Neck and scale length question

[manticus]

Maybe you all can help me out with this...

I just bought a Jackson DXMGT-SP Hardtail body off the auction site. I know it's a 24 fret, 25.5" scale length guitar. I have a neck that is a 22 fret 25.5" scale length that I love. Can I use it? The neck pocket should be the right size (2.25"). Just wondering if the length of the should be right with 2 less frets? Bueller?

Thanks in advance for any help!

-Andy

[GuitarBizarre]

no, it won't fit. the neck pocket will be routed too close to the bridge for it to intonate correctly.

Unless of course your 24 fret neck is actually a 22 with a fretboard overhang to give you 23 and 24, then it might be possible, but thats probably not the case on your guitar.

[manticus]

Would it be possible to shim it, maybe? Or do you think that might make it to unstable?

[GuitarBizarre]

shimming it would take it completely out of alignment with the neck bolt holes.

[manticus]

True, but would re-drilling them be a terrible thing?

[GuitarBizarre]

Well you would be moving the mounting holes closer to the EDGE of your neck pocket, as opposed to further in. even if you dowelled and redrilled, I'd say you'd probably end up with only a few mm of wood at MOST on the edge of the bolts. It would likely be a very very weak neck joint, and the first time it got a shock it would probably be enough for the bolts to shear through the last of the wood holding them in place.

Not to mention resonance and everything else would suffer accordingly.

My 2 cents - give up on using that neck. If you really want to have a guitar with THAT neck profile, and can't stand the idea of anything else, I suggest you look at custom work.

[manticus]

Probably true, but it was worth a shot...

[ColinMmmmm]

You could redrill the bridge mouting hole an inch further back or whatever. Then redrill the through-body ferrules. Then you might be able to intonate it properly.

Or you could just swap it for a 22 fret guitar.

[manticus]

I thought about maybe fashioning an extension to the end of the neck. Taking off some of the wood under the end that mounts to the body and joining an extended piece that would cover the extra distance. If joined right, it would be very strong.

If nothing else, it would be an interesting experiment...

[ColinMmmmm]

and on that extension you could put two extra frets . . .

[manticus]

I got the body last night and mated it to the neck for measurement. It seems that the 24 fret Jackson neck has a fingerboard extension past the pocket. Not quite enough, but I'm only 1/4" off now. I'm sure I can find a suitable solution. Woohoo!