Just returned from our local (sort of) Fender dealer who had a very sweet new '52 RI. Way better build quality than my buddy's '82 RI. Don't really care for the color tho--a bit too butterscotch, but I could live with it.
And the neck is sublime!! Nice and fat, without being a boat oar, a little on the sticky side, but man what a comfortable neck. Even fatter than my JV strat.
Three questions:
1. Are the necks typically thinner on earlier models?
2. When did the change to fatter necks occur?
3. Where can I get a similar neck without paying a fortune for the real deal?
I'd like to put one on my highway 1