starscream Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 new to the board am planin get a replacement neck for an old ibanez RG550 (which has an standard neck joint). i started by lookin on Warmoth's site and decide to get a 24 frets start neck, so i emailed one of the stuffs with a drawin of the RG body and asked him if the neck would fit, he told me the brige position on my RG is WRONG, and if i put a strat neck on it, it will not intonate properly. as far as i know, both RG and Strat have 25'1/2 scale length, so the neck could be used on both of them, if the bridge position on myRG is WRONG, the original ibanez neck wouldnt intonate properly either... am really really confused..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sindlei Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 the size of the heel might be different on the ibanez necks than on the strat necks, but i'm not 100% sure. wait for someone with experience to answer before doing anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 warmoth is right...it will not fit...the heel on the warmoth neck is shorter,thus putting the not too close to the bridge to intonate properly...the bridge position is wrong FOR THE WARMOTH NECK,not wrong altogether the warmoth neck if i recall correctly has the heel stopping behind the 21 fret,whereas on the ibanez i think it stops at the 23 fret they,like us on this forum,have heard the same question many times and they know what they are talking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky1 Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 (edited) Edited September 19, 2004 by lucky1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 All depends on what "old" means in old RG. I know for a fact (I have one of these necks -- I think it is a 550M, maple fretboard)) that some RG's were short heeled with a long fretboard. Like if you look at a regular 22 fret Strat neck, the heel comes almost to the end, only the 22 nd fret is hanging over the heel, with only the fretboard supporting it. Now the RG neck that I have was made in the same way regarding heel length, with a longer fretboard overhang, so there is nothing below the 22, 23, and 24 th fret except fretboard. This is how (I think) Warmoth makes 24 fret necks - simply a longer fretboard. Therefore, my neck and a Strat neck would be "swappable". I do not know if this is true with your neck. Many 24-fret necks (new RG's don't know, many Kramers, some BC Rich's) are made like Warmoth and others here have said, with a longer heel and just the 24 th fret hanging over the end of the heel. Of course, most any neck will fit any pocket and intonate properly given enough tools and skill in using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 a regular strat neck has 21 frets,not 22...and that is how warmoth makes them...to interchange with a strat(as in fender) they are also rounded at the heel end of the neck...whilst ibanez necks are more square at the heel end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalluthier Posted August 8, 2004 Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 I never understoond why Fender always used 21 frets instead of 22? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meegs666 Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 most new fender necks have 22 fret fretboards but all strats have 21 fret necks, if that makes any sense. the length of the neck down to the heel has always been the same. newer necks have a longer fretboard with an added 22nd fret. the pickguards on new fender strats arent interchangeble with their older counterparts because the neck area has more plastic taken out for the 22nd fret extension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowser Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 here you guys go, these show the different necks: I don't know, it really seems to me like a warmoth strat neck would fit as long as the body has the square joint. And how come you're buying a new neck anyways, did you buy just a body or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starscream Posted August 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 cheers, guys, thanx alot i get it now, the ibanez neck join the body at 17 fret, and i looked a 22fret start, and the neck joined the body at 16 frets... i wish ibanez didnt make this 1 fret difference when they started the RG series.... i emailed warmoth again yesterday, see if they can make me a RG shap body with a correct bridge routin... but am not too positive, coz i asked them same thing a yr back but didnt get any replies.. anyway, i think i have to give up on warmoth's neck, do you guys know any shop would make custom necks and ship international? i know LGM makes ibanez replacment necks but their site seems down recently.. thanx for the help guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 Actually, the join the body at the 16 th or 17 th fret has nothing to do with the neck fitting and intonating properly, that is just how long the neck pocket is. You could build an exact duplicate of the Strat body, except for an extra-long pocket, and the neck would join the body