Andy Eagle ( Guitar repair tech for 30 years )

[la szum]

Any experience with Fender Licensed Allparts necks?? Specifically the all Rosewood one??

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Any experience with Fender Licensed Allparts necks?? Specifically the all Rosewood one??

Not the all rosewood but I've got a tele with the TRO Fat neck and it's lovely. Once the frets were sorted and it was finished in nitro it feels as nice as any other neck I've got.

 

[la szum]

Sweet!

I have never played/even heard an all Rosewood neck before. Always been super curious.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Sweet!

I have never played/even heard an all Rosewood neck before. Always been super curious.

I've never tried one either, they look damn cool though.

 

[la szum]

I've never tried one either, they look damn cool though.

They do. That Tele George Harrison played comes to mind. But I think that was a Rosewood Body, too, no?

 

[Chocol8]

They do. That Tele George Harrison played comes to mind. But I think that was a Rosewood Body, too, no?

Yes, I think the body was two layers of rosewood with a thin layer of maple in between. Supposedly very heavy, and George only had it for a short time before he gave it away so it probably wasn't all that great...at least in his opinion.

 

[Eagle]

Any experience with Fender Licensed Allparts necks?? Specifically the all Rosewood one??

These are high quality items but require the final sanding and fret dress . They are made by a company that has produced necks and bodies for Fender Japan . The price is good for what you are getting. By final I mean the detail work that most don’t do. You can produce results easily up the that of Fender custom shop using them but options are limited. Never buy one with finish because it prevents you from adding the detail that makes all the difference. I use them from time to time if the specs are right for a customer.

This is one I used,

You can really get high end results using these but you can also end up with a Nash if you get a 4 year old to do the work. Yes they and many use the same parts . Watch out for the 56mm heel it’s 1/2mm over size for a 2 3/16” standard Fender neck pocket. This is often lost in tolerances but you may need to account for it in the build.

 

[Eagle]

And on the subject of the rosewood neck, yes it’s very good. Remember the made in Japan all rosewood Tele ? Same factory. You can get roasted and roasted quarter sawn ones too occasionally. They also sell as Hosco, exactly the same products but without branding.

 

[Eagle]

Here’s a half finished relic tele neck that I did for a customer who had a MJT body.

 

[Oddguitar]

And on the subject of the rosewood neck, yes it’s very good. Remember the made in Japan all rosewood Tele ? Same factory. You can get roasted and roasted quarter sawn ones too occasionally. They also sell as Hosco, exactly the same products but without branding.

I see that Hosco is the parent company of Gotoh, CTS, Alpha and a few others...seems like they make quality stuff all around.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I see that Hosco is the parent company of Gotoh, CTS, Alpha and a few others...

Interesting. I didn't know this.

 

[Blix]

I have a scalloped Allparts maple neck I'm really happy with. Mine was finished but I have removed most of the finish anyway.

 

[Oddguitar]

Andy, is this an accurate summary of your preferences? Would you mind filling in the blanks where I've put a question mark.

Locking trem: Gotoh GE1996T, Ibanez Edge, German Floyd Rose, Schaller Lockmeister, Kahler Steeler Pro
Non-locking trem: Gotoh 510 or Gotoh Wilkinson, Vega is you're ok with different feel
Headless trem:
Offset style trem: ?
Bigsby/Cam-style trem: I know you're not a fan, but if you had to choose a best of the least worst?
Fixed Bridge: ?
Machine Heads: Gotoh, especially 510 for modern and SD91 for vintage-style
Fretwire: Jescar best, Hosco second-best
Pickups: ?
Pots: CTS first, then Alpha or Bourns
Knobs: push-pull better than push-push
Nut: bone first for durability, graphite or TUSQ second
Kill switch: ?
Blower switch: ?
PU selector switch: Schaller Mega Switch or CRL first, Alpha or Oak Grigsby second...thoughts on 10-sound Free-Way switch?
Replacement neck: Allparts or Hosco
Nut lubricant: Chapstick ?
Truss rod: two-way first, vintage second
Straplocks: ?
String Tree/Retainer: none...use staggered machine heads instead
Strings: ?
Neck attachment: Bolt-on, Set-neck, Neck through or Set-through?
Headstock angle?
Tyler/Demeter Mid-Boost: ?
Coil splitting or Series/Parallel: ?
Shielding: copper tape or conductive paint: ?
Thoughts on Sustainiac...worth doing or gimmick?
Strap: ?
Strat Tele mod (add bridge to neck or neck and middle pickup): ?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Eagle]

Andy, is this an accurate summary of your preferences? Would you mind filling in the blanks where I've put a question mark.

Locking trem: Gotoh GE1996T, Ibanez Edge, German Floyd Rose, Schaller Lockmeister, Kahler Steeler Pro
Non-locking trem: Gotoh 510 or Gotoh Wilkinson, Vega is you're ok with different feel
Headless trem:
Offset style trem: ?
Bigsby/Cam-style trem: I know you're not a fan, but if you had to choose a best of the least worst?
Fixed Bridge: ?
Machine Heads: Gotoh, especially 510 for modern and SD91 for vintage-style
Fretwire: Jescar best, Hosco second-best
Pickups: ?
Pots: CTS first, then Alpha or Bourns
Knobs: push-pull better than push-push
Nut: bone first for durability, graphite or TUSQ second
Kill switch: ?
Blower switch: ?
PU selector switch: Schaller Mega Switch or CRL first, Alpha or Oak Grigsby second...thoughts on 10-sound Free-Way switch?
Replacement neck: Allparts or Hosco
Nut lubricant: Chapstick ?
Truss rod: two-way first, vintage second
Straplocks: ?
String Tree/Retainer: none...use staggered machine heads instead
Strings: ?
Neck attachment: Bolt-on, Set-neck, Neck through or Set-through?
Headstock angle?
Tyler/Demeter Mid-Boost: ?
Coil splitting or Series/Parallel: ?
Shielding: copper tape or conductive paint: ?
Thoughts on Sustainiac...worth doing or gimmick?
Strap: ?
Strat Tele mod (add bridge to neck or neck and middle pickup): ?

Thanks in advance!

Headless trem- Aristides Hantug.
Cam trem . Steinberger TT1.
Fixed bridge, guitar specific. Ask on the basis of what you’re fitting it on.
Pickups is a huge topic,
Kill switch- Sanwa arcade button.
Blower switch. I have one but apart from treble boost I don’t particularly care for it.
Free way is unnecessary the best tones are the standard ones in almost every case or certainly available on a four pole.
Necks, Musikraft Warmoth and Hosco if the spec suits.
Nut lube - anything except graphite.
Truss rod - for tone a vintage single in fender style two way in the rest.
S locks
String tree only if needed.
Neck , bolt on top ,
Head angle shallow.
Demeter mid boost. Yes for clarity.
Coil tap and series parallel are both usable.
No shield beyond screened Paint.
Sustain system- they are all a huge tone suck .

 

[Oddguitar]

Headless trem- Aristides Hantug.
Cam trem . Steinberger TT1.
Fixed bridge, guitar specific. Ask on the basis of what you’re fitting it on.
Pickups is a huge topic,
Kill switch- Sanwa arcade button.
Blower switch. I have one but apart from treble boost I don’t particularly care for it.
Free way is unnecessary the best tones are the standard ones in almost every case or certainly available on a four pole.
Necks, Musikraft Warmoth and Hosco if the spec suits.
Nut lube - anything except graphite.
Truss rod - for tone a vintage single in fender style two way in the rest.
S locks
String tree only if needed.
Neck , bolt on top ,
Head angle shallow.
Demeter mid boost. Yes for clarity.
Coil tap and series parallel are both usable.
No shield beyond screened Paint.
Sustain system- they are all a huge tone suck .

Headless trem- Aristides Hantug.
Cam trem . Steinberger TT1.
Fixed bridge, guitar specific. Ask on the basis of what you’re fitting it on.
Pickups is a huge topic,
Kill switch- Sanwa arcade button.
Blower switch. I have one but apart from treble boost I don’t particularly care for it.
Free way is unnecessary the best tones are the standard ones in almost every case or certainly available on a four pole.
Necks, Musikraft Warmoth and Hosco if the spec suits.
Nut lube - anything except graphite.
Truss rod - for tone a vintage single in fender style two way in the rest.
S locks
String tree only if needed.
Neck , bolt on top ,
Head angle shallow.
Demeter mid boost. Yes for clarity.
Coil tap and series parallel are both usable.
No shield beyond screened Paint.
Sustain system- they are all a huge tone suck .

Thank you for this! Do you have any preference in string brands, specifically in regard to reliability?

I'm sensing that you aren't all that fond of offset guitars and trems? Do you have experience with any of the higher-quality replacements for the Fender floating trem (e.g. Mastery, Descendant, or Halon)?

Do you have a preference for Tune-o-matic style bridges? For Fender-style fixed bridge?

I assume you prefer bolt-on necks because of the ease of serviceability and replacement?

Which trem arm mount do you prefer, collar-type push-in or screw-in?

Thoughts on Titanium vs Carbon Fiber neck reinforcement?

Thoughts on Ilitch/Suhr hum-cancelling systems vs noiseless pickup options?

 

[Eagle]

Thank you for this! Do you have any preference in string brands, specifically in regard to reliability?

I'm sensing that you aren't all that fond of offset guitars and trems? Do you have experience with any of the higher-quality replacements for the Fender floating trem (e.g. Mastery, Descendant, or Halon)?

Do you have a preference for Tune-o-matic style bridges? For Fender-style fixed bridge?

I assume you prefer bolt-on necks because of the ease of serviceability and replacement?

Which trem arm mount do you prefer, collar-type push-in or screw-in?

Thoughts on Titanium vs Carbon Fiber neck reinforcement?

Thoughts on Ilitch/Suhr hum-cancelling systems vs noiseless pickup options?

NYXL strings.
Fender offset bridge is better than the so called high end replacements. I can go in to detail in future.
Tunamatic and fender hard tails are project specific.
Gotoh 510 arm screw in with a collar.
Carbon fibre by a mile.
The backplate sucks literally.

 

[PhilA]

Nut lube - anything except graphite

Interesting over the years I’ve heard so much soft pencil or the like as a Nut lube.
What do you use Andy? As I’ll trust your judgment on the anything but graphite thing

 

[Eagle]

Nut lube - anything except graphite

Interesting over the years I’ve heard so much soft pencil or the like as a Nut lube.
What do you use Andy? As I’ll trust your judgment on the anything but graphite thing

I don’t like graphite because it makes a mess and looks bad. It works but all the commercially available ones do . I did have some clear with Teflon in the formula that was good. Not specifically for guitar so 1000x cheaper