[Fronkonsteen]

I'm not a luthier so I realize things as I go, mostly before I spend money thank god.
I want to replace the neck on my RG350M, I'm about 100% sure it's a 2010 the SN burned into the headstock is I100606 but none of my research was able to find a serial number format to match it.
It seems to be a pattern that the factory (And in one case month of manufacture.) is designated by a letter at the beginning so mine is either Cort, or September and possibly 2010?
But my question is pretty simple.
I know if I don't want to fool around with it too much I can keep to Wizard II necks made in 2010, or Wizard III necks from 2011 - 2018 which seem to mainly come from S-Series guitars.
I can also use Wizard Nitro necks from the same years.
I started looking for necks when I realized I had all the dimensions except the neck pocket, which would seem to be a fairly serious oversight.
Are all AANJ pocket dimensions more or less universal?
Is there a chart somewhere to tell me what I can do, maybe a resource who specializes in these necks?
I'd really like a rosewood fretboard, and if it had something other than dot inlays, that'd be cool with me too.
Thanks.

 

[snaggleyoda]

The neck pockets on RG aanj are pretty universal, as far as what the CNC is supposed to putting out. However, there are factors that can lead to discrepancies, such as worn machine parts & human error, which is why you'll sometimes see a shim when you take the neck off. In short probably any RG neck will work, but you may have to do some shimming to get it right.

 

[sepulchrave]

The basic essentials of neck fitting are that the heel design is the same, the width is the same as the pocket and the number of frets and scale length are the same. If the screw holes don't line up perfectly then plug and redrill them, the rest is down to shimming and setup.
What's wrong with your existing neck?

 

[Fronkonsteen]

The basic essentials of neck fitting are that the heel design is the same, the width is the same as the pocket and the number of frets and scale length are the same. If the screw holes don't line up perfectly then plug and redrill them, the rest is down to shimming and setup.
What's wrong with your existing neck?

The necks ok, I don't hate it.
It's maple fingerboard and I like rosewood.
It has dots, I like sharkfin.
I'd also like to put a Jem neck on it, I have the (possibly mistaken) idea that it will have a better feel, and I Like the ToL inlay.
I'm not considering replacing it out of necessity, I'm pandering to my preconceived notions.

So
Scale length # of frets, heel design being AANJ?
If I am purchasing online, does width mean "width at last fret"?
Can neck radius be adjusted on Edge III without shimming? (I'm at work and can't just look right now.)

 

[sepulchrave]

By shimming I mean the neck angle, not the tremolo radius.
If there's nothing wrong with the guitar then sell it and buy one with a rosewood board that you like the look of rather than wrecking this one.
Rosewood boards are far more common than maple so you might even get a better instrument for similar money.

 

[Fronkonsteen]

By shimming I mean the neck angle, not the tremolo radius.
If there's nothing wrong with the guitar then sell it and buy one with a rosewood board that you like the look of rather than wrecking this one.
Rosewood boards are far more common than maple so you might even get a better instrument for similar money.

Like I said, I don't hate the neck, and I do like the guitar.
I'm going to take your advice though, and not "wreck" the guitar.
I think I'll just play it like it is and learn to appreciate maple fingerboards.
If I'm absolutely miserable (I doubt I will be.) I'll sell it and buy a different one.

Thanks man

 

[Fronkonsteen]

An interesting thing just happened.
I have the opportunity to trade my RG350M with Edge III for an S470 with a ZR.
Can anyone offer me an opinion on this trade?
Only reason I'm putting it here is as a follow up to my earlier line of questioning.

 

[sepulchrave]

I reckon you're coming out ahead, the ZR trem is more stable than the Edge III.

Edit: The ZR might need an arm and holder upgrade since the earlier ones tended to break the holder, but you're swapping an Indo for a Korean guitar so all things being equal it should be a superior instrument, it would help if you could tell us the serial on the S470.

 

[Fronkonsteen]

I reckon you're coming out ahead, the ZR trem is more stable than the Edge III.

Edit: The ZR might need an arm and holder upgrade since the earlier ones tended to break the holder, but you're swapping an Indo for a Korean guitar so all things being equal it should be a superior instrument, it would help if you could tell us the serial on the S470.

Can't access the SN until I go out of town to look at it, but...
It has Deep Violet Flat Finish, and S-Wave inlay, and unless I am mistaken that points to '03 to '07 Korean made, with ZR and ZPS2.
Am I correct?

