Replacement Neck?

[Closed Eye]

I'm thinking of replacing the neck on my Yamaha Telecaster and was wondering what information I need to know before undertaking such a task.

I'll more than likely go through Warmoth but if you have a favorite non-Warmoth maker please share the info!

Thanks.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Replacement Neck?

Warmoth makes probably the best replacement necks, so that'd be my suggestion, too. You can also get blanks from Stewart MacDonald, and WD as well.

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: Replacement Neck?

A firend of mine has a Gotoh neck... I wouldn't buy those...

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Replacement Neck?

I'm still wondering...

How would I tell the radius? What kind of neck would I choose? What other things should I take into account? What's a recommended wood? I'm willing to try something new in the neck wood department...hehe, "neck wood"...

 

[bert123]

Re: Replacement Neck?

Measure the width of your neck pocket. I have a couple of older Japanese guitars one of which is a Tele copy. The neck pockets are 54mm wide or about 2 1/8". Fender standard are 2 3/16".

You also need to know your scale length.

Is it a standard 21 fret Tele neck?

You buy radius guages at Stew-Mac or youcould make yourself some radius guages(sp?) from card stock. You need to draw some arcs - On a couple of inch wide piece of card stock mark a zero point and using a ruler mark points at 7 1/4", 9 1/2", 12". Use thumb tack to poke holes in your paper strip at the points you marked. Put a thumb tack in the zero point and use a pencil to draw some arcs on another piece of card stock. Cut out your arcs maybe about 1/4" wide.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Replacement Neck?

The Yamaha Homepage says the scale is 25 1/2".

The guitar has 22 frets plus a 23rd "non-fret" fret.

I'm not sure as to the depth of the pocket though, but once I get a ruler I'll check it out.

So pretty much the scale, number of frets, and neck pocket depth are all I need to know to make this a smooth transition?

Thanks for the help, Bert!

 

[tone4days]

Re: Replacement Neck?

you dont have to use the same radius fretboard with the replacement neck .. you can pick any radius that is comfortable to your style of playing ... the more bending you do, the flatter you'll like it ... then all you'll have to do is adjust the height of the saddles to match whichever radius you choose

usa custom guitars makes very fine replacement necks too

which size frets will you use?
which type of tuners will you use?
which nut material do you prefer?
interested in the earvana compensated nut? or maybe even the buzz feiten system?
what type of tone are you going for? this will help decide the wood you choose


cheers
t4d

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Replacement Neck?

I kinda figured radius was contingent, but I wasn't sure...

I'm an idiot when it comes to fret size. How do I tell?

Crap! Great questions! Let me think about this...

 

[tone4days]

Re: Replacement Neck?

for fret size, you do what feels best under your fingers and fits your playing style ...

vintage sized are tiny ... jumbo are good for guys who shred and create an almost scalloped feel - easier to bend too ... medium jumbo are a compromise in between

you can consider stainless steel frets too .. cost more but never wear out and seem to make bending easier .. some folks say it creates a brighter guitar ...

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Replacement Neck?

Fret Size: Medium Jumbo (I do lots of chord work and a few solos here and there...would this be a good choice?)

Tuners: I don't want locking, but just tuners with a hole in the post. that's all. What's a good, regular tuner brand? Could I just go with Fender Accessories Tuners?

Nut: I was actually considering an Earvana Nut.

Tone: I'm going for something pretty versitile. Mostly rock-oriented stuff, but with the occasional fling into other musical genres if possible. Like I said before, I do a lot of chord work, but also mix in single note lines or melodic type things, and I'm only just starting to solo.

The current neck on the guitar is maple and while I like it, it is a tad too smooth for my taste sometimes. What's something in between maple and rosewood?

The body on the Yamaha is made Swamp Ash. If that makes any differance.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Replacement Neck?

What are you looking for in the upgrade neck that you don't have in the stock neck? A replacement neck is a pretty significant investment in an existing instrument.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Replacement Neck?

There's pretty big nicks on the back of the neck and the fretboard. I also just considered rather than buying a new guitar (Fender Telecaster) I'd overhaul my pretty-okay Yamaha Telecaster into something pretty killer. I don't have an emotional investment in this instrument and have pretty much treated it like a crap for the past 4-5 years. I love it and I love playing it but it definantly needs some work. I dunno, maybe an overhaul would do it some good.

I'm also just asking if, in the future, I decide to custom build a guitar through Warmoth or somebody like that.

Thanks!

 

[tone4days]

Re: Replacement Neck?

i like the way ebony fingerboards over a maple neck sound for chord work .. good note definition ... nice for soloing, of course, too ... medium jumbo and earvana all sound great ...


i forgot to ask you what shape neck carve you like .. you'll have to decide that too ... there are C shape, D shape, U shape, soft V and hard V .. boat neck, baseball bat neck, wizard flat necks ..

my only other advice is to spend a few hours in a guitar store trying out different neck shapes and neck / fingerboard woods

good luck

 

[bert123]

Re: Replacement Neck?

The Yamaha Homepage says the scale is 25 1/2".

The guitar has 22 frets plus a 23rd "non-fret" fret.

I'm not sure as to the depth of the pocket though, but once I get a ruler I'll check it out.

So pretty much the scale, number of frets, and neck pocket depth are all I need to know to make this a smooth transition?

Thanks for the help, Bert!

