HELP ! Need Info on Franky's 1st neck.

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:01 pm

This topic has been discussed here before, and I'm pretty sure about some things, but I'm getting ready to get a close copy of this neck made, and would like as much info as possible, like is it flame maple back AND fretboard, whats the radius (16 ?) Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

MARCO · Post by **MARCO** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:26 pm

Birdseye 2-piece maple cap neck
21 frets
not sure on the radius (i would think 10" or 15")
i dont think they did compound radius necks then
cbs strat headstock

hope this helps!!

Atomic Punk · Post by **Atomic Punk** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:19 pm

Only the back of the neck was birdseye, the fretboard was plain maple. It's not a CBS headstock, its a bit different
It has rosewood top inlays and brass side dots

cary chilton · Post by **cary chilton** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:38 am

I don't really care for 21 frets, ....will the tone change at all with a 22 fret neck?

Atomic Punk · Post by **Atomic Punk** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 1:15 am

Most 22 fret necks just have an extended fingerboard so I don't imagine it would change the sound at all.

Strat78 · Post by **Strat78** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:01 am

Atomic Punk wrote:Only the back of the neck was birdseye, the fretboard was plain maple. It's not a CBS headstock, its a bit different
It has rosewood top inlays and brass side dots

1 3/4 width at the nut with a 1 5/8 brass nut. Yes, interesting headstock shape, a combination of 50's and 70's elements. You want a single acting truss rod and a pretty flat radius but I would definitely take advantage of a compound radius (I like 12 to 16 compound). Looks like 6150 nickel frets. Stainless steel frets are pretty cold sounding compared to nickel. Musikraft will do a plain maple slab on birdseye and everything ells for that matter.

YHWH · Post by **YHWH** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:00 am

... dunno about the radius... but if it was a truly a Charvel/Boogie Bodies... they used 11.5" radiius guitar necks... no skunk stripe either... truss rod sdjusts at the bottom. Ed said he used "jumbo Gibson frets filed to a peak"... or "triangular" like Petillo frets. The neck heel is rather rounded... love the semi-circular cut... it's not a typical C shape or a V. Black phenolic dots... they're closer together @ the 12th fret than on standard Strats... don't get a dot config. with wider 12th fret spacing if you want visual authenticity. Brass nut radiused to match the fretboard. That was typical of brass nuts on all San Dimas-era Charvel Strats.

Strat78 · Post by **Strat78** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:33 pm

YHWH wrote:... dunno about the radius... but if it was a truly a Charvel/Boogie Bodies... they used 11.5" radiius guitar necks... no skunk stripe either... truss rod sdjusts at the bottom. Ed said he used "jumbo Gibson frets filed to a peak"... or "triangular" like Petillo frets. The neck heel is rather rounded... love the semi-circular cut... it's not a typical C shape or a V. Black phenolic dots... they're closer together @ the 12th fret than on standard Strats... don't get a dot config. with wider 12th fret spacing if you want visual authenticity. Brass nut radiused to match the fretboard. That was typical of brass nuts on all San Dimas-era Charvel Strats.

I've seen many old boogie necks, I even owned one, but nothing looks like that neck Edward had. Everything about it is unique from the headstock to the volute behind the nut to the neck heal transition (not rounded but well defined on both, so it had to be a thin C contour with that much definition). It looks like it could be 11.5 radius but the frets are definitely not the pointy ones as Edward described in several interviews (look at the picture I posted, the frets are pretty rounded and medium jumbo in width). Still it would not hurt to modernize with a compound radius so you can have slightly lower action and still do those huge bends in the 12th position with out it fretting out. Unfortunately Edward's work bench zeal sent that neck to it's grave.

Strat78 · Post by **Strat78** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:36 pm

Oh, I guess I didn't post a shot of the whole neck, here it is:

plexified · Post by **plexified** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:10 pm

Looks very similar to an old comapany Carlos Robelli I believe . I have to check . I bought one from a friend for forty bucks years ago . Had the same birdseye back and maple cap . Same heel , same volute and headstock shap even looks like the neck plate too . Sucks to think I scalloped the neck when I started playing the Malmsteen stuff ;..(....David

rgorke · Post by **rgorke** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:33 pm

Strat78 wrote:1 3/4 width at the nut with a 1 5/8 brass nut.

I find this set up very interesting. What to folks think about this having a specific purpose or just that was the size of nut he had and put it on? I tend to think that the latter is unlikely. If so, what might be the main purpose for a smaller nut? (I know, lots of jokes in there about Eddie's nuts.)

sadwings75 · Post by **sadwings75** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:02 pm

rgorke wrote:
Strat78 wrote:1 3/4 width at the nut with a 1 5/8 brass nut.
I find this set up very interesting. What to folks think about this having a specific purpose or just that was the size of nut he had and put it on? I tend to think that the latter is unlikely. If so, what might be the main purpose for a smaller nut? (I know, lots of jokes in there about Eddie's nuts.)

Eddie has big hands so he probably liked the feel of the wider neck. However, using a 1 5/8 nut gives the convenience of having the strings closer together which can make muting easier, though some people do prefer more space between the strings.
This setup also ensures that the E strings won't slide off of the fretboard.

MARCO · Post by **MARCO** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:08 pm

pics of the original neck dont tell me it was 1-5/8" nut. the width of the neck in comparison to the nut are not much different. look at the pics from EPI. those are high res pics and u can see the neck in detail.....i am talking about the very first neck, not the frankie neck.

thats a CBS headstock if i am not mistaken. looks like 1-3/4" neck w/ 1-5/8" nut to me

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:10 pm

A couple of questions,

1st, what 50's-mid 60's 'small' headstock aspects does that origional neck have ? It's headstock looks exactly like the big cbs one's. I do notice more space behind the nut,before it curves down on the face of the headstock, than any other neck.

2nd, After much listening, I am tending to think that the radius on it was indeed "wide and flat, almost like a classical guitar", as Ed once said. It seemed flatter than a Gibsons '12 radius, just by looking at picture's. Ed got a VERY,Very fast string bending vibrato back then, like on "Somebody GMAD" and "Bottoms Up" solo's, which indicate looser, less friction, like on real flat radius necks. I'm thinking that it had at least a '16 radius, and possibly a '19 like on the Ibanez wizard necks. I now know that I need the birdseye back, with the regular maple slab/cap fretboard, and I'll probably go with a straight '16 radius, not sure yet though, still debating on it.
Anybody got any good pics of that guitar/neck too see the fretboard radius ? I swear it looks flatter than the 11.5 or 12 radius.
I agree about having never seen another neck like it before.

fivecoyote · Post by **fivecoyote** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:18 pm

Before you put a 1 3/4 neck on your guitar, I recommend you make sure you have played one and like it. George Lynch uses that on all his sig series guitars. I am a fan and have one (the M1 Tiger, LTD version which is exactly the same as the custom shop -- the year I have is, anyway). The thing sounds good, just like Lynch, but I've played it less than a dozen times (anyone want it?) because I don't like the wide fretboard. How much can 1/8 or 1/16 inch matter? For some there's no difference, for me there' a lot.

Also, if the original neck was 1 3/4 it seems Ed has gone with smaller radii (radiuses?) since then.