Thinking of building a new Strat...

[alex1fly]

I'm really intrigued by the thicker 50s "V" style neck profiles, but it looks like the majority of pre-made Strats have the modern C shape. So I'm considering the options of building my own.

... but I have some questions.

Is it really as simple as buying a Fender/Squier/licensed by Fender body, buying a Fender/Squier/licensed by Fender neck, and fitting the two together?
Will either a 21 fret or 22 fret neck work with a generic Fender body?
Should I expect a good fit between neck and body, or is shimming/sanding the neck pocket a given with this mix-and-match approach?

Thanks, Alex

 

[beaubrummels]

You can buy a Squire or Fender with all the hardware and electronics for less than buying the replacement body and neck separately.
I believe the 22 fretters have a little extra fretboard the hangs over the body slightly, so either a 21 or 22 should work on a normal Strat body.
Assuming the body and neck are both either Fender or Squire (but not mixing Squire/Fender parts), I would expect body and neck to fit properly without modification.

 

[jeremy]

basically yes and the fit should be pretty good. i tend to stick to the same company for the body and neck since those usually have the best fit right out of the box

 

[Mincer]

To be fair, I haven't yet played a modern Strat or replacement neck that was the same as the 50s Strats I've played. One of the 50's Strats were had a tiny neck, and the other one was insanely big. So I bet there really isn't a '50s neck shape'. There was no separate fingerboard, however.

 

[Liam1963]

I've matched up a couple of Warmoth bodies (Tele and Strat) with Fender necks, and have had no issues.

 

[jeremy]

back when the necks were hand made, there was a ton of variability. there was a "shape" they were going for but the variety of D, V, U, and C shaped necks in the 50s was broad. early 50s were usually pretty thick though. they used to have A, B, C, and D nut widths which were stamped on the heal. i had a '62 B neck that was very small and fast, too small for me actually so a friend has it

 

[alex1fly]

Edited original post for clarity!

I'll comb the archives before asking "Squier vs Fender?" :cool2:

 

[PFDarkside]

The great thing about Fender modularity and popularity is that so many pieces are plug and play with each other. What’s the overall vibe you are going for? What price point are you aiming for?

Careful with Squier stuff, it’s hit and miss, depending on the year and model there could be odd body thicknesses, odd nut widths, odd hardware dimensions, etc. A lot of the stuff will fit decently, but other cheaper lines like the Affinity and Bullet could be odd.

Nearly all Fender stuff will mate with the licensed replacement companies like Warmoth, AllParts, Musikraft, etc. Even a lot of non licensed stuff will work great. If it says it has a Fender heel, there’s a good chance it will work. Regarding shims, production Fenders needed shims, so it’s not like buying two Fender parts will guarantee a perfect fit. I tried to fit a Fender neck to a Warmoth body, and with all the extra finish on the neck it was slightly too tight and needed sanding.

Check out the Classic Player 50’s Strat, it’s a custom shop designed Strat with the V neck, etc. They sell the neck separately in case you want to mate it to another body.

 

[playas]

Yeah, Pfdarkside is right. There is a standard fender heel size, but while most (/all?) Fenders match it many Squires may be different.
It's best just to look up standard dimensions and check that both the body and neck match.

Aftermarket parts usually, but not always, match too.