My first strat was a 1976 natural with a maple neck to which i made a number og modifications over the years (mad! I know) humbuckers floyd rose trm etc and then left it for one of the newer models. I think some of the later strats have a better tone and manufacturing. Anyway, ive decided i want to get it back to playable/original state and get a new neck. Basically as the frets are worn on the original plus the nut was fitted with a floyd rose locking nut ( and now there is no turning back! )and the laquer on the neck is worn in parts. I have no interest in selling it but want to get it back to a playable condition and want to get a new neck of the same style if possible. I.e. maple neck, large headstock and vintage finish. Can anyone give me some advice or point me in the right direction?

Perfect replacement would be the neck from a Classic 70 Series (MiM) Stratocaster. Vintage (tinted) neck, vintage radius and vintage frets.
It looks very close to a 1976 neck except the serial number (back of the headstock) and the added CustomBody sticker at the top of the headstock.
Great necks and they have a u-profile, they are 3 bolt and micro tilt - direct replacement.

Cheers,
Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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+1

You can often find these necks (with the "F" tuners) on Ebay -- often for $300, sometimes less.

Be advised though......regarding the re-issue "F" tuners, they are dimensionally not quite the same as the originals. The bushing is smaller in diameter -- thus, an original set of these tuners from the '70s will not fit the re-issue headstock without some "adjustment".

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Great advice thanks. If not on ebay , where else could i find the mim classic 70 neck you mention.?

You might be able to find a mid-70s neck for it. Do some googling.

Warmoth makes pretty nice necks, but you wouldn't get the Fender logo on it.

If it were me, I'd seriously consider getting the original neck refretted and restored to original condition. A good luthier could make that neck as good as new (or better!).

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My other guitar is a Strat.

Ask yourself what you are willing to spend on a neck. If you want a dead-on replacement, buy a vintage one from eBay (the real deal 1970's necks run around $800 +/- ). But the MIM Classic Series 70's necks would be a great second choice if you want 100% looks, or you could buy a neck from an American Special or Highway One Strat. They have the large peg heads, but not the correct Fender and Stratocaster decals, or the bullet truss rod. If you go MIM, be warned, the neck on mine does not feel quite right for that era Fenders. My '74 Strat and '78 Musicmaster have a distinct U shape. The MIM classic series 70's neck on one of my other guitars has the look, but it isn't as thick, and the U shape isn't quite as prominent.

The way I see it, you're going to spend a decent chunk of money regardless of which avenue you take. However, you still have the original neck which still accounts for a lot in terms of some kind of albeit, partial, preserved value of your guitar and FWIW, this neck can be rehabilitated and so, there is a, "turning back" option:

Sidestepping the OEM neck's lacquer, essentially, you need the nut area restored to its original shape (with a new nut, of course) and most likely, new frets. This is not a monumental task for an experienced professional and "ballpark" would probably cost you the same as the, "out the door" price of say, a new Warmoth neck.

Conversely and as others have said, some sort of MIM Fender neck would surely be cheaper than the aforementioned and so, the proverbial, "Ball is in your court".

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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You dig?

All thanks for the great advice and really appreciate it.

I'm seriously thinking of a proper restoration of the existing neck but the trouble is finding a luthier where i am (gibraltar). My options are luthiers in Spain or UK that could do this. Is there any directory or association i could use as a guide to locate a good and reputable one in either of these areas?

thanks

Ive decided to buy a mim 70 reissue replacement neck. It the quickest and cheapest option at this stage. At the end of the day all i wants to do is make my guitar playable again. from earlier posts it appears i wont be able to simply lift the genuine tuners from my 1976 neck without any adjustment. Is it just the holes that will need enlarging on the mim neck or do the screw holes also not fit in the correct place

Also anyone have any views of how the original pickups from 1976 compare with say some of the reent tex mex specials? Or hot noiseless from fender?

Thanks