From what I've read here, some love them, but others have intonation
problems. I wouldn't go that route, myself, unless it was a guitar with
a removable pickguard pickup mount, so I could reposition the pickups
without too much hassle, if necessary.
--
Greger
"I can predict your clever-boy retorts, though I doubt you'll refrain."
- DougW
For awhile I was considering doing a parts tele with 24 3/4 scale.
Ultimately, I've decided a big part of the Telecaster vibe is the
longer scale, so abandoned the idea and embraced the stretch.
check out my sound clips at http://charliex.com
I've owned two conversion necks, both from Warmoth: a maple w/
rosewood board, and, a walnut w/ ebony board.
They bolted-in correctly, required no modifications, the intonation
was spot-on; no tweaks needed.
USA Custom Guitars (USACG) offers a 25" scale conversion neck. That
seems to be nice compromise between 24 3/4" and 25 1/2" scales. I have
one on my "wish list."
I did the 25" neck from USACG. Effortless to play all the way up to
the higher frets. Stock fender guitars seem clunky to me now. There
are about a half dozen things you can spec in addition to the scale,
so it is an opportunity to get a perfect neck if you know what you
want. I had everything done like a 1950s Gibson, except the nut
slightly wider. Also had the string spacing at the nut cut like a
vintage guitar, not bunched in the middle like modern guitars.
Most of the options that have to do with playability (as opposed to
cosmetics) don't cost extra, so it should not cost anywhere near $400
unless you really tart it up. I sold my MIM 50s tele neck on ebay, and
got just about what the USACG neck cost me. I had the tuners and the
nut done by Rob at Assembled Axes (http://www.frettech.com/
index2.html); very nominal charge, worth it just for the consulting on
minor issues (actually, his labor and shipping is mostly recouped by
the discount he gets at USACG).
Just curious why you want to do it? I used to be really hung up on the
24.75" scale but now I switch back and forth between 25", 25.5", 34"
and 41.5". The 41.5" presents a bit of a problem in the lower
positions but the other ones are relatively easy to swtich between.
"sheets" <jackz...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1192119114.6...@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
On Oct 12, 10:46 am, "Robert Orr" <6stringj...@charter.net> wrote:
> For some reason, I'm just better at executing certain things on that scale.
> I have relatively short fingers so it feels more comfortable. I'm not
> entirely convinced it's the scale length, since I feel relatively
> comfortable on the 26"+ scale of the Selmer copy I have, but I thought that
> if I could get the tele to feel more comfortable, like the Sadowsky, then it
> would be a plus.
>
> "sheets" <jackzuc...@gmail.com> wrote in message
My first purchase of a conversion neck was for a Strat and I bought it
from Warmoth.
Both my Strats were parts guitars with hard-tail bridges.
In order for this neck to intonate properly on these guitars I had to
buy extra long bolts for the saddles' intonation adjustment.
I tried the same neck on a rented USA Standard Strat and the saddle for
the high E string needed to be right up against one of the trem's 2
mounting screws, making it unusable.
After a lot of argument back and forth Warmoth agreed to take the neck
back. But they wouldn't return my cash. They gave me a regular scale
Strat neck instead.
My next try was for a Tele and I bought the conversion neck from USA
Custom Guitars. No probs with intonation at all. The saddles intonate a
few millimeters closer to the nut than they do with a 25.5" scale neck.
Two other probs with this neck though.
1. The amount of rosewood (I use a rosewood board) behind the nut was on
the low side and it chipped off when I went to install my own nut. It
was my fault...I was doing a piss poor job, and I glued it back in OK...
but still.
2. Right now the truss rod adjustment screw is as loose as it can be.
I've got .011 to .050 strings on the guitar and there is just barely
enough relief. If I went with lighter strings I would not be able to set
the relief properly on this neck.
Other than that, I love the neck. I love the way my Tele plays and the
way it sounds with it on. Gives it much more of a Gibson vibe/sound.
Compared to the stock Tele 25.5" scale neck it sounds a bit more
midrangey, and in some way that's hard to describe it's a bit "smaller"
and less full sounding.
But I like it a lot. And it's way easier to play, especially with
heavier strings. (I usually use .012 - .052 flats on it.)
If I was playing R&B and country on this guitar though I'd stick with
the 25.5" scale.
--
Joey Goldstein
http://www.joeygoldstein.com
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/joeygoldstein
joegold AT sympatico DOT ca