Quality of bolt on necks

[rgorke]

So, I am curious about what makes a good neck or put another way, what makes one neck more expensive than another? I understand the difference between woods but a maple on maple or one piece maple, what would make one better than another? As long as the neck is straight and not structurally deficient does it come down to workmanship on the frets?

[xbearxau]

The cut of the maple makes a difference to the cost. Quartersawn is the more expensive of the cuts. Also the time the wood is left to cure after being cut into neck blanks. The longer the wood is left to dry out, the more stable it is.......only problem there is the cost of storing hundreds of neck blanks in a humidity controlled environment. All these factors would change the total cost of the finished product and thats before you factor in the cost of skilled a tradesman shaping and fretting the neck rather than CNC finishing and a quick hand sand by some who could care less.

Which brands are you considering?

[rgorke]

I have been looking into all the majors, Warmoth, Musikraft, Mighty Mite, and also random ones on Ebay. I get the quarter sawn, birdeye, etc, aspects but within those categories, there seems to be some pretty wide cost differences. It seems hand versus machine is the major aspect.

Here are some examples:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CBS-ERA-70s-MAPLE-G ... 587fa9cbce" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or one like this that you could cut your own headstock.

http://cgi.ebay.com/EDEN-T-Model-ONE-PI ... 3caa11be95" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JimiJames]

One imprtant factor for me would be how it sits in the neck pocket. This would actually make an o.k. neck seem better, because even a great neck would not be its worth in a loose/sloppy fit.
Atleast with some of the companies licenced by Fender you've narrowed your find. That is if its just a maple neck. (cap or one piece) Rosewood and other caps are another issue.

[azazael]

I've used Musikraft in the past and I will again... and again...

I still think no-one comes close to Musicman for necks though.

[Tone Slinger]

CRAFTSMANSHIP ! This is key. I mean, you can only get SO much results from mediocre wood supply (some companies skimp on the quality of thier wood/s) but, when you got good 'wood stock' (no pun intended), along with great craftsmanship, then you got great results.

Warmoth have it down VERY consistantly. Musikraft is great too. I am more pleased than ever with the body and neck I recently got from USA CUSTOM GUITARS. I think that thier care of craftsmanship has been about the best I've seen, regarding STRATOCASTER part's. The contour's and routing's of the body were the best I've seen, and the neck is incredible. The fret's were put in perfectly.

[jcmjmp]

Wood stability is key, trueness of the playing surface, fret levelling (or lack of), body to neck join. All very hard things to measure when buying from unknown sources.

[bristol]

I just built a partacaster using a Warmoth body and maple neck (Warmoth Pro CBS, fat 50 back contour (strat with an LP neck), 10-16 compound radius, satin finish). Quality was high. It needed no fret leveling or crowning and plays like a dream. You need to scrape the finish off the frets on their maple necks. I was able to use a set of stew-mac fret polishing pads to do it and it took no time at all (may not be the case for other finishes). My only complaint is that the edge of the fretboard was a little sharp and could have used a bit of a rounding. The nut edges were a little sharp as well - easy to fix. I sanded the frets at the edges and it mostly cured the problem. They used to offer a round off option but said that everyone wanted a different radius and so they stopped doing it.