So I'm retrofitting an Original Wizard on to a 2006 MIK S520EX

[kspeed]

The back story:
Picked up the guitar used for $350 from a local GC about a month ago. First, I replaced the locking nut to correct some buzzing on open G and B strings (couldn't fix it during setup). Next, I sanded the paint out of the neck pocket, which was a reasonably quick affair resulting in a slight improvement in tone and sustain, and a real slight improvement to the overall action. However, the shape of the Wizard II neck still bugged me (and this coming from a guy who also owns an American Telecaster with a "baseball bat" neck!).

So, I picked up an original Wizard off the bay for 148.50 shipped. I got it yesterday and, being stuck home from work with a nasty cold, decided to have at it today. Yes, I knew going into this that it would be anything but a plug 'n play swap, but that's what makes this sort of project fun

The tools:
Dremel (cordless)
Philips-head screwdriver
Pliers
Allen wrench set
Flat hand file
Sand paper (60, 100, 220, 400, 650, 1500 grit)
New 10mm screws only 1 1/4 inch in length to replace the stock neck screws
Glossy black paint (so the new screws will match)
Duct tape
Scotch tape


OK then - I know most everybody here is thoroughly familiar with both necks, and S-Man has taken some lovely photos illustrating the differences in fit and finish between the old Sabers and newer S's (especially the neck joints and pockets), but I figured I'd take some direct comparison shots of each neck.

Side by side, front and back:
Major differences:
You can clearly see the original W is a 1piece maple neck with a 1piece headstock and scarf joint, while the WII is a 3piece neck with a 5 piece headstock and no scarf joint. I won't bother mentioning the measurements.

Minor differences:
The binding on the WII, differing inlays, lack of a serial number or "Series" denotation on the W headstock, and (surprisingly) a painted nut joint on the old W. And no, that isn't the lighting - the W is much darker than the WII, probably due to age more than anything.

This also serves to illustrate problems #1, 2, and 3, detailed below.



Neck heels, side by side
Major differences:
Problem number 1 is obviously the screwholes. Note the pencil markings on the original W, showing where the body's screwholes line up when placing it in the neck pocket. These will change, slightly, because...

Minor differences:
...That's when I noticed problem number 2 - the very bottom of the W is slightly rounded instead of flat like the WII. At least this is an easy fix and minor enough not to throw off the intonation. You may also notice that some maple extends below the fingerboard on the WII that isn't present on the W. This, plus the look of the binding, is probably why the WII's fingerboard seems noticeably thicker than the W's.



Headstocks, back, side by side:
Major differences:
As noted above, you can more clearly see the W's headstock is comprised of 1 piece rather than 5 on the WII. Also more clear is problem number 3, the indentations for the machine heads. I've marked with pencil where the machine heads' arms will line up on the old W.

Minor differences:
The fit and finish on the original W is noticeably better. Take a look at the humps and dip at the top of the headstocks - the old W is much more clearly defined. Also, the routings for the nut screws on the old W are a bit finer. These routings appear to require different size screws, but that's just an optical illusion caused by the deeper routing on the W.

[kspeed]

Now, we all know the original W is 2mm and 1mm thinner than the WII, top to bottom, respectively. We've felt it, we've seen the numbers, but I wanted to capture in photos exactly how noticeable this is.

Neck and heel thickness, side by side:
Major differences:
Pretty obvious here.

Minor differences:
The headstocks angle backward the same amount despite the differences in neck thickness - headstock thickness is identical. The thickness from the base of the heel to the top of the fingerboard is identical on each, so at least that confirms I'll have to file/sand down the body's neck pocket more to achieve the same low action on the old Sabers.

Sorry for the blurriness in the third picture

[kspeed]

OK then, so now on to illustrating problem number 4.

MIK neck pocket vs MIJ Wizard heel:
Major differences:
According to published measurements, the width of the W and WII at fret 22 is identical at 56mm. While this appears true, the two necks taper differently. In this photo I've pressed the old W all the way to the low E side of the neck pocket to show the overall difference - this is not indicative of the gap on just one side, but both in total.

Minor differences:
Since the base of the W's heel is rounded off, it sits almost 1mm farther from the neck pickup than the WII did. This will be corrected once I flatten it.



Sanded neck pocket, before even more aggressive sanding:
Really just tossing this out there for posterity, so we have something to compare the finished product to.




That's all I have for now - about to go work on it some more. I'll keep posting updates and pictures if you guys are interested. I plan to sand down the neck pocket up to another 1/8 inch to eliminate the gap between the fingerboard and body.

[kspeed]

Last update for today - sanded down the nut joint, dressed the fretbars and oiled the fingerboard. Tomorrow I'll flatten the base of the heel and drill new holes for the machineheads.

Nut joint, before and after:
Simply used a flat file and then some 220grit sandpaper to finish it. Took all of a couple minutes.




