I recently purchased a Fender Licensed, Mighty Mite, birds eye maple neck, with an ebony fretboard off ebay.
This neck is supposed to be 2 3/16" at the heel, but it's only 2 2/16" .
It seems like a small increment, but i easily notice the gap while eying this neck in my guitar bodies slot.
I absolutely fell in love with this neck before measuring it, as it is beautiful.
Now I'm worried about drilling the screw holes to fit in the slot through the back plate...I haven't done so yet.
Because i'm worried that the slightly smaller dimensions of the necks heel, could possibly make the strings off center with the bridge, and affect the set-up, and layout, of the strings,...
My sense of being overjoyed with this neck has turned to disappointment...
I'm wondering if my best option at this point is sending back the neck; would it be ridiculous to install, and try to set-up my guitar with this neck?
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2 2/16" = 2 1/8"

Just funnin with you a bit. I really would not know if the string spacing would be off enough to tell. If it is an option of swapping it out for another then maybe you could have them to check the dimensions and see if they can send you one that is spot on. If that is not an option then maybe ask for refund and locate you one that is exact just to be sure.


hotrod

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1983 Gibson Explorer 1 (main axe)
2004 Fender American Standard Stratocaster (Butterscotch on ash 1 piece maple neck and fretboard) (my baby)
2008 BC Rich Assassin neck thru(fun toy)
Peavey 5150 212 combo (early model) FREAKIN CRUNCH MONSTER!

2 2/16" = 2 1/8" = 2 4/32"

Yeah, maybe i should send it back.
It's a shame though, because i don't see another one on ebay that i want...

man, imperial measurements really stump us down under folk

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Not everybody. Lots of scientists and engineers are comfortable in both english and metric systems. Neither is inherently superior.

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Hot Rodded Am Fat Strat Texas Special (now featuring Kinman Traditional II pickups)
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Send it back dont asjhfal kshak with your strat. bla and twa to you..it means hello great to meet you cheers Vinny Pop Australia

I did use the neck without issue. That said, I have never been happy with the little gap and wish I would have sent it back. Check out TNT Guitars, Dragon Fire Guitars (based out of TNT), GFS and others. I have found the MM Ebonys for around $140. Good Luck.

Hi Thurmond: ah-ha, you bought it on Ebay, huh? That's a problem far as getting a replacement is concerned.

What I'd do is first talk to Mighty Mite direct about it. Ask them if they think it'll be an issue, and if so whether they can sell you a neck with the exactly right heel width.

If yes to those questions send the neck back for a refund and order the right one through Mighty Mite (or the appropriate dealer to whom they will direct you). Here's their website:

http://www.mightymite.com/Homepage.html

They also have their own forum on that site - but I wouldn't waste time on that with this question. That forum seems to have a fairly slow turnover and you need your answers from the maker themselves.

Cheers - C

Hi Ceri whats wrong with Mighty Mite cant they get it right, they say Licensed by Fender the at bottom of web site they say we are not affiliated with Fender or Gibson, dont they have a ruler to measure a bloody strat correctly........dont worry guys the Vincent Strauss necks bodies and guitars are happening soon, though very slowly I pray blaaaaaaa and twaaaaaaaaaaaaa athousand times snorts and picks nose hard but doesnt eat it hahahahhahahahahaha phewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww sorry about that yukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Hi Vinny: don't seem to have seen you round for a while. Everything good?

People sometimes diss Mighty Mite, and certainly many of their necks are at the lower end of the price range. However, the two I've come across were good necks, so I guess it depends what comes your way.

Who knows, maybe someone was a bit heavy handed on the sanding machine the day Thurmond's neck came down the line? Who can say...

I'm not advising Thurmond on his neck's fit. Can't do that without seeing it in person, or at least looking at very clear photos.

Cheers - C

Thanks for asking Ceri, I am ok how are you my friend playing much, to OP sorry to have strayed a bit from your original problem but I guess we have covered it all for you.

Officially Licensed just means that the company is authorized by Fender to produce necks and bodies to their specifications.

How closely the manufacturer sticks to those specs is up to them. Look at the Licensed Floyd Rose Trems. Some are quite close to the Original and some are really crap.

Get a real Fender neck from Stratosphere on Ebay

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

FWIW ... and that may not be much at all ... I have been very happy w/ Mighty Mite. I used a maple neck from them (w/ rw board and large headstock). It was flawless. I am not defending what happened here, just that they have me as a happy customer.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

String spacing is determined by the width of the nut slots and the spacing of the saddles of the bridge, not the neck width. You can correct the string spacing by cutting a hand made nut to accomodate the new neck.
Now , if the strings line up too close to the edge of the fingerboard, or the strings don't line up with the pickup pole pieces is another issue. Also, if the neck is not tight in the body pocket, your neck/body coupling will suffer a little bit. as well as the asthetics of a gap in the neck/body fitment.