Ed's VH1 neck spec

[mlannoo]

i posed a question about the width of the VH1 neck in another thread and it led off topic. was wondering about the neck width - specifically at the heel. the original VH1 neck always looked a little wider than a normal Fender neck and i remember reading somewhere he stated it was wider than normal. was wondering what that spec was and if Musikraft's Frank neck matches it. if the original neck was wider at the heel, wouldn't that effect the body neck pocket size also? something doesn't look quite right with their headstock either size-wise.

[dazzlindino]

probably wasnt addresed cause everyone is now obsessed with eds haircut, his videos, and his new tone..
you know all the negative stuff....

[YMI5150?]

I'm fairly certain its 2-3/16. the other option would be 2-1/4 (yes Musikraft makes them that width if asked) but there would be a 1/16 gap on all the other necks that were on it afterward. there is an apparent gap at times but i dont think its that big. i just order the normal size neck heel width and hack up the left side to taste for the red replica.

[somethin'else]

probably wasnt addresed cause everyone is now obsessed with eds haircut, his videos, and his new tone..
you know all the negative stuff....

"hack up the left side to taste" that was fuckin' awesome, and beautiful man!

[evhguitars]

It was both wide at the nut and wide at the heel. 1 3/4 nut and 2 1/4 heel.

[Bore Em at the Forum]

Yeah, one probably has to look at spec for Ellsworth/Boogie and Charvel for that era, rather than how the guitar looks "in the pocket" in a picture. No matter how special Ed's stuff seems to be, that was a period when he wasn't custom ordering pieces - he was buying what was on the shelf at the Azusa Charvel shop.

Would be very surprised if Linn/Wayne had 2 different heel sizes for sale in 1977.

[Tone Slinger]

I agree that you should go with the standard heel size. Eddie's may have been slightly wider at the heel, but I'm not certain that it was. One thing is for certain, and that it that ALL the other necks he had on it since that Ellsworth neck, were standard width at the heel. I do not see a gap in that neck pocket (unless he shimmed the side or sides of it).

Another thing is this, the HEADSTOCK shape. NO company makes or has paid attention to that aspect of it. Divebomb inc. is aware, but his versions are 'not quite there' imo.

Strat78 has come closer than ANYONE I've seen at pulling off that headstock shape. It is weird 'cause most assume that it is a standard CBS shape, but it is not. It has pre CBS and CBS aspects resulting in 'Its own thing' .

You can get close with using a standard CBS headstock, by cutting some off (using a template of Ed's headstock). The bottom curve coming up from nut (Where the 'F' in Fender is on CBS necks) isnt as far up on Ed's. A paddle headstock would be better to use, as long as you have an accurate template of Ed's to use.

Not trying to tell you what to do, but depending on what you are used to, as far as neck size goes, is what I would stick to. If you are used to 1 5/8ths nut, then I wouldnt go beyond 1 11/16ths. the 1 3/4ths is not even gonna feel like a guitar neck to you. An 8th or even a 16th is MAJOR on a guitar. If you go for the wider heel, it is even worse and more noticable.

Stick to within a 16th of where you are at now.

[rgorke]

I agree that you should go with the standard heel size. Eddie's may have been slightly wider at the heel, but I'm not certain that it was. One thing is for certain, and that it that ALL the other necks he had on it since that Ellsworth neck, were standard width at the heel. I do not see a gap in that neck pocket (unless he shimmed the side or sides of it).

Another thing is this, the HEADSTOCK shape. NO company makes or has paid attention to that aspect of it. Divebomb inc. is aware, but his versions are 'not quite there' imo.

Strat78 has come closer than ANYONE I've seen at pulling off that headstock shape. It is weird 'cause most assume that it is a standard CBS shape, but it is not. It has pre CBS and CBS aspects resulting in 'Its own thing' .

You can get close with using a standard CBS headstock, by cutting some off (using a template of Ed's headstock). The bottom curve coming up from nut (Where the 'F' in Fender is on CBS necks) isnt as far up on Ed's. A paddle headstock would be better to use, as long as you have an accurate template of Ed's to use.