at whatever fret the pocket ended at. The square vs round heel is relatively easy to get one to fit the other, but it is really a non-issue since Warmoth builds both. The post that said all Strat necks are 21 fret necks, some with 22 fret fretboards is a good way to put it. My previous post on the 550M neck would therefore be - it is a 21 fret neck with a 24 fret fretboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 I re-read Starscream's last post about Warmoth building an RG shaped body that would fit a Warmoth neck. In the beginning, the RG body (original) was okay, so Starscream's not looking for an upgrade in wood or pickup routing or different bridge, etc. What do you want the Warmoth parts to do that the factory RG doesn't? If it is just an objection to the too thin Wizard neck, the cheapest way around this is to get one of the lower-ended RG's (which have a Wizard II neck, which is a little thicker but not too thick) and swap all of the "better" parts from the 550 on to it -- like the electronics and the bridge. These lower end RG's go cheap on ebay -- cheaper than a Warmoth body and neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted August 9, 2004 Report Share Posted August 9, 2004 Just to clear it up a bit (and I think I'm right) The first RG's were just "strat" heels with extra fretboard extension for the 2 extra frets. All strat type necks will fit with regard to scale length, and those were cut with the rounded heel too. When warmoth makes a 24 fret neck, that's how they do it. So the Warmoth 24 fret neck will fit as well. As for the AANJ, no one beside Jeremy and other custom makers do that heel, and I think Warmoth are a bunch of fools for missing that one. There's a guy named Tommy who used to work there, and he started a company with a name like "american guitars" or something. (I still can't remember it!) I think he'll make AANJ replacement necks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starscream Posted August 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2004 I re-read Starscream's last post about Warmoth building an RG shaped body that would fit a Warmoth neck. In the beginning, the RG body (original) was okay, so Starscream's not looking for an upgrade in wood or pickup routing or different bridge, etc. What do you want the Warmoth parts to do that the factory RG doesn't? If it is just an objection to the too thin Wizard neck, the cheapest way around this is to get one of the lower-ended RG's (which have a Wizard II neck, which is a little thicker but not too thick) and swap all of the "better" parts from the 550 on to it -- like the electronics and the bridge. These lower end RG's go cheap on ebay -- cheaper than a Warmoth body and neck. what i thought is if i put a strat neck on the RG body, the 22 fret will be closer to bridge than the original neck's 22 fret.. but now am confused again..... basicly i wana a straight-head neck, and narrower nut, the original wizard neck is great, one piece maple, and the fingerboard is really flat, but i have played a strat all the time for past one yr, and just cant get used to the Wizard now.. but i really liked how the RG sounds with pair of PAF-PROs, i thinkprobably becoz the basswood body, i always find the alder body sounds little too bright... most wizardII necks on ebay have AANJ joint, my RG has an old squere joint, i think i probably just order a neck from warmoth and convert the RG to a fixed bridge, re-locat the bridge's position, tough work for me though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starscream Posted August 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2004 Just to clear it up a bit (and I think I'm right) The first RG's were just "strat" heels with extra fretboard extension for the 2 extra frets. All strat type necks will fit with regard to scale length, and those were cut with the rounded heel too. When warmoth makes a 24 fret neck, that's how they do it. So the Warmoth 24 fret neck will fit as well. As for the AANJ, no one beside Jeremy and other custom makers do that heel, and I think Warmoth are a bunch of fools for missing that one. There's a guy named Tommy who used to work there, and he started a company with a name like "american guitars" or something. (I still can't remember it!) I think he'll make AANJ replacement necks too. my RG has an old strat type neck joint, i may just try the warmoth's neck... yeah, i asked warmoth if they could cut the headstock to a RG's shape, and am willin to pay some extras, and, as alway, no relies at all, i mean...at least, if they cant do it, just say it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 If you have the old neck joint the Warmoth should work perfectly. Everyone else has the best of intentions, but for your particular guitar, the answer is "yes" it will fit. If there is any difference it would be that the Ibanez neck has some wood under the fretboard, and the Warmoth wouldn't. That means nothing, it's just a difference in how they cut the heel. The Ibanez heel has the regular heel part, and then there is still some neck wood underneath the fretboard on the extension part. That's why they cut that