Fender U shaped Necks

[basile865]

Does anybody have measurements for U shaped necks? as far as the 1st fret 12th fret thickness. I'm having a neck built and wanted to know to tell the builder. Thanks!

[Structo]

I'm not sure there is an official neck profile size anywhere.
Each company has their own variations and names for them.

If you are talking about Fender necks, the vintage necks were all hand shaped so depending on who was on the spindle sander that day the back profile could vary from neck to neck and day to day.

Some companies call them boat necks while others use the U shape name.
Warmoth is one of the few neck makers that publish their neck profiles.

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/Bac ... rsPop.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[basile865]

thanks for the reply structo. I just want to get close to the fender 69 custom shop necks or the 52 tele. I guess we'll just have to wing it.

I have a musikraft neck that has the boat profile but its much more of a thick V than the U feel.

Hopefully as he shapes the neck he can just call me in to feel it before he puts the finish on.

[Structo]

If you are a DIY type guy then you could order a huge boat neck and then shape it to your desire.
Of course this would require you to finish it but that is really easy to do.
Especially if it is a rosewood fretboard.
I like to use Tru Oil for my necks. A lot of people call it gun oil like G & L guitars do.

It's made for finishing gunstocks and is a very durable finish.

It is a type of finish that gets hard so not really an oil per say but a type of varnish.
It is rubbed into the wood and after about 6 to 8 coats it's done.

It has the best feel of any neck finish I have ever tried.
If your hand gets sticky when playing a lacquered neck then this might be the ticket for you.
It has a very slick and fast feel to it.

This is the last neck I did for my P90 telecaster.
It is a Allparts TRO-C neck, best bang for the buck IMHO.
It is tinted with Vintage Amber and a touch of brown waterbased stain then Tru Oiled.
The picture makes it like far more yellow than it looks in person.
It has the classic amber look of a vintage neck.
I do spray nitro lacquer clear gloss on the headstock and heel so it will age there like lacquer does but the back is completely Tru Oil.

[basile865]

that looks really great man.

I'm excited to get this strat project off the ground. Just bought a 2009 fender highway 1 body. Its nitro black and weighs 3 lbs 14 oz. alder. It has that matte finish. Only 250 bucks. I may decide to polish it to more of the standard gloss look. Then I'll pick up some custom shop 69 pickups, a callaham vintage tremelo, some CTS pots, 3 way switch, an F neck plate, and then its off to the races!

I went to the guy's shop who's building the neck and we found a tele that had a nice U shape he can model it off of. It'll be a 2 piece like a 68. carve the 7.25 radius on the face of the neck and lay in the truss rod then cover it with a thin veneer of maple and frets.

I'll get some pics up of it when its all said and done. Itll be a few months

[Structo]

Are you comfortable with the vintage radius? (7 1/4")
It's great for first position chords and bar chords down lot but if you play much on the upper neck I suggest you go with at least a 9.5" radius.

The 7 1/4" radius is famous for choking notes and fretting out above the 12th fret.

I actually like the 10" radius on my Allparts necks.

[yngwie308]

The "7.25 radius and the seventies U shaped neck are awesome, the trick with the vintage radius is you need higher action,Hendrix didn't choke out notes, ect.
I personally know what people are saying but I hate that "9.5 radius, blah..it's a nothing shape for me personally. I didn't mind sacrificing my 2004 YJM as it had that "9.5 radius which I hated with the deep scallops, made the chording even harder...
yngwie308

[basile865]

Yeah I'm well aware of different radius. My current am. std. strat is a 9.5, I have a project one that is a compound 10-16, and I've played a lot of 7.25. I love the round feel about it. Plus All of my favorite music is created on vintage stuff. I've gotta build something straight vintage spec!

[Tone Slinger]

Agreed, MUCH great music/solo's was created with the 'stock' vintage style strat. Mostly with the cbs variety that many 'collector snobs' turn thier noses up at.

Hendrix (mainly a pair of late '68's)

Blackmore (several early-mid 70's model's)


Roth (mainly a '74 or '75 model)


Malmsteen (early to mid '70's models)

These strats were stock spec with the exception of a changed pu here and there and a bit of fingerboard scalloping.

The 7.25 radius is VERY important to alot of the charecteristic 'tension' type sounding stuff that one gets when bending.

I have found that for me personally, a straight Gibson type '12 radius is all around better (on a strat type guitar) I have a certain bending type preference that is at times, a quicker type vibrato, that the 7.25 makes too difficult to attain. Still, I LOVE the feel and 'vibe' that the 7.25 imparts.


I would reccomend making several visits to the luthier as he is shaping the contour. Your left hand will know when the shape is right.

[Structo]

Something you should consider is that pros put a lot of hours on their guitars.

That means more fret leveling/ dressing that most guys do and a lot of time that ends up modifying the true radius of the frets to more like 9 or 10" on a strat or tele.

SRV, #1 is an example of that.

A compound radius is the best of both worlds for a lot of players.

[basile865]

Yeah my american has seen tons of duty to the point where I think its 9.5 is more like a 10 now....

As far as this build I still want something total vintage spec, or as close as possible that is. I got a highway one body, its less than 4 lbs - real light, nitro matte black finish. She's a real beaut! Can't wait to get the neck built!

[Structo]

Another trick I have used on vintage radiused necks is to create a bit of a fallaway on the frets above the 12th fret.

It only takes a few thousandths of removed fret levels to make it work well.

This prevents notes from fretting or choking out.

Also a lot of necks seem to have a bit of a hump in the fret board there at the octave for some reason.
I had an expensive birds eye maple neck that I paid a lot of money for that was supposedly leveled and crowned before I got it.
The strings buzzed horribly even after shimming the neck.
I finally got around to checking it out and the fretboard had a rise in it right at the 13th-14th fret.
I called the guy that made it and he basically told me to pound sand so I was left to fix it myself.
I've always been a bit of a DIY type guy so from that point on I have been servicing my own necks.

To create a fallaway I simply tape off the frets from about the 10th on up, then using a leveling file, do a few strokes.
Dress or crown and polish the tops of the frets, done.

You can double check it with a straight edge to see how much was removed.

Another thing I have discovered and it's pretty simple, is that a lot of times something just isn't quite right between the neck pocket of the body and the heel of the neck.
For whatever reason you can't seem to get the action right....
Well a large majority of Fender guitars that left the factory had their necks shimmed for this reason.

For whatever reason the neck angle isn't correct. I usually start by putting a piece of a business card that I cut and put it at the top of the pocket. (headstock end)
A lot of times that's all it takes to make it really sweet. If not enough or if you need to go the other way, it's a simple fix.

Don't let it bother you if you need to shim the neck. It was and still is a common fix for a neck that doesn't quite sit right in the pocket.

[yngwie308]

I recently read that Ritchie Blackmore glues his necks on the bolt on necks to prevent the high E-string drop off, especially with scalloped necks (a common problem)..or did back in the day..interesting!
yngwie308