Piecing together Fender guitars.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

It's always amazed me how right Fender and Gibson were in the 50's. Then, they went through every possible deviation for 3 decades, and what did they learn? That it was right the first time! Those companies are "classic" for a variety of reasons, but both have learned the fine art of building a guitar that the masses can agree on.

I didn't just gravitate toward classic guitars for fashion sense, but after going through quite a few, I came to the same conclusion that a lot of players have. Around '92, I made a conscious decision to only use classic guitars for the rest of my life, and sold off all my remnants of the 80's. I'm happy that I did that, because I feel most at home on Fender/Gibson/Martin....and add PRS McCartys to that....the modern classic.

Even on those classics, I've found that it's best to NOT mess with them too much, outside of new pickups......which always fit perfectly because pickup makers have LP/Strat/Tele in mind when designing them. I'm not a fan of changing bridges or tuners, or anything. Even the McCarty is a perfectly designed guitar. I installed a Tonepros adjustable bridge on a McCarty, and NOPE....left or right of center. Center was the stock tailpiece. Ted McCarty and Paul Reed Smith were right......as most genius guitar makers are.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

Ya'll needn't think that at Fender they listen to each guitar and make sure that the neck and body go together to make it the best it can be...they reach on into the neck and body bins, and pull two pieces on out and bolt them together. Eric Clapton's #1 was a mongrel of two different years, and nobody I know is gonna say he messed it up by trading parts. Danny Gatton...the same.
It will change the tone to change out a neck, but the odds will always and forever be 50/50 that it will improve it. I say build away!!!

 

[tone?]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

I tend to think that when Eric Clapton was changing necks he was doing so from handmade guitar parts made exclusively by Leo Fender. So quality was top notch.

I agree that fender does do it that way though. 50/50 is still a big margin for a mess up. Besides Fender is exchanging fender parts with fender parts. this to some point keeps some consistency. What i am saying is that for the example of the Schecter it will be more of a risk. Because simply you will be changing out a schecter designed instrument part with one that is made differently. Yes, it might be better in the end,but it might be totally off as well.

I would be more prone to changing a neck from a particular strat with another fender neck from a same spec strat. For example, if you had a EJ strat you would be taking a totally different road exchanging the neck with a neck from a lets say custom shop. Yes it will definately be a good neck but EJ had a very specific neck made for that guitar, quartersawn maple and a thick profile.

Im not saying dont do it, im just saying that it will be an adventure/headache maybe. With money well or badly spent.

 

[danglybanger]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

All well and good.

So long as we all remember that Fender means more than just strat and tele

And that the Jag and Mustang were gotten right the first time too :laugh2:

Anyway I built a Mustang.

Bolted together, shimmed the neck, all was good

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

I tend to think that when Eric Clapton was changing necks he was doing so from handmade guitar parts made exclusively by Leo Fender. So quality was top notch.

Nope...he used parts that he thought jibed well from three Strats he bought for $150 bucks apiece...EC simply took the best of the three, in HIS opinion. Someone else might have arranged them a different way. That's the genious of Leo's designs...parts from Fender interchange. Either way, they were NOT hand made pieces of the highest quality...they were run-of-the-mill-reach-in-the-bin-and-put-it-together production pieces.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

For what it is worth, I took two new Highway 1s and sold off the necks, pups, and bridges. I then replaced with my choice of parts, thus giving me two custom strats the way I want them.

 

[tone?]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

For what it is worth, I took two new Highway 1s and sold off the necks, pups, and bridges. I then replaced with my choice of parts, thus giving me two custom strats the way I want them.

with all due respect,
what did you buy the highway1's for then? just the body?? do they have a specific body spec that you dug??

I dont know, that just seems a bit overkill in what might come out.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

I don’t prescribe to the notion that the makers “got it right” the first time. There are many replacement parts out there, and I shouldn’t have to say that while some players think they negatively impact the tone or feel, other players find a great improvement. That’s what makes Fenders so cool; there’s a level of customization that no other guitar can touch.

Fender has used a myriad of different bridges, many of identical designs, but with varying materials, some with different saddles, still other that are completely different. There are no rules when it comes piecing together parts guitars. A guitar’s tone is obviously the sum of its parts, and claiming that there is a specific formula to be adhered to is nothing more than someone’s opinion of what the ideal strat is.

Not that Fender doesn’t deserve credit, but I fear we give them too much credit. After all, even Fender uses the same parts on several models. They mix and match all the time, and a great deal of the formulas work very well. That alone should be testament to there not being set in stone rules regarding Fender guitars. There’s no reason why you or I cannot do the same. Yes, there is such a thing as designing a neck and body to gel, and yes, I believe neck and body matching occurs to a degree. However, I highly doubt that when a standard production MIA strat is being pieced together that they go through a parts bit and hand pick each neck for each body. If that were the case then shopping for strats wouldn’t be any fun. Have the fun is finding the happy the accident that left the factory.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

with all due respect,
what did you buy the highway1's for then? just the body?? do they have a specific body spec that you dug??

