I own a MIM strat. The the neck has a good, playable top end (1-15 frets) but after that the neck seems to fret out/buzz on every string. If you look down the neck from the headstock it looks like the neck stays flat, or even bows back up just a little. I've followed the instructions for setting it up. The string height when capo-ing the first fret is at 4/64 at the 12th fret AND also at the 21st. I dressed the frets a little to try to take out the buzz but it didn't really help. I thought about removing the neck and planing it where it meets the body, but that sounds way involved. Any help would be great.

I had to put half a business card under the butt end of my MIM deluxe maple neck on my project guitar to get it to sit right, also allowing me to raise my saddles to get a better angle, then my intonation was dead on, action at factory specs (4/64 at 17th), neck relief at .010 at 8th fret. Maybe shimming might help your issue?

For one thing you measure string height at the 17th. fret with capo at the first fret.The first you want to do is get the relief of the neck right then string height then if you are then getting a buzz you loosen the rod to add a little more relief to get rid if the buzz then go back to string height. When i am doing a neck I will do all this stuff at one time tweaking it along the way untill it is right after you do enough it not hard.

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That's surprising as all I've heard about how good the MIM necks are! Maybe just a truss rod adjustment is needed. I hope you get it fixed my friend! How about taking it to a tech to evaluate the problem? Good luck!

Good advice cvilleira!!

My current MIM deluxe neck is my warranty replacement on a new guitar. The original neck had a "dip" in it. 5th - 9th frets dipped down on the bass side and made it impossible to fret past 6th fret. Fender was great in immediately agreeing to replace the neck (via my dealer) and my dealer was great in getting the new nut cut, doing all the set up. Now my powerhouse is back to it's full new glory! It did take them over 3 weeks to send a new neck and my dealer was backed up for about the same to get the set up done. In the meantime I bought a used neck from ebay and was jamming away!

If you can work with your dealer to get it set up right or replaced, do it! Otherwise, buy a new/used one on ebay and get back to enjoying your guitar!

If you have experience on guitars you should be able to do it .... if not , just take it to a guitar tech .....

It sounds to me like the neck is out of pitch. Shimming is the answer. First set the neck to recommended spec. Second loosen the strings then loosen the neck bolts. third insert some card/wood/plastic into the headstock side of the neck pocket only. Tighten the neck bolts, re-tune then re-check.

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No no and no

Well a bigger surprise would be if they actually were that good. I talked with Henry Garza's ( Los Lonely Boys) guitar tech a couple of years ago, and he told me that he buys MIM guitars for Henry sometimes 4-6 at a time. He picks the lightest ones he can find, and that's hard enough. Once he does that, he discards the necks immediately and puts on USA 1962 Vintage re-issue necks. Then he changes out PU's and hardware and Henry's good to go! Mr Garza is from Mexico, and my feeling is that he still likes to support the economy of his home country as good as he can. But it's not a total glowing testimony, is it? It would be a horrible stretch to go around and claim that the guitar player for Los Lonely Boys plays MIM's. It's just not quite accurate.

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. Its cool to enter a forum where people aren't bashin'.
I decided to remove the neck and try shimming it with a thin piece of plastic and it seems to have brought the neck to a point (after some work) where I can play it without any buzz! Does anyone know if this will hurt the sustain of the guitar?