Stratocaster headstocks

Stratocaster headstocks


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Hadn't thought of it that way, but I fully agree, LOL.


I have a partscaster that started life as a MIM Road Worn. That one had a great-feeling neck. Kinda thin-ish and C-shaped, with a cool worn finish on the back of the neck, but the truss rod didn't work correctly. So I replaced it with what Fender are calling their "neck built for speed". It's kinda disappointing, TBH. The only thing that I like better on the new neck is the flatter fretboard (which is still 12", so not THAT flat). It's not THAT thin (I remember it being like 21mm thick at the first fret, I think), and it's roasted Maple, but it's THAT stable either, LOL.

I wouldn't recommend it, to be honest. Should've gotten a Warmoth Wizard or whatever.

Is that the roasted maple replacement neck you can buy from fender that has the jumbo frets and 12" radius, "fast oval" neck shape or whatever?

I almost thought about buying one of those, but I'll steer clear I guess. rather have a flatter fretboard anyway but it seemed like a decent deal
 
Is that the roasted maple replacement neck you can buy from fender that has the jumbo frets and 12" radius, "fast oval" neck shape or whatever?

I almost thought about buying one of those, but I'll steer clear I guess. rather have a flatter fretboard anyway but it seemed like a decent deal
Yeah. It's the Flat Oval baked Maple neck with the jumbo frets.

On a positive note, it is well made. The finish looks great and feels great. And it's Fender, so I guess I'll have better luck selling the guitar if I ever decide to sell it if all the parts are Fender (at least I hope so).

But yeah, not recommended if what you want is a shreddy-feeling neck. It's not bad, but it's no Wizard, that's for sure.

Also... not sure if there are "levels" on how baked the Maple is on a baked Maple neck, but this is barely baked at all, LOL. It's just slightly darker than plain Maple. And it's not quartersawn. My Gibson with the quartersawn non-baked Maple neck and my LTD with the 3-piece Mahogany neck are less sensitive to temperature changes. Not by much... but that's not their selling point like it is with baked Maple necks, LOL.
 
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My favourite neck is a quartersawn Charvel. No idea if it impacts the tone, but I love it and it's very stable.
 
Yeah, I didn't mean it for the tone. I meant it for the stability.

This neck, though, the neck and fretboard are a single piece. I suppose the fact that the Gibson is neck+fretboard and the LTD is multipiece add to the stability compared to the Fender too.
 
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