Swapping necks

[Cliff]

Are necks interchangeable between Strats, Charvel Pro-Mods and/or Dinkys?
If so, how easy would swapping a neck be to the mechanically challenged? Any obvious pitfalls to watch out for?

[Scooter]

Number of frets, scale, and fit (neck pocket.)

[VitaminG]

those 4 big metal things on the big part of the guitar? You have to undo them. Then the long skinny part will come off. Make sure you loosen off the long skinny metal things first though. Not the crosswise ones, the lengthways ones.

[DalyTek]

those 4 big metal things on the big part of the guitar? You have to undo them. Then the long skinny part will come off. Make sure you loosen off the long skinny metal things first though. Not the crosswise ones, the lengthways ones.

I nominate this for post of the year!

[Cliff]

Alright, alright. In an attempt to make myself sound slightly less stupid, what I'd like to know is, will a neck from a Strat fit into the neck pocket of a modern Pro-Mod? Will a Warmoth neck fit? I forget Dinkys are 24-frets. Duh!

[Carbuff]

Alright, alright. In an attempt to make myself sound slightly less stupid, what I'd like to know is, will a neck from a Strat fit into the neck pocket of a modern Pro-Mod? Will a Warmoth neck fit? I forget Dinkys are 24-frets. Duh!

Yes, they will fit but there is likely to be a loose fit or small gaps on each side as a strat and warmouth neck has a 2 3/16 heel while the promod body will have a 2 1/4 heel.

[ginsambo]

Older Japanese Charvel models and Japanese Jackson's are a good 2 1/4" and heaviliy laquered. USA and Japanese Pro mods are usually shy of 2 1/4", even getting deceivingly close to the Fender 2 3/16"...sometimes, maybe due to the bare oiled finish. However I have found two ebony Pro Mod necks to be broader, spot on 2 1/4" and even broader right down the board. The Jackson JS series seem to be a bit narrower, shy of 2 1/4", maybe due to having less laquer. 24 fret (Dinky) necks will not fit 22 fret bodies as they won't intonate, you could route the body though, say on a 1H guitar. Fender Strat necks are 2 3/16" at most but vary a bit with laquer, which can be thick.

I had to file a Slime green San Dimas USA body in order to fit a San Dimas USA Slime Green neck last month. I use flat files working back and forth either side, with the heel bottom protected with masking tape. If a lot needs taking off I use sandpaper around the file and a rasp and then round file for clearing out the corners of the pocket. Never pull the file upwards against the polyurethance as you risk cracking or delaminating it. Found that out the hard way carelessly widening a trem route from behind the body...

Another thing I do is slightly file the lip where the paint is at a slight bevelled angle, not that you would notice as its tiny, away from the neck and carefully run a bead of superglue down the side of the heel, along the side of the paint and sand it off. A little extra tolerance, especially on the heel corners, stops the neck popping the laquer when it expands or the body contracts.

Currently, I'm looking for a white Jap Pro mod body and a 22 fret reverse Jackson or Charvel neck for a project as I always fancied a proper size Dinky or model series without all the toggle switches and gaff. Can't find a reverse 22 fret Toothpaste logo neck though...

The advantages of modding a neck pocket yourself are that you know the quality and fit is spot on and you know its not so tight it will crack or pop the laquer. I have a suspicion that Fender USA Charvel Pro Mod bodies are not seasoned as well as they could be, or humidity is up in the factory, either way they shrink in dry winters and crack or pop the laquer quite a lot from my experience. Never had that problem with a Japanese Pro mod or any Japanese Jackson.

If you are planning on fitting a strat neck to a Jackson body...I wouldn't do it, the gap will be hineous - almost Fender Strat like and the heel will feel funny fretting the highest frets, although funnily some of the Strat pockets will take a pro mod neck...

I don't know what the DS series are. I quite fancy fitting a Bound reverse Dinky neck to a DST-3 Star, especially given that £266 is very cheap for a painted mahogany body, given that the neck, hardware and pup will sell on hopefully. But being Chinese, they could well be narrower, like some of the foreign Jacksons were....but that in itself isn't a major problem really.

