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  #1  
Old 07-31-2020, 03:43 PM
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CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
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Default How hard is it to swap out a Strat/tele neck?

I think I can figure out the four screws, but I didn't know what I was getting into vis a vis action, relief, alignment in general. Is it just a straight swap-out?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 07-31-2020, 04:28 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Yes, it's a straight swap. You just need to ensure the neck fits very snug in the neck pocket. It's possible you'll need a setup. There's a slight possibility you may need a neck shim (hopefully not) depending on whether you have an economy neck replacement that's a little off. If that was the case I'd try to return it.

Do you already have the 2nd neck? If so, give it a try and see how it feels.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:19 PM
Tone Gopher Tone Gopher is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matthewpartrick View Post
I think I can figure out the four screws, but I didn't know what I was getting into vis a vis action, relief, alignment in general. Is it just a straight swap-out?

Thanks in advance!
Generally, a straight swap.

If you cannot get the action height that you prefer by adjusting the saddle heights, then a shim is in order. Relief is adjusted just like any other guitar with a truss rod.

If you see that alignment is slightly off, loosen the screws and pull the neck in the desired direction - tighten the screws while holding the neck in place.

Turn it up!
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Old 08-01-2020, 07:17 AM
J Patrick J Patrick is offline
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...once you swap the neck it’s all about making sure the neck is straight and adjusting the setup at the bridge...the saddles need to be set at optimum height and intonation needs to be checked and adjusted if needed....if the saddles are two low or high you may need to shim the neck...StewMAC sells them....
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Old 08-01-2020, 09:16 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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How tricky depends on some things. One of Leo Fender's genius moves was to consider standardized necks and neck pockets with a simple screw-in mount. His vision was simplified maintenance for musicians and the music business. He mostly got that.

Put even for allowing that these things are generally made of wood, this is not a precision parts sort of thing. I've never been convinced that a tight pocket fit was some kind of critical sonic thing on the Fender design, but the exact fitting of the pocket floor and the neck is not 100% repeatable. This mostly impacts setup/string action. If these were precision metal pieces, you'd never need to touch a thing, just unattach the old and attach the new one. In the real world, in my experience, you'll most often need to consider the neck angle and bridge saddle heights and decide where to make your adjustments. Sometimes it's just saddle height, but sometimes a neck pocket shim is called for.

If you've ever shimmed a neck, you can experience why (even if all necks depth from their bottom to top of the frets were exactly alike) this can be needed. A very thin shim can radically change the neck angle.
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Old 08-02-2020, 12:51 AM
wrathfuldeity wrathfuldeity is offline
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Both my mia peavey strat and tele copies have a micro tilt adjustment, its a really handy and easy.
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Old 08-03-2020, 04:35 PM
KCharlesD KCharlesD is offline
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Does the micro tilt adjustment remove the possible need for a shim?
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  #8  
Old 08-03-2020, 06:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KCharlesD View Post
Does the micro tilt adjustment remove the possible need for a shim?
Yes, that’s what it’s for,..

No one mentioned mixing necks, strat to tele, the heels are different, Tele is square, strat has a rounded heel. Common wisdom is you can put a strat neck on a tele but not a tele neck on a strat.
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Old 08-04-2020, 07:49 AM
Pnewsom Pnewsom is offline
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You can make a shim from business card stock by cutting it to the width of the neck pocket and about a quart inch wide. Earlier Strats and Teles usually had brown cardboard of about the same thickness.

Try not to over tighten the screws, but if you do and strip the threads a wooden match stick and some carpenters glue will fix the problem.

Shimming the neck(usually under the heel of neck)can be done for the purpose of changing the string break angle behind the bridge saddle pieces which can soften or stiffen the feel of the strings. These set up principles are the same as on an acoustic guitar, but much easier to accomplish with the Fender style four screw neck attachment.
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  #10  
Old 08-05-2020, 11:17 AM
terryj47 terryj47 is offline
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Teles have a squared off neck at the heel end where Strats have an arch to them. At least for the most part. It can be delt with if that's what you wind up with.
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  #11  
Old 08-05-2020, 07:31 PM
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CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
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Thanks all! Will let you know how it turns out.
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