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Post subject: Swap necks!?
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:34 am
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Hi guys!

I have a 2014 Fender Standard Stratocaster MIM with a maple neck.
Recently I bought a 2007 Fender Stratocaster Classic '60s with a beautiful dark rosewood neck, but I'm not too happy with the color of the body on this one.

I was thinking I could swap necks on them to make my optimal guitar and my question is...

Is it even possible? Will the necks fit on each guitar?
Is it a hard thing to do? I'm kind of an amateur. From what I've seen on Youtube it seems quite easy.

Any help is appreciated.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:59 am
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Those are both MIM's, I believe.
But even if they weren't, (a little disclaimer: almost all) Strat necks can be switched if the neck joint is the same (4 bolts/3 bolts/contour heel).

I don't consider this to be difficult.
But (if you have absolutely no experience on things like this) it might be wise to let a pro do it, maybe he/she will let you follow the procedure. Both guitars need a setup after the neck switch, anyway.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 10:17 am
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Yes both guitars are MIM.

You really think I need a pro to do it? I have soldered a pickup once lol, is it harder than that? I know how to setup a guitar too.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:10 am
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Seems you don't want that answer... :wink:

But seriously: you have to judge your skill level yourself - I won't take the blame if you mess it up totally, or crack the finish etc.

There is a first time for everybody. So if you go DIY, some tips (I don't know what that youtube vid covers...):
Loosen (and later tighten) the screws in a pattern (a bit each on top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left etc.).
After the screws & neck plate are off, keep the guitar "face down" and lift the body - with luck the neck stays on the (cushioned!) workdesk.
But: there may be paint/lacquer sticking tight; in that case be careful not to bend the neck too much or you'll crack the finish (worst case: wood). Easy does it.
Rub a little candle wax on the screw threads before you put them back. And don't overtighten - nice and snug is just fine.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 11:15 am
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Well, when you put it that way I realize there are more factors to concider than I could think of. Maybe I won't do it at all. Don't really feel it's worth handing it in to my luthier. Would probably cost me $50 or so, so I would rather leave it anyway.

Thank you.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:10 am
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If you can change your own strings, and have ever changed a tire on a car and made it home, your qualified. Really...it's nothing. Read the above posts and search YouTube beforehand to reassure, and you'll be up to speed.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 6:57 am
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I've done many swaps, removals and builds. It's pretty easy. Lifting the neck out is probably the hardest part. Some necks are in more snugly than others. Nitro finishes are more delicate than poly and will sometimes chip. Just lift the neck slowly and evenly away from the face of the guitar. When putting it back on do not over tighten the screws. Put the screws in evenly, if you tighten one all the way down before putting in the others the corner of the plate can dig in and crack the finish. But, any damage is only relicing anyway :-).

You will have to do a setup on each guitar after the swap to make sure that the strings are at the right height for the new neck. If micro-tilt is involved you will have to check that as well. Don't worry if you mess it up because it can always be fixed. It's fun to learn how to work on your own guitars, too.

Heres a pic of my latest project/parts-caster. I used a combination of parts from eBay and stuff I had laying around. Once you get into swapping stuff around it gets easier to do whole projects.

Image


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 7:50 am
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jmattis wrote:
Seems you don't want that answer... :wink:

But seriously: you have to judge your skill level yourself - I won't take the blame if you mess it up totally, or crack the finish etc.

There is a first time for everybody. So if you go DIY, some tips (I don't know what that youtube vid covers...):
Loosen (and later tighten) the screws in a pattern (a bit each on top left, bottom right, top right, bottom left etc.).
After the screws & neck plate are off, keep the guitar "face down" and lift the body - with luck the neck stays on the (cushioned!) workdesk.
But: there may be paint/lacquer sticking tight; in that case be careful not to bend the neck too much or you'll crack the finish (worst case: wood). Easy does it.
Rub a little candle wax on the screw threads before you put them back. And don't overtighten - nice and snug is just fine.

+1

Be careful and you'll be fine...lot of us do it without a 2nd thought...

Check out John Sims reply (1/2 way down) in a thread I started recently

He has some warnings about it that I hadn't considered...Brass Neck Screw Inserts...opinions?

As for Pro tune-ups...get one if you can afford it...Pros are better from all the practice at the very least...

...a good Luthier/Tech can set a guitar up so nicely they feel like a different (Better) Instrument...

...I learn little things that are part of a good set-up...things I might have missed on my own.. :)

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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:09 am
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If it's just for looks, I'd say leave it alone.

You could end up with a lot more work (and $$) than you planned or two just so-so guitars.

The nuts may not align or be cut the same making intonating the guitar difficult to impossible requiring a change in nut or re-filing the existing one(s)..

Personally, I wouldn't do it (but then I don't buy a guitar unless it's exactly what I want from the get-go).

That said, they're your instruments, so whatever you want is justification enough.

cheers!

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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:34 am
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This time I don't quite get your drift on the nut and intonating, Lightning... after all, isn't the presumption that each nut is cut to suit the neck it's in, and the nut follows the neck in the switch.
And: looks are important :wink:

To the OP: previously I wasn't trying to talk you out or into the neck switch. Like I said, I don't usually consider it a biggie. (The real trouble starts when a nitro neck is really tight and attached to a nitro body, and you need to hammer it out of the joint...)
But: if you have your guitars set up by a pro, they shouldn't charge much extra for swapping the necks as they're on the job.


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:31 am
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Done!

Probably the easiest guitar mod I have ever done. Took me 10 minutes. Glad I did it. Very happy :)


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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:16 pm
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punx79 wrote:
Done!

Probably the easiest guitar mod I have ever done. Took me 10 minutes. Glad I did it. Very happy :)

Good for you...it's easy...like anything else...it can get difficult quick :)

One thing I do afterwards...when I've got both E strings on...

...is sight down each string/side of the neck to see if they're straight

By loosening the screws a little you can "horse" the neck a little in the direction you need...

...especially if your high E has a tendency to slip over the edge...

Hope your guitar plays as well as you dreamed :D

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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 9:44 pm
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A good neck will sound roughly the same when you swap.
I've done it myself and it usually works, but, I remember ruining my favorite bullet neck when I did it one too many times.

Let a pro do it, screwing up the holes if they don't line up will leave you with a guitar neck that is close to useless as the ruined neck will no longer hold as the screw holes have been compromised.
Letting a pro do it will ensure that you get it done right and of course, if he ruins your neck, he has to pay for it.


Last edited by rdclmn7 on Wed Apr 01, 2015 4:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Swap necks!?
Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:47 am
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Ahhhhhh...just gotta love all the paranoid b.s. here..."don't do it"..."let a pro do it"....oye!

If you know which end of the screw driver to hold, you can change a neck on a Strat. While I suspect he didn't have us "modder's" in mind, Leo Fender designed Strats and Teles with the idea that if something's gonna go wrong on a guitar, chances are it's gonna be the neck, so they were designed to be easily replaced.

Since the OP said it's already done and over with this is obviously a bit rhetorical, but as I'm sure the OP has already discovered, this just isn't that big a deal at all. Hell...I even did a neck swap once sitting in a local bar. I ran into a guy who preferred rosewood on his Strats and personally I'll go with maple every time (on a Strat at least), so yea...we swapped necks over a burger and a couple of cold brews. Probably took more time and effort to remove and replace the strings than the actual neck swap did. Both of us did have to take a few minutes and make some minor setup adjustments...but in my book, that's something that EVERY guitar player should know how to do.

Seriously...Strat necks are easy (as they were intended to be). It's those silly set neck Gibsons that are a pain in the arse! LOL!


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