Late 50's Duo-Sonic Neck Swap

[realm seeker]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post here and I'm hoping I can gain some insight on how to modify my late 50's Duo Sonic.

I wanted to know if it's possible to swap the 22.5" scale neck with a mid 60's Duo-Sonic II 24" scale without moving the bridge. I've heard that swapping for the longer 25.5" scale strat neck would require a bridge move but have read nothing about the 24".

Thanks!

[cooterfinger]

From everything I've read this is possibly. I've got two 22.5" scale duo projects going at the moment. I'll measure against my 24" musicmaster to make sure.

Edit: I just checked and that's a yes.

[realm seeker]

From everything I've read this is possibly. I've got two 22.5" scale duo projects going at the moment. I'll measure against my 24" musicmaster to make sure.

Edit: I just checked and that's a yes.

Is that a "yes" on not having to move the bridge or yes on having to move it?

[cooterfinger]

From everything I've read this is possibly. I've got two 22.5" scale duo projects going at the moment. I'll measure against my 24" musicmaster to make sure.

Edit: I just checked and that's a yes.

Is that a "yes" on not having to move the bridge or yes on having to move it?

You do not have to move the bridge to switch from a vintage 22.5" to a vintage 24" scale neck.

[realm seeker]

From everything I've read this is possibly. I've got two 22.5" scale duo projects going at the moment. I'll measure against my 24" musicmaster to make sure.

Edit: I just checked and that's a yes.

Is that a "yes" on not having to move the bridge or yes on having to move it?

You do not have to move the bridge to switch from a vintage 22.5" to a vintage 24" scale neck.

That's great, thanks for your help!

[knuckle_head]

If any of the 22.5" necks in question are worth owning I wouldn't mind knowing about that . . . . it's my preferred scale length.

[realm seeker]

If any of the 22.5" necks in question are worth owning I wouldn't mind knowing about that . . . . it's my preferred scale length.

Definitely worth owning if that's your preffered scale length. The 22.5" I have is a late 50's soft V profile, flamed one piece maple with a walnut skunk stripe on the back. Basically a baby Strat neck in some ways.

[FlatRacer]

The late '60s Duo Sonics (officially known by the name "Duo Sonic II"), as well as the Musicmasters were offered with both medium scale (24") and short scale (22.5") necks. There is no difference in the bodies, only the necks. The medium scale neck has 22 frets, whereas the short scale neck has 21 frets. This is to accomodate both scales on the same body without the need to move the bridge.
One could suppose the idea was to offer a student guitar with a short scale neck to fit a child's small hands that could be replaced later on with a medium scale neck as the player's hands grew. Musicmasters and Duo Sonics were always pictured in the hands of young kids in the sales literature and advertisements.
Because of this accomodation within the Duo Sonic/Musicmaster line, it stands to reason the the two neck scales can be used interchangably on any of the Fender Short scale family of models including the Bronco, Musicmaster, Duo Sonic, Mustang, and Jaguar.

Eric

[realm seeker]

The late '60s Duo Sonics (officially known by the name "Duo Sonic II"), as well as the Musicmasters were offered with both medium scale (24") and short scale (22.5") necks. There is no difference in the bodies, only the necks. The medium scale neck has 22 frets, whereas the short scale neck has 21 frets. This is to accomodate both scales on the same body without the need to move the bridge.

Thanks for the info Eric! It definitely makes sense from a marketing stand point. I have had some great pointers in the past week from another member who has what seems to be a wealth of knowledge about these guitars. From what I've learned, the swap should work for my late 50's duo body and duo II 24" neck. If you're interested in learning more about the exact measurements of these guitars, check out this thread and pdf over at:

http://shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.p ... 23f2869dfe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[stafflod]

This was good news, I'm building a Strato-Sonic-Stang-thing for my daughter. Just bought a 22.5 1960 neck off eBay. I will do a Strat PG/body modified for a shortscale with a Mustang vibrato.