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Epiphone Thunderbird IV into a Fenderbird with 24 frets?

TheDominoKid

TheDominoKid

Jun 25, 2011
289
375
Baltimore, Maryland
www.matthew-mayer.squarespace.com
#1
Ok. So basically I want to make a Fenderbird.

I have the Epi Tbird and hate the neck dive. I also have a Korean made Fender Jazz neck that has 24 frets laying around the house... I came by it a few years back and figure, what the heck! So it's about 2 inches longer. Basically, if I route out the neck pocket on the Epi to fit the fatter neck of Jazz, will the length screw up my intonation now that's it 2 inches longer? Or will everything work?

Any advice and or help would be much appreciated...

Thanks.

PS-I may just sell Jazz neck and buy a regular 34" inch...
 
#2
You'd probably need to rout the neck pocket further toward the bridge as well to compensate for the longer neck. Not sure if the neck pickup would allow enough clearance for a 24 fret neck. You could try Warmoth and see if they can do a neck made to fit the T-Bird neck pocket.

BUT there's no guarantee this will help with the neck dive. The main reason for that on those basses is the placement of the strap button. Some people have made extenders to get the strap button further toward the headstock, and they seem to work pretty well, although I've seen a few that look a little squirrely.
 
#4
Not sure about your neck, but I needed to rout the neck pocket because the heel of the Fender is rounded, while the Epi was square.

Two inches (or is it one inch? I'm too tired to think. It was a long week) is a lot to ask for a Thunderbird--you could do it on my non-reverse body, but I'm not sure about the regular T-Bird. Plus, it's going to be a bear to reach those upper frets on the T-Bird body.

This is mine (and I show it off, even though my neck-pocket routing is atrocious):

5943713565_61b86915b6.jpg
 
#7
Brak1899 said:
It's 24 fret Jazz neck. So it's just about 2 inches longer. So once I rout the neck pocket to the right width and curve...can I slap the Jazz neck in there and have all be well? It will just be a 36" scale instead of 34"? Or does that not work...? Or, would that just be ridiculously huge and not intonate?
Click to expand...

You need to maintain a 34" distance between the nut and the bridge saddles in order for the bass to intonate properly with the new neck. That means you'll either have to extend the neck pocket toward the bridge, or move the bridge closer to the neck.

Assuming this is what you have:

Link Removed

You are going to have to extend the neck pocket. There doesn't look to be enough space between the bridge and the bridge pickup to relocate the bridge. You also will have no use of those extra frets without contorting your arm around to account for leading edge of the treble side of the body.

This is probably not a feasible project. Unless the joint on the neck (the flat part with the attachment screw holes) is really long, you are going to have some of the contoured length of the neck inside the neck pocket. It will look really strange unless you modify body to account for it.

I mean..this is a $300 bass, so I personally wouldn't feel too bad about giving it the chop-shop treatment if it was mine. But I would sooner just buy a 24-fret bass without neck dive issues.
 
#9
I have made several Fenderbirds ...

I always route out the neck pocket to move the neck farther into the body. Then of course I have to move the bridge back as well. I also install my own home made straplok extrender to defeat the inherent neck that all t-birds have.


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#12
knigel said:
Not sure about your neck, but I needed to rout the neck pocket because the heel of the Fender is rounded, while the Epi was square.

Two inches (or is it one inch? I'm too tired to think. It was a long week) is a lot to ask for a Thunderbird--you could do it on my non-reverse body, but I'm not sure about the regular T-Bird. Plus, it's going to be a bear to reach those upper frets on the T-Bird body.

This is mine (and I show it off, even though my neck-pocket routing is atrocious):

5943713565_61b86915b6.jpg
Click to expand...
The regular T-bird can take it. :) Just make sure you get the position right, as there's not a lot of play in the intonation of those saddles.
 
#14
awilkie84 said:
I think the last thing he'll want to do, if he uses a 24 fret neck, is to route deeper into the body. T-birds already have a hard enough time getting to the 20th fret.
Click to expand...

The scale length has to stay 34", the only option other than to set the neck deeper into the body would be to move the bridge closer to the neck. I imagine that bass would not be fun to play with the neck dive, combined with the extra reach it would take to get to the first few frets.
 
#15
Hopkins said:
The scale length has to stay 34", the only option other than to set the neck deeper into the body would be to move the bridge closer to the neck. I imagine that bass would not be fun to play with the neck dive, combined with the extra reach it would take to get to the first few frets.
Click to expand...
Thunderbirds generally have their saddles pushed very far towards the ball end of the bridge. They have enough saddle play to easily do 1.5" forward from their typical position, though. This should be enough to not have to route as far down into the neck. Just have to check the maximum saddle travel distance and try to put the neck somewhere inside that by like 1/2".

Personally, I think a 20 fret neck would be the better way to go.
 

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