samdjr74 Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Hi All, I have a rather strange problem. I have a solid aluminum warlock shaped body that already has the bridge holes drilled. My question is, how can I verify what scale lenght I have so I can get a neck for this body without going out and buying a couple of necks to test fit. Thanks, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meegs666 Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 is building a neck completely out of the picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samdjr74 Posted December 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 No, it's not completely out of the picture but even if I did that I would still need to figure out what scale the neck has to be. So what I need to know is what measurements can I use from the bridge position to say the tail of the neck pocket to determine the scale lenght needed? Thanks, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Just ask the guy who built it, he knows what he drilled it for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 (edited) Hmmm, darn good question and could be a difficult one to resolve. Bring the body down to a local guitar shop and start making comparisons. I know you can't take necks off their show room guitars to test fit , but you could lay your warlock body down beside some samples. Then take some measurements. You are looking for a comparison guitar that has the same distance from the bridge to the leading edge of the neck pocket as yours. I would install the bridge you want to use on the warlock body first. At least you will be able to match up the scale length. But you will also have to match up the neck heel dimensions, ie. width, depth and length to get a proper fit to your neck pocket. If the dimensions aren't to standard specs you will have to contact Carvin (or whoever builds and sells necks, I wouldn't know as I build my own) for a custom job. Edited December 31, 2004 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 Just ask the guy who built it, he knows what he drilled it for. Drak, the voice of reason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x189player Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 Comparing is your best bet. I'd measure a stock SG, or something else with a similar scale length. Aren't there standard 'Fender' and 'Gibson' lengths that are the yardstick for everything else? Remember, measuring the neck from nut to 12th fret gives half the neck's scale. measuring from 12th fret to the heel and subtracting that from the former gives you the distance your body must measure from heel pocket to bridge. A body could be used with different necks to give different scales, but a neck has to have a body of a certain size (assuming the bridge position is fixed). Problem is, when you order necks you get the overall dimensions and the number of frets, like "22-fret neck with 25 1/2" scale length" and I don't know what that translates to in actual length. My guess is the guy who built it used some guitar body as a template. Get SG drawings and see if yours is standard Gibson dimensions. If so, you're home free. If not, I would get a neck with the same number of frets and try measuring it, and work from there as a guide. To be sure, try making a paper neck and seeing how many frets you'd get with your body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meegs666 Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 to tell you the truth i would plug the holes with dowels and start from scratch with a new scale length and make a neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 Typically on Fender & Gibson electrics the neck joins the body at the 16th fret; search the net for Warlocks, on a 24-fret bolt-on model that I found, it appears that the neck joins the body at the 18th fret. If you know which fret the top edge of the neck pocket lines up with, then you can get the scale length by measuring from there to the saddles. Problem is...you don't yet know where the saddles sit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moreau Posted January 1, 2005 Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 Well since fret placement is the same on all 25" scale guitars or 34" scale basses. you could conclude that at the 22nd fret the neck will be the same length for any neck of that scale would u not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samdjr74 Posted January 1, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2005 Thanks for all the help guys. I can't dowel the body, it's solid aircraft aluminum, to dowel it would be very difficult without some major tools. I think Drak ans SouthPA is on to something and I'll try that out on Monday. The only problem is I can't get in touch with the guy who built it so comparing to other guitars should help. Thanks everyone for the help and info. Thanks, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.