Fender neck and STA body

[gazza]

g'day, folks! being totally new to the idea of DIY guitar builds, I'm wrapped in seeing the resources which Pitbull have to help creative players 'step out in faith' to give it a go! I have a genuine Fender neck which I am hoping to mate to a better quality body.. It's an MIJ body and I'm not convinced that the body is decent quality wood.. My question is: does a standard 21 fret Fender neck fit a Pitbull body without any modification? Any guidance and collective wisdom would be much appreciated! Thanks!

[Chuck]

First thing to check would be whether your neck has a rounded or flat end to the heel, as the PBG kits have a rounded heel on Strat kits, and a flat heel on the Tele ones. In terms of other dimension I'm not sure...

[gazza]

First thing to check would be whether your neck has a rounded or flat end to the heel, as the PBG kits have a rounded heel on Strat kits, and a flat heel on the Tele ones. In terms of other dimension I'm not sure...

The heel of the neck is rounded, so that's encouraging, but dimensions still need to be clarified... I was hoping that someone in the group might have already tried this?

[wokkaboy]

Hi Gazza, put the neck in the pocket, bridge in place with the pickguard on so the bridge is located in the correct location and measure nut to centre of 12th fret should be about 323mm (half of 25.5" scale length). Then measure centre of 12th fret to both E string saddles. Should be around 326-328mm to low E and about 323-325mm to high E string. Adjust the saddle positions to suit.

Does the neck fit in the pocket nicely ? They should be pretty close in shape

[Chuck]

I don't think he's bought the kit yet Wok, just checking before buying I'm guessing...

[stan]

hey gazza, just another opinion, but MIJ Fenders are generally great quality. I have an 80s MIJ Tele and the fit and finish and sounds are as good as any American one I've heard.
Just me but MIJ is better than MIM and from the right era are as good as any USA built guitars.

Having said that, enjoy what seems like a fun project

[gazza]

I don't think he's bought the kit yet Wok, just checking before buying I'm guessing...

correct! I'm being cautious, Chuck.. before finding out the hard way, I thought it may have already been tried..

[andrewdosborne]

hey gazza, just another opinion, but MIJ Fenders are generally great quality. I have an 80s MIJ Tele and the fit and finish and sounds are as good as any American one I've heard.
Just me but MIJ is better than MIM and from the right era are as good as any USA built guitars.

Having said that, enjoy what seems like a fun project

Absolutely agree Stan +1 for the MIJ Fenders

[dave.king1]

Just ran the rule over my STA and the neck is 54mm wide at the 16th fret where it joins the body and 56.5mm wide at the 21st fret and the heel is 25mm deep from the top of the fretboard at the root of the fret.

I suspect that the TL-1Q that I am building probably has the same neck pocket dimensions but am only guessing with this

On mine I put a layer of shielding tape down each side of the neck pocket to make it a tight fit and keep it square.

For comparison my Squier CV Thinline is 55.5 wide at the 21st fret and the heel is 24mm deep

Hope this helps

[gazza]

thanks, Dave! that's worth knowing...