 

[snaggleyoda]

I have a 2011 470MHZ. I like the Edge zero 2 myself, I think it's the best of the mid-range trems. I personally don't have issues with the Edge 3 on my rg350 DX. It's really not a trem you can do Steve Vai impersonations with though. I found it stable under light to medium use & the tuning was stable otherwise. I think perhaps people expected too much out of a mid-range trem on a mid-range guitar.

 

[sepulchrave]

...It's really not a trem you can do Steve Vai impersonations with...

...which is the issue with the Edge III, a double locking trem either works properly or it doesn't. You can go nuts with a well set up Takeuchi TRS which is a basic locking trem.
When you go berserk with a ZR it returns to pitch but you might be left holding the arm with some of the holder still screwed into it.

 

[snaggleyoda]

I have an old takeiuchi TRS, & the thing is built like a tank. I'd actually like to put it on another guitar but the tone block is to big & doesn't fit any of the routs that I have. Picked it up on an old low end EX someone had thrown in the trash. It's one of those odd ducks with adjustable saddle height.

 

[sepulchrave]

I have an old takeiuchi TRS, & the thing is built like a tank. I'd actually like to put it on another guitar but the tone block is to big & doesn't fit any of the routs that I have. Picked it up on an old low end EX someone had thrown in the trash. It's one of those odd ducks with adjustable saddle height.

In that case I have a top tip for ya, I modify the TRS by cutting the block back to remove the piece with the thread for the arm in it and drilling out the back of the arm bushing to remove it from the base plate, these mods mean you can buy a Schaller lockmeister arm and holder and bolt it straight into the hole in the base plate.
Voila, an OFR in all but name.

 

[snaggleyoda]

I've been thinking about doing that, but I probably have a bazillion project guitars sitting around to get to, including refretting an Agile 625 pro & installing new pickup switches on an old Korean SG copy. I just recently swapped out the pups on the 470.

 

[j.arledge]

i can tell you from experience not all rg necks have the same width neck pock. Some are 57 mm some 56. You can't assume that it will be a 100% fit. that said, all the scews have always lined up fairly right. if you have a mm or two gap it isn't ideal but it still works as long as the neck is seated straight in the pocket(equal amount of fretboard from center of the high e string to fret board edge, and center of low e to fret board edge)

 

[sepulchrave]

I've been thinking about doing that, but I probably have a bazillion project guitars sitting around to get to, including refretting an Agile 625 pro & installing new pickup switches on an old Korean SG copy. I just recently swapped out the pups on the 470.

It takes half an hour, just how busy are you?
I'd skip the refret, that's two days work and those pickup switches could take a whole hour.

 

[snaggleyoda]

I've been thinking about doing that, but I probably have a bazillion project guitars sitting around to get to, including refretting an Agile 625 pro & installing new pickup switches on an old Korean SG copy. I just recently swapped out the pups on the 470.

It takes half an hour, just how busy are you?
I'd skip the refret, that's two days work and those pickup switches could take a whole hour.

Unfortunately I have to do work like cutting a brass block outside, & it's dark & cold by the time I get off work, & it's always raining on the weekends. Besides I got 2 guitars with original Edges on them so I don't have a rush to get another one up & running.

 

[govindkori]

I'm not a luthier so I realize things as I go, mostly before I spend money thank god.
I want to replace the neck on my RG350M, I'm about 100% sure it's a 2010 the SN burned into the headstock is I100606 but none of my research was able to find a serial number format to match it.
It seems to be a pattern that the factory (And in one case month of manufacture.) is designated by a letter at the beginning so mine is either Cort, or September and possibly 2010?
But my question is pretty simple.
I know if I don't want to fool around with it Showbox jiofi.local.html tplinklogin too much I can keep to Wizard II necks made in 2010, or Wizard III necks from 2011 - 2018 which seem to mainly come from S-Series guitars.
I can also use Wizard Nitro necks from the same years.
I started looking for necks when I realized I had all the dimensions except the neck pocket, which would seem to be a fairly serious oversight.
Are all AANJ pocket dimensions more or less universal?
Is there a chart somewhere to tell me what I can do, maybe a resource who specializes in these necks?
I'd really like a rosewood fretboard, and if it had something other than dot inlays, that'd be cool with me too.
Thanks.

you're swapping an Indo for a Korean guitar so all things being equal it should be a superior instrument, it would help if you could tell us the serial on the S470.