Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

[Gearjoneser]

I'm wondering if all American Statocaster necks are compatible with American bodies, in particular? Are CIJ, MIM, and US necks compatible?

I'm talking neck pocket dimensions, 21 & 22 frets, vintage and Am Std, and neck angle/depth.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

The Standard dimension is 2"3/16 . But there is no definitive answer to your question. As we all know during the CBS era tolerances varied. But pretty much YES! they should all be compatible. The standard depth of a strat neck pocket is 5/8 (I Believe) and the the angle is compensated with either a shim or Micro tilt.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

They SHOULD be.... but we all know the relationship between "should be" and "is"

 

[theodie]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

They should be but, 95% of the time the neck pocket isnt tight! Hell its like that when it leaves the factory on most models! All in all, they will fit. Its just how much of a stickler you are!

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

The answer is no.

Some necks have a rounded heel, some a sqaure heel, and the same goes for the bodies. Fender was never particularily conscientious when it came to assembling their guitars, and there are some mismatches out there, my Strat being a perfect example: The neck pocket is SQUARE, and the heel is ROUNDED.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

Well, it´s usually Strat = Rounded, Tele = Squared... but I ´ve also seen some interesting mismatches in my time....

 

[ErikH]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

A majority of the time, MIA Strat necks will fit multiple MIA Strat bodies and even possibly the MIM bodies too. You can put a Strat neck on a Tele but not a Tele neck on a Strat (because of the square heel on the Tele neck). The MIM's and MIA's are very close, if not the same dimensions. The CIJ necks and bodies are probably different enough that they won't fit an MIA or MIM body.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

yup, the japanese stuff doesnt usually match up with the recent american and mexican which for the most part will work with each other.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

Good answers. It's one reason I usually stick with American Std/Series Fender necks, bodies, and parts. All the Standards and Am. Series fit together like puzzle pieces.

The reason I'm asking is that I want to start buying/selling Fender necks, so I can swap them around on my 3 US Strats, possibly fitting vintage 21 fret Custom Shop necks onto my Am. Std bodies, which were made for 22 fret Am Std necks.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

You may run into problems with Am Std necks on Am Dlx bodies and vise versa, due to the contoured heel on the Deluxe bodies. That said, it should only be a simple matter of drilling another hole. I don't think the necks themselves are different.

Of course, this all goes out the window when you start getting into sig. models, vintage reissues, and custom shop stuff.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

Good answers. It's one reason I usually stick with American Std/Series Fender necks, bodies, and parts. All the Standards and Am. Series fit together like puzzle pieces.

The reason I'm asking is that I want to start buying/selling Fender necks, so I can swap them around on my 3 US Strats, possibly fitting vintage 21 fret Custom Shop necks onto my Am. Std bodies, which were made for 22 fret Am Std necks.

If you get a 22 fret MIA neck that you want to get rid of, let me know.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

What I'd really like to do is find an Eric Johnson neck and replace an American Series neck. It'd be like getting a Johnson strat for $250. I'd buy it for $500, sell mine for $250, and consider it a great $250 upgrade.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Are all Fender strat necks compatible with their bodies?

I didn't care for the Johnson neck myself. The Clapton neck though, that one plays like buttah.