Neck And Body Compatability

[Guitar WIll]

Sorry to ask another question on this subject, but I would rather find out now than later, (when I have bought the body).

Would this body be compatable:

with a 21 fret neck with a scale of (I think i am right in saying) 25 1/2. Up to twelth fret it is 12 3/4 inches. The width of the neck is 2 3/16.

There is no imformation avaliable on the site http://www.axesrus.com/acoustic.htm (if you scroll down a bit you will see thebody that I am looking at) but I know that lots of people on this forum uses that site and could probs help me. What is more confusing is that they sell both 21 fret neck and 22 fret necks.

The reason that I am asking this is because my brother has as strat with a 22 fret neck with the same scale as mine (21 frets). Now I thought that the frets would be in a different places, but they're not. I placed them fret to fret, and they are exactely the same.

So I thought, even if the body is designed for a 22 fret neck, I could actually if I wanted bolt the neck on further away from the bridge (the length of that tiny 22nd fret). The pickguard should cover this, but to improve the guitar's sound it might be best to fill the gap with a block of ash, or alder.

Thats another point, rom the picture what do you think that the wood it?

Any help would be so useful, as I am a luithier noob (I can't even spell it) and although I believe in the police of learning by doing, when there is 50 pounds in it I am put off a bit. Cheers, Will.

[Rick500]

You can't arbitrarily move the neck in relation to the bridge. The distance between the nut and the bridge saddles must be the scale length.

But, most Strat type necks that have 22 frets achieve that by having the last part of the fretboard hang over the end of the neck so that the neck itself (as opposed to the fretboard) is exactly the same.

So as long as there is physically room on the body of the guitar between the end of the neck and the top of the neck pickup for the extra bit of fretboard, and the neck fits properly into the neck pocket, you should be okay.

[Guitar WIll]

I have a 21 fret neck, so i have no over hang. However what i intend to do if the scale length is not the same is move the neck so that the distance between the bridge saddles and the nut is the right lenght. This would only mean moving it further away. Thanks for your reply anyway Rick, I didn't know that most necks had an overhang (I always thought that that was on conversions)

Cheers.

[Rick500]

In all likelihood, if it's a Strat type neck, it's 25.5" scale length whether it's 21 frets or 22, so you probably won't have to do anything special to make it work.

[Guitar WIll]

Thanks, thats what I wanted to hear

[Woodenspoke]

The only question is it a standard strat body made for 25.5" string lenght dosnt say on the web site? I would check first before you buy it.

Woodenspoke

Edited June 17, 2007 by Woodenspoke