Is the 23rd 'non-fret' fret at the nut? (usually called a zero fret)

Fender Tele necks usually have 21 frets. At the heel, does the end of the fretboard overhang the guitar body or is the fretboard flush with the neck back? My 70's Aria (22 frets with a zero fret) has fretboard flush with neck back thus the neck pocket is longer than a pocket on a Fender Tele.

Also check the shape of the heel. The Tele heel is flatter than a Strat heel.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Replacement Neck?

i like the way ebony fingerboards over a maple neck sound for chord work .. good note definition ... nice for soloing, of course, too ... medium jumbo and earvana all sound great ...


i forgot to ask you what shape neck carve you like .. you'll have to decide that too ... there are C shape, D shape, U shape, soft V and hard V .. boat neck, baseball bat neck, wizard flat necks ..

my only other advice is to spend a few hours in a guitar store trying out different neck shapes and neck / fingerboard woods

good luck

What's the average Telecaster neck carve?

My Yamaha AES420 has a Les Paul type carve that I like, but I'm not sure what kind it is. Any idea?

I'm pretty sure the neck will be maple and the fretboard will be rosewood though because that's what I'm most comfortable with. I'd like ebony a lot too, but I'm not really all that familier with the wood as I wish I could be in the area of fretboards.

Is the 23rd 'non-fret' fret at the nut? (usually called a zero fret)

Fender Tele necks usually have 21 frets. At the heel, does the end of the fretboard overhang the guitar body or is the fretboard flush with the neck back? My 70's Aria (22 frets with a zero fret) has fretboard flush with neck back thus the neck pocket is longer than a pocket on a Fender Tele.

Also check the shape of the heel. The Tele heel is flatter than a Strat heel.

For sure it's not a zero fret.
The heel overhangs the guitar body as a matter of fact. What does this mean? I just have to get a neck where the heel overhangs?

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Replacement Neck?

If you go with Warmoth, I strongly suggest that you stick with the "Vintage" or "Vintage Modern" construction. It will limit many of your other choices for the neck, like radius, etc., but the "Warmoth Professional" (formerly "Warmoth Construction") necks have some tone-sucking design flaws IMHO and based on an A/B test versus a MIM Fender Strat neck.

Pau ferro migh be a good wood to consider for the fingerboard - it looks a lot like rosewood but is supposed to have a bit more snap to it.

Call Tommy Rosamond at USA Custom Guitars, tell him what you like & don't like, what you're trying to accomplish, and how you play, and he'll do right by you. Don't know what his lead time is right now, though, so please check on that before ordering.

Regardless of who you order from, I'd trace an outline of the neck pocket and the butt end of the neck itself and mail the tracings to them (a fax won't necessarily get the dimensions dead-on).

Chip

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Replacement Neck?

for fret size and radius best bet is a trip to guitar center and play some guitars and then figure out which you like best and from there you will know what radius and fret size to go with.

for example...

a standard made in mexico strat or tele is a 9.5" radius with vintage frets
a typical les paul is 12" radius with jumbo frets
a typical made in america strat or tele a 9.5" radius with med. jumbo frets.
a typical schecter (c series) is a 14" radius with jumbo frets
a typical ibanez RG is around a 15.5" radius (a bit more) with jumbo frets
a vintage fender will have a 7.25 radius and vintage isze frets most times (the reissue strats (50's and 60's and such)

hope that helps a bit.

-Mike

 

[dani]

Re: Replacement Neck?

If you go with Warmoth, I strongly suggest that you stick with the "Vintage" or "Vintage Modern" construction. It will limit many of your other choices for the neck, like radius, etc., but the "Warmoth Professional" (formerly "Warmoth Construction") necks have some tone-sucking design flaws IMHO and based on an A/B test versus a MIM Fender Strat neck.

Call Tommy Rosamond at USA Custom Guitars, tell him what you like & don't like, what you're trying to accomplish, and how you play, and he'll do right by you. Don't know what his lead time is right now, though, so please check on that before ordering.

Regardless of who you order from, I'd trace an outline of the neck pocket and the butt end of the neck itself and mail the tracings to them (a fax won't necessarily get the dimensions dead-on).

Chip

chip got it right on imo. i would go for usacg personally. tommy is a great person to deal with and he will get you what you want and tell you if it won't work. wood and quality is top notched not to mention the amount of custom options available. drawback will be the lead time since its a custom cut heel and tommy has to send the neck to ty for finishing if you intend to have it finished by roxy. you can also send your body or neck to tommy for an exact heel to pocket fit iirc. do check with him on this.

as for warmoth, its exactly what chip has said. difference is i a/b/c-ed with a usacg, warmoth construction and mij fender strat neck. i agree that warmoth's vintage and vintage modern construction is a better option than their warmoth professional line.

dani

 

[bert123]

Re: Replacement Neck?

...
For sure it's not a zero fret.
The heel overhangs the guitar body as a matter of fact. What does this mean? I just have to get a neck where the heel overhangs?

From your descriptions it I think you have a 25 1/2" scale neck (this determines the spacing of the frets) that is physically longer (heel under the 22nd fret) than the standard 25 1/2" scale Tele neck. If you put a standard neck on the Yamaha body the nut will be about 1/2" closer to the bridge and the guitar will not intonate correctly unless you leave a gap between the neck heel and the neck pocket end. Warmoth or USACG may have dealt with this before. Ask them.

 

[skh515]

Re: Replacement Neck?

I think most Teles have C shaped necks, with the '50s RIs having a soft V. It least that's been my experience.

Before putting a lot of money into a worn Yamaha Tele, I'd look at a new Standard Tele MIM. Good guitars for about $350, I think.