Mighty Mite necks vs. Fender vs. Warmoth

[Immigrant]

Read the following with a skeptical eye, because I'm nearly always incorrect.

I've bought two Mighty Mite necks. I didn't pay over $125 for either one. I've only priced Warmoth necks, but I've never seen one for less than $200. I'm nearly sure you can't even look at a Fender neck for $125.

Everybody whines about MM necks needing fretwork and Warmoth never does. Wah! Wah!

You get what you pay for. I've had to do minimal fret dressing on the Mighty Mites I've had, but for the low cost compared to Warmoth and the basses they ended up on, that's OK.

 

[Immigrant]

I'm somewhat confused by this, is it impossible to level frets unattached to a body?

I've priced a couple of Warmoth necks and the frets come installed. And yes, they will need a little work when you get it.

 

[Ken J]

I did that a while back when I was looking for a fretless neck. Did all but beg Fender to sell me one. They told me that they license their designs to Mighty Mite, All Parts, Warmoth, maybe others, I forget, to serve people like me and if I wanted a neck that is where I should go. Maybe their policy has changed since then, let us know if they tell you different. They did say they would sell me a headstock decal for it if I put a third party neck on a Fender body.

Ken

My experience with Fender went this way. One year ago after picking up a Squier Jaguar short scale I determined that this was a right feel, size and fit for me but I prefer fretless. I contacted Fender asked them if I could obtain the same neck in a fretless they told me no. I asked them if they can give me a lead on any suppliers that may provide this for me they said no. I asked if they would custom order a fretless neck they said no. I said can I contact your manufacturer and deal directly with them on ordering a fretless neck they said no. I asked again that I would be contacting them directly in dealing with them directly on seeing if they could fabricate a fretless neck for this bass. They said they’d do not provide this information to anybody. I told them thank you for your time. They provided to me a lot of one word answers to a lot of questions I had and could not understand after explaining to them that I found a product I like and wanted to continue expanding off of that, they had no desire to help me at all. Bummer.

 

[MegaSwing]

Mighty Mite necks are a budget buy. You can get a great one or you can get a lousy one, but for the most part, you get an ordinary one: ordinary in every aspect of fit, finish and playability. They are not horrible, but that is all I will concede.

Warmoth necks are amazing in fit, finish and quality of materials. They cost a lot more, too.

Go fig'r.

Fender necks run the gamut in both quality and feel. Ya gotta inspect those puppies closely to be sure you're getting a keeper. But when you do, it's usually pretty spectacular.

 

[rumblinbass]

I picked up a Mighty Mite neck a few months back for a parts build. Don't have a body yet, savin up for that.
Someone mentioned CEG hardtails. They have an ebay store and have a couple MM Jazz necks for sale right now $150...that is with fret work done!
I have heard more good things then bad about MM parts. Necks from Warmoth and USA Custom need work done on frets and nut.
In the end I guess you get what you pay for. Right now my wallet can't support Warmoth or USACG. As for me, I'm happy with my MM neck. Will be much happier when I attach to a body!

 

[khutch]

My experience with Fender went this way. ...

I guess I got the Royal Treatment then: they at least mentioned Mighty Mite and the others to me!

Yeah, I think the only way to get a genuine replacement Fender neck is to find someone who is selling one in the Classifieds. Fender won't help you directly and given what about half the MM customers say you have to wonder why they won't?!

Ken

 

[Ken J]

I guess I got the Royal Treatment then: they at least mentioned Mighty Mite and the others to me!

Yeah, I think the only way to get a genuine replacement Fender neck is to find someone who is selling one in the Classifieds. Fender won't help you directly and given what about half the MM customers say you have to wonder why they won't?!

Ken

They did say their suppliers would not carry short scales.
Warmoth makes short scale necks but they tell you they only fit their bodies

 

[Kirk Bryant]

My only experience is with Mighty Mite. But the jazz neck I bought was great out of the box. I guess I was just lucky. Its on a MIM Jazz bass I hot rodded about ten yrs ago. I have never adjusted the truss rod past the initial set up and it still plays great. And feels great after giving the back of the neck a light sounding and lemon oil on the fretboard.

 

[-=DanAtkinson=-]

If you buy a new neck from Warmoth, USACG or Mighty Mite, none of them have more than basic fretwork on them. All will play amazing with a professional fret job and a good nut, all will be a crapshoot without.

Not true with USACG. They do far more fretwork than anyone else, except maybe Musikraft. Only came across one USACG neck out of dozens that needed any levelling, and the ends are always dressed nicely. Not to mention they roll the fretboard also.

 

[Mark4]

I have an Allparts Jazz neck, and it's great. The only thing that I see being an issue for some people is that it's a little thick front to back toward the nut. You may like that, or you may not, but the quality is good.

 

[Hopkins]

Mighty Mite neck are great for the price. They use quality materials and fit a Fender neck pocket perfectly. Just be prepared for the possibility that some fret leveling may be required. At $100 I don't really find that all that disturbing

 

[Hopkins]

Mighty Mite necks are nice. The wood is good quality and they're made to the proper specs. I've got one sitting here on one of my Strats and it's great.

If you buy a new neck from Warmoth, USACG or Mighty Mite, none of them have more than basic fretwork on them. All will play amazing with a professional fret job and a good nut, all will be a crapshoot without.

Warmoth and USACG give you options like reinforcement, exotic woods, different fretwire, and different board radii. Decide what you like, and if the features on the MM neck match, pull the trigger. If there's something different you want that justifies the extra expense, the other guys can make you something exactly the way you want it, and they're both great companies to deal with.

The Warmoth and Allparts necks I have both had great fret jobs straight out the package.

 

[vstring3]

Someone mentioned CEG hardtails. They have an ebay store and have a couple MM Jazz necks for sale right now $150...that is with fret work done!

I bought one of these last year from CEG Hardtails on eBay. I was building a bass for my daughter who is just learning to play. It was an excellent buy - Now she has the nicest playing bass in the house!

I have since purchased a Mighty Mite Jazz neck for myself though Guitar Center and, although not as nice as the one from CEG hardtails, it's still a nice neck for the price. I did have to file down sharp fret ends, though.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

The Warmoth and Allparts necks I have both had great fret jobs straight out the package.

I'm sure they played well, as that's not an unrealistic expectation from any purchased neck. I suppose "crapshoot" was too harsh a term on my part. The fact remains that Warmoth doesn't do full fret jobs on their necks. A manufactured neck should play great, and could play perfectly, right out of the box. So could, as you mentioned, an Allparts neck, or a USACG neck or a Mighty Mite neck. Most necks, however, will not play up to their full potential without a fret job, and often that's often true of retail instruments as well.

 

[PawleeP]

I picked up a Mighty Mite neck a few months back for a parts build. Don't have a body yet, savin up for that.
Someone mentioned CEG hardtails. They have an ebay store and have a couple MM Jazz necks for sale right now $150...that is with fret work done!
I have heard more good things then bad about MM parts. Necks from Warmoth and USA Custom need work done on frets and nut.
In the end I guess you get what you pay for. Right now my wallet can't support Warmoth or USACG. As for me, I'm happy with my MM neck. Will be much happier when I attach to a body!

what is MM Jazz? Thanx man!

 

[rumblinbass]

what is MM Jazz? Thanx man!

MM = Mighty Mite.

You quoted a very old post.
That price is definitely not current as Mighty Mite necks by themselves are going for $150.
CEG Hardtails would get those necks and do the fretwork. At the of the post you quoted, MM necks were going for $100 and CEG would do their thing and sell them for $150.