recess in the body for the fretboard extension. BTW, Tommy's company is "USA Custom Guitars" I think. If not, I know I'll finally get it right some day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 By all means, check out USA Custom Guitars. Tommy used to work for Warmoth. He does great work (I can't speak for bodies, but necks are great), but the thing I really like best about his company is the word "custom". Warmoth seems to not want to do anything "different". I had some "different" ideas for a neck, and Warmoth said no, they wouldn't do it AND it wouldn't work. Tommy, on the other hand, said he'd never done it and therefore it MIGHT not work, but he'd try it anyway. I think if you pay, Tommy will cut it however you want (not violating trademarks, of course). Also, you'll notice the USA Custom necks are a little more expensive than Warmoths, but they don't have those Warmoth "back charges". Also, the lower end Wizard II's don't have the AANJ. They aren't exactly "Fenderish" though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starscream Posted August 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 cheers, guys, that helped alot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 If you have the old neck joint the Warmoth should work perfectly. Everyone else has the best of intentions, but for your particular guitar, the answer is "yes" it will fit. If there is any difference it would be that the Ibanez neck has some wood under the fretboard, and the Warmoth wouldn't. That means nothing, it's just a difference in how they cut the heel. The Ibanez heel has the regular heel part, and then there is still some neck wood underneath the fretboard on the extension part. That's why they cut that recess in the body for the fretboard extension. BTW, Tommy's company is "USA Custom Guitars" I think. If not, I know I'll finally get it right some day! then why would warmoth tell him that it WON'T work? but go ahead...when it doesn' fit you can use it to build a strat esp and ibanez necks will not interchange either,by the way,or fernandez most guitar brands these days are proprietary...like chevy and ford,they are not made to interchange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 They might've thought he was talking about an AANJ. I wouldn't trust Warmoth's advice anyway. Especially not for Ibanez. Before Ibanez had the RG's and the Jems, they were just making regular strat neck pockets on the 22 fret Roadstars. No AANJ, and no difference in the bolt arrangement or height, etc. When they introduced the Jems and RG's they just added the fretboard extension to it, same as Warmoth. Meanwhile, Jackson and ESP started doing all kinds of weird stuff, like 24 fret, 24 3/4" scale dinky necks, 24 fret necks that had the strat shaped heel but moved up to the 24th position, and ESP had that tilted neck plate with one offset screw. Some had a squared off tele shaped heel and others were rounded. But Ibanez just kept doing the strat heel with extra frets. Then they did the AANJ and that was new for everyone. It's really got no extension and its squared off. Nothing fits that. You'd have to cut it from a Carvin neck thru, or wait for a used one. But a friend of mine even used an old RG neck on a strat body just by sawing off the last 2 frets. It's the same heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 As for tommy's bodies, I can testify to the quality. And he will do anything. He'll even use your wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 They might've thought he was talking about an AANJ. I wouldn't trust Warmoth's advice anyway. Especially not for Ibanez. Before Ibanez had the RG's and the Jems, they were just making regular strat neck pockets on the 22 fret Roadstars. No AANJ, and no difference in the bolt arrangement or height, etc. When they introduced the Jems and RG's they just added the fretboard extension to it, same as Warmoth. Meanwhile, Jackson and ESP started doing all kinds of weird stuff, like 24 fret, 24 3/4" scale dinky necks, 24 fret necks that had the strat shaped heel but moved up to the 24th position, and ESP had that tilted neck plate with one offset screw. Some had a squared off tele shaped heel and others were rounded. But Ibanez just kept doing the strat heel with extra frets. Then they did the AANJ and that was new for everyone. It's really got no extension and its squared off. Nothing fits that. You'd have to cut it from a Carvin neck thru, or wait for a used one. But a friend of mine even used an old RG neck on a strat body just by sawing off the last 2 frets. It's the same heel. well you sound like you know what you are saying...i have never seen one of the old ones myself but you may be right now that i think of it...i have an old sabre with the square pocket and the carvin 22 fret neck with the strat heel(just like the warmoths)fit it perfectly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted August 11, 2004 Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 I think he is right, but like you, cant attest one way or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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