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Post subject: Mex. Tele Neck Options
Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:00 pm
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I was thinking about building my own tele and I found a mexican body that I like. Will American necks fit a mex body if the number of holes drilled matches? I want to make sure I understand my options before I start buying parts. Thx!


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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:28 pm
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Are you looking at new or used? A new neck Yes. A used neck maybe. The pockets are the same size even on a 3-bolt but the screw holes in the neck will vary slightly Screws just don't go in perfect. I would suggest to plug every hole on a used necks to insure you get a good bite.


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Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:34 pm
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Not sure about used vs. new. the body I am looking at is new, but the neck will depend on what kind of deal I find. I didn't want to assume that any 4 hole neck would fit any body with the same #.


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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 8:55 am
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MIA and MIM Fender bodies and necks are interchangeable.

Any genunine Fender Tele body should fit any genuine Fender Tele neck with the same number of mounting holes.

It's possible you might find a particular neck & body combination that needs a little sanding of the neck pocket or one that shows a gap because the sizes are ever-so-slightly off, but generally speaking they're all interchangeable.


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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:46 am
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I was under the impression that MIA parts don`t fit MIM guitars to keep them from being sold off as MIA if their MIM. Can somone correct me on this ? Not quite sure if I`m right...


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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:47 am
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JPD, in my experience with MIM and MIA Teles, everything fits - necks, bodies, pickguards, bridges, etc. for similar models.

Of course there are some obvious differences between models - a MIM Standard bridge won't fit on a MIA Standard due to different drilling patterns. But a MIA vintage-style bridge will bolt right on. Modern-style tuners won't fit in necks drilled for the smaller vintage-style tuners. A pickguard from a Thinline won't fit on a Standard. A 3-bolt neck won't fit on 4-bolt body. But when you're matching parts from similar models, they generally fit.

Here's an example - a Telecaster I assembled from Fender parts:

'90s MIJ "JD Tele" neck and tuners
'00s MIM Nashville Deluxe Telecaster body
MIA '52RI bridge and pickguard

That's parts from three Fender factories in three countries. Everything fits! The MIA pickguard screw holes even line up perfectly on my MIM body, and pickguard holes are sometimes a little bit "off" as anyone who has swapped a pickguard knows.

Image


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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:50 am
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Interesting...and thanks for clearing that up for me. BTW..nice Tele you put together.


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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:40 am
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Thanks. I find it to be a fun and inexpensive hobby.

Sometimes a body in a new color or routed for different pickups is fun to try and you can keep your favorite neck with the feel you like. When that neck needs a fret job, just sell it cheap on eBay and try another one - maybe rosewood this time for something different, or one with a different radius, or maybe a Highway One with those huge frets and the cool ‘70s logo.

Assembling from parts, to me, is a lot more fun than buying a whole guitar at once and it's cheaper too. The Tele in the picture above cost about $600, I'd guess, and I rounded up the parts one at a time so I never had to cough up the whole amount at once.

I don't always use Fender parts but I like to when I find a good deal because I know they'll fit, and that's what's important to me. I don't have to paint them and I don't have to drill any holes. A screwdriver and a soldering iron is about all I use. The other cool thing is if you buy used Fender parts from eBay, craigslist, or classified ads on other guitar forums, you can often use them for a couple years and then get your money back when you sell as long as they're in good shape.

I have a box of photos I need to scan as there are a bunch of cool Tele pics in there. Here are some I do have that you might like to see:

Here’s the same Tele as above with a different pickguard:

Image

Here’s the same neck on a MIM Standard body:

Image

Here’s the same body with another neck and pickguard:

Image

This is fun stuff, and cheap too, if you’re patient enough to wait for really good deals. I paid $50 for that rosewood neck – it’s a Chandler. Here’s that Chandler neck on a MIM Standard Strat body I paid $50 for. The Strat was about a $250 guitar after I added pickups and other parts. You can also see the sunburst Esquire here with yet another neck and pickguard.

Image


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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:23 am
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Thx for all of the input, this helps. If I decided to put a Strat neck on a tele body, can I follow the same guidelines as above?

Hey George ... do you have any rosewood tele necks that you are selling "cheap"?


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