Getting a cheap strat, can i change the neck profile?!?

Swirly · #1 06-29-2003, 09:31 AM

Hiya. I currently have a rg570 which is great, but it needs a setup and pickup change, and all music shops around my area said around 2 weeks for a setup!!.
Now, i cant wait that long without playing, so im going to buy a real cheap back up guitar. I was thinking just a cheap squire, or strat copy from ebay as ive seen them for around 40 quid on there.

I plan to just use it as a backup guitar, and somthing to mess around with (if i feel like re-painting it etc) rather than ruining my RG.

The only thing is though, i wish that the neck was just a bit thinner. As im used to my RG, i would personally love somthing in the middle of that and a strat neck.

This brings me onto my main point. Is i possible to give a neck, in this case a strat one, a different profile. Is there some way i can sand it down, or use some technique to give it a slightly thinner profile and width?

darren wilson · #2 06-29-2003, 01:18 PM

Sandpaper works.

But... two weeks for a setup?

Swirly · #3 06-29-2003, 02:46 PM

Two weeks. Yeah, rang a few places and some have to send it off to a larger company and its like 2 weeks. I couldnt even stand not playing for one week, so i need somthing as a backup.

Sandpaper....Easy i supose. But then how would i get the curve on the neck correct. Is there some kind of tool you can use and set to a cetain curve and use it to sand down with or somthing? Im just guesing here...

littlegreenman · #4 06-29-2003, 02:53 PM

I go by feel, I start with a wood rasp to shape, and then go down with coarse paper and get progressivly smoother. your eye is a better judge of shape than you might think. I would just do it that way personally, but don't try changing the width unless you are prepared to deal with redressing fret ends.

Swirly · #5 06-29-2003, 03:15 PM

Opps, didnt mean width. Im jsut basically looking for a slightly thinner profile neck. No where near my RG shape, yet somthing that isnt a fat to get my hands round.

So the best way is to just use sand paper and go by eye? Hmm, good thing this is a cheap guitar

Vai the god of Sound · #6 06-29-2003, 03:34 PM

My guess is try to hold the sand paper between your hand and the neck, and just hold the neck as if you were playing, and just rub it back and forth...it should shape out to your hand's profile.

little wing · #7 07-02-2003, 03:03 AM

I've got a question here.. If i'd sandpaper it, how will the surface of the neck be? I mean, sandpapers rough and might result a rough neck am i right? What or how rought should the sandpaper be?
and what's a coarse paper?

MicJustMic · #8 07-02-2003, 02:42 PM

For the "rough" shaping, go with about 120 grit, just PAY ATTENTION! You can take quite a bit of wood off with that, and work your way up to 300 or even 600 for final sanding, and then 000 steel wool to smooth it out.

It's pretty easy, but keep in mind that most "cheap" strat copies, and even Squires, aren't made to have a very thin profile on the neck.

I took a $300 Japanees strat down to 18 mm at the nut and it became pretty unstable. I'm guessing it was just that neck's problem, but I wouldn't go any thinner than 19 mm unless you really aren't worried about it.

Mic