Franken Tele - Life 8 or 9 (lost count)

Next Life of my Franken Tele

Hi everyone, it has been awhile since my last blog post.

Well, I thought my Franken Tele was done and ready to live forever with the last set of changes.  It sounded great.  I had the frets leveled and finished, and had the intonation set.  Did I say it sounded great? But something was wrong.

What the hell was wrong?

It just didn't feel right when I played it.  I would pick up my favorite guitar, a Gibson CS-366 and would sound and feel great.  Yet, the Franken Tele felt a lot different.  For some reason I had an AHA moment.

AHA!

I realized the big difference in FEEL was the neck scales of Fender vs Gibson.  The Fender neck scale is 25.5" and Gibson neck scale is 24.75".  While 3/4 of an inch does not seem like much, it makes a major difference. 

I use D'Addario XL Nickel Wound 11-49 strings because of the tone, longevity and that the wound strings are easy on the fingers.  

The strings on a Gibson neck are not stretched as tight as they are on a Fender neck, which I like a lot.  Also, the frets on a Gibson scale neck are just a little closer together than on a Fender neck, which makes the guitar a little easier for me to play.    

Then I had one of those "that sucks" moments, with the thought that after all of the work on my Franken Tele I would not enjoy playing it.  In turn, that led to more research on guitar necks.  I was not going to give up on my Franken Tele. 

Never Give Up.

I was super stoked when I came across Warmoth Gibson Conversion necks for Fender Telecaster guitars.   You do not have to move the bridge or change anything with how the bolt on neck fits with body.  Just some intonation tweaks and maybe a slight truss rod adjustment are needed.

So, I have ordered a Warmoth Gibson Conversion neck for a Telecaster.  Here is what I selected: 

Neck material:  Roasted Maple
Fret board material:  Dark Indian Rosewood
Neck profile: Standard Thin
Frets size: 6105
Nut width: 1-11/16"
Tuner ream:  13/32"
Neck radius:  10" Straight
Neck face dots:  Cream
Neck side dots: White

I will get back to you after the new neck has arrived, hardware has been installed, with intonation and truss rod set, and I have played it with band mates.

I am looking forward to having a neck on my Franken Tele that has a feel very similar to the neck on Gibson CS-336. 

Meanwhile, I have a Mighty Mite Tele neck (Maple with Rosewood fret board) with a Satin finish for sale.  The frets have been treated and smoothed.

Enjoy The Music!

Jimmy