an instrument with real upper fret access.

I'm one of those tossers. I like old school neck pickup tones, so I bend when I need those notes.

[Benjy_26]

I like the neck pickup tones on guitars with 21 or 22 frets.

Same

[Mincer]

I like the neck pickup tones on guitars with 21 or 22 frets.

Moving the neck pickup, even slightly, ruins that tone for me.

[PFDarkside]

The issue with the Warmoth 24 fret 25.5” scale neck is, like others have mentioned, it’s just a shelf that extends further on top of the guitar. It’s useful on Soloist and V bodies as you get that access but a Strat/Tele it’s pretty tight.

A Jackson/Ibanez 24 fret neck pocket is in a different position than the vintage Fender pocket so the 24th fret on those guitars is closer to a 22nd fret on a Fender.

Finally, Warmoth does the 7/8 scale neck. It’s a 24.75” 24 fret neck laid out on a 25.5” scale blank. You must use it with a 7/8 scale body or on a short scale Fender like a Mustang or Jaguar. (I think that’s pretty cool, you can basically get a 24.75” 24 fret Mustang/Jaguar!)

[eclecticsynergy]

I have one Strat neck with an overhang for a 22nd fret.
Sometime even that feels like kind of a stretch.

When the Strat was designed, playing way up the neck wasn't really a consideration.
Some players did, but in those days it would've been thought of as basically a special effect.
I doubt the idea of making it easier to do on Fenders ever entered Leo's mind.

[Sirion]

I'm one of those tossers. I like old school neck pickup tones, so I bend when I need those notes.

Same here. I actually got my first 24-fret neck ever last week, and the upper frets so far haven't been used much, since I am so used to bending up to reach the top octave of E. I suppose you get a couple of higher tones you can bend to this way, but I don't really need them.

[GuitarStv]

I doubt the idea of making it easier to do on Fenders ever entered Leo's mind.

I think that playing up high more easily did enter his mind . . . because the Jazzmaster body corrects all the problems that the strat body has regarding upper fret access. It's comfortable and easy to hit all 22 frets on a JM.

[Benjy_26]

The issue with the Warmoth 24 fret 25.5” scale neck is, like others have mentioned, it’s just a shelf that extends further on top of the guitar. It’s useful on Soloist and V bodies as you get that access but a Strat/Tele it’s pretty tight.

A Jackson/Ibanez 24 fret neck pocket is in a different position than the vintage Fender pocket so the 24th fret on those guitars is closer to a 22nd fret on a Fender.

Finally, Warmoth does the 7/8 scale neck. It’s a 24.75” 24 fret neck laid out on a 25.5” scale blank. You must use it with a 7/8 scale body or on a short scale Fender like a Mustang or Jaguar. (I think that’s pretty cool, you can basically get a 24.75” 24 fret Mustang/Jaguar!)

A stripped down, 24 fret Jag/'stang would be cool as hell.

[Benjy_26]

Same here. I actually got my first 24-fret neck ever last week, and the upper frets so far haven't been used much, since I am so used to bending up to reach the top octave of E. I suppose you get a couple of higher tones you can bend to this way, but I don't really need them.

I *love* the focus and clarity of my Carvin (all maple/ebony construction), but I've never really fallen in love with the neck pickup on it's own, despite trying a ton of them. The best ones have been a PGb in the neck, and now a PATB-1n.

[eclecticsynergy]

I think that playing up high more easily did enter his mind . . . because the Jazzmaster body corrects all the problems that the strat body has regarding upper fret access. It's comfortable and easy to hit all 22 frets on a JM.

Good point. I hadn't thought of the Jazzmaster - at the time, Leo's top-of-the-line.
Strat and Tele are so iconic, it was only decades later that I learned the JM cost more and was considered superior.