Warmoth necks are 2 3/16"...but...I have a heavily laquered Birdeye Warmoth neck that is almost the same as an oiled Japanese maple Pro Mod neck. Laquer definately blurs the boundries and heavy laquer can build up a 1/16 of an inch. Those old '90's highly laquered Jackson Professional necks and Charvel Model series necks are almost +++ of 2 1/4", they are massively broad, you can feel it with your hands, I don't like them as they feel too big for my hands. The modern import Jackson's seem to use less laquer or perhaps a water based laquer with a lower build, so they are similar to a Japanese Pro Mod if not spot on the same on the whole. So chances are a cheap centre dot inlay 22 fret Jackson neck off Easy will fit a Jap Pro Mod with no major filing necessary.

The reason Strat necks feel so comfy is not only because of the narrower nature of them, so you can wrap you hand more easily around them, but also because of the radius. I've love to get one of those Kramer reissues as it would be right up my street with the 12" radius and 2 3/16" pocket. I love the Pro Mods though, although as said the Ebony models feel too Jackson like to me (Ie Flat and Wide) and could do with a bit of neck edge bevelling. Older Jackson/Charvels just feel too big to get comfy on for my hands.

As for tools, I just use a cheap JCB file set and a roll of sandpaper. You can also make sanding blocks out of oak offcuts. But I am highly skilled considering I perfectly beat a compound wheel arch with lip out of a sheetmetal using only a flat hammer and a shoemaker anvil to weld on for my Vans MOT.....no its easy, just don't pull ANYTHING up against the laquer don't press too hard or force anything and check often and watch the entry to the pocket doesn't end up too wide, its usually the heel corners that are the pain in the ass and a bit of patience and some rubberized table grip material and a vaccum cleaner hose at the ready to keep everything spotless helps.

Remember its only the base of the heel that needs to be a good fit, it really doesn't affect the reasonance if your body gap is 1mm all the way around the neck - just look at Fender Strats. Obviously strive to make it perfect, but a round rasp with an angled end (Comes withe the JCB file set...lol) will make short work of removing material from the inner corners of the neck pocket, don't go near the paint though!

If the screwholes don't align (Fender Body - Charvel neck), then plug with cocktale sticks and wood glue and redrill. A handheld drill with a vertical bubble will do if you steady it. Use masking tape around the drill bit as a depth guide to correspond with your screws. You can try forcing oversize Charvel screws into Fender holes, but I would be tempted to redrill a little wider.

Also nail polish over superglue is a great way of hiding fine primer lines or tiny neck pocket chips that have come from the factory like that.

This is a DIY guide, hopefully someone will chip in with some pro tips...lol.

[Prince Vultan]

Now THAT was a thorough reply! Doubly impressive considering it's only just gone 9am..! Nice work, gin.

[Cliff]

Yes indeed. Thanks Ginsambo and Carbuff.

[Argos]

24 fret (Dinky) necks will not fit 22 fret bodies as they won't intonate, you could route the body though, say on a 1H guitar.

They will indeed fit, unless the two-fret overhang runs into the neck pickup. The scale length doesn't change.

[ginsambo]

Fucking hell I'm insane....:think:...you know what they say about those that teach and all..

Warmoth do 24 fret overhang neck that fit a 22 fret pocket. Laquered up they would fit a Charvel/Jackson 22 fret body OK ...ish.

Go with the DST-3. I wanna see if it works.

[Argos]

Dinky necks use the 24 fret overhang as well. Most 24 fret bolt ons are built that way.

[tcwil8]

Dinky necks use the 24 fret overhang as well. Most 24 fret bolt ons are built that way.

I think ginsambo is referencing the three fret overhang that warmoth offers for converting a 22 fret to a 24 fret. They claim these 24 fret necks will intonate on a 22 fret body. I'm not brave enough or have enough disposable git fund money to try it.

[hunter1970]

I recently put a MIJ ProMod neck on my Charvel 3DR/Predator and it was a perfect fit.

[ginsambo]

I wonder if you could not just rout the end of a 24 fret Dinky neck off, leaving the fretboard untouched? Easy enough to do. I mean the chances are you won't hit the truss rod, but what width heel you are left with is anyone's guess....probably more fender than Jackson?