Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
- TyPierce
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:42 pm
Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
I recently acquired a jazz master project and have build it up. It plays great, sounds great, and while I know that the body and parts are from an American jazz master, the neck is a complete mystery to me.
The facts so far:
- The heel has “1963” written on it and some kind of signature.
- Nice rosewood board, not a curved veneer
- Truss at the heel
- 7.25” radius but frets are a bit bigger/wider than vintage
- Seems to be poly, as the acetone q-tip test turned up negative
- The decal has been removed or sanded off
- The edges of the headstock have also been sanded a bit
- Some of the fretboard edges between frets 5-ish and -9-ish are rolled
- No sticker or serial number anywhere
At first I thought it was an MIM or Squier neck someone relic’d. but something about the way the fretboard is rolled seems real, in that it’s not perfectly even (I.e. some frets are more rolled than others) and the grain is worn in such a way that it doesn’t seem like a straight-up sanding job.
Any thoughts? I’m hoping one of you has come across something like this, or maybe even recognizes the date/sig.
Thanks in advance for any insight!
The facts so far:
- The heel has “1963” written on it and some kind of signature.
- Nice rosewood board, not a curved veneer
- Truss at the heel
- 7.25” radius but frets are a bit bigger/wider than vintage
- Seems to be poly, as the acetone q-tip test turned up negative
- The decal has been removed or sanded off
- The edges of the headstock have also been sanded a bit
- Some of the fretboard edges between frets 5-ish and -9-ish are rolled
- No sticker or serial number anywhere
At first I thought it was an MIM or Squier neck someone relic’d. but something about the way the fretboard is rolled seems real, in that it’s not perfectly even (I.e. some frets are more rolled than others) and the grain is worn in such a way that it doesn’t seem like a straight-up sanding job.
Any thoughts? I’m hoping one of you has come across something like this, or maybe even recognizes the date/sig.
Thanks in advance for any insight!
- CROSS_guitars
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 3162
- Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:52 am
- Location: Thornbury Melbourne
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
looks like Allparts to me.
- GilmourD
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 1901
- Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:11 pm
- Location: Rutherford, NJ
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Shouldn't that have the burned-in stamp on the heel, though?
- TyPierce
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:42 pm
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Good point. I’m also a bit stymied by the faint “1963” that’s on the heel end by the truss rod, but has faded.
I’m not holding out some crazy hope that it’s a vintage neck, since the markings don’t seem consistent with what little I know about vintage Fender heel markings, but it’s odd to me that at some point in its history it’s been marked with a “1963” on two separate occasions.
I’m not holding out some crazy hope that it’s a vintage neck, since the markings don’t seem consistent with what little I know about vintage Fender heel markings, but it’s odd to me that at some point in its history it’s been marked with a “1963” on two separate occasions.
- GilmourD
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 1901
- Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:11 pm
- Location: Rutherford, NJ
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Yeah, it's certainly not an actual Fender neck let alone a vintage example. By 1963 most necks had a round lam board rather than a slab, anyway, so I'm not sure why 1963 would be on this. Also... It has 22 frets with an extension which didn't happen until the '80s.TyPierce wrote: ↑Fri May 03, 2024 7:10 amGood point. I’m also a bit stymied by the faint “1963” that’s on the heel end by the truss rod, but has faded.
I’m not holding out some crazy hope that it’s a vintage neck, since the markings don’t seem consistent with what little I know about vintage Fender heel markings, but it’s odd to me that at some point in its history it’s been marked with a “1963” on two separate occasions.
- CROSS_guitars
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 3162
- Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2008 5:52 am
- Location: Thornbury Melbourne
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Some earlier Allparts necks don't have it burnt into the heel.
- Steadyriot.
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 1285
- Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:16 pm
- Location: The Netherlands
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Nor do their B-stock necks.CROSS_guitars wrote: ↑Fri May 03, 2024 9:09 amSome earlier Allparts necks don't have it burnt into the heel.
"If someone duetted with a Bald Eagle, they could rule the Country charts from here to eternity." ~shadowplay
- GilmourD
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 1901
- Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:11 pm
- Location: Rutherford, NJ
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Are you trying to tell me that I don't check their site often enough?Steadyriot. wrote: ↑Fri May 03, 2024 11:23 amNor do their B-stock necks.CROSS_guitars wrote: ↑Fri May 03, 2024 9:09 amSome earlier Allparts necks don't have it burnt into the heel.
[goes to look for B-stock stuff]
- TyPierce
- PAT. # 2.972.923
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:42 pm
Re: Help Identifying a Mystery Neck!
Sounds like I’m looking at Allparts, which makes sense given the project’s history.
Thanks for the help!
Thanks for the help!