Dressed the fretbars - halfway through, and the finished product:
Placed 3-4 pieces of scotch tape on every fret. Dabbed a bit of water on a bar and sanded down with 600grit wet sandpaper. Finished off by polishing with Mother's mag polish. There's a pretty stark contrast between before and after

[Paper_Shredder]

Hey, nice work and nice documentation. I also have a used s-series. I have been working on my set up to have a nice low action, but some of the frets are worn enough to cause buzz. I have been considering a level/crown job, but if you have success with this, I migh try a neck swap. Keep up the work.

[Dee]

Good stuff. Look fwd to updates.

[chone]

Take notes, everyone...this is how threads are made.

[kspeed]

Thanks all for the kind words I won't have time to post another update until the weekend, but it's moving along...slowly but surely deepening that neck pocket and flattening out the base of the heel. Then comes the tricky part - figuring out the best way to attach it!

[metalgod72]

I have wanted to do something like this when I first saw the 520, or better yet played one, because the neck is a baseball bat. A 540SLTD with sharkies would be cool, so this is a great thread. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[horstausmforst]

I always encourage people experimenting with their guitars, but those 150 bucks
could also have been spent on a professional fret job and neck sanding on the
original neck. But since it's already too late, have fun

The 1-piece vs. 3-piece observation is not a wizard vs wizardII symptom, but a
1987 vs 2002 thing (your "new" neck is an '87).
As for the tuner mounting holes: Don't mess with that headstock! get some real
gotohs and they'll drop right in.

[kspeed]

Originally Posted by horstausmforst

I always encourage people experimenting with their guitars, but those 150 bucks
could also have been spent on a professional fret job and neck sanding on the
original neck. But since it's already too late, have fun

The 1-piece vs. 3-piece observation is not a wizard vs wizardII symptom, but a
1987 vs 2002 thing (your "new" neck is an '87).
As for the tuner mounting holes: Don't mess with that headstock! get some real
gotohs and they'll drop right in.

Thanks for the clarification - I wasn't sure if every Wizard was of the same 1 piece + scarf design or if it was based on "era". And true, I could have had a pro address my frets and neck, but I've done it enough times that I'm happy with the outcome and sense of accomplishment in doing it myself

I haven't touched the headstock yet and was going to drop in on a couple local stores today to see what they have in stock for tuners that'll drop in.

[kspeed]

Sorry for the lack of updates - I took horst's advice and ordered some Steinberger 40:1 gearless tuners so I won't need to mess with the headstock. They should arrive Friday so no more updates until Saturday.

The S will also be getting a set of hand-me-down V7 and V8 pickups from my RG at the same time (RG will be getting PAF Joe/SD Hot Rails/F-spaced EVO for N/M/B positions at the same time). Nothing great but hey, they beat the stock INF's

[kspeed]

The Steinbergers came a day early (woohoo!) so I just installed them. Turns out I had to drill a small pilot hole for each tuner anyway, but no biggy. Better than two per tuner I guess.

Tonight I'll determine the best way to fit the neck in place - 1) Use existing body holes and drill new holes into the neck [optimal], 2) Drill new holes in both, 3) Some combination of each [most probable].

I'm not worried so much about perfect asthetics as improved playability. Hopefully I'll have a detailed update tonight or tomorrow.

[LonePhantom]

Plug the holes in the neck with some dowel, and drill new ones. Best way to go.

[kspeed]

Finally, the results! I'll preface this by stating that No, it does not look pretty - no way it was going to turn out perfectly unless I removed the original paint, applied some filler, then slapped on a new coat.

However, it was a success from a functional standpoint and, for me, it's much better than before from a playability standpoint.

OK, since the rest of this post is dedicated to the process and results, I'll dispense with the comparison-based format from my earlier posts.

Steinberger gearless tuners:
As mentioned in an earlier post, I opted against drilling two pilot holes on the back of the headstock in search of a simpler option. I sort of found that with these Steinberger tuners - I thought they'd drop in but I ended up needing to drill one pilot hole per tuner on the front of the headstock.

One more surprise - you absolutely need a trem that will allow you to keep the wound end of the string attached. These tuners have such a fierce grip they will literally yank the bare end out of your bridge. So, to compensate, I had to remove these little anchors from the saddles:




Fitting each string in from the side and tightening the allen screw locked them in place. No problems as of this writing.









Neck pocket, before (top) and after:
I took it down almost 1/8 of an inch. Though tough to see, the difference is easiest to spot in the center. The dark areas are there because I had just whiped it down with some rubbing alcohol to get rid of as much sawdust as possible.




I'd mentioned earlier that the base of each neck was shaped differently - the W was slightly rounded while the WII was flat. No way around this, so I busted out the file and sand paper. Also visible are the old screw holes I glued/plugged with small dowel rods.