hey guys well as you all know i got my strat canceled but i'm getting back on my feet i managed to buy a few parts off the builder of the custom shop to help pay off the parts he bought (the pickups, pickguard and backplate) i've decided to go on and build a partscaster while i'm at it... i know where to get everything except for a licenced fender body and neck...this is the really really hard part of the project because these are already expensive as they are but then i need to pay extra cash to send it to portugal and then pay a fee from portuguese customs does anyone know where i can get a fender licenced body (preferablly in an h/s/h route considering i'm working on a fat strat) and neck in the european union? probably in the uk?

i'd really like a fender licenced body and neck cause i'd like to have a guitar that i can repair easily but if i can't find any licenced bodies in the european union i'll have to go for a non licenced strat body which will most likely not have the same dimensions as a fender strat

How does having a licensed body and neck make the guitar easier to repair?

Just use anything mate. All that licensed stuff is nothing more than a sales pitch. Just because some outfit is licensed to make replacement bodies and necks to fit Fender guitars. It doesn't make those necks and bodies actual Fender necks and bodies any more (or less) than it makes them Gibson necks and bodies. I know I've seen continental makers of necks and bodies. Gimme a bit of time and I'll remember who they are.

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No no and no

lets say i'd break a guitar neck, how'd i solve the problem if the body werent licenced ?(considering i'd need a neck to fit the body)

No worry ralfcaetano, the neck heel and body neck pocket are pretty well a standard size even on "unlicensed" parts, just specify for a "Fender". Basically the licensed bodies have the correct forearm relief, while the unlicensed are a bit different in that area. Lots of bodies and necks and other parts that will work fine together. Warmoth for one, sells bodies and necks that match up perfectly with Fender parts.

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

but aren't warmoth parts licenced by fender?... so i guess theoretically that i could go for the parts the custom shop could give me and still be able to interchange other parts with it am i correct? what do you mean by specifying as a fender?, is that like simply asking for a strat neck and a strat body?

sorry for all the questions but i believe you may have found me a solution

Hi Ralf: two that you could consider are WD Music And Allparts, both in the UK:

www.wdmusic.co.uk

www.allparts.uk.com

Allparts sell Fender licensed necks. WD source their own bodies and necks and are not officially Fender licensed but they are made to standard dimensions and I am here to tell you from experience that they are interchangeable with Fender parts. It's mostly the neck heel and pocket you have to consider and both of these sellers offer parts that are absolutely Fender spec in that and other regards.

I haven't used Allparts but WD's parts are very good quality from all I've seen.

Both of these sellers will ship internationally and since they are both within the EU you won't have to pay import duty or any other taxes with either. And their shipping rates look reasonable, far as I can see. Buy the neck and body together to keep shipping costs down.

Good luck - C

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hey c, checked them out a while ago but i'm facing a small dilema... i'm working on a fat strat i can't find a finished body routed for a bridge humbucker and i'm not willing to paint one up this is getting pretty dificult

Hi Ralf: OK, some more to check out:

www.axecaster.co.uk

http://www.axesrus.com/Acoustic.html (bottom of the page)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REPLACEMENT-B ... 5ae2dbf900

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/REPLACEMENT-B ... 5ae2c15277

And these people build to order, so will do whatever pickup route you require:

http://www.guitarengineeringltd.com/

http://www.simscustom.com/ (This is one of the leading custom shops on the planet)

Trouble is, I'm a bit out of touch so I'm probably not best placed to help you. These days I tend to start here and work my way up...:



- C

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thanks ceri...the last ones really helped out... i found some cool stuff on that virtual body builder... first i'm gonna ask the dude from the custom shop for the neck pocket dimensions on the guitar bodies he uses... can someone give me strat neck pocket dimensions? (and while you're at it how about body thickness, length and width?) thanks guys this is helping a lot

Hi ralf: apologies - I somehow missed your latest post till now.

Strat neck pocket dimensions:

length = approx. 76.5 mm / 3 inches
width at widest point = 55.6 mm / 2.189 " or 2 3/16"
depth from face of guitar, excluding lacquer thickness = 15.9 mm / 0.625" or 5/8"

As an amateur builder I hungrily measure every guitar I get my hands on, so those numbers come from repeated observations of real Strats from all points in the catalog. I have seen that while the length of the neck pocket can vary depending who was on the sanding machine that day and how heavy their hand was, the other two measurements are absolutely consistent regardless of Strat model or factory of origin. Contrary to what some say, in my experience that consistency includes Squiers. That means that bodies and necks are interchangeable throughout the company's range - and that has always been what I have found.

You will notice several things about those dimensions. First: the pocket depth measurement excludes lacquer. You can increase the measurement by a mil or more to include the lacquer/paint, but from a building point of view the measurement "in the white" (unfinished) is the one that counts. If a supplier tells you the pocket is around 17 mm deep it almost certainly just includes the thickness of the lacquer on the front of the instrument, so is OK.

You will also see that the dimensions are curiously not round numbers in either metric or decimal imperial. But once you convert them into fractions of an inch they make much more sense - and of course that must be how they worked on the production line in America back in the '50s. In other words, Leo Fender designed his neck pocket to be 3" long, 5/8" deep and 2 3/16" wide at the widest point. That last measurement is still a little curious but comes from basing his necks on those of other makers' guitars.

Provided your body's neck pocket is the correct depth you will never, ever need to shim the neck. It will work perfectly ever time.

As requested, other dimensions for Fender Strats and including Squiers from at least the late '90s (these are all approximate, depending on hand machining variables in the factory):

Depth of body = 45.5 mm / 1 13/16"
Length, tail to upper horn tip = 45.7 mm / 18"
Length, tail to far end of neck pocket = 39.9 mm / 15 3/4"
Width at lower bout = 32.5 mm / 12 13/16"

Any help?

Cheers - C

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big help ceri thanks good to know i'm not the only one that pays attention to these details... most of my musician friends feel i ask for too much i guess i'm just looking for the 100% perfect guitar if that exists...
the body from the custom shop supposedly is correct in the neck pocket and body depth...
i'm not paying much attention to the contours like i should but the guy guarantees that the contour was taken off his strat (though i don't know what strat that is so it may not be the same contour i want but that could be a good thing )