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Warmoth Neck or licensed replacement fender neck

J

JohnLovesRush

Oct 4, 2007
195
0
Dublin Ireland
#1
I am looking to replace the neck on my 80s jazz..
and I was wondering whether to go with Warmoth or one of the ebay companies selling licensed fender replacements (no fender logo on the headstock).
anyone any opinon of either and how warmoth compares to fender.

I personally love the geddy lee neck.. is it possible to get warmoth to make me one which has the same measurements as it etc?

thanks for the help
 
#2
warmoth builds great quality stuff, ime--but they won't do a custom neck thickness that i'm aware of

the differences between warmoth and fender are varied depending on the particular fender, but in general, warmoth offers a 10" fingerboard radius only and uses steel reinforcement rods in the necks...consequently the necks are slightly heavier and sound slightly different--i happen to like the stiffness and sound of the necks, so they work well for me, but they don't have that exact vintage fender sound
 
#3
According to the Fender website, the Geddy neck just the C shaped neck (thin).

Mighty-Mite makes a C shaped Fender Jazz neck, and they can be had brans new on eBay for under $100 (not counting shipping).

Warmoth is required by their license to produce necks that are equal to or better than the Fender factory necks. Mighty Mite has to follow that same guideline, as do any other company that produces "licensed Fender replacement necks".
 
#5
No, those have to be equal to or better than the Fender US necks

As an aside, there really is no structural or functional difference in the construction or materials of a Fender US neck vs. a fender Mex neck, or even a Squire neck.
 
#9
Hi,
I have one Warmoth neck, been using going on a year. I'm so impressed with it, I wouldn't consider another brand replacement neck.
Warmoth advantages: the best truss rod in the business, huge selection of neck woods and fingerboard woods, incredibly responsive - maybe because of the heavy construction and the steel bars. They feel like they wouldn't warp if you played them at the bottom of the ocean. Oh yeah, the fit and finish are exquisite.
Warmoth disadvantages: the neck is noticeably thicker than Fenders (I like it, some don't), you're stuck with the 10" radius (too small for my taste, I like a flatter board) you're stuck with the profile (cross-section), and the neck is kind of heavy.
Overall, not exactly a vintage tone but ridiculous amounts of sustain.

Good luck!
 
#10
JohnLovesRush said:
you're right .. but the neck made my those companies seems be american high grade alder..sounds pretty good to me
Click to expand...

i agree that the licensed necks ought to be good--i wasn't saying it as a plus for any particular option, just asking because i thought there actually are structural differences between mia, mim, and squier necks and wanted to see if i was misinformed

allparts has licensed necks as well for another option:)
 
#13
()smoke() said:
i thought mia necks utilized graphite reinforcement?
Click to expand...

The MIA Jazz Bass Deluxe (5 string) has the graphite reinforcement. To my knowledge, all 4-string Fender bass necks just have a truss rod.

JohnLovesRush said:
you're right .. but the neck made my those companies seems be american high grade alder..sounds pretty good to me
Click to expand...

The necks are actually maple. I've never seen an alder neck before.

Graphite reinforcement is a bit of overkill on 4-string necks, anyway, IMO. But no, there really is no difference between standard MIA, MIM, MIJ and MIK fender necks, licensed or otherwise. The spec of the Mighty Mite necks, for example, are designed to match with MIA, MIM or Squier guitars/basses. When bought new, they generally come with a tag that specifically warrants that they will do so.
 
#15
i'm not arguing with you, because i've never taken one apart myself, but fender lists graphite reinforced necks in the specs of the american standard basses, even the 4 strings--iirc, they've been marketing this for a few years now

SDB Guitars said:
The MIA Jazz Bass Deluxe (5 string) has the graphite reinforcement. To my knowledge, all 4-string Fender bass necks just have a truss rod.



The necks are actually maple. I've never seen an alder neck before.

Graphite reinforcement is a bit of overkill on 4-string necks, anyway, IMO. But no, there really is no difference between standard MIA, MIM, MIJ and MIK fender necks, licensed or otherwise. The spec of the Mighty Mite necks, for example, are designed to match with MIA, MIM or Squier guitars/basses. When bought new, they generally come with a tag that specifically warrants that they will do so.
Click to expand...
 
#16
Get a neck (like the Mighty Mite, or whatever), and thin it to your specifications. Some fine sandpaper cupped in your hand and run up and down the neck will shape it to your hand as if you had played it for years and years... I'd start with either 220 or 320 grit, and when it was almost right, I'd switch to 400 and work my way through 600, 1200 and finally 2000 grit, then apply a finish (one or two coats of satin wipe on poly would probably work nicely).
 
#17
()smoke() said:
i'm not arguing with you, because i've never taken one apart myself, but fender lists graphite reinforced necks in the specs of the american standard basses, even the 4 strings--iirc, they've been marketing this for a few years now
Click to expand...

I sit corrected (not worth standig up for).

The "American Standard" and "American Deluxe" basses are listed as "graphite reinforced", with "modern C shape"...

The "American Vintage" necks are *not* graphite reinforced, and are "70's C shape".
 
#20
JohnLovesRush said:
hm I still do find it hard to believe that fender will make the same quality necks for mims and mias and miks
Click to expand...

Here's the thing... they try to tell you that the quality is better on the USA models in order to get you to spend more money. It's as simple as that. Why would you spend $1200 - $1500 on a Fender American Vintage bass if you knew that you could have pretty much the same quality on a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass for $279?

The MIM instruments are (or at least *were* for 10 or 15 years) the exact same bodies and necks that were used on the MIA guitars and basses, just assembled in Mexico, as the labor is cheaper.

As for the Squier instruments, I had a mid-80's Squer II P-bass that had the most amazing neck I've ever played on a Fender instrument. the body was plywood (that has changed on the newer Squers) but the neck was fantastic.

Bolt-on neck construction techniques have not really changed that much in the last 50 years or so.
 

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