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Post subject: Question - Changing Neck on MIM Strat from 9.5" to 12"
Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:38 pm
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Hi,
As the 'Subject' line states, I have a question - well, a few, actually - about changing the neck on a Standard (MIM) Strat from the standard 9.5" to 12".

First, is this possible?

Second, if this is possible, what are the other considerations that I might have to bear in mind?
For example, will the saddle need changting, too?

Third, again if this is possible, does anyone have any recommendations about where to purchase the new neck, and/or is there anything that I should bear in mind about the new neck?

To give a little context, I have 2 MIM Standard Strats, and a Classic Player 60s Strat. The latter has a 12" radius neck, as do my Gibson and Epiphone guitars, and I am rapidly reaching the conclusion that although I like the MIMs' 9.5" necks, they are not for me, for various reasons.

Thanks very much for any answers.

drutgat


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Post subject: Re: Question - Changing Neck on MIM Strat from 9.5" to 12"
Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:40 pm
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The radius has no bearing on the neck fit. Any neck that will fit the neck pocket will work, regardless of the radius. You will need some minor setup changes for a different radius, such as raising or lowering the saddles to match the new radius. All 3 of your aforementioned Strats should be able to interchange necks with each other, no problem.

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Post subject: Re: Question - Changing Neck on MIM Strat from 9.5" to 12"
Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2018 7:10 pm
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Bingo.
https://shop.fender.com/en-US/parts/nec ... 03921.html
https://shop.fender.com/en-US/parts/nec ... 03921.html

Looks like for $250 you can an authentic MIM neck either in Deluxe or Classic Player... not available in maple though.
The alternative would be to have your current neck shaved, but since that would involve a complete re-fret in addition to the radius change, I would suspect that it would cost more than $250.

Beyond that, it would just require a basic setup. Your current saddles are arranged for the 9.5. Depending on the angle of the neck, you would either need to lower the saddles in the middle of the bridge, or raise those on the outer ends.
The only potential problem is you MAY find that the grub screws are too short and you can't raise the outer two saddles enough to get the action high enough. Replacement screws are available if that's the case.

The new replacement Fender necks come with a "spaced" nut, but it is not cut to proper depth, so that is some additional work that will be needed to properly fit the replacement neck. A new nut would be needed if you were to have your current neck shaved anyways, so either way you're going to be stuck paying someone to do it, or learning how to do it yourself.

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Post subject: Re: Question - Changing Neck on MIM Strat from 9.5" to 12"
Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 12:56 am
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You can find necks on ebay, new, like-new, or used in good condition, probably much cheaper than buying new at a retail store. Either way you go, with any different neck, you’ll likely need to go over the whole setup, truss rod, saddle height, bridge spring tension, and maybe even pickup height adjustments.

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Post subject: Re: Question - Changing Neck on MIM Strat from 9.5" to 12"
Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:56 am
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Hi shimmilou and CB91710,
Many thanks for your replies, and apologies for not getting back to you previously.


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