Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

[Lucius Paisley]

Hey,

I bought a left handed neck from ebay to put onto a right handed body and despite (according to Ibanez site) the measurements being the same, theory didn't meet practice on one particular day and the neck is slightly too wide for the neck pocket.

Basically, I'm asking when it comes to this particular issue, where do I go from here? Do I reshape the neck so it fits into the pocket, or reshape the pocket so it fits the neck? It doesn't look like too savage an adjustment needs to be made, so it's a sanding job rather than filing, but is there a benefit/deficit to doing one over the other or is this one of those "this way is the only way" situations?

All suggestions welcome and (I'm left handed, that's why) any other questions welcome.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

The body for mine is what has to be adjusted. Mainly as if you shave down the neck you'll probably have to do it all the way down to the nut so it doesn't have a hump where the shaving stops.

Have you taken caliper measurements to see what sort of dimension needs to be trimmed?? And are any or both painted?? You can sometimes find the finish is actually the cause of the issue.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

Not an uncommon issue with parts guitars and sand the walls of the neck pocket is the normal fix.

How close are they?

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

The body is painted:



The neck's finish is very fine and it looks like some sanding has been done already, which will be visible once the neck is in place (as seen from my POV):



I can only go by what I see on the calipers since my battery is flat, but it looks like it's a size difference of only 1mm, which from a sanding viewpoint is still a lot.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

Not an uncommon issue with parts guitars and sand the walls of the neck pocket is the normal fix.

How close are they?

The neck is 1mm wider than the pocket. The top side of which (from my POV) is shorter - since the body, right-handed, will be upside down. Seen here:

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

Easy peasy if we are talking 1mm.

The “tan line” on the neck is a good reference mark. I bet there is close to 1mm of finish on the neck. Just take your time and sand a little on both the neck (very slight taper) and the pocket. Check the fit often.

Where are you located?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

You will need to be a bit careful for that amount of removal......as you still need the bolts holes to line up. Doing all 1 side of the pocket could make for alignment issues.

The neck just looks like the clear has yellowed through exposure. It would be a very odd sanding experience to precisely match the shape of the body curve.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

Easy peasy if we are talking 1mm.

The “tan line” on the neck is a good reference mark. I bet there is close to 1mm of finish on the neck. Just take your time and sand a little on both the neck (very slight taper) and the pocket. Check the fit often.

Where are you located?

Slight taper? I don't think I've heard that reference in regards to sandpaper before.

About 50km out of Sydney.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

You will need to be a bit careful for that amount of removal......as you still need the bolts holes to line up. Doing all 1 side of the pocket could make for alignment issues.

The neck just looks like the clear has yellowed through exposure. It would be a very odd sanding experience to precisely match the shape of the body curve.

I may need to be careful either way since at the moment the screw holes for the body and the neck match (more or less), I may have to drill to make some wriggle room.

The neck is at the least 21 years older than the body, but it was from an Ibanez RX20, which is why I thought *maybe* it would fit fine on an Ibanez GRX20, it's GIO counterpart.

But if there's one thing you can be certain of in this world, it's that you can't be certain about anything.

 

[Lucius Paisley]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

And it's done.



I'll string it tomorrow. Who knew "woodwork" was so tiring?

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Neck and Body - One to Fit the Other.

Lovely