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bulsara
Queen Rules
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Sydney, Australia
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 Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 3:48 am Post subject: Twisted Neck Strat |
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Hi Folks,
I have just been told that my "50th Anniversary" (1996) Stratocaster has a twisted neck SOB, SOB! What are my options? This guitar is really beautiful and deserves saving. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.  Also, how did this happen??  |
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SB
Jammin' Hot
Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 185
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:40 am Post subject: |
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Hi bulsara,
If you bought the guitar from a Fender dealer and you still have the sales receipt you should be able to get a replacement neck free of charge. I'd say this happend because Fender used some pretty crappy wood for their necks in the 90's. My Tele is from the same time period and it's all I can do to keep the truss rod compensating for some pretty radical shifts in relief. Make Fender make this right. SB |
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bulsara
Queen Rules
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 6:38 am Post subject: |
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SB and Others,
I bought the guitar second hand from a reputable dealer. I know nothing about the mechanics of guitars and am only now learning how to play! If Fender coverts their reputation so highly maybe I should make a play for a replacement neck anyway, it will only take an email. Thank you very much SB for the advice and suggestions, I will keep everyone up to date with my progress with the "Great F".  |
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bulsara
Queen Rules
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:00 am Post subject: |
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Hi Guys,
I have just sent the following email to Fender Australia, to be honest I am not expecting a reasonable reply, actually I am not expecting a reply!!
______________________________________________________________
I have just been told that my "50th Anniversary" (1996) Stratocaster has a twisted neck! This guitar is really beautiful and deserves saving. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. How did this happen?? This guitar has had very little work and has been stored properly. I purchased this guitar (second hand) from a reputable dealer (Anthony's Music, Liverpool, NSW). I am an amateur collector and at 50 years of age have finally started to take lessons, is this the quality I can come to expect from Fender Guitars. What are my options??? Can I purchase a new neck at a reasonable price or just accept that the best is not always that.
_______________________________________________________________
Cross your fingers for me my friends. |
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Rocklogicxxxxx
Groupie
Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 43
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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| bulsara wrote: | Hi Guys,
I have just sent the following email to Fender Australia, to be honest I am not expecting a reasonable reply, actually I am not expecting a reply!!
______________________________________________________________
I have just been told that my "50th Anniversary" (1996) Stratocaster has a twisted neck! This guitar is really beautiful and deserves saving. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. How did this happen?? This guitar has had very little work and has been stored properly. I purchased this guitar (second hand) from a reputable dealer (Anthony's Music, Liverpool, NSW). I am an amateur collector and at 50 years of age have finally started to take lessons, is this the quality I can come to expect from Fender Guitars. What are my options??? Can I purchase a new neck at a reasonable price or just accept that the best is not always that.
_______________________________________________________________
Cross your fingers for me my friends. |
How twisted is the neck? Rosewood or Maple fingerboard? How did you find out that it's twisted?
I'm assuming that you have a maple fingerboard (i.e. frets put straight into the neck. A rosewood fingerboard would be an added piece of wood glued to the maple neck).
If a piece of wood is going to twist there is nothing you can do. The grain will determine the way it will move. Quater-sawn wood will be more stable and more expensive. Look at the end of the headstock.... and the grain pattern should be virticle lines at right angles to the face of the headstock. Unlikely with Fender but usual with Gibson and even my Epiphone.
So you may be better off getting a new neck.
To rectify a twisted neck would require such an amount of work ..... remove frets, plane down the neck, re-curve fingerboard, re-cut fret slots, re-fret, dress frets, stone frets, re-finish with some gloss polyurethane ...Oh the list goes on.. and would cost you a fortune and..the thing is that, if the neck moves after you've had the work done, then you'll be back to the same place and out of pocket.
There must be loads of neck replacements available of better quality!!!
Dave |
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bulsara
Queen Rules
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Dave,
The fingerboard is Rosewood. As you say a new neck is probably the best option. My guitar teacher thoguht it had a suspect action so he took it to his luthier who confirmed the neck was twisted/warped. |
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1bassleft
Lowdown Cack-hander
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 3951
Location: "Hit The North"
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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Buls, if Fender don't leap to offer you a replacement neck (and they won't) have a look at www.Warmoth.com
Their necks are very good (although I think their bass necks are better) and, provided they do the lacquer, they will stand by their product. The problem is (and you may want to get back to Fender on this) getting a proper logo on the headstock. Also, ANY replacement neck affects its future value. I notice the 40th Anniv models sell for rather a lot of money - I have no idea if the 50th models will follow suit in due course.
Commiserations. |
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