Tele neck vs. Strat neck
Lin Sprague
Are Fender Strat and Tele necks interchangeable between the two
guitars? I've seen Strats with Tele necks, and I used to have a Tele
Deluxe in the mid-70s that had a Strat neck, but that one didn't have a
standard Tele body.
The reason I ask is that I was recently told that the strat necks that
Warmouth makes won't fit properly on a real Fender Tele. I have a
Warmouth start neck, and I was planning on buying a tele-like body from
Stewmac or someplace, and now I'm concerned about the fit. I guess my
real question, is there really any difference between the neck pockets
of a Fender Tele and Strat, and is there any difference between the
neck heels between those guitar's necks?
--
...Lin Sprague...
Michael Visser
Lin Sprague wrote:
Just passing along second hand information here ... but a guy I know was told the same
thing. He called someone to ask about putting his Warmoth Tele neck on a Tele and the guy wanted to
make sure that it wasn't a Strat neck ... he said the Strat necks are a liitle narrower and don't
fit as tightly in a Tele body. He also said it can be done ... but he didn't really want to do it if
it was a Strat neck going on a Tele body.
That's what I was told ...
/\/\\/
Unsung96
> guitars? I've seen Strats with Tele necks, and I used to have a Tele
> Deluxe in the mid-70s that had a Strat neck, but that one didn't have a
> standard Tele body.
>
> The reason I ask is that I was recently told that the strat necks that
> Warmouth makes won't fit properly on a real Fender Tele. I have a
> Warmouth start neck, and I was planning on buying a tele-like body from
> Stewmac or someplace, and now I'm concerned about the fit. I guess my
> real question, is there really any difference between the neck pockets
> of a Fender Tele and Strat, and is there any difference between the
> neck heels between those guitar's necks?
>
> --
> >>
Basically yes. A little minor tweaking here and there. I've had a Fender Strat
neck on a Tele for years and also a Warmoth Strat neck on a Tele before .
Unless something has changed.
Lin Sprague
> Lin Sprague wrote:
> > I guess my real question, is there really any difference between
> > the neck pockets of a Fender Tele and Strat, and is there any
> > difference between the neck heels between those guitar's necks?
>
> ...but a guy I know was told the same thing. He called someone to
> ask about putting his Warmoth Tele neck on a Tele and the guy wanted
> to make sure that it wasn't a Strat neck ... he said the Strat necks
> are a liitle narrower and don't fit as tightly in a Tele body. He
> also said it can be done ... but he didn't really want to do it if
> it was a Strat neck going on a Tele body.
I sent a message to Warmoth, and was surprised to get an answer back
within a couple of hours! The Word According To Ken Warmoth is this:
"Fenders original designs for Strat and Tele neck heels are different.
the Tele heel is squared off on the end and the Strat heel is rounded.
A Strat neck may be installed on a Tele however there will be gaps
showing at the bottom corners of the neck pocket. A Tele neck can not
be put on a Strat body without modifying the body, otherwise it will
not intonate. All Warmoth made replacement necks for Strat and Tele are
directly interchangable with the originals with no modifications
necessary."
This is good news to me, because it says that my Strat neck will fit OK
on a Tele body. The little gaps he mention would be covered up by the
pickguard.
A friend used to have a Strat with a Tele neck. I guess someone must
have either altered the body's neck pocket or the heel of the neck. I
wonder which it was? The guitar's long gone, so we'll never know, but
as I recall, it played fine and intonated correctly.
--
...Lin Sprague...