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Post by asimmd on Apr 21, 2012 11:24:05 GMT
Hi All
I have been trying to find the neck radius on various websites.
Some say it is 7.25 others say 9.50.
Does anyone know for sure which one is correct.
Thanks
Alan
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Apr 21, 2012 11:48:23 GMT
Hiya,
I'd expect it to be 7.25in. I'm under the impression that it is an exact replica of that year's Strat, so I would think it would have the same radius, same gauge frets, same neck profile etc.
Don't know for sure, but I'd be really surprised if it differed, considering my cheap Mex 50s Strat has those same period accurate features.
If you have one that you know for sure has a 9.5in radius, look down at the end of the neck (as if you're playing the guitar seated) and then look down at the NOS 56. The difference doesn't sound much, but it is noticeable when you look across the board from that position. It's surprising how accurate our eyes actually are.
Cheers, Julian
PS. How you getting on with AT3 and 'THAT sound'? I've been at my Parent's this week and have recorded my Dad doimg 'Midnight' - it's a bit rough - and I've managed to get a really great HBM sound from it, without too much trouble, to my surprise. I think my Dad is both impressed with what the software can do and a little... well, I hope he's not feeling discouraged. He's going to need to get practising. In his defence, he plays a variety of things and perhaps the earlier Shadows material doesn't feature too often these days. He's got the sound, but he needs to brush up on the technique. He's better than he thinks, but a bit out of practise.
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Post by hank2k on Apr 21, 2012 12:03:19 GMT
A standard one is the 7.25 period accurate however some from certain places have modern upgrades like noiseless pickups and locking tuners they will have the wider neck. I prefer the wider neck personally
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2012 13:16:26 GMT
The CS 56 NOS Strat has a 10/56 Boat Neck which has a 9.5" radius for definate...
Jim
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Post by philbarker on Apr 21, 2012 13:46:40 GMT
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Post by asimmd on Apr 21, 2012 13:50:11 GMT
Hi Guys
Thank you for the replies.
Julian, I am still playing about with AT3,but I can get some great tones out of it,even early stuff sonds great with the headphones on,not so great without,still needs work.
I am using a different echo now,which has smoothed things out a lot.
Phil,my neck is a 21 fret but I am sure it stated on Fenders website it was 9.5.
They are not listed on the Fender site anymore as they are only available to order.
Hi Jim
Thanks for the reply,I must admit I thought it was 9.5,but I needed to be sure.
The 10/56 boat neck is my favourite shape.can't be doing with these weedy "C" shape
necks.
Alan
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Post by Rick on Apr 22, 2012 14:50:00 GMT
Hi Alan, I am Just curious to know,Is the boat neck that you mention anything like or similar to the neck on my 79 Les paul would you know ? ........... I have 12 radius and the neck feels so comfortable ........... Which i suppose is the reason that i have been playing it for 30 odd years lol ! Best wishes, Rick.
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Post by asimmd on Apr 22, 2012 17:29:06 GMT
Hi Rick
Not being familiar with Gibson Guitars,i am afraid I can't answer your question.
However,the neck on the Strat starts off being what is called a soft"V",and quickly rounds off,keeping the same thickness all the way to the pocket.
Sorry I can't be more helpful.
Alan
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Post by Rick on Apr 22, 2012 17:50:28 GMT
.......... No probs at all Alan.Thankyou. Best wishes, Rick.
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Apr 23, 2012 7:14:36 GMT
Hi Rick.
In my experience, most era's of Fender neck seem to be a little flatter on the back than a Gibson. The shape Alan describes is similar to my Mex 50s Strat, which is rounder than 60s Fenders.... The closest Strat I have to a Gibson is a 79 Strat with a thick round profile. My experience of Gibsons, they tend to always have the same profile, but the thickness of the neck is different , depending on eras and models.
Like I say, though, this is based on my experience and not on any definitive knowledge.
Cheers, Julian
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Post by Rick on Apr 23, 2012 10:33:19 GMT
Hi Julian,Thankyou.apparently the Fender strat deluxe has the kind of neck who's profile changes from the bottom up to the dusty end. I believe it has a 12.0 radius.I will look them up again.better still probably do a mini tour of a few shops to feel for myself.The neck profile may well not be that far away from my Gibsons,Which should make it a pleasure to play.The noiseless pick-ups appeal to me though Kinmans are a must to look in to as well.Thanks again Julian. Best wishes, Rick.
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Post by asimmd on Apr 23, 2012 13:15:04 GMT
Well after all the confusion regarding the radius,I contacted Coda Music and asked them the question.
They contacted Fender Europe who confirmed the radius is 7.25.
My guitar is 10 years old,and they (Coda) only started ordering different radius necks about 4 years ago.
Hope that answers the question.
