Need advice on neck options on a Charvel Star build

[ginsambo]

Took charge of two Charvel Star bodies the other day (Many thanks KNE Guitars! Awesome!) custom routed for ABR-1 Tune-o-matic bridges with angled neck pocket to match and a single bridge humbucker rout(Chris Holmes etc.). Plan is to make a Bud star and yellow star replica of his guitars, with a few specs to suit me. Even lined up a printer who can print the budweiser logo straight on the guitar (Polyurethane compatibile ink) after I've done the white base and red paint and detailed and scaled the logo on photoshop.

...But got the bodies routed with a 2 and 3/16" neck pocket...so Charvel necks are off the agenda.

I thought that import Japanese Jackson's had a 2 and 3/16" neck pocket so thought I'd be covered. So I get hold of an early 90's Jackson Stealth LT thinking that the neck will slip straight in.....its 2 and 1/4". Grrrr.

So do some of the Indian made cedro Jackson's have a 2 and 3/16" pocket then? And these are cheapy necks anyway or any good? Do any Jackson's have a 2 and 3/16" pocket?

One neck is sorted on order - a custom Warmoth order Ebony 22 fret reverse strat head skunk stripe no inlay and squared off fretboard end like a Jackson.

In a bit of a quandary about a neck for the other one.

Two options - either I get a maple fretboard 21 fret Warmoth Strat type so it looks like a Charvel Legacy with Legacy spec 12" radius 1 and 3/4" nut etc....or I get a Jackson pointy made up with a 22 Fret bare ebony fretboard and 10"-16" Radius.

ideally I am going to order another Star body from KNE and get that one routed with a Charvel neck pocket in the future so I can slip in a San Dimas or Jackson neck, before embarking on a few Star thru neck projects. But then I think to myself, well why not have tow done with a Charvel neck pocket and put a pointy in one and a san dimas Legacy in the other? What should I do? A legacy copy or a pointy neck? Or which would look better you think? Myself I reckon that if its a Legacy type copy, it should at least have a genuine Charvel neck with a 2 and 3/4" pocket...but I just don't know.

I could have twenty of these guitars....

Also anyone got any advice on polyurethane compatible grain filler? Or will a high build base coat do it?

[ginsambo]

OK giving up on the Jackson neck 2 & 3/16" option. Seems the only ones around are performers and most of them seem warped or broken. Thought about a reverse Strat neck (As found on Squire Showmaster Strats, quite nice with squared off JC style fretboard end and 22 frets, but the nut is like 38mm or something tiny so no good for gorilla hands). Measured my BC Rich, which I love so much, and with the binding that was actually a lot wider than a Jackson/Charvel at the 22 fret. Anyway that is what the Warmoth neck order is for, so no point, it will be too similar. Toyed with the idea of a Dr Parts neck or a Mighty Mite...but nah, radii are all wrong, although I could live with 12" as that is the same as the BC Rich.

I will just have to route it 1/32" wider each side myself, which is going to be a pain as the pocket is angled for the tune-o-matic bridge - guess I'II route it flat first and then use that line as a guide with a top bearing cutter on an angled jig.

The outside of the neck pocket should build up with paint, it only needs to be 1/64" (0.02") thicker each side as its slightly oversize anyway. Hope that much paint in that area doesn't affect the tone? Looked at my SL3 and the headstock is about 0.04" wider than a standard headstock with paint anyway, and that sounds alright, so I'II give it a go. I'm no purist anyhow.

I'II put some pics up when I get going.

Also found a nice piece of quilted maple 0.6mm thick for £3 on Ebay, which I'II will laminate the Jackson headstock with and stain yellow, before adding clear and adding on Jackson waterslide detail again. Will have to replace the Floyd nut with a conventional nut anyhow so this seems like a neat way to tidy things up.

Ass.

[P I K A]

Will be a snug neck. Good Luck!!

[ginsambo]

Thanks. Just thinking that I might as well use a bottom bearing cutter to cut out an MDF Template, Pickup, Bridge and all. So I make some more in the future. Looked at some other copies and clones and that 1/16" of an inch in the neck pocket isn't much but it does make a hell of a difference to the look of the guitar. Which is surprising.

If all fails, there are always the professionals to call on.

Star bodies are like rocking horse poo over here, and all the luthiers and builders are all strat or PRS orientated. I don't think they know what early 80's metal and late '70's rock is. they are mostly all into folk music, dancing around Maypoles, drinking ale and eating mushrooms.

[Tricky]

I would just file each side of the pocket.
If you have some decent files, It wont take long. probably less time than setting up the router.

[ginsambo]

Thanks for advice.

Decided to go with a 'Dr Parts' Chinese 14" radius 21 fret Strathead neck for the time being.

The fret dots are wrong and seriously considered a Mighty Mite as 12th fret markers are like a Charvel, but I couldn't live with th 9.5-12" compound radius they offer.

Discovered that original Stars were mostly 3/16" neck pocket back in the Strathead production days anyway, so for some reason this little bit of authentic info makes me feel better. I will route a copy template and practice on another body first, to mount a 12-16" radius Jackson or Charvel neck. Although Charvels (as opposed to Jackson) and Fender necks probably have similar fret widths, given that Charvel fretboards have a bevelled profile, I still think a wider neck makes the guitar look more healthy and a narrow Jackson neck will just look...well....shit.

A bit gutted my custom neck on the other Star body is a Warmoth actually, with hindsight, it would have been nice to get a custom 2 and 1/4" heel neck instead. Still bet it plays well, that's the main thing I guess.