question about a neck replacement.

[Ryan Givhan]

i have an 04 american tele that i am in the process of stripping the thick poly finish and refinishing it with a thin coat of nitro. my question is: will the neck fit back in properly or will i need to shim it? and if i get a replacement neck will it fit or will i have to shim it? lol, any insight will help. thanks!

[buckaroo]

If the original neck did not need a shim before it should not need it again as long as you are not removing wood. That said, you may need a subtle tweak to the bridge saddles.

Adding a different neck is a different circunstance. Only answer to that is try it and see.

[Ryan Givhan]

well i havent taken the neck off yet. but if there is the thick paint in the cavity like there is all over the rest of the guitar. i cant see how it will fit just the same once a thinner paint is there.

[Offshore Angler]

It will be fine. Won't sound any better, but the neck will fit just fine.

[Cogs]

No, it depends on what is done to the neck pocket. If you are really worried about the neck fitting properly, then just don't strip out the neck pocket. And, yes, you CAN screw it up if you strip it improperly.
If you sand the neck & the pocket (moreso the neck) unevenly then you can throw off the angle & screw up the action, or at least make it necessary to reset the action from scratch.
In the past I have used a router, a level table, & template to "clean up" the pocket by just taking a cigarette paper's worth of wood off. This is not for the squeamish & if you don't want to get in over your head then just don't strip out the neck pocket & use a block when sanding the heel of the neck.
I had a Strat that had major issues: The top of the body had been sanded w/out a block & the neck heel was not perfectly flat. The neck pocket was clean but not flat either. It took a lot of work to get it back right.

[Offshore Angler]

All you need to remove the poly is a heat gun. It pops right off leaving the wood untouched.

[buckaroo]

well i havent taken the neck off yet. but if there is the thick paint in the cavity like there is all over the rest of the guitar. i cant see how it will fit just the same once a thinner paint is there.

My experience reveals that as long as you don't remove wood, you will "most likely" not need a shim, "if" you use the same neck and that neck did not originally need a shim.

The space taken by the original finish is negligible. At most, you would need to perform a slight bridge adjustment to fine tune the action.

[Cogs]

All you need to remove the poly is a heat gun. It pops right off leaving the wood untouched.

Not in my experience. The problem w/using a heat gun, especially in the neck pocket & other routes, is the necessity of a putty knife or other scraping tool. That increases the possibility of gouging or otherwise removing wood from the surface.
The best way I've found to remove a poly finish is by using Jasco Paint & Epoxy Remover. It still takes a lot of time & perhaps several applications.

[Offshore Angler]

Not in my experience. The problem w/using a heat gun, especially in the neck pocket & other routes, is the necessity of a putty knife or other scraping tool. That increases the possibility of gouging or otherwise removing wood from the surface.
The best way I've found to remove a poly finish is by using Jasco Paint & Epoxy Remover. It still takes a lot of time & perhaps several applications.

I've had different results. I use an industrial one used for shrink wrap on wiring harnesses ( one of those red and sliver jobbies with the foot that holds it upside down) the poly actually "pop"s off, making noise. It comes off in pieces the size of a half-dollar. Just gotta be careful not to burn the wood.

[Ryan Givhan]

thanks for all the replies guys. i need a new neck. i cant stand the paper thin modern fender necks. so i am getting a 59 warmoth neck. and in my experience a poly guitar refinished with thin nitro does sound better and sustain longer.