Alan
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Apr 23, 2012 14:56:50 GMT
Hi Julian,Thankyou.apparently the Fender strat deluxe has the kind of neck who's profile changes from the bottom up to the dusty end. I believe it has a 12.0 radius.I will look them up again.better still probably do a mini tour of a few shops to feel for myself.The neck profile may well not be that far away from my Gibsons,Which should make it a pleasure to play.The noiseless pick-ups appeal to me though Kinmans are a must to look in to as well.Thanks again Julian. Best wishes, Rick. You're welcome. My main giggers are a couple of ESPs have compound radius necks - I think from 9 to 12 inch, but I had 'em made that long ago, I forget. They have Seymour Duncans - a 59 Trembucker at the bridge (a humbucker with Fender spacing) and STK-1s in the bridge and neck (stacked single coils based on a 'vintage' character). Difficult for me to say whether they are realistic vintage tone as I've never played that kind of music on them, but they are very quiet (they aren't pointy headed metal monsters, by the way, honest... ESP do make sensible guitars as well!). I'd be willing to bet that with some EQ applied, EMG pickups would do an incredible job - again, I have a HB/SC setup in a Tele, that I used in the 80s and those things are silent, but very even across the range (some people say clinical)... I have too many guitars, but I've had an idea; I'm going to attempt to get a HBM tone from all of them to see how the various pickups compare - I'll even try to post soundfiles, if everyone promises not to laugh at the lack of any similarity in playing style to the Shadows. To be honest, if I was in your shoes, I'd be inclined to buy all the bits and pieces and build your ultimate Strat rather than buy a Fender and then start changing everything... there are places like Warmouth who will build the neck exactly to your spec for about £300, same again for a body, fit the Callahan all steel bridge (~£100?), Sperzel Locking Machines (£80ish) or similar and whatever pickups you want. You could have your perfect Strat for not much more than that Fender, and as far as I know Warmouth are licenced by Fender to build necks and bodies, and believe me, it's the biggest buzz ever playing a guitar that was 'made to measure'. It does depend on how much you plan to alter, I guess - I know people who have bought guitars and stripped them right down and rebuilt them so that the only original parts left are the neck and body, which I just can't see the sense in doing. Cheers, Julian |
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Post by asimmd on Apr 23, 2012 17:55:51 GMT
Hello Julian
Just a thought regarding build a strat.
I have often thought I would like to try and put something together,but there are a number of problems to overcome that I don't know if I am able to tackle.
Does the neck I choose fit the body pocket - how does one fit the trem bridge assembly - how do I know if the angle at which the neck sits in the body is correct - the list goes on.
I am not just talking about the Warmoth parts,I mean generally.
There are hundreds of parts on the well known auction site,and even more on the internet.
I guess a lot of the jobs are relatively easy,once you have done a couple,but to spend a lot of money on the Warmoth parts,you have to be pretty sure you can complete the job satisfactorily.
Alan
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Post by somebodyelseuk on Apr 24, 2012 7:41:54 GMT
I get your point. I've done it several times over the years. I've been messing with cars since I was 10, and my Dad's always building things from wood, so as you can imagine, I'm not afraid to get my sleeves up and get stuck in - I built the PC, I'm typing from. I often forget that not everyone's the same and it can be daunting for a lot of people. I don't have any specialist tools or training. Daft as it may sound, I always start by lining up and fitting the scratchplate. That is then used as a reference to get the trem lined up correctly - most times, I've had to drill the screw holes myself, though I believe the Warmouth ones are predilled (for your trem) for you when you order. Next offer up the neck, again the screw holes in the neck I had to drill myself (for attachment, the machines and holes in the body have always been predillled), with the 1st and 6th tuner attached and used two guitar strings to get the alignment right - this is a bit of a two man job really - and then lightly tap a nail through the body holes to centre-punch the neck for drilling the screw holes. The rest is really easy, as long as you buy a pre-slotted nut (don't glue it down until after you get the string height sorted - by lightly sanding the UNDERSIDE of the nut and trying it. Takes time, but if you're patient, well worth it). I have even done them with unfinished body and neck and sprayed them myself. I've never used Warmouth's parts myself, but I know people who have and they really are extremely good and I think (I don't know for certain) if you buy the neck and body from them at the same time, they will drill the neck so that it lines up perfectly before shipping. The Warmouth parts, and there are a couple of others, are licensed by Fender to be direct replacements, they should fit a Fender perfectly with no modification. If your buying a neck and a body, to be honest, it would be foolish to buy them from different sources and when it comes to guitars, I would strongly advise against the well known auction site, unless you are able to go and view before buying. What you have to remember is that Fenders are essentially made in the same way. Even the Custom Shop guitars are built from off the shelf parts. My advice for anyone having a go is, don't think you can do it on the cheap. The well known companies such as Warmouth, Mighty Mite, etc have been around a long time. They get licensed by Fender because they do a quality job. I think it's like most things in life really. If you approach it sensibly, with prior consideration and planning, and confidence in what you're doing it really is quite easy. If you can put up shelves, I'd say you can screw a guitar together. I'm contemplating putting something together for my Dad's 70th next year, if funds allow... Now building from a blank piece of wood... there's something I wish I had the tools to do. I've already looked into what is required to make pickups. No prizes for guessing what I'd spend my time doing if I won the lottery  Cheers, Julian |
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Post by bazmusicman on Apr 24, 2012 8:17:24 GMT
Hi Alan,
I agree with what Julian says. For the most part assembling a guitar is mostly common sense.
About three years ago I decided to buy a new guitar, but being 'left handed' cramped my choice considerably.
I looked at various models but couldn't find anything with the type of neck or pups that I would have liked. So I thought why not build my own?
So I built a Strat with a neck and body from Warmouth and all the other different parts from all over the place, and I am very pleased with it.
As Julian says, It is quite a very satisfying experience when its finished and you play it for the first time.
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Post by asimmd on Apr 24, 2012 8:41:06 GMT
Hi Julian and baz
Many thanks for the replies,your comments make easy reading and make it sound so simple.
I have also built computers for as long as I can remember,not just my own either but for anyone who wanted one.I have been involved in IT for over 20 years,mainly on the hardware side.
I had a little laugh when you said if you can put shelves up you can assemble a guitar,why do you think it's my wife who has a toolbox and not me!!!
I looked at the Warmoth site yesterday,and was very impressed.
Maybe if I get the bug and can get past the "What do you want another guitar the same as all the others for)I may think more seriously about it,but it doesn't stop me looking.
Come to think of it,I have a neck I took off my new Mexican Strat,I wonder if the pocket is the same size as the body I want,,,now you got me thinking.
Alan
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