I dont know, that just seems a bit overkill in what might come out.

I wanted a thin finish and vintage trem. I paid $500 each for them new, sold the necks (with tuners) for $280, the pups for $60 and the bridges for $60. I then purchased complete Warmoth necks (stainless frets, locking tuners and nut) for $250, custom pups for $150 and bridge for $100. I now have about $600 in each one, and they are the way I want them.

The closest thing to what I wanted was an EJ strat, and that is more than twice the price.

 

[Kostas]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

I wanted a thin finish and vintage trem. I paid $500 each for them new, sold the necks (with tuners) for $280, the pups for $60 and the bridges for $60. I then purchased complete Warmoth necks (stainless frets, locking tuners and nut) for $250, custom pups for $150 and bridge for $100...

I'm going for the same thing, I have a Highway 1 strato body and I will order a Vintage Modern construction neck from Warmoth. How the neck fits to the body? It was OK from the start or you did any modifications? The same for the tremolo. What tremolo did you use, I'm thinking of Callahams.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

The Warmoth necks actually fit better than the stock, and Callaham for the bridge. Everything bolted together like it was supposed to, and I have no complaints.

 

[Kostas]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

The Warmoth necks actually fit better than the stock, and Callaham for the bridge. Everything bolted together like it was supposed to, and I have no complaints.

:cool2: :thanks:

 

[J Moose]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

Ya'll needn't think that at Fender they listen to each guitar and make sure that the neck and body go together to make it the best it can be...they reach on into the neck and body bins, and pull two pieces on out and bolt them together.

The Custom Shop used to match necks to bodies, right up through the mid '90s or so...

The very first 'relic' guitars were all hand-assembled in that fashion... not from "binned" parts.

I'm not sure what they're doing today, but given the current glut of "Custom Shop" guitars out there & my own experience trying to order a slight variation on a stock 'custom' model Tele a few years back, I'd assume it's bin parts.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

I'm just thinking more of the regular production models where they turn out 300 or 400 a day. All bets are off when you get to the CS level. If you give those guys enough money, they'll do anything you could imagine, but on the "floor" models, it's into the bins, and on with the process.

If you take into account the CNC machinery used today, there is no need to do more than final sand a neck, finish it and make sure it fits tightly and straight. That also means that two bodies or necks will have the same cut within the same model give or take a few thousanths to account for different sanding styles/finishes.

Point is, its a good bet that you will have success if the neck is a Fender or a licensed aftermarket copy, and the body is a good toneful piece of wood. Some will sound better than others, but that's why GAS is always cropping up again...there's always something new to get:fest6:

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

I don’t prescribe to the notion that the makers “got it right” the first time. There are many replacement parts out there, and I shouldn’t have to say that while some players think they negatively impact the tone or feel, other players find a great improvement. That’s what makes Fenders so cool; there’s a level of customization that no other guitar can touch.

You're right. My comment was pretty general with no real basis, other than Custom Shops and Historics tend to be copies of the original 50's/60's models, with good reason.

I agree with you that both Fender and Gibson have created some newer designs with their neck profiles and hardware that can be seen as improvements....otherwise they wouldn't have instituted them on their American Series and Std. models from the 80's till now.

The main one being a flatter radius and taller frets. As much as I like strats with a vintage bridge, my ears are so used to the Am Std bridges that it doesn't matter to me. Actually, I like the sound of the plain strings better with Am Std bridges.....less ringy and bright.

 

[J Moose]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

You're right. My comment was pretty general with no real basis, other than Custom Shops and Historics tend to be copies of the original 50's/60's models, with good reason.

And here I thought it was just because guitar players are "stuck" in thinking that anything made past 1968 just sucks...

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

Wait, didn't you just say you wanted the HW1 for the vintage bridge, did you mean th3e vintage bridge route?

In any case, I also think that if you're reaching as far as to get a new neck, electronics and hardware then you might as well get a new guitar, the difference between stock and after market would bring you to the same money anyway plus you can actually try the result before paying...

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

And here I thought it was just because guitar players are "stuck" in thinking that anything made past 1968 just sucks...

The vintage meme. :33:

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

Wait, didn't you just say you wanted the HW1 for the vintage bridge, did you mean th3e vintage bridge route?

In any case, I also think that if you're reaching as far as to get a new neck, electronics and hardware then you might as well get a new guitar, the difference between stock and after market would bring you to the same money anyway plus you can actually try the result before paying...

The bridge is vintage spacing, and there is no stock guitar that can come close for the $600 I have in mine. I would not trade my strats for any stock model I have tried, and that is why I did what I did.

 

[KeeperOS]

Re: Piecing together Fender guitars.

Cool then, enjoy in good health man!
(and, y'know, this is the SD forums, a little pic-a-pimp wouldn't hurt either... :laugh2