A Dilemma

[Findthetone1]

I'm in the process of selling off some gear. I always have my local shop do it on consignment. The fee for them to deal with the flakes and shipping hassles is worth it to me. I have a Strat that has been sitting for a month and got an offer that would basically net me half of what I paid for it. It's a great Strat. Resonant and sounds good. I am getting rid of my 25 1/2" guitars due to developing arthritis in my thumbs. My plan B for that guitar was to keep it and order a 24 3/4" conversion neck, most likely from Musikraft. Anyone that has built partscasters knows it's always a gamble if it will turn out.
What do you think? Turn it loose or keep it and get a new neck?

 

[alund]

In general, guitars are like cars, not homes. Expect loss when you swipe your cc at checkout. . And it will never play like you remember if you swap the neck.

 

[Findthetone1]

In general, guitars are like cars, not homes. Expect loss when you swipe your cc at checkout. . And it will never play like you remember if you swap the neck.

A fair assessment. Thanks!

 

[BeZo]

In general, guitars are like cars, not homes. Expect loss when you swipe your cc at checkout. . And it will never play like you remember if you swap the neck.

Switching scale length is a relearning process anyway. I just got a 25" scale guitar and I'm loving it. I picked up one of my 25.5" scale guitars at practice and it felt weird. I'm usually really picky about scale length, so I'm waiting for the day when I switch back and have to sell the one off.

As for the neck conversion, there are other factors to consider with that. A 25.5" scale guitar will have all of the routing and hardware done for a 25.5" scale. You could swap the neck and do a conversion, but there is no guarantee that the pickups will be laid out where the nodes are for that scale length. It might not sound as lively, and you might lose some harmonic richness, especially in the neck pickup. It might work out though. You never know until you try.

I would vote sell it and get a 24.75" scale guitar. At least a Music Man or a Gibson will be laid out for that scale length.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I'm a DIYer so my solution would be to get a new neck, strip everything down, fill in all the cavities, rout everything back out, and refinish it. While I was at it I'd probably upgrade any pickups and hardware if needed. Obviously most people aren't going to go in that direction.

I would suggest selling it and getting a nice 24.75" scale Strat.

One thing many don't realize with swapping a neck is you'll for sure need to do a full set up. That's probably going to include slotting the nut to the appropriate depth. There's also a decent chance you're going to need to do at least a little fret work too. Not everyone has the tools and skills. If you can do that yourself it's not a big deal. If not you'll have to get it to someone which is an extra unfactored cost.

 

[Findthetone1]

Switching scale length is a relearning process anyway. I just got a 25" scale guitar and I'm loving it. I picked up one of my 25.5" scale guitars at practice and it felt weird. I'm usually really picky about scale length, so I'm waiting for the day when I switch back and have to sell the one off.

As for the neck conversion, there are other factors to consider with that. A 25.5" scale guitar will have all of the routing and hardware done for a 25.5" scale. You could swap the neck and do a conversion, but there is no guarantee that the pickups will be laid out where the nodes are for that scale length. It might not sound as lively, and you might lose some harmonic richness, especially in the neck pickup. It might work out though. You never know until you try.

I would vote sell it and get a 24.75" scale guitar. At least a Music Man or a Gibson will be laid out for that scale length.

I have 3 Les Pauls and that scale length has always been my favorite. Sometimes you really want the sound of a Strat though. Any suggestions on a 24 3/4 guitar that can pull the Strat thing off?

 

[Findthetone1]

I'm a DIYer so my solution would be to get a new neck, strip everything down, fill in all the cavities, rout everything back out, and refinish it. While I was at it I'd probably upgrade any pickups and hardware if needed. Obviously most people aren't going to go in that direction.

I would suggest selling it and getting a nice 24.75" scale Strat.

One thing many don't realize with swapping a neck is you'll for sure need to do a full set up. That's probably going to include slotting the nut to the appropriate depth. There's also a decent chance you're going to need to do at least a little fret work too. Not everyone has the tools and skills. If you can do that yourself it's not a big deal. If not you'll have to get it to someone which is an extra unfactored cost.

I had planned on taking to a luthier for the final setup. I'm not willing to butcher the body so selling it seems best. I asked @BeZo but if you have any 24 3/4 Strat suggestions as well I'd appreciate it.

 

[thegame]

I'm in the process of selling off some gear. I always have my local shop do it on consignment. The fee for them to deal with the flakes and shipping hassles is worth it to me. I have a Strat that has been sitting for a month and got an offer that would basically net me half of what I paid for it. It's a great Strat. Resonant and sounds good. I am getting rid of my 25 1/2" guitars due to developing arthritis in my thumbs. My plan B for that guitar was to keep it and order a 24 3/4" conversion neck, most likely from Musikraft. Anyone that has built partscasters knows it's always a gamble if it will turn out.
What do you think? Turn it loose or keep it and get a new neck?

Swapping necks with different scale lengths will result in the pickup and bridge placement being off. This is highly inadvisable

 

[MadAsAHatter]

if you have any 24 3/4 Strat suggestions as well I'd appreciate it.

I don't have any suggestions off hand. Though I'm not a Strat guy so I really don't know what's out there.

 

[BeZo]

I have 3 Les Pauls and that scale length has always been my favorite. Sometimes you really want the sound of a Strat though. Any suggestions on a 24 3/4 guitar that can pull the Strat thing off?

I don't like either 24.75" scale guitars or strat sounds, so I can't personally recommend anything. I'm pretty sure Charvel and Music Man have offerings that might fit the bill.

 

[Findthetone1]

Thanks guys. Sounds like it's best to move on from it. I did pick up a PRS Swamp Ash Special w/maple neck while in the store a few weeks back and the neck felt fantastic. I didn't plug it in so I'm not sure about tones. I've never found a PRS that grabbed me but maybe it's time to reconsider. Not single coils, but they split. Though that's usually not a great compromise.