Not trying to tell you what to do, but depending on what you are used to, as far as neck size goes, is what I would stick to. If you are used to 1 5/8ths nut, then I wouldnt go beyond 1 11/16ths. the 1 3/4ths is not even gonna feel like a guitar neck to you. An 8th or even a 16th is MAJOR on a guitar. If you go for the wider heel, it is even worse and more noticable.

Stick to within a 16th of where you are at now.

What he said....

[rdodson]

1 3/4 & 2 1/4 is exactly right. Those were the Charvel template dimensions used by Linn Ellsworth & Dave Schecter and it continues to be the neck pocket dimension used to this day.

A 1 3/4 neck width with an R2 (strat) nut is heavenly.

When Kramer first started with Ed it is what they copied. Hence the US Festival/Jump video beak neck is 1 3/4 (and used an R2 which is all that was made at the time). The original grail Baretta (with parts contracted out to ESP) sported the 1 3/4 neck as well, but used an R5 nut (which completely ruined the playability if you were used to the R2).

So, Ed requested his be made with the R2 nut...and they made a strat-sized neck to go with it. Hence the 5150/1984/EBMM.

Some things happen by accident.

Ron

[rgorke]

One thing I recently discovered is that the R2 and R3 nuts are not only different in their width but in their height. I have a 1 11/16' neck that I put an R2 nut on and the action was really good at the first fret. When I put the R3 nut in, I noticed that the action at the first fret was way high. With some research I discovered that the nuts are built differently. Why are they like this? Why would they make the height different just for the additional 1/16"?

B C D E F G
NUT # WIDTH RADIUS HEIGHT @ D E-E CENTER WIDTH STRING SPACING BULLET RECESS
R1 1.5625" 10" .235" 1.309" .2398" NO

R1 39.70 mm 254 mm 6.00 mm 33.25 mm 6.10 mm NO

R2 1.625" 10" .230" 1.371" .2502" NO

R2 41.30 mm 254 mm 5.85 mm 34.80 mm 6.35 mm NO

R3 1.6875" 12" .278" 1.4155" .2591" NO

R3 42.85 mm 304.8 mm 7.10 mm 35.95 mm 6.60 mm NO

R4 1.6875" 10" .278" 1.4355" .2631" NO

R4 42.85 mm 254 mm 7.10mm 36.45 mm 6.70 mm NO

[rdodson]

If you want EVH spec, just always always stick with the original R2.

[classalpha]

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[Tone Slinger]

VH1 neck, NOT that floyd shit !

Ed had 2 necks that were similar, pre floyd, ('77-'late '78) the one on the b&w striped Franky and the ORIGINAL Bumble Bee neck, that was later put on the pre floyd Franky (after it had the red coat). These 2 necks were basically the same except for the headstock shape. These 2 necks probably were/are 1 3/4ths at the nut. Ed used a 1 5/8ths width nut(not neck width) on the b&w though.

I think ALL of the necks that he put a floyd on were NO MORE than 1 11/16ths at the nut.

Regardless of what Ed's B&W Franky (VH1 cover) necks nut width was, Go for what you are used to. 1 5/8ths to 1 11/16ths is major (the left hand really notices ANYTHING). To go from 1 5/8ths to 1 3/4ths is another WORLD !

Just saying, 'cause I've spent alot of money on things that I hated.

[garbeaj]

jimi22812 is the guy for the details of the VH-1 headstock and everything else related to the guitar. I know jimi has shaped headstocks on his own Divebomb and Musikraft necks (among others) to within what must be micromillimeters of what the real deal was before it met its demise with the Floyd Rose nut routing disaster!

[Tone Slinger]

Agreed Jimi22812 or Strat78. These guitar/amp SPECFIFIC threads do need to be STICKYS. Otherwise, you have to build an amp or something to get a reply from some of these guy's nowadays