Can I use a Strat neck on any 25.5 scale body?

[Futuraforthewin]

Hello all - I have a (probably?) basic question but I can't figure out how to even search for an answer.

I'm doing a custom scratch Vox Phantom build. The plan is to build a Strat/JM neck for the thing, but will that work?

I chose the Strat/JM neck because it's a known quantity. The Phantom will be 25.5 scale length and the neck pocket is the right size for the Strat neck. I'm doing the neck, the body and the fretboard on a CNC. I'm modeling the body myself but I'm downloading a full neck/fretboard render (modeling the neck is a little out of my skill set. Maybe next time!)

I just assumed since the scale length matched the neck will work but now I'm in my head. Will the fret markings actually all match up?

I appreciate any advice! Guitars are complicated.

[BTL]

Take a Strat .dxf file, draw the Vox body over top of it, then remove the Strat body from the file.

[MattK]

As a more general answer, the Strat neck will work on any body where the distance from the neck pocket to the bridge is the same as a Strat - i.e. the neck's scale and fret placement "expect" the bridge to be a certain distance from the end of the neck. If it's a top-loading hardtail or trapeze type bridge you can place anywhere, you can expect it to work as long as you locate the right spot. Placing a 21-fret 25.5 scale neck on a body made for (e.g.) a 24-fret 25.5 scale neck wouldn't work because more of the scale is taken up by the neck in the latter example. It's all a bit complex but the distance from the pocket to the bridge is the simple criterion.

[DrippyReverbTremolo]

To be exact, the distance from the nut to the 12th fret & from the 12th fret to the center line of the bridge should be equal.

That's from the front face of the nut, opposite the 1st fret.

[Futuraforthewin]

Thank you so much guys!

So if the distance from the nut to the 12th fret and from the 12th fret to the center line of the bridge are all equal will the frets line up? It's a 22 fret board.

[countertext]

Thank you so much guys!

So if the distance from the nut to the 12th fret and from the 12th fret to the center line of the bridge are all equal will the frets line up? It's a 22 fret board.

That’s how it should work.

Edit: the assumption is that you will have room to adjust the intonation with the bridge saddles as long as the “centerline of the bridge” is near the middle of the range of saddle adjustment.

[DrippyReverbTremolo]

Indeed.

FYI For proper intonation the bridge center line is in fact not parallel to the nut / not at 90 degrees to the center line of the huitar. Take a look at a few photos of guitars without adjustable bridge saddles (jazz boxes for instance). The bridges are offset in order to intonate properly.

[bodhi]

A couple of details;

Almost all Fender necks with 22 frets have a fretboard with an overhang (the Starcaster being the one exception I'm aware of), meaning that the neck without considering the fretboard has the same dimensions as a 21-fret neck. This is a distinction to consider if you're doing body-work and want any Fender style neck to work. So the neck pocket dimensions are linked to the neck-pocket to bridge distance, and to get 22 frets you want a bit of an overhang for everything to work out.

Separately, the typical bridge angle on most Gibson style templates I've seen is 3 degrees, with the bass end is further back than the treble side. Meaning that instead of mounting the posts at a 90 degree angle they're at 93 degrees. Along with that, the nominal scale lengths for guitars actually applies to the top E-string, with the other strings typically a bit longer than that. Bridge designs have different saddle adjustment lengths, so you can find some examples of Gibson-style bridges that are mounted at 90 degrees, such as tune-o-matic style Ibanez Gibraltar bridges.

With regards to the design, I wouldn't look at fret markings on a template for alignment, rather work with the placement of neck pockets and bridge position. Meaning keep the bridge in place so the body design works, assuming you're using the same kind of bridge as in the template, and then work out the neck pocket position from that. If you have a template with a neck on it, you can double check distances with the fret positions (nut and 12th fret). You don't have to be 100% precise, since the bridge saddles allow for some margin of error, but it should definitely be in the millimeter range. I would also suggest routing the neck pocket before marking out where the bridge would be, so you can adjust in place if required.

[Futuraforthewin]

A couple of details;

Almost all Fender necks with 22 frets have a fretboard with an overhang (the Starcaster being the one exception I'm aware of), meaning that the neck without considering the fretboard has the same dimensions as a 21-fret neck. This is a distinction to consider if you're doing body-work and want any Fender style neck to work. So the neck pocket dimensions are linked to the neck-pocket to bridge distance, and to get 22 frets you want a bit of an overhang for everything to work out.

Separately, the typical bridge angle on most Gibson style templates I've seen is 3 degrees, with the bass end is further back than the treble side. Meaning that instead of mounting the posts at a 90 degree angle they're at 93 degrees. Along with that, the nominal scale lengths for guitars actually applies to the top E-string, with the other strings typically a bit longer than that. Bridge designs have different saddle adjustment lengths, so you can find some examples of Gibson-style bridges that are mounted at 90 degrees, such as tune-o-matic style Ibanez Gibraltar bridges.

With regards to the design, I wouldn't look at fret markings on a template for alignment, rather work with the placement of neck pockets and bridge position. Meaning keep the bridge in place so the body design works, assuming you're using the same kind of bridge as in the template, and then work out the neck pocket position from that. If you have a template with a neck on it, you can double check distances with the fret positions (nut and 12th fret). You don't have to be 100% precise, since the bridge saddles allow for some margin of error, but it should definitely be in the millimeter range. I would also suggest routing the neck pocket before marking out where the bridge would be, so you can adjust in place if required.

Yes I ran into trouble with the overhang on the fretboard - it goes far enough into the body to block the neck pickup. My plan is to lop off the 22nd fret and move the neck pickup down a bit.

[Futuraforthewin]

Whoops I’m trying to post a picture of the model but NO DICE

[Futuraforthewin]

Thanks for all the help players!