Stratocaster Neck with Mustang Fret spacing, Do-able?

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dcpennington	Stratocaster Neck with Mustang Fret spacing, Do-able?		Lead	[-]
Posts: 6 Thu, Jun 21, 2007 23:55:18	Tags : None I lost two fingers (pinky and ring) and most of the feeling in the other two in an accident some years ago, but ( perhaps sadly) simply cannot get guitar out of my system as I had been a songwriter / guitar addict from age twelve. I tried the left-conversion , but heh, thats just not happening.... I still play and and have an un-killable LOVE of the Fender Stratocaster specifically. But in playing with a recently acquired first-run Fender Jag-Stang, I find that in my situation the Mustang neck is remarkably easier to play finger-wise for me , but annoyingly short feeling over-all. The narrower fret spacing makes my play so much less painful / strenuous since I only have a middle-finger / index finger to play with, that I really want that in a Strat. My question is: can I do this with a full-length Strat neck? I want the Strat to be normal 22 fret length, but with the narrower spacing, which probably means throwing a couple more frets onto it. I know their may be issues with this, but It seems that it would avoid the problem of hitting the harmonic node hoptspot at the neck p/u because the fretboard would still be the standard full-length... But in all honesty I am just too naive on the subject to say what the problems could be.... All input will be appreciated!!! Daniel
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RMosack	scale...	#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3169 Fri, Jun 22, 2007 04:04:04 Contrib. Silver Charter Member	The only way to have "smaller frets" at a given pitch is to loosen the strings and have a shorter scale length. The standard Strat scale is 25.5". At that scale, the distance between, for example, the 1st and 2nd frets must be what it currently is. The frets are where they are based on a basic mathematical equation. The halfway point (octave) is always 12 frets up. Putting in smaller fret distances would be akin to putting extra frets on a regular Strat between the 12 notes in the Western scale. You wouldn't like that! On the same token, the standard Mustang scale is 24.0". Again, at that scale, the distance between the first and 2nd frets must be what it currently is. Interestingly enough, if you measure the distance between the nut and the first fret on a Strat, you'll find that it's really close to 1.5". That means that if you put a capo at the first fret of a Strat (the 'F' on the 'E' strings), you're left with roughly 24" remaining. That's a Mustang! "... I find that in my situation the Mustang neck is remarkably easier to play finger-wise for me , but annoyingly short feeling over-all." I'm guessing that the very reason it's easier to play is because it's shorter. If it was as long as a Strat, it would feel like a Strat: longer and more difficult for you.
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dcpennington	Re: scale...	#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6 Fri, Jun 22, 2007 23:08:38	Well yeah the crux of what I am saying is that I have two fingers with-which I have to do songs that I've written chords for before the accident, which are nearly unplayable for me now. On the Mustang neck the span from nut to G fretting position is 3 7/8" whereas that same distance on my Am. Deluxe Strat is 4 1/16" or so, doesn't sound too daunting, but it makes a huge difference when I'm playing. At the same time I'm a pretty long armed and have big palms so that overall shortness of scale is not very desirable for me... I get your point though, I basically screw-up the entire scale if I do this because the scale is based on overall length divided by the requisite notes within that scale. This brings some questions about my Bass VI scale to mind, but that's for another day... So If I understand you correctly, all I could reasonably do is to cut a Strats entire scale to 24" to accomplish this, correct? ....And this could take the form of simply using a Mustang or Jaguar neck on a strat? (Thanks for the info too btw, very helpful)
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dcpennington	Re: scale...	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6 Sat, Jun 23, 2007 00:57:10	Just as an aside, I noticed that there are guitars out there that of 24 frets with a 25 1/2" scale (Schecters in particular), so this is feasable in some circumstances then? (perhaps due to pickup config?)
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lgbclp	Re: scale...	#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1182 Sun, Jun 24, 2007 15:55:35 Contributing Bronze Member	The problem is, to reduce the scale length of your Strat it would end up making the guitar a good bit shorter, which sounds like a problem for you. Conversion necks are shorter than standard, so my Strat with 25" scale neck is 1/2" shorter than a typical Strat. A 24 3/4" would be 3/4" shorter than standard. So if there's such a thing as a 24" conversion, your Strat would lose 1 1/2" of length. There is less space between each fret and all the frets are repositioned for proper intonation. So you're kinda out of luck either way. A Strat is uncomfortable, but to give it the playability of a Mustang, you have to make it shorter, which is uncomfortable. Maybe a 24 3/4" scale works for you? That would be a nice compromise. Having 24 frets is accomplished by adding frets at the end of the neck, reducing the real estate for pickups. The neck pickup is closer to the bridge than on a 21 or 22 fret guitar. --Garrett-- G-tars
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Johnnies	Idea	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2017 Sun, Jun 24, 2007 19:59:06 Contrib. Silver Charter Member Czech Master of Rock Guitar	Maybe not a best one, but what you wrote made me think of using a smaller version of a strat. Like this one: www.squierguitars.com/pro...0310101506 Has 22.75" neck. Welcome aboard!
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dcpennington	Re: Idea	#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6 Mon, Jun 25, 2007 00:39:02	Yeah I agree that all-in-all I SIMPLY can't live with what is merely a shortened strat..., like Justin Timberlake's music..., it's just sick-and-wrong =D I'm currently seeing who has addressed the issues I'm looking at out there to see what has worked for them.... It led me to an odd coincidence in that one particular guitar has successfully done what I'm after, and it ended-up being the Schecter Ultracure , the signature guitar of perhaps my biggest music hero, Robert Smith....heh (I had intended to buy it when it came out, but decided against it as I had bought a Hellcat VI from Alfred instead a while back...Oh the irony). So I'm looking at ways to deal with the harmonic node-issues. It appears to be compromise on usage and perhaps some pickup wiring voodoo (that I've yet to figure out totally) that can make the 24 fret / 25.5 scale work fully for me, so I'm thinking about buying one (of the Schecters), then talking to Fender or USA Custom Guitars about some sort of custom once I've figured it all out.... Thank you all for the help, I appreciate it greatly =)
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jonasaberg	ha ha	#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2665 Mon, Jun 25, 2007 05:39:25 Contrib. Silver Charter Member Resident Hair Metalmaster	*Quote:* like Justin Timberlake's music..., it's just sick-and-wrong =D
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lgbclp	Re: ha ha	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1182 Mon, Jun 25, 2007 15:59:18 Contributing Bronze Member	A 25.5" scale 24 fret guitar won't work any better for you than your Strat. The fret spacing is identical. You'll just have two extra frets at the end. To have Mustang fret spacing, you'll have to accept that the guitar will be a little short. An alternative to consider is building a USACG Shagwire. It is 24" scale and you could spec it out with 3 single coils and a Strat style trem. I think that would be a great way to get closer to Strat tone, but with a scale that's better for your hand. --Garrett-- G-tars
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dcpennington	Re: ha ha	#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6 Mon, Jun 25, 2007 22:19:59	Yeah I'm getting my wires all-crossed on scale versus neck-length, thanks for the cold slap on the face.... I have to face that 24" scale is going to be mandatory unless I want magical pixies to make this sucker for me.... And we all know they got too expensive after unionizing.... =D Maybe a customized Jaguar is a decent compromise too... It's got 24" scale and I do like them... just not quite as versatile or dreamy to hold in your hands, but sigh... Can't always get what you want.....
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lgbclp	Re: ha ha	#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1182 Tue, Jun 26, 2007 02:54:38 Contributing Bronze Member	This board has always given me the straight dope. It's one of the best things about this place, so I like to pass that along. My mind is always dreaming up guitars, and I bet a Shagwire could be pretty sweet. I know it's no Strat, but it has arm & belly contours. You could put a Strat trem on it. If you do a rear-rout body, I bet you could get a Strat-like control layout going. I reckon you could get 3 single coils in there. You could get the more Strat-like US-2 headstock on the neck. Heck, I almost want one now! --Garrett-- G-tars
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gonzo	Re: ha ha	#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 139 Wed, Jun 27, 2007 15:43:37	i had a custom hybrid strat built for myself, back in 1986.. it features a 24" scale length neck. i patterned the basic design after brian may's red special, but i used a blue-print strat body (mahogony with maple cap) and sound cavities, with a set neck (2-piece flame with ebony fretboard), and an explorer headstock. i put an EMG SA assembly in it, and a kahler. i later changed the EMG's to duncans, and finally, bill lawrence l-280's and a lil 59'r in the bridge. it's quite unique, tone wise, playing wise, feel wise. pic: img90.imageshack.us/img90...sclose.jpg i throw this into the conversation, just as a mind tweak for you.
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AnthonyEMan7	Re: ha ha	#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 772 Fri, Jun 29, 2007 17:11:05 Contributing Silver Member	You may have to do a self-build. Make a neck from a strat neck blank. Scale the fret board at 24" - probably 24 frets will fit on it. Buy or make a strat body but do not have the bridge routed out. Measure off the scale length of 24" and your bridge will sit there appropriately. The only difference is that the bridge will sit 1.5" closer to the neck. The balance of the body and neck will be the same. USA CGcould probably do it, but it could be a little pricey. It may be worth a look into with them. I built an LP Jr. using a Gibson template and made it 25.5" scale. Only had 20 frets on it.
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JCTrahan	Japanese Squier E-Series Strats	#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 12 Wed, Mar 12, 2008 14:37:46	Looks like it's been a while since you've looked at this, but I wanted to mention my 1986 Squier Strats, which have a 22-fret neck and a 24.5-inch scale. I had a similar problem with the normal-sized Strats and discovered these two years ago. They made it possible for me to keep playing! Here's one on eBay right now; they also come in a Fat Strat configuration. There's never a pickguard and the headstock is always painted black. http://cgi.ebay.com/FENDER-SQUIER-STRAT-JAPAN-MIJ-HH-BLACK-STRATOCASTER_W0QQitemZ350035202927QQihZ022QQcategoryZ47070QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I've got three of them, so I'm happy; feel free to buy the rest of them!
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Stratocaster Neck with Mustang Fret spacing